The Nevermore Chronicles: Silencing the Queen

by Stephanie McKitrick

  His shrill laugh cut through the night air like the screech of a buzzard hovering over its latest kill. He had it all figured out, I knew about Butch and Lars and now Emery but there was one more person the one they called War. I figured he must have been the inside man in the Royal Guard then it hit me Barron and Zephyr were still missing, anger like I've never felt before overtook my body.

  “What have you done with Barron and Zephyr?!” I demanded. Spit flying from my bruising face.

  An ugly smile spread from one side of his face to the other. He laughed behind large yellowed teeth.

  “See for yourself my dear, but I think I should warn you....all is not as it appears. I am called the Sorcerer after all.” He boasted as he laughed menacingly. Again with the evil laugh, this guy was full of himself.

  I looked around me but couldn't see my friends, I began to worry even more when finally I spotted a black form hovering in the air with what looked like red chain's hanging from its neck and feet. It was Zephyr, I tried to run to him, but my prison was still unrelenting. I balled my fist's and hit as hard as I could against the side's of the magical wall's. Nothing happened.

  Poor Zephyr looked so tired and he had obviously been beaten, I could see fresh wound's all over him. Then I saw him, Barron came from behind Zephyr, he didn't look at me. I saw the chain's that bound his hand's and feet and felt my heart begin to break.

  I had caused this, if I would never have shown my power's to anyone when I was a child, no one would ever know I had magic and we wouldn't be in this predicament now.

  I looked between Zephyr and Barron but in his weakened condition Zephyr couldn't speak. Barron looked the worse for ware. His face was bleeding and his eye was beginning to blacken. He turned to Emery and said something under his breath I couldn't make out, then I head Emery laugh again.

  “Next time think before you act brother!”

  “Shut up you coward! It's not bad enough you beat them now you jest in their faces?! You're a monster!”

  “Oh poor, poor Serra. Remember when I said all is not as it appears?”

  As if to prove his point he bowed low then as he rose he turned to Barron and held out his hand. Barron immediately sped towards him and placed the chain's I had thought he was constricted within Emery's grasp. I couldn't believe it, Barron was the fourth assassin. All I could do was stare at him, though he couldn't make eye contact with me.

  I could hear Emery's awful laugh accompanied now with Lars fast, high pitched one. SO many emotion's filled me at that point I thought I might burst. My head began to spin as my breathing became rapid, I knew my body was powering up for the last battle. I could feel the energy flowing through me, washing over me with its warmth.

  In that moment I gave in to the power, I closed my eye's and just gave myself to it. I had never felt so much raw energy in my life, I opened my eye's an knew they were glowing the beautiful bright blue. I set my sight's on Emery and Lars who stood side by side and released all the pain, anger, frustration, and suffrage I had pent up inside me. The world turned blue right before my eye's, as my flame took it.

  The fire burst out of me like a mongoose bursts from its den to catch the sly cobra. I stood and walked to Zephyr still consumed by my fire, I placed my hands on his chains and they fell away like feather's being blown from a pillow. I ran my hand's along his face and neck healing him as I went along. When he regained his sense's I took my seat upon his back and up we went, into the night sky. I wanted and needed to get away from Barron, Emery, the memories....higher and higher we climbed until I thought we would surely leave our planet behind when a sharp pain began in my shoulder.

  I looked down as if in slow motion and saw a black arrow jutting out from my torso. Blood began to flow freely as I released Zephyr's feather's and began my free-fall back towards my garden's. I watched as Zephyr turned in mid flight to try to catch me before it was too late. I saw the look of horror in his eye's as he realized he would not catch me in time. I rolled in the air so I didn't have to look into his sad eye's any longer.

  I instead saw Barron rush to Emery's side and pick him up on his shoulder then turn back to look up at me. He quickly dropped his brother and ran to try to catch me. But it was too late and I knew it, why couldn't they see.....I was already dead.

  My power's were so weakened by the blood loss I would never be able to work up enough energy to save myself. I closed my eye's and awaited the impact that would seal my fate but it never came. What did happen, was as much a shock to me as it was to anyone else.

