Aveena: The City of Gold (The Black Knight duology Book 1)

by Destiny Hawkins

  Aveena made a left down a darker hall that was still a little crowded, but only because it was a bit cramped. He could hear her giggles in front of him, along with the clicking of her sandals against the floor.

  “Aveena!” Michael called out.

  Aveena just laughed louder and then...disappeared.

  Michael stopped when he didn’t see anyone walking or running through the dim hall in front of him. “Where the hell did she go now?”

  There was the faint sound of something being knocked over far ahead of him. He sprinted down the hall and up two flights of steps while wondering how she got there so fast. When he finally got to the top of the steps, he turned to see Aveena in the room to his right.

  “Aveena...Get down from there...” Michael said as calmly as he could. He was growing tired of this chase.

  Aveena was crouched down in the opening of a window with her hands holding herself up on both sides. She looked over her shoulder at Michael with a mischievous grin on her lips, and then jumped out of the window.

  “Aveena!” Michael ran to the window and popped his head out. Aveena had somehow landed safely on her feet and was looking back up at him with a now, full smile, showing off her pearly whites. “Dammit,” he reached back to grab his air board when then realized that he’d left it hanging on a tree back in the garden.

  Aveena laughed at Michael, and Michael couldn’t help but smile. Hearing her laugh sent chills up his spine while his heart fluttered and danced with excitement. He wished that he could jump down there after her, but his human body wouldn’t be able to sustain the fall. Her Raluzan body shouldn’t have survived either, so it was either her powers, or her seal that protected her.

  Aveena shook her head and started walking through the large field. Michael wouldn’t be getting to her any time soon. He didn’t even know where he was, or how to get down to where she was. He sighed with a slight smile tugging at his lips. She had won this one for now.

  ~*~

  Michael had finally made his way through the Palace and had been searching for Aveena for hours. He hoped that she didn’t go off running into the city, because his search for her would have only taken longer. The entire day, he went without food and little water while searching for that girl. He snorted at the thought of losing to her in whatever game they were playing. It looked like she had plenty of practice on getting away when it came to being chased, because she was a pro.

  It was now sunset, and Michael still hadn’t found her. He decided to go back to the garden and retrieve his air board, but when he went back to where he’d lost it, it wasn’t there. Great! Now two things he needed were officially missing.

  Michael walked through the garden and stopped when he came to the fountain. He fell to his knees in front of it and cupped his hands for water, then drank the fresh liquid from his palms. Once he was satisfied, he wiped his face and sat down against the fountain.

  Aveena heard Michael on the other side and quietly walked around the fountain with his air board in her hands. She felt bad after looking him over and seeing how tired he was. He sat with his head leaning against the fountain, his eyes closed, and his legs making a V shape.

  “Michael?” Aveena called. She looked him over again and bit her lower lip, but this time she was admiring his muscular build, and how good he looked with the Knight’s uniform on.

  Michael smiled at the sound of her soft voice. He thought that he was just having a good dream, but then he realized that it wasn’t. It was reality, and she was actually there, watching him.

  Aveena laughed when she saw his lips curve upwards, then Michael jolted out of his sleep. “Are you okay?”

  Michael, clearly embarrassed, was about to get to his feet when Aveena rested her hand on his shoulder and slowly pushed him back down to his bottom. She leaned his air board against the fountain, and then sat down next to him.

  Michael’s heart raced when he felt Aveena’s smooth arm slide against his. He poked his lips out and looked up at the sky trying to pretend that she wasn’t there. Aveena did the same, but then couldn’t resist looking over at Michael’s beautiful face. When she was brought back to the Palace five years ago, all she did was dream about him, and now he was right here next to her.

  “How are you feeling?” She asked.

  Michael took a deep breath, “Like I was searching for you for an entire day. And how about yourself?”

  Aveena giggled, “Like I had a good nap, and I’m a little full from the food I just finished too.”

