Nyx would grant her one last reprieve before the trials began. She had plenty of time, and in this dreamworld, time passed quickly. Two days could be five years if she let it go that far. Only Sasha's actions would tell how long she needed to be kept in this world. The ingredients were already in place for the ritual; all Nyx had to do was decide when, where, why, and how? Simple right? Nyx could only hope her stint as Sara would bear fruit that wasn't rotten at the core.
Chapter 7
Zoey’s Tears
Zoey, who was dressed in traveling gear, was preparing her last pack when Zephyr barged into her room, “I don’t think we have to worry about horses for the trip.”
"You barged in here like someone was dying, and out of breath, this is the message you bring? What has gotten into you, Zephy?." Zoey asked her puzzlement changing her octave into something that sounded almost like a whine. She was not taking being sent to guard her sister as well as she had hoped. If it weren't for that damned dress, they had sent her; she would be fine. If they had thought to send something more than a cast-off garment, she would have been even better, but as it stood now, she felt only bitterness towards this test. It was almost like she was merchandise to be paraded before the Queen Mother and Sasha.
Wanting to hiss and spit in anger was not a good sign. Zoey had yet to leave the guild house, and her mind was a buzz of turmoil.
"Seriously, Zoe, look out the window," Zephyr said, his voice sure and steadfast. It sparked the curiosity in Zoey, and she turned to look out of her window. Down below waited a carriage, it's housing painted in the royal colors of silver and gold wrought with black iron. Purple drapes covered its windows, and the stallions pulling it were thoroughbred stallions in crested armor. Lions blazed across their chest as they pranced in place. Zoey watched as an attendant exited the carriage dressed in court finery and disappeared through the front doors of the guild.
"It looks like you may be right, but why send a carriage fit for a princess they have all but forgotten? Why draw attention to the Queen's pet assassin?" She asked, not expecting an answer, but she got one anyway.
“It looks like Sasha will not be the only one introduced to the court.” Zephyr mused. The look on his face sent Zoey into a panic. What good would her skills be if everyone knew what she was?
"This can't be a good thing, Zeph. We must find ways to keep our secrets or the court will eat us alive. We would be nothing but new toys for them to play with."
"I think you are worried for nothing until we know that attendants plan, we can at least glory in the fact that we don't have to ride all the way to the capital. "Zephyr said, keeping his voice light, even though Zoey could hear the purr of contentment at the end of his words. For Zeph, this seemed to make him feel more important to the cause he had taken up. For Zoey, it made her want to weep, wondering what other forms of humiliation her Mother and Sasha had in store for her.
Gathering her things, she followed Zephyr down the stairs wishing this was just a routine mission instead of some twisted test orchestrated by her Mother's whims. Her sigh could be heard even if she tried hard not to let it escape her chest. It was loud enough to give Zephyr a pause in his steps, even if he didn't look back. He knew Zoey well enough to see she was bothered by all the pomp and circumstance of their mission. It bothered Zephyr too, but he had resigned himself to his fate long ago, and he thought Zoey had done the same. He had guessed wrong in this instance and knew it would make whatever task the Queen gave them that much harder.
It was a shame because he had looked forward to playing the prince at least for a little while; instead, he would play the babysitter. Zoey was so lost in thought she had not noticed that Zephyr had stopped at the bottom of the staircase; her collision with his back took her by surprise. Zeph steadied her saying things that never met her ears, as Zoey's breath froze in her chest in fear. Darkness took her, and so did misery.
Zephyr caught Zoey before she took a header to the floor, he knew she didn't drink so she couldn't be hungover. It was like she had forgotten how to breathe for a moment; the look of panic on her face was something he had not seen since they were children. It frightened Zephyr to see Zoey this weak, but he didn't have a clue how to help her. She was an untouchable light, much like the sun when she was suffering, it was how she kept others at bay. Zephyr usually didn't pry, but he knew that this was far more important than himself.
He had worn this disguise and endured the same humiliation to see Zoey achieved all she would need to help their world survive. The real Zephyr was held in stasis by his magic; he would hold every memory and the love that Eros felt for Zoey always even if it wasn't him that actually held her. The God Eros knew that love had to save the land; that the Queen of the Lion kingdom would send her biggest heart into the shadows to die was telling. This world was losing its hold on the proper balance it needed to survive. Eros could only guide, and he had done his best, even though Zoey had endured the worst she still loved as deep as any ruler would need to love and her heart was far more forgiving than the beast that lived within her sister's breast.
Using the guise of Zephyr had been a logical step to save this world from utter destruction, his love for his brave Lion Kingdom had spawned the greatest heroes in their myths, and he would forge another in the girl he held in his arms. With a pulse of dark magic, Zephyr gave Zoey a little kick start to wake her from her panic attack and to relieve the cause of the attack itself. Everyone needed a hand up in the battle ahead; Zoey was the Queen Eros had chosen, and Zephyr would be the guise he wore until it was time for the real Zephyr to take his place. It was an old ploy, but as a changeling, Eros could retain most of his powers though he had to hide them constantly.