  I was caught by what I can only describe as a fluffy, warm animal pelt. We landed softly upon the ground and I felt myself being slid onto the soft grass. I opened my eye's and saw the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen in my life.

  His fur was the most amazing shade of black with highlights of what looked like blue and gray running the length of his body. But what captured my attention and held it fast were his eye's. They were the brightest shade of glowing emerald I had ever seen.

  I knew in that instant he was mine. He was my Dimitri, my husband to be. He had leapt and using his werewolf strength lunged himself high enough to catch me before I fell to my death. I smiled up at him and placed my hand upon his wolfy cheek. He closed his eye's and seemed to melt against it.

  His nose twitched and as if remembering we were in the midst of a battle he turned to protect me. Zephyr landed a few feet away and instantly inserted himself between me and Barron. Though I could see the concern in his eye's I could not forgive nor even try to understand why Barron had betrayed me.

  A lifetime of friendship was now lost. Dimitri charged him, but Barron was too quick and dodged. They fought for what felt like forever, but was in reality only minute's. They exchanged blow after blow, Dimitri clawing and biting every chance he got, Barron slicing with his dagger and dodging Dimitri's sharp fang's.

  Both men were now bleeding profusely from multiple wound's, all the while I was slipping away from this reality, the arrow had been laced with a magic poison. I lay paralyzed on the cold earth, only able to watch as my oldest friend and betrayer tried to kill my lover.

  I called out to Dimitri in my moment of terror at the realization I would never see him again. His ear perked in my direction then he swiveled his head to find me, once he saw me lying in the grass, reaching out for him he quickly bombarded Barron, rolling him to the ground before he ran to my side morphing back into his human form once again. Barron saw his opportunity to escape with Emery and took it.

  Dimitri ducked behind a nearby tree for only a moment then emerged with breeches in hand. He quickly pulled them on then knelt beside me and lifted me onto his lap.

  He looked down at me so helplessly, his face riddled with open wound's, I placed my hand's over them and tried to heal him but he pulled my hand's away.

  “Heal yourself Serra! Now before you....” he couldn't utter the last word's.

  “I........can't it was...poisoned.” I managed through gritted teeth.

  He looked at me bewildered for a moment but then I handed him the arrow I had pulled free from my torso only moments before. His eye's grew large as he placed the tip beneath his nostril and sniffed, he quickly recoiled in disgust.

  “Zephyr!! Zephyr, she can't heal what do I do?!” His voice was full of so much pain. He pleaded with Zephyr. Zephyr lowered his head to the open wound and sniffed the black poison, he immediately stepped back in disgust as well and began snorting and tossing his head frantically. Once he had calmed, he stared at me in utter despair.

  “I...I can not heal her...the poison was created using Draíochta Bás...Death Magic. I can not touch it nor will my magic work on it.”

  “Try dammit!!” Dimitri was almost crying now as he curled his finger's in my hair and pressed his forehead to mine.

  “If I try, it may very well kill her faster. I can not live with that. Serra...I...”

  “Shhh hush now my old friend. It seems my time has finally come. Please, all I ask is that you lie with m
e to see the dawn one last time.”

  “Serra you mustn't speak this way! I cannot lose you! I WON'T lose you!!” Dimitri spat in sorrow and frustration.

  “There is nothing to be done my love. I am gone from this life, but I make you this promise...we will find one another again. Just as Zephyr and I shall.” I promised.

  Zephyr lay beside me weeping into my dress, I laid a reassuring hand on his head as I tangled the finger's of my other in Dimitri's midnight hair. I pulled him close and kissed him just as the sun rose over my kingdom.

  “I will always love you, I will always find you...I swear it.” He whispered.

  With his final promise still fresh on his lip's, I slipped away into the darkness and let the Reaper claim me as his own. I felt no pain, no sadness, no anger....nothing. All was as it was meant to be. No more plot's to take my life, no more lie's, no more deceit, no more anything. I opened my eyes to find myself in a simple wooden boat set adrift in an endless sea of my memories. I watched as each rolling wave carried with it a memory from my life.

  I saw my birth, the day I found I had magic, the day I ran away, everything was here. I felt nothing, though. No emotion at all. I had no idea how long I was riding the wave's. It felt like a lifetime, I began to think of how I had been manipulated and deceived by one whom I thought was my closest human friend.

