“Who are you?” Sasha asked her mind, frazzled from all it had experienced. She had no idea if it had been merely days or weeks, but she had suffered far more than any suffering she had experienced in the past. She didn’t know who or why, but someone would be made to pay for all she had witnessed and been through. She justed wanted to go home and take her place on the throne as she had been promised since she was a child.
“I am you, and you are me,” the voice replied. This infuriated Sasha. She wanted answers, not riddles, and silly games played in the darkness.
“I am in no mood for games. I will ask again. Who are you?” Sasha spat between her teeth, a small growl following her words. If only she could see, she would devour this entity. She could smell great magic, and it made her hungry.
“I play no games, child. Here let me shed some light on the subject,” suddenly a white light blossomed into the room. It was so bright Sasha had to cover her eyes in fear of losing her sight. She waited a few moments to let her eyelids filter the harsh light before blinking her vision into this game of words. Before her stood a version of herself. The same dark flowing curls and full womanish figure, the same piercing blue eyes, and yet this entity held malice she could no longer feel within herself.
Yes, she was short tempered and longed to make a meal out of the girl in front of her, but she could not bring herself to harm something that held her own countenance. She gazed at the creature with wonder and longing. She looked so powerful, and yet it was her she gazed at, like looking into a mirror and not believing what she saw Sasha reached out her hand to touch the cheek of the creature in front of her.
“What are you?” she asked her voice a quiet whisper of fear.
“As I said before, I am you, and you are me. We are the same, though, at this moment, we are made separate.
“Why would we be made into two? Who has done this to us?” Sasha questioned her fear, becoming anger the one fall back she had always relied on.
“A goddess interferes with our plans, we cannot stop her. We must find help for separate we can be taken down, together we are invincible.” The creature purred. The light around them began to fade.
“What is happening?” Sasha cried panic, overtaking her calm and wonder.
“Magic is transporting us home, find us help for without me you will lose your power,” The creature warned. Sasha thrashed in her sleep. Her mind frantic, without power, she could not be queen. She would not give up the throne, she would eat any and all the magic she could to keep what is hers. A soft murmur reached her ears, and she fell into blackness again.
A short time later, her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in her own room. Her attendant lightly shaking her shoulder and insisting she must dress for her party. Was it all a dream, or had Sasha really been in another world? She ran to her mirror and gazed at her face. She looked no different, yet she felt light, like something was missing. Her dream came back to her, sending a shiver down her spine. She would do as instructed by her dream self.
Turning to her attendant, Sasha demanded, “Bring me Malenhiem and make sure you are not seen.” Her attendant nodded a wordless replied and hurried off. Sasha walked to her bathing room and slipped into her heated pool. She filled the pool with bubbles of cinnamon spice and sugar. She wanted to smell sweet because she would be taking the old lich into her confidence. Deep within herself, she felt the purr of her other half and knew she was doing the right thing.
Malenhiem hurried into her chambers and bowed at her feet. Sasha looked at him, surprised to see him freshly bathed, hair combed, and wearing clean garments. It was almost as if he was expecting this visit. She knew the lich had great power, but she did not know he had the power to see the future.
“Rise, my faithful servant, we have much to discuss,” Sasha said, careful not to meet his eyes. His steel blue eyes were like looking into the abyss, and instead of seeing the mind behind the face, she saw unfathomable power that hissed and turned with malice. She was never quite sure if he was evil or just corrupted by the power in his soul. There was also the question of if he even had a soul? If you asked other servants in the castle, they would tell you he was a foul creature lacking the soul to make him human. All of his worth came from his power and nothing more. At this point, Sasha didn’t care. She wanted to be whole, and from the moment her eyes opened, she didn’t feel whole.
“How may I be of service to your grace?” Malenhiem asked as he shuffled from foot to foot. He was a nervous creature when in her presence, but she cared very little.
“I need a favor. It is simple, but only a magical being of your power could possibly take care of it for me.” Sasha purred sweetly. She was laying it on a bit thick, but a small part of her seemed to miss this awful looking man, and she couldn’t fathom why?
“Ask, and it shall be yours, my future queen.”
His response made her skin crawl. She would never be joined with such a creature, and yet it seemed like an inevitable prospect. She would do her damnedest to make sure his words never saw fruition. She had no intention of being stuck with the abomination in front of her for the rest of her life.
“I feel a lack of my personal beast and wanted you to make me a charm so I could feel closer to her. Is this something you can do?” Sasha asked, making it sound like a simple request.
“It is. In fact, I have the charm already with me. I had planned to give it to you as a gift for your upcoming celebration, my future queen.” Malenhiem said with a bow.
He tried to approach Sasha were she stood, but she took a step back, and with a wave of her hand, an attendant appeared. The attendant carried a lush velvet pillow of purple that held a small area for the gift. Malenhiem scrunched up his face in dismay but placed the gift on the pillow without compliant. That Sasha had called for him at all was enough to lighten his mood and take away any slight he might have felt about not putting the gift into her own hand.