As Zoey’s eyes fluttered open, the look of surprise on her face was adorable, the blush that flew across her cheeks as if an artist had placed it there was breathtaking. Eros would pass out himself if he didn't remember that the current form he wore needed to breathe. He could not help but get lost in Zoey's eyes; even embarrassed, she held a loving soul that bled through in her every gesture. It was astounding, even playing the hand of death had not taken her heart. He feared the thing that could stop her and would do everything in his power to protect her.
"I knew I had strong back muscles, Zoe, but I didn't think they could knock someone out." He said with a chuckle.
“Very funny, Zeph” Zoey gave a shy smile, “I guess I got tripped up, thanks for the catch.” She stood on her own and dusted off her backside. At least no one had been in the foyer to see her little fainting spell. Zoey bent down and retrieved her dropped backpack and continued the march toward the guild's front door. Zephyr had no idea why she didn’t just find an empty couch and lounge inside the guild? Shaking his head, Zephyr followed Zoey out the front doors to wait on the attendant and see if the carriage was truly sent to take them both to the palace.
They stood awkwardly side by side, each occasionally shifting from foot to foot. Neither spoke nor did they greet their fellow students when they entered the guildhall. They had become fleshy statues as the minutes ticked by at a snail’s pace. The doors to the guildhall were thrown wide as Master Rajendra stepped out onto the front porch with the attendant in tow, “As I told you before, they are ready and awaiting your command chancellor.” He said. The smile he wore as he gestured towards Zoey and Zephyr showed his pride that he had not had to summon them to the carriage.
“They have been informed of their duties, I trust?” The Chancellor asked his eyes wide and frightened as he gazed on the two young royals.
“They have, and I expect you to treat them as their stations require. If I find out that my students have been mistreated in any way, the purveyor of said treatment will find my blade at their neck. Are we understood?” Master Rajendra said. He took no pains in hiding the malice of his words, but instead, he let them drip with pure venom letting the chancellor know he was no one to be trifled with or ignored.
“We are understood, my lord. I will see both students ret
urned after the completion of their mission.” The chancellor said, tilting his head into a formal bow.
“You two get into the carriage, we have a long ride ahead of us, and I will not be made to wait. I trust you have everything you need?” He asked Zoey and Zephyr, trying to feign strength where none existed.
“We are ready, sir,” Zoey said curtly, her eyes flashing in anger. Zephyr would have to watch her closely; her anger seemed to be leaking through the mask of calm she wore. The attendant walked to the door of the carriage and opened it, indicating that Zoey and Zephyr should board. Zoey was the first to step through the carriage’s door, taking a seat near the window on a bench covered in plush velvet pillows. Zephyr, close on her heels, took the opposite side and gazed at Zoey’s far off look. His stare intent even if she didn’t realize he was trying to get her attention. She looked up briefly, meeting his eyes; with a nod, she tried to convey that she was okay, but Zephyr knew her better than that.
The carriage jolted forward, and their mission had begun. As the carriage carried her forward, Zoey struggled with the notion that she was heading towards what used to be her home. In her mind, the Assassin’s Guild had become her home and Master Rajendra, the father she had never hoped to meet. Though she was grateful to Master Rajendra, his presence left something to be desired; it was as if he was missing a piece of empathy in his soul. What Zoey loved and considered home was the guildhall and housing system. She had spent time on every rung in the Assassin’s Guild ladder, each step bringing her closer to her mission’s end.
If she was honest with herself, an end to her mission was all her heart wanted. There had to be more to her life than misdirection, stealth, and destruction. Zoey longed to be herself, under no guidance set free to choose her path. No more killing, no more nights spent in the cold spying; she just wanted to be a princess again. It sounded relaxing and a bit boring, which was something she longed for relentlessly. Sure, she would continue to train in the event that she was needed, keeping her body nimble. However, Zoey could not help but relish the thought of getting to be a lady once more instead of the killer she had become.
Each death she had wrought carved a hole in her heart and soul. To Zoey, all life was precious, and it gauled her that her mother had sent her to become an assassin. It was a cruel gesture on the Queen’s part, and the cruelty showed Zoey that her mother cared little for her disposition or feelings. Zoey loved both her mother and her sister, but part of her resented them as well. Neither Sasha nor her mother has ever come to visit her, the letters she wrote went unanswered and her birthday unacknowledged. It was like they had forgotten she ever existed.
The tears their actions brought to Zoey’s eyes burned angry red trails down her face and left her loving heart bereft. She had been so diligent in all her studies, yet their attention was something she could only wish for. It made her teenage heart angry. How dare they treat like something to be discarded until it was needed! She was a living being, not a tool, or was she? Didn’t the Queen and Sasha realize that Zoey could make them suffer as she suffered if she so chose? Her sister’s delicate flesh had no idea what the lash felt like; she had never been beaten into submission, or had a male student trying to rape her! No, precious Princess Sasha had had dresses, balls, tutors, and a renowned magic academy to attend.
