The lead Knight gave a smug smile, “What? The Princess not very interested in you? Avon said that would set you off.”
Michael’s pinched the bridge of his nose with furrowed brows. There were about three young Knights behind him, one on each side of him, and two standing behind the lead Knight. There were no other escape routes besides the one leading to the ballroom, the exit down the hall, and two other back halls at the end of this hall.
He looked up at the lead Knight with a mischievous grin, then got into a defensive stance. He should be able to take these guys on, but as soon as there was an opening, he was going to take off running.
“Get him.”
One of the Knights attacked from behind, but Michael was quick and blocked the blow without even turning completely around. He held his staff horizontally and slammed it against the chest of the Knight on his left with a spark, and then the Knight on his right. A staff that came out of nowhere swiped over his head as he ducked, then he slammed his staff against one of the Knight’s shins, and swiped another off of his feet.
The lead Knight aimed the sharp end at Michael’s face, but Michael moved his head out of the way and side stepped the staff. He held his staff like a bat and slammed it into the lead Knight’s stomach, then ran passed him, but stopped short when the other two Knights blocked his pathway. They stood at a distance in a ready position, and Michael couldn’t decided on who to go for first. He could hear the other Knights coming up behind him, kicking his adrenaline back to speed.
One of the Knights ran at Michael, clearly not much of a fighter, and Michael blocked his blow with his staff and then kicked him hard in his groin. When the other Knight came after him, he was ready, but he wasn’t ready for the Knights behind him.
A strong shockwave zapped through Michael’s body, starting at his back and then spreading all the way to his fingertips and toes. His back arched inwards and then he fell down to the floor with a thud. Another shockwave came out of nowhere and he clenched his teeth in order to keep from screaming.
“You’re going to pay for making me lose my place,” the lead Knight spat. He kicked Michael onto his back and loomed over him.
Michael continued to hold his staff. It was slowly taking away the energy that was sent through him, and also the effects of the shock. Feeling came back to him at a steady pace, but he was still too weak to move.
“No one is going to wonder where you went. Not even Aveena. I’m going to send your body out to the forest for the creatures to tear apart, and no one will even find out that the poor Ponz human was killed.” The lead Knight held his staff over Michael’s body with the sharp end pointing downwards.
Michael was trying to force his muscles in his arms to move, but nothing was happening. He looked up at the Knight with fire in his eyes. This was how he was going to die? By the hands of this man, and without even completing his mission. Maybe someone heard the ruckus down the hall and decided to take a look? Hopefully, someone would stop this man from killing him. Maybe someone would come—
The lead Knight plunged his staff downwards and Michael braced himself for the pain. Fortunately, that never happened. The room filled with an unfamiliar energy. Like heat from a blazing fire mixed with an incredible amount of pressure. Michael felt like he was being crushed by a huge weight and could barely breathe.
“Michael!” Aveena saw what was happening and knew that she wouldn’t get to him in time. She was supposed to feel worried, but instead, she only felt rage. During her dance with Devlin, he had made a joke about her never having to be bothered with Michael again, and when she went to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. A dreadful feeling washed over her and she left the ball to go searching for him elsewhere.
Seeing a Knight stand over Michael’s limp body, ready to kill him, only added fuel to the fire. Her seal lit up gold, and instead of her irises glowing white, they turned gold. Her power beat at her seal, only this time the pressure wasn’t so strong because it found a way to slip out without being forced. It was almost natural.
Aveena felt a force overwhelming her, almost like it wanted to take over her body, but her dreadful seal held it back. It was a feeling that she craved for, and would scratch at her chest to release, but she couldn’t have it. Not yet.
“Get away from him.” She raised her hand, and in less than a second later, the Knights slammed against the walls, unconscious.
Michael’s eyes widened at the sight of her. His lungs were on fire, and the weight on his chest only grew stronger.
Aveena’s powers gradually moved from her chest and resided back into her belly, then she ran over to Michael and examined his body. No blood. No wounds. He was okay. Safe and alive.
Michael choked out a laugh and closed his eyes for a moment. “You are one terrifying woman.”
Aveena gave a slight smile, then helped Michael back to his feet, magically relieving him from any pain he was enduring. “We need to get out of here.”
Michael drew his brows together in confusion. How was it that he suddenly felt so much better?
“Aveena?” Avon called.
Aveena’s eyes widened, “We have to go.”
“Wait, wait...,” Michael whispered.
“What?”
“Knock him out too.”
“No,” Aveena giggled.
“Aveena!” Avon called again. He was getting closer around the bend.
“Come on!” Aveena grabbed Michael’s hand and they both sprinted down the hall. Michael thought that they were running back to his cabin, but instead they took one of the other back halls where moonlight shined in through the blue tinted windows.
Michael looked down at his hand holding hers and his palms began to sweat. Her hands were so soft and delicate, and were nothing like his mother’s hard working hands, because she never had to work.
Aveena led him through the hallways and up a few flights of steps before they got back to her room. They slipped into the darkness and bumped into each other on their way inside.