“How do I activate the charm?” Sasha asked as she took in the roaring lioness ring that Malenhiem had set on the pillow.
There was something in that smile that gave Sasha pause. What if her dream had been just that a dream. She could have easily fallen asleep in her carriage on the way here. It happened from time to time when she had not replenished her magical stores enough. Was she paranoid? Should she trust the gentle far way purr of her beast that spread through her chest? Her doubt left her hand hovering right above the jeweled ring. It was the roar that gave her the final push, her beast sounded as if it was in pain, and the pain radiated through Sasha’s form like a slow burn. She could not allow the pain to get worse. If it was one thing she feared above all else, it was physical pain.
Sasha snatched the ring from the pillow and slid it on to her finger. It felt warm, almost hot to the touch, but it was soothing. The burn she had felt moments before washed away to a dull throb.
“Attendant, fetch me a pushpin for sewing.” She ordered.
As the attendant scurried away, Malenhiem waited silently, gazing at his queen through the hair that fell into his eyes. “How do you feel your majesty?” He questioned softly.
“I feel better, stronger. I thank you, Malenhiem, for having what I needed at the ready. You may return to your tower.” Sasha said, dismissing the fol creature before her. With some of her senses returning, she was almost gagging on the smell of death that hung about Malehiem. Bathed or not, he was a disgusting creature. One she would not have around her as she regained her beast.
She watched as he slunk towards the door. His small glances back did not go unnoticed. It was the look of longing she caught in those steel blue eyes that caught her off guard. Had her attentions meant that much to such a wretched creature? She didn’t know and did not want to find out. Just as her patience was growing thin, the attendant reappeared with her pushpin. Sasha carefully pricked her finger and watched as the ring seemed to consume her blood in an animated fashion. If you had asked her at that moment, she might have told you that the ring was alive.
>
A flash of light and the Princess as all knew her was no more. The beast had shoved her deep into her own mind. Free at last, she contemplated revenge on every kingdom that had helped trap her in the dark oblivion of the gods. Malenhiem would know of her return, but only after her plans had begun. With a tongue in cheek smile, she ate the attendant on a whim. Death had always made her stronger no matter the how or the why of it, and she needed to be at full capacity if she were to begin her reign of terror upon Astra.
Chapter 17
Zoey
Zoey rolled around in her bed, unable to find rest. Though her mind wanted to sleep, her body was a ball of nerves. Something felt off. Ever since she had come home, her mind had been lost to the chaos that took her mind to levels and heights she never imagined. Everything she thought she knew had been a farce. Nothing in her childhood was what it seemed. People she had trusted and relied on turned out to be the gravest of enemies, the broken hearted child within her mind wanted to scream and cry while the trained assassin knew there was no point.
She had wrongs to right and people who had to pay for their transgressions. Part of her did not want to be the bringer of justice, and the other part cried out for it. She knew that what her training told her to do and what here station in life required were two different things. She couldn’t be the law if she broke them, yet the assassin in her heart knew, some deaths were better carried out in stealth. Knowing what she knew of her sister, she would have to tread carefully when she swatted that fly. It still broke her heart more to think of ending her, there had to be a way to save her and Astra.
Zoey began to search her father’s chambers. She started with the most basic of hiding spot. Searching drawers for false bottoms and books that had been hollowed out to hold mysteries from prying eyes. Some of these guesses yielded fruit, but nothing that actually had an explanation. She found a talisman like necklace, which now hung around her neck due to the power it held. She had reason to believe it was meant to be hers anyway. The inscription on the back was a telling indicator.
The talisman held the image of an engraved lioness lounging near a water spring, and on the back of the round pendant was a simple sentence. “For my lioness, may your heart ring true child.” There was no name or indication that it had been meant for anyone else. The fact that the inscription read my child and the picture was a lioness, not a lion spoke volumes. Maybe it was something her father had failed to give her before he went off to war. She would never know. Not one drawer held a false bottom, and she only found one tiny locked box which she had yet to open.
It had been spelled closed, and that made it dangerous to open unless you knew the proper spell. It would take Zoey sometime to discover how to open it, but as long as she was here, she had all the time in the world. Knowing her father, it would probably be a drop of her blood to get it open. She had a vague memory of her father being distraught over pricking her finger and saying to her,” I know it hurts, but it is only for a moment, and it is the only way to protect it.”
That was part of what was bothering Zoey so badly. She had no idea what the “it” in that memory was. Why was it so important, and if this box held the treasure, how come no one had ever bothered to look for it? It was one mystery after another. Zoey dared not leave her room, for she had her attendants believing that she had left to go retrieve her sister. In truth, it had been Zephyr that had taken that job while she stayed behind. She had answers to her questions, but that only gave her more riddles to solve. Damn the older generation and its needs for petty games. Nothing was safe in this palace for her now.