  Suddenly, as if called up by my thought's memories of Barron began to play in the sea. I started to see the little thing's that I should have noticed before, but didn't due to my trust of him. The time's he had volunteered for special mission's on the outskirts of the kingdom, the secretive messages he had sent, the strange way he reacted to Emery once he showed up. All these thing's I should have seen.

  I wished I could feel anger, confusion, something! Anything was better than floating on this endless sea of misery forever. Just as I decided to give up......I woke up.

  I sat bolt upright and started gasping for air, I was greeted by bright florescent light's and a blaring TV set held up high in the middle of the far wall. I looked around me amazed that I was alive.

  It took me a few minute's to get my bearing's but I finally realized where I was. This was a hospital, in my hometown...my...hometown in... in Klay,West Virginia, yeah that's it! But what year is it? I looked around until I caught a glimpse of a calendar on the far wall, it was 2017! It was all coming back to me in waves.

  I shook my head against the onset nausea, I felt like I had just been kicked in the head by a Thoroughbred stallion. Upon further inspection, I saw my skin was still a beautiful tan (thank you tanning bed) and my hair was still deep crimson red. I started to toss the blanket's off me when the door to my room opened and in walked the most beautiful sight I'd ever seen in my life, Dimitri.

  As soon as he saw me awake he dropped his coffee and ran straight for me wrapping me in the tightest hug I do believe I have ever had.

  Once freed from my Hercules hug I sat him down and explained everything that had happened. He listened to my whole tale only interrupting a few times to ask a question. When I finished, he stood and began to pace the length of the window all the while muttering something to himself.

  Unable to stand sitting any longer I got out of the very uncomfortable bed and started searching for my clothes that I knew were stashed around here somewhere. Finally finding them in the closet cubbie I told Dimitri I was going to get dressed, he said he was going to speak to a doctor about releasing me.

  Once back in my regular clothing, which seemed a bit looser than I remembered, I grabbed my brush from my overnight bag I'd also found in the closet (Thank you Dimitri) and began the tedious task of brushing my long crimson lock's. I wondered how long I had been asleep and why I was in a hospital to begin with. Come to think of it, I hadn't had a chance to ask Dimitri what had happened to me.

  I was so caught up in telling him about my bizarre dream I didn't even stop to ask why I was here. I finished brushing my hair and stood back to get a good look. Lush lip's...check, Cat like aquamarine and silver eye's...check, prominent cheek bone's...check. Look's like I was still in one piece. I heard the door to my room open and male voice's rapidly talking so I waltzed out of the restroom fully hoping to get to go home.

  I hated hospital's! After about five thousand question's and a physical exam from the good old doc I was finally getting released. I took this time to sit Dimitri down and ask him what had happened to put me here.

  “You don't remember?”

  “Pretty sure if I did, I wouldn't be askin there darlin.”

  “Well, we were out in Klay one night, about a month ago and we were attacked. Jumped from behind and in a public street. I couldn't transform and you...well I turned back around and you were on the ground. You've been in a coma for a month Serra.”

  “Are you serious?! Who the hell attacked us? Hey, where's Zephyr?”

  “I can't say for sure, but I'm pretty positive it was Waraxe's men. Zephyr's waiting for us at home, I phoned ahead and told him we would be there soon.”

  “Good. Now wait, what? Emery and Barron?” I asked a bit skeptical, we hadn't seen hide nor hair of Emery or Barron for year's.

  “Yes. I think they may have something up their sleeves. I believe they plan to attack you again.”

  “I think you're being way too overprotective now. We haven't seen either of them in a long time what make's you think they would just up and prepare to duke it out with us again?”

  “Because I found this sticking under a blade in out front door.”

  He handed me a folded over white piece of paper, it looked like it could be from any printer or office supply store. I unfolded it and as I read it my blood ran cold. I felt the telltale signs of my power begin to creep up my spine. I looked back at Dimitri, anger thrashing inside me as I spoke what was written on the paper.

  “Knight takes Queen.”

  To Be Continued....

  Be on the look out for...

  The Nevermore Chronicles

  Book 2

  Queen takes Knight