Michael stumbled into something and almost fell. He hoped Aveena didn’t see it, but her glowing white eyes saw everything, and she burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny,” Michael laughed. “What the hell was that?”
“Come here,” Aveena led Michael over to the side of her bed where the moonlight shone through the window on her left. “Now you can see.”
“Yeah...That’s much better...” Michael was breathtaken. He gazed down at her beautiful face, and his eyes kept dropping lower to her lips. He wanted to kiss them so badly, but he wanted their feelings to be mutual. Not just him liking her, and her liking Devlin.
Aveena could see the glowing expression on Michael’s face turning dark, and reached out to touch his face. It was warm and soft under her fingers, and she wanted nothing more than to pull him closer. “I don’t have feelings for him,” she said softly. She wanted to say that she had feelings for Michael, and that she was actually in love with him, but she couldn’t. Not if she wanted to keep him safe.
Michael’s lips slightly parted as he sucked in air. No girl had ever had an effect on him like this before, and he couldn’t stand it. Her essence was overwhelming, the sound of her voice was like music, the touch of her skin was like lightning, and her body was more than captivating.
Before either of them knew it, their lips were almost touching. They both were breathing heavily as their heart rates picked up. Michael held Aveena’s hand to his face, enjoying the feeling of her touch, and was happy that she didn’t pull away.
“I want your permission,” He whispered. “I want permission to kiss you.”
Aveena’s heart told her to take his lips with hers. To let her body take control and do what she had been dreaming about for the past few days, and to allow herself the happiness that she could only experience in her dreams...but she couldn’t. He’d die if she did. “I-I can’t,” she said in a shaky voice. She didn’t pull away, but she was looking into his eyes now, instead of his lip
s.
“Why do you push me away? I can see that you only want...” Michael pulled away feeling confused and frustrated.
Aveena looked down, avoiding his wanting eyes.
Michael saw her reaction and lifted her chin to look into her white irises. “What’s wrong Aveena? What’s been bothering you? Every day, since I’ve been here, something has been wrong. You look at me like—” He didn’t even know how to describe it.
Aveena’s heart ached. She could feel her tears building up behind her eyes. “I will be the end of you.”
Michael frowned, “I don’t understand. If anything, if you let me in, I feel like you’ll be the beginning of me.”
“No, Michael you don’t understand,” She stepped back. “When Clay asked if I could see you in the new Kingdom, I couldn’t see you there.”
“Aveena, what are you saying?” Michael was still confused. “Just tell me. Whatever you say, I’ll be alright.”
“I can’t see you Michael. You aren’t there. I can see the future, I dream about it, but you aren’t there, and it’ll be my fault.”
Michael thought about what she was saying. He knew that Aveena had premonitions, but he didn’t know she could see that far into the future. If he wasn’t in the future, then that meant that he had died. But how? How could he die before he brought his family back here? No, he couldn’t die. There was no way.
Michael stepped back from Aveena with confusion written all over his face. She said that he died because of her. Was it protecting her, or did she kill him? He wanted to ask her all of these questions, but no words would come out.
“Michael?” Aveena watched as he retreated. He was afraid of her now, and was pulling away. She told herself that this was for the best, so why did it hurt so badly?
Michael stared at Aveena, but didn’t say anything. He was afraid that if he spoke, words would spill out of his mouth without making any sense. He needed to go, so that he could think without her around. She was a huge distraction, and he couldn’t focus with her near him.
“I’m sorry,” Aveena said before Michael left her room. She wiped the tears from her face, but then they just fell again. All she could do was replay the look on his face as he backed away from her. She read his eyes, and they were filled with fear. He was afraid of her.
~*~
Michael lay awake in his cabin that night. He couldn’t sleep after what Aveena had told him. He was going to die, and it was her fault. Why would it be her fault? He felt like crap for leaving her the way that he did, but he couldn’t be around her at that moment. Still, the look on her face was calling out to him for caressing. Telling him to make her feel better, and to let her know that whatever happens, it wasn’t her fault. Instead, he left her alone crying for answering his question. How stupid of him.
Aveena said that it was her fault. In her condition, she was the type to blame herself for everything that went wrong. She was lonely and vulnerable, and he was pretty sure that if he died protecting her, then she would blame no one but herself. He knew that she couldn’t’ve killed him. She had just saved his life, and then when she realized that she was causing him pain with her powers, she turned them off.
It only made sense that he would die protecting her. Only, he wouldn’t die. With this new information, he knew that he had to always keep his eyes open and be more cautious. He could fight his fate, and with her help, he would stay alive. They would work on Aveena’s powers until she perfected control.
Tomorrow he was going to apologize, and then he would assure her that he wouldn’t be dying anytime soon. At least, he didn’t plan to.
Chapter 13
Houston, Texas
Year: 2015
Everyone at the table stared at grandpa silently. They were waiting on him to continue, but he didn’t say anything.
“Grandpa, why did you stop?” Ayva asked. She had finished her breakfast and was resting her chin on her arms.
“Because, my butt hurts. Let’s move back to the living room,” Grandpa laughed. “You two wash the dishes and meet me in there.” He slid out of his seat and rubbed his sore bottom, then walked back to the soft couch in the living room.