For every mystery, she uncovered brought her towards a solution she didn’t want to accept. She had found countless writing and musings regarding the Prophecy of the Phoenix and the Prophecy of the Dragon. Both held more meaning to her now as a code or fact she needed to look out for. It really was true that if you did not pay attention, life would pass you by. You could miss the simplest thing in peoples mind’s and hearts. You could miss the abusive nature or the verbal damage your words could produce. The worst of these offenders were merely using the words as threats for control.
They made comparisons and got you to doubt your self-worth and sent you scurrying to cater to the personality changes or appearance changes they want. Zoey had seen other men and women of this type, and they left you feeling imperfect and flawed no matter how hard you tried. Most times, they would throw evil little tantrums just to watch you squirm and cry, finding their game a riot when it got that reaction and the victim a baby too wet behind the ears to understand.
It was like the fed off your misery. As a child, Zoey had longed for the attention she received from her father from her mother once her father had passed away. Queen Elsie would dote on Sasha and leave Zoey wondering if there was ever a time that she would love her in the same manner. She now understood that Queen Elise loved her, not at all. Her daughter was the only thing she cared for and would be the only thing she would keep in power. Zoey had always been something to set aside.
Zoey was such a loving child that she never saw the queen’s schemes until now. It made her angry. She ran her fingers over the shelves and touch every imperfection in the room and could find nothing. Maybe the pendant and the box was all she was meant to find. In her frustration, she punched an empty wall a few times and noticed that the wall sounded hollow. Carefully, she searched for a seam or opening but could find nothing but a hollow sound when she tapped upon it. Frustrated, she took a step back and studied the wall before her. She could see that it was supposed to swing open like a door. She could also see a strang indent in the wood paneling as a depression in the wood, like the tip of a finger, and it made her tremble.
Zoey needed this door open now! It felt too important to wait for. She contemplated using her beast to punch through the wall, but it would be hard to explain her presence if she attracted too much attention. No, she had to find the switch and perform this task in stealth. If her master were here, he would scoff at her lack of patience. She needed a snack if she was to see this secret for what it was. She used a bit of her make to conjure some crackers and cheese.
It would serve as a distraction for the task at hand. Zoey relaxed as she ate her food and hummed a tune that made her body feel ease, end if it seemed to make the wall shudder in front of her. Zoey grinned. She had learned in her training that some items could be opened with a song of entrance. It was mainly seen in elven made things. Though elves were a race that had long faded from Astra, saying that the animal flavor was too violent for such peaceful creatures.
Zoey rocked on her heels and began to hum, some notes that caused the wall to shudder, and others made it almost transparent. She could see items, like books and journals, when the wall became see-through. It left her more determined than she had been before. She changed the song she sung by one octave and the wall all but fade away completely. Yet when she tried to step forward to walk through the wall, it reappeared and made her smash her nose into the wall.
She could not figure out how she was supposed to gain entrance. Maybe she had to hum the whole time. A song of entrance could open the way or allow you to pass as long as you sang the tune. It made them effective traps against prying minds and hands. If the person falters or the note went flat, the effects could be gruesome, to say the least. Zoey was afraid to take the chance. She would be no good to Astra if she killed herself with a magical wall. She had to find a way to test her theory before she took a step through herself. For all she knew, this was a part of the wall's defenses.
Using an old practice sword she found among her father's things, Zoey began to sing the same song that made the wall transparent. She shoved the practice through as she continued to hum relieved to see the wall did not appear to crush the sword in her hand. Boldly she stepped through the opening, humming the tune at the precise octave she needed to keep the wall open. Once she made it through, she stopped humming and gazed around in wonder. The walls of the hidden chamber were covers with book
s of magic, talismans, swords, and other magically enhanced items. She could spend days in this room and not get through even half of what was available to her.
Not only had her father been a king, but he was also a scholar of magic. He was looking for something important, but Zoey had no idea what it could be. She rifled through dusty old tomes left open all these years upon the small table with the magically lit lantern. Yet nothing stood out to give her an idea of what her father’s search had been. The tomes spoke of old charms, traps, and the fate of those who tarried with the gods or goddesses that shaped this world. Some warned others encouraged, but none of them sparked a mission of any type other than pure learning. Zoey’s heart sank, for she had hoped to learn more from this wondrous space. She noticed a glowing cabinet and approached it slowly, in the lower recesses of her hearing she could make out a faint song that seemed to call her name over and over again.
Her first instinct was to fear the charmed cabinet, but her second was to pursue the cause of the magic. Using her light blue eye, Zoey focused only on the magic she could see. Her heart began to dance in her chest. The cabinet was safeguarding something just for her, she could feel it. She reached out a hand and touched the top of the cabinet and yanked the hand back in one quick motion. Her palm had been pierced the minute her palm had met with the cabinet top. She watched in surprise as a small drop of blood floated from her palm and landed upon the cabinet’s surface. While the hole in her hand disappeared before her very eyes.
She waited breath held to see what would happen next. This whole day had been full of surprises, and she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. The glow inside the cabinet brightened, and a vague outline of a man appeared before her. She was taken aback for the briefest of moments before her knife was in her hand, ready to fight if she needed to. The movement so practiced she did not even notice that she had armed herself.
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