  “Oh? And you got to eat?” Michael chuckled. “Well, doesn’t that sound nice?”

  “It does. It’s kind of the everyday life of being a Princess. You just sleep, eat, and occasionally get into things that you’re not supposed to, but that’s okay because you won’t get into much trouble.”

  “Hmm, I would kill to be a Princess. Sounds like the life.”

  “No, it’s not all that great,” Aveena gave a half grin.

  Michael looked at her to see if she was serious, and then they both burst out laughing. After the day he’d just had, he was happy that Aveena was okay with being so close to him. What a relief.

  They both sat in silence for a moment while watching the clouds. The sun reflected red, yellow, and orange off of them, signaling that it would be going down soon, and that the day would be over. Only, Michael didn’t want it to end yet, no matter how tired he was.

  Aveena looked down at Michael’s necklace again, and when Michael started to turn his head she snapped her eyes back to the clouds. She didn’t know what had gotten into her, but she was suddenly feeling nervous around him. Michael raised a brow and turned back to the sky, allowing Aveena to relax again.

  “I can’t believe you kept it. The crystal. When I realized that you had no memory of me, I was confused as to why you were even wearing it,” Aveena said.

  Michael reached up to touch the crystal, “I woke up with it on when I got here. I felt like it was important, so I kept it.”

  Aveena pulled her brows together, “How did you get here?”

  “Oh, yeah. Tayen, she was the one who found me after that fight between the Knights and them in my world. She brought me back to tend to my wound, and then I just never left,” Michael shrugged.

  “But, what about your family? Your mother?” Aveena looked up at Michael again, only getting a side view of his face.

  Michael sighed, “They don’t know where I am. Most likely they think that I’m dead, and hopefully, they moved on.”

  “I don’t understand, don’t you miss them?”

  “Every day,” Michael lowered his chin to gaze into Aveena’s eyes. “But, after we change Raluza, I can bring them here to live.”

  Aveena smiled and cocked her head to the side. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

  “Well, with your help, the organization’s help, and a few more rebels, we can overrun the Palace, choose a new leader, and break down the four walls.”

  “Choose a new leader? Like someone other than me?” Aveena raised a brow.

  “Well, technically,” Michael leaned in closer to Aveena, “you’re not really a leader yet, so I guess you can be a candidate.”

  Aveena’s heart pounded with Michael being so close to her. First, their shoulders were touching, and now this? They were clearly moving way too fast. Especially, since a few hours ago Aveena was upset with him about coming to kill her. She was supposed to be giving him the cold shoulder, like she’d planned when she woke up this morning. They couldn’t possibly be friends again with Michael only being on duty for one day.

  Michael pulled his head away and looked back up at the darkening sky. “Did you try using your powers again while I was looking for you?” He asked.

  “No,” Aveena sighed. “My seal holds me back from being able to control it the way that I want to.”

  “Try thinking of it as, your seal wanting you to control certain amounts of it at a time. That way you don’t feel like it’s holding you back.”

&nb
sp; Aveena bit her lower lip in thought. She had never thought of it that way. Just that it was a pain in the ass. “The seal won’t completely fall off until it somehow deems me a woman,” she explained.

  “Deems you a woman?”

  “Yes, and who knows what age I’d have to be before it decides that I’m old enough.”

  A slight smile tugged on Michael’s lips, “I don’t really think—It may not have anything to do with...”

  Aveena frowned in confusion and looked at Michael again, “Spit it out already. What is it?”

  Michael chuckled and shook his head. Aveena had no idea how to break the seal. Originally, it was supposed to fall off around the age of eighteen, because that was the age that Princesses or princes tended to lose their virginity. The seal wouldn’t deem her a woman until she made love to her soul mate.

  “Michael?”

  “Well,” Michael cut his eyes towards Aveena with a full smile on his face. “Maybe you won’t be deemed a woman until you...you know?”

  Aveena still looked confused, “I’m not following.”

