Red Circus
Page 31
“I can’t see! What did you do to me?!” His voice shook her with fright.
To her horror, when he removed his hands and struggled to open his lids, she could see two white irises, rid of their pupils, staring into nothing.
“What did you do to me?!” He was thrashing around unable to watch his own steps.
Riley remained silent, her own tears streaming down her face. He was searching for her, importuning her to hold him. She did not want to feel his skin on hers, or else, she would faint. All strength was drained and all meaning was lost.
She watched the blurry shapes of some of the phoenixes join them. There were too many that she could not tell who they were. She heard nothing anymore except her own breathing. Two of the men rushed to hold the king. A needle harassed his neck and turned him motionless.
“Don’t hurt him.” She heard herself say. Or was it what she wanted to say but only thought it instead? “I hurt him,” she said in a low voice that time. “I blinded him with my powers.”
Her tears were still falling.
The king was being dragged away.
Her body was growing number with the seconds.
The phoenixes were surrounding her.
Her legs failed her.
The last face she saw was Gabriel telling her everything was going to be alright.
Epilogue
The morning was warm. The floor, covered with a glowing and thin crisp of ice, announced the coming of the first hot day since the beginning of winter. Riley covered herself with the wool sweater Gabriel gave her once the end of the battle was announced. The guards retreated from the villages and refrained from fighting the phoenixes in the castle once the king was declared dead. There were bodies of both parties lying everywhere in the castle. It was hard to watch whomever remained alive clean up the bodies of men and women she got the chance to know through her visits to the camp. And it was harder to deal with the fact that she had shut off her powers by using them all on Jonathan until it blinded him. Whether she still possessed the ability to create illusions or lost it, she knew not. What she cared about was that the true heir was about to take over, and a new era was about to arise.
“Miss Red.” William tapped Riley on the shoulder.
She blinked several times to tear her eyes off a small pigeon jumping from one branch to another.
“Is it time already?” she asked her former guard in a croaky voice.
“Everyone who was able to make it to the castle is standing outside. There are cameras everywhere to broadcast.”
Riley caught glimpses of William every now and then during the battle. Mathew told her about the soldier’s heroic acts and constant loyalty to the Phoenix’s cause. He had been anointed as her guard since day one by Lord Walter, until the latter came from his travels. William made a really good show to prevent Riley from finding out about his allegiances, even though his whole grim and silent demeanour really was not a pretence.
On their way back to the castle, Mathew came into her sight. Her best friend ran as fast as he could and hugged her tightly.
“We won,” he whispered.
“We won,” she repeated and they both burst into a symphony of laughter.
Riley could not tell if she was crying or laughing, but she felt some of the adrenaline rush. She felt happy and sad at the same time. She felt exhausted yet full of energy.
When they reached the castle, Riley mounted the stairs to the king’s bedroom. Gabriel was standing inside the torn chamber, fixing his chemise. The moment she entered the door, he smiled widely.
“Riley.”
“My king,” she said scornfully and bowed.
Gabriel chuckled and strode slowly towards her.
“Are you ready?”
“It’s your moment, not mine.”
“Every king needs a queen.”
“Are you asking me to—”
Gabriel nodded.
Riley smiled widely, her upper lip burning from a deep cut she did not know existed.
Thin rays of sunlight broke from the small opening of the two large ornamented doors of the balcony. Riley squinted for she could see nothing. Her vision was still blurry.
A roar of cheering rose from the Royal Garden. Gabriel gently intertwined his fingers with hers and they both walked outside.
The beautiful sound of the rebels’ cheers worked her heart in ways love never could. They were in ragged clothes. No guard intervened. No spy crawled. No royal spoke. It was just her people and her king. Her one true king.
And there they were rising like a phoenix above hellfire.
The End
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I don’t know if it would’ve been even possible to publish this book if it weren’t for you.
My first and utmost thanks goes to my mother, who was the first person to support me and push me to pursue my passion for literature and writing. If it weren’t for her encouragement, I don’t know if I’d been able to leave the path I was treading and plunge into the world of poetry, freedom, and rebellion through art.
Dad, I am truly lucky to have you. I won’t forget how you’ve tried to spread my name as a writer even before I had anything published in my name.
My family has always been there to hear my promises to publish Red Circus “soon” (and by soon I mean in five years). My heart goes to you for making my dream count.
From the moment Mark (my favourite person in the world) had heard about my book, he was always as ecstatic as I was, even though most of the time, I was too caught up in the moment to help him understand my rambling and my crazy jumbled ideas. He constantly supported me and believed in me when I couldn’t.
A special thanks to Yara, who helped me when I was stuck, boosted my confidence when I despaired, and freaked out whenever I told her about a surge of ideas.
Rayya, thank you for proofreading my book and giving me honest advice on how I can make the book even better. Your help is much appreciated.
Jad, thank you for your blessed talent for design and photoshop! You met all my expectations when it comes to the cover I want for this book.
My dear close friends. You know who you are. You’re always going to be my first readers. A heartfelt gratitude for making me perceive myself as a writer and for reminding me that true friendship is not a myth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Al Bitar holds a bachelor and a master of arts in English language and literature. Her passion for reading, drawing, painting, and procrastination in general push her to thrive for more knowledge and postpone editing her manuscripts, which is why it takes her too long to publish.
She is Lebanese and spends her time either home, work, or at her birthplace – Raachine.