All of Zoey's inquiries into Sasha had shown her to be a cruel, brutish child that Zoey held in her memory like a glass angel, beloved but fragile. Oh, how Zoey longed to smash the image in her mind and rip its anchors from her heart. Zoey had delved further into what Sasha had become after she finished designing her dress with the seamstress Lydia. Though her reach had grown smaller, her ties to the court spies stretched thin she was still able to find out the kind of person Sasha had become. The news she received did nothing to calm the angst in her heart.
Sasha had become exactly what Zoey had expected her to become a spoiled, cruel demon who bullied all those who crossed her path and destroyed anything that did not bow to her whims. Zoey seeth in anger; all this time, Sasha had the best the world had to offer, and she had learned nothing! She was still the same mean, whining, eight-year-old Zoey had left behind when she had unknowingly agreed to take this mission for her mother. How was Zoey going to face them? How was she going to play the role of an obedient daughter when she harbored hate that was growing with each new thing she learned about her mother and sister? They had forgotten her, pushed her aside like a plaything that held no interest until it was needed.
For fuck’s sake, Sasha’s birthday was a national holiday, while hers skipped by unnoticed or even celebrated by the people she was charged to protect. She felt pathetic and taken by a story her mother had told her as a little girl. She wasn’t rising to greatness at her sister’s side; she was being resigned to the shadows. Watching the road and their journey had only proved to irritate her more than she had hoped. She thought if she puzzled it out, she could come to terms with the position she had been given, but she was finding it to be a hard pill to swallow.
Looking around the carriage for the first time, she noticed the attendant had chosen to ride with the driver. She smirked, knowing her attitude had lent her and Zephyr a moment to talk if they kept their voices to a minimal. There was a game of checkers from the Asian continent where the bird kingdoms lived in harmony with the elementals that ruled the region. It was a different realm than that of Astra, and yet it held delights for those of this realm, the game is one of them. Grabbing the board and stabilizing it with magic, so the marbles didn’t roll away, Zoey looked up at Zephyr with hopeful eyes, “Shall we play to pass the time?”
“Sounds good to me,” Zephyr said, giving Zoey a grin. He knew this game would be a talk about their circumstances more than it would be a game of sport.
“Choose your color,” Zoey said, waving a hand towards the board. There were six colors to choose from; blue, green, yellow, red, white, and black. The object was to move your marbles into the territory of your opponent, thus claiming it as your own. The first to get all their marbles into the opposite colors triangle would be declared the winner. Zephyr warbled between colors as if their position gave you an advantage; in some cases it did, but in this case, he chose his favorite color over strategy.
“I will play from the blue territory,” He replied, a smug grin on his face. It was as if he knew something Zoey did not. This game was proving to be more interesting than Zoey had thought.
“I will play from the black territory, for our positions, I find it ironic.” Zoey snipped out. She had to bite back further nonsense; her emotions were doing nothing for her self control.
“Ladies first princess,” Zephyr chimed his eyes flashing.
“Ever the gallant gentleman I see, do you think that is fitting for the game we play?”
“All is fair in love and war, Zoey,” Zephyr replied, wondering where she was going with this.
“Ahh, but it is not a war we play at, it is simply a game of capture the flag. I see no flag on the horizon.” Zoey replied.
Zephyr paused before making his next move. Zoey wanted to know what she was fighting for, and somehow, Zephyr knew that the safety of her family was not enough to lift her spirits. She had lost focus and didn’t see the point in her mission, for the first time in all the years he had known her Zephyr realized she doubted herself.
“War is played in many ways, moving forward to complete a mission is just one task that awaits us both. It is after the completion of the initial attack that we will see our next path.”Zephyr said carefully. He knew to the driver and attendant this conversation sounded like gibberish, but to Zoey, it was her heart she was reaching out with whether she knew it or not. She would make a far better Queen than her sister Sasha in Zephyr’s opinion.
“What if I chose not to move forward or play? Why wouldn’t the people protect themselves?” Zoey asked marveling at how Zephyr had already seemed to work through the issues that were scrambling her emotions and mind into a puree of discord.
“As a general, there are times when you will have no choice but to push forward in battle, and there will also be times where you must retreat. It will be up to you to choose wisely. The control is yours more than it ever will be theirs.”Zephyr said, reminding Zoey that she still held the freedom to choose. She chose when to act and when to retreat, she may have orders to follow, but she knew that those orders were up to her interpretation as the assassin. This reminder helped to calm her soul, she was not a toy, and it was her decision on how she carried out each and every mission. She had the loophole she needed, and she would use it how she saw fit if it would keep her sane.
“Is it true those who need can be ferried away from conflict and hidden if necessary? Though the risk is high when a territory is at stake. How would you handle that, conundrum?” Zoey asked out of curiosity more than anything.
“I would play it by ear; it looks like I have broken into your territory; first princess,” Zephyr said smugly. Zoey raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the board, leaving Zephyr to blanch at the fact that Zoey had already breached and taken at least a fourth of his territory while he concentrated on their little covert talk. The laughter that spilled from his lips was pure joy, “Well played Princess Zoey, well played. Remember, the battle isn’t over until total control has been achieved.”
“Shall we continue our battle and perhaps play two territories to make it more of a challenge?” Zoey asked the playfulness returning to her voice as she relaxed.
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