  “Until you...” Michael sighed. He couldn’t beat around the bush any longer. “Until you have sex.”

  Aveena’s eyes widened, and then she turned her head to look away from him. Have sex with whom? She remembered her father telling her that the seal wouldn’t come off until she was officially a woman, but she just thought that meant that she had to grow up into one, not do that. There was no one that she liked enough to do it ...with...She sighed with a chuckle. Of course. So that’s what her dreams were telling her.

  “Is everything alright in that big head of yours?” Michael asked.

  “Your head’s bigger than mine,” Aveena laughed.

  “Sure it is.”

  Michael and Aveena talked for a few more hours. Most of their talk was about their first time meeting each other, and how Michael’s family took care of her. Then she explained how the statue was of her father’s Knight, and that he was buried underneath it.

  Every King or Queen chose a Knight once they inherited the crown, and the Knight that they chose always had the ability to see things clearer than others. It was another gift that the Raluzan god granted in order to protect his Kingdom.

  By the end of the night, Aveena was asleep with her head resting against Michael’s shoulder. He wanted to stay that way a little longer, but knew that it was important to get her back to bed. No Princess should be caught sleeping outside with a man that she, technically, just met.

  Michael picked Aveena up and cradled her in his arms. She moved her head to rest on his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, causing his pulse to quicken. He was surprised that she didn’t wake up from his heart pounding against her temple.

  Michael kicked his air board down, and then stepped onto it once it was leveled. He made sure that Aveena was secure in his arms, then glided up to her balcony and into her room. Once he was inside, he stepped off of the board and walked over to her bed. He gently laid her down and pulled her covers up to her chest.

  Aveena shifted to get comfortable on her back while still in a deep sleep. Michael was astounded by the design of the seal glowing yellow on her chest and leaned over her to get a closer look. It was of an incursive letter R with thorny vines curving around it. As scary as it may have looked, Michael found it to be beautiful. This was the seal that kept Aveena alive, and he was grateful for it.

  Michael’s eyes traveled up to Aveena’s gentle face, and he imagined rubbing the back of his hand against her cheeks. They looked so soft and smooth that he didn’t think that he could resist. He did, of course, and stood upright. He wanted permission to touch her in such a way, and didn’t want to ruin any chances by her waking up and freaking out on him. They had finally talked and broke through the ice. There was no way he was going to ruin what he had finally accomplished. Even if her face was open for caressing.

  Michael sighed. He picked up his board and snapped it to his back, then walked around the bed after deciding to head back to his cabin on foot. He figured that he would get used to the Palace halls and memorize them just in case he had to chase Aveena around again. He quietly opened the door and slipped out of the room, then closed it behind him.

  Michael stared at the wooden door, sad that he had to leave her for only a few hours.

  “What are you doing?” Someone asked.

  Michael turned to see who had spoken to him. On sight, he knew exactly who the young man was. He looked a lot like Aveena, but was a tad darker and had short curly black hair.

  “You must be Avon?”

  “And you are?” Avon asked as he slowly approached Michael from down the hall. He wore clothes similar to Lavier’s, only his pants were black and the waistband was gold. He also had a thin dark mustache, showing that he was growing into a man.

  “I’m Michael, Av—”

  “Aveena’s Knight,” Avon cut him off. He raised his chin and narrowed his eyes. He clearly didn’t like Michael already. “You’re leaving my sister’s room pretty late.”

  “I just put her to bed,” Michael sighed and let his shoulders drop. He really didn’t care to talk to Avon. From what Aveena had told him, he was quite a jerk.

  “Huh, right,” Avon stopped in front of Michael and looked him up and down in disgust. “Don’t try anything with my sister. You’re not good enough for her, and I don’t trust you.”

  Michael chuckled to hide his irritation, “Well, aren’t you a judgmental one?”