Xavia and Christian followed. They sat down on the other couch together.
“I don’t know how many times I made you and mom tell me this story, and yes, I still love it,” Xavia said.
“Yeah, you tell it a lot better than Xavia,” Christian chuckled.
Xavia smacked her lips.
Grandpa laughed, “She was never really good at the story telling thing.”
“Whatever dad.”
“So, gramps,” Christian started. “What happens between Michael and Aveena anyways? Does he still like her?”
“Of course! He doesn’t even know that he’s in love with her. Not yet. Just that she drives him crazy, and wants to know more about her. He’s a stubborn guy, and refuses to believe that he’s going to die before the new Kingdom arises.”
“Are Aveena’s premonitions always right?”
“Yes, but they can be altered. She was given this gift to see things that might need to be changed. Sometimes they are warnings, but sometimes they show her stuff like how Michael was supposed to be with her. It was up to her to distinguish the good premonitions from the bad, and to use them to her advantage. In Michael’s case, she was supposed to prevent his death from happening.”
Christian nodded, “Ok, I understand.”
The kids finished up the dishes and came running back into the living room. They sat down on the floor where they had slept last night, and looked up at grandpa with excitement in their eyes.
“We’re ready now,” Ayva announced.
“Alright, alright,” Grandpa got comfortable on the couch. “Do you two have any questions before I get started again?”
“No—” Ayva was cut off by Vincent.
“Just one.”
“Shoot.”
“So, Aveena and Michael. They didn’t get to know each other for that long, but they act like they’re in love.”
“Well,” Grandpa sighed, “they are. You would be too if you dreamed about being with the same girl every night, or knew that she was meant for you. Aveena saw herself and Michael being together for a short period of time. She had dreamed about him so much that she just fell in love.”
“And what about Michael?” Ayva asked. “He didn’t know that they were meant for each other.”
Grandpa chucked, “Well, Michael falls a lot faster than you’d think he would. He was infatuated with Aveena, not to mention that she was easy on the eyes. The man just fell for her without even knowing. She excited him...” Grandpa got lost in a thought until Xavia cleared her throat. “Oh, oh sorry. Let me continue the story now...”
Raluza
Year: 1875
Michael woke up early the next morning and waited in his cabin for Yandel to deliver his basket of food. While waiting, he took a warm bath, washed off his air board and staff, then dressed in Knight’s clothing. He tried to keep his mind from replaying everything that’d happened last night, but he couldn’t help it. The images in his head went from the ball, to Aveena, how beautiful she looked, to her bedroom, her lips, her eyes...her tears.
Michael grunted and shook his head. He made her cry, and then didn’t even make her feel better. Once she told him that he was going to die, he should’ve let her know that everything was going to be alright, and that she didn’t have to worry. Damn.
There was a faint knock on at the door and he answered it. Yandel stood there holding a basket full or fruits and breads. There was also some meat wrapped up in a package for him this time.
“Thank you.” Michael stepped outside of the cabin and let Yandel choose what he wanted to eat. It only took ten minutes before Yandel felt full. He thanked Michael, then ran off to complete his chores.
Michael grabbed some food for himself and then went straight to Aveena’s room on his air board. He stood outside her curtains on the balcony and waited for
permission to enter, but she didn’t say anything.
“Princess?” Michael said in a low voice. He hoped that he didn’t scare her away to the point that she wasn’t even speaking to him anymore. He cringed at the thought of trying to break down another wall that she set up. It was like trying to claw through metal with that woman. “Aveena?”
Still no answer.
Michael sighed, “I’m sorry about last night. I just needed a moment to think. I want to talk to you.”
Nothing.
Michael growled in frustration, “Aveena, would you please just talk to me?”
Still, silence greeted him. Well, if she didn’t want to talk to him, then the least she could do was listen to what he had to say.
He shrugged and stepped through the curtain. If he walked in on a naked Princess, then so be it. She should have answered him.
Michael looked straight over to the bed. Aveena wasn’t there. He scanned over the empty bedroom. She wasn’t here. A dreadful feeling washed over him, but he shook it off. She must have been in the garden.
He took off for the garden and scanned over it. The garden was like a forest, but he still should have found her by now. She wasn’t by either of the statues or walking any of the paths. For some reason, he knew that she wouldn’t just be hiding from him. Where did she go?
The next place that he searched was the Palace. He searched the library, the ballroom, the hallways, the storage rooms, and even checked with the servants. They hadn’t seen her anywhere, and they were supposed to be the Palace’s eyes. He didn’t want to go to King Lavier, but ended up running into him and Avon in the main hallway anyways.
Avon’s eyes narrowed at Michael’s, but Michael wasn’t fazed. He just turned his attention to Lavier.
“I’m assuming that you’re looking for my niece?” King Lavier asked.
Michael nodded, “I haven’t been able to find her anywhere my King.”
Avon huffed, “The boy can’t even do his job right.”
Michael didn’t hold his tongue this time, “You watch who you’re calling a boy.”
Aveena: The City of Gold (The Black Knight duology Book 1) Page 17