  “I mean it. I don’t understand why my uncle would hire a Ponz the day after my sister was attacked, and then not long after your arrival a prisoner escapes.” Avon shook his head and stepped towards his door across from Aveena’s. “Keep your filthy hands off of my sister. You’re just here to watch over her, and do as she says.”

  “And what if she tells me to touch her?” Michael grinned.

  Avon’s lips flat lined. He snapped his head around and walked the rest of the way to his door. After opening it, he looked back at Michael over his shoulder, “I know you have something to do with that prisoner escaping. I will find out who attacked my sister and there will be consequences.” He turned back around and went into his room, letting the door swing shut behind him.

  Michael’s smile fell from his face before he walked away. Even though Avon was a jerk, he genuinely cared for his sister’s well-being. He most likely still didn’t believe that Lavier was planning to kill her. Aveena had long given up trying to convince her brother that their uncle was dangerous.

  ~*~

  The next day, Michael went searching through the Palace for Aveena. He was hoping that she wouldn’t be as hard to find as she was yesterday and decided that if an hour went by and he still couldn’t find her, then he would go to the garden.

  On the way to her room, he stopped a servant and was told that she was last seen near the ballroom. Michael was relieved that he could remember how to get there, but once he arrived he had no idea where to look. He spotted the servant that dropped the plates yesterday and asked her.

  “Oh, Lady Aveena? She’s in the library talking to her brother I believe,” the servant answered.

  “Where can I find the Library?”

  “Just down that hall, first door on the left,” the servant pointed towards the curved hall that Michael chased Aveena down yesterday.

  “Okay ma’am. Thank you,” Michael nodded.

  “Oh, it’s no problem. Tell Aveena that Mary said hello.”

  Michael started for the hall on the other side of the ballroom. Once he stepped into the hall he turned to his left to enter a smaller hall that led into a large library. As he walked further into the room, his bottom lip dropped lower and lower, leaving his mouth gaping wide open.

  The library was almost as vast as the entrance hall. The walls were painted brown, the soft carpet was a crimson red, and book cases stretched down the length and width of the room. Everywhere his eyes turned, there was a book! Next to him, in the only bookless space of the
library, there were soft chairs surrounding a small wooden table with a golden flower vase placed in the center of it. The large windows gave light to the library, but there were unlit torches against the walls for nightfall.

  Michael looked from his left, and then to his right. No sign of Aveena. He imagined that she was somewhere lost in the maze of book cases and chuckled to himself. He decided to walk the length of the room and peer down each isle. She had to be in in one of them. As he walked, he actually started to hear voices, Aveena’s and Avon’s. He couldn’t comprehend what was being said at first, but as he got closer he could understand.

  “I don’t trust him Aveena,” Avon hissed.

  “I don’t even understand why you care? You haven’t all these years and suddenly—”

  “You imbecile, I have always given a damn about you. I just can’t always help you when you’re so rebellious against uncle.”

  “If you knew the truth, then you would be rebellious as well,” Aveena mumbled.

  Michael stopped walking right before the isle that the two siblings were arguing in.

  “Uncle isn’t going to try to kill you, Sister,” Avon sighed, knowing where this was going. “He wouldn’t do that, but who did try to kill you, huh? Some rebels, and as soon as Michael arrives we lose a prisoner? That doesn’t sound odd to you?”

  “No.”

  A hand slapped down on Michael’s shoulder, causing him to jump. He looked over his shoulder to see Lavier leaning in with a tight smile, “Eavesdropping is a little rude.”

  “Oh,” Michael put on a fake smile. “I was just looking for Aveena. I didn’t want to interrupt their talk.”

  “Understood,” Lavier led him from behind the bookcase and into the sights of Aveena and Avon.

  If Aveena was mad before, she didn’t look that way now. Michael’s lower stomach twisted at the thought of her being fearful of Lavier. He swore that he would protect her when it came down to it, and he would kill the King right now if he had to.

  Aveena’s lips slightly parted for her to take in air, and Avon just glared over at Michael, who only gave a delighted smile back.