An internal tunnel of magic continued to move from my back and outward. The flaming wings that now kept me afloat within the spinning vortex were burning with a vengeance.
The pendulum in my hand began to glow, the ring absorbing more and more of my magic until the chained crystal began to shift in shape. I readied my stance while it transformed, my eyes on the nearest Forbidden that seemed to tremble when our eyes locked.
His screech was of an odd language, but it translated perfectly through my mind.
"Retreat!"
The way my lips curled up in defiance made the creature attempt to ready his bow and send an arrow at me, but the new weapon was ready to be used, and before he could gasp, the prism sword was now slicing through him and his dark flaming horse.
No scream left his body as he burst into sprinkles of darkness. The remaining six watched in horror and were suddenly racing upwards towards where they had come from.
With all this power coursing through me, they expected I'd let them off the hook.
You come to my lands and try to hurt those I care for? To spill the blood of MY people so you can leave with yours? I think not.
All I needed was one flap of my flaming wings to shoot me upward like a blazing rocket being launched into the sky. The once night skies were now covered with black clouds that trembled with roaring thunder as lightning flashed through the vast surface.
I could feel the ground below tremble - the anger of my lands roaring in encouragement. The spiraling sea crashed together, but suddenly spiraling pools of water surged up into the sky, and that's what triggered the intense rainfall that was doing its job of slowing the remaining down.
There was no time to think, no room for an ounce a pity. These people pushed me to the brink of destruction, and they would all pay.
Want to know what death feels like?
My prism sword sliced through another Forbidden Fae, his screams of agony followed with a bolt of lightning that struck his body as I moved away, already onto my next target.
The others were now racing upward, their horses desperate to get their riders to safety but their effort would shortly be in vain.
Five went down to four, and then there were three. The elements all around me aided in my mission, and it made me grin with sick excitement to be destroying these beings who were surely stronger than me.
In this powerful element, no one would stop me until they got the message.
One of the three remaining turned around to try and slow me down, which left me laughing before I willed the clouds to be so thick that the remaining two Forbidden stopped in their tracks at the wall of mist that formed into a solid barrier.
The third Forbidden didn't stand a chance when he tried to attack me. His head was sliced off while the rest of his body disappeared like black sand.
Only two were left and I readied my sword to kill them both with a final strike. I moved swiftly as the second individual moved before the first and outstretched their hands protectively.
The one behind screeched, but the translation hit me.
"DAUGHTER!"
My sword stopped right at the tip of the Forbidden's nose, and I noticed her hollow red eyes that were filled with black tears as their gaze slowly looked to my prism blade that sizzled with electric force.
I turned my attention to the woman, noticing the black crown that seemed to blend in with her image, but what caught my hearing was the atypical beating of a heart. It only took me an extra two seconds to identify the other fast-paced hearts before my own, which meant one thing.
Pregnant.
My lips of glee turned upside down as I narrowed my eyes that darted between them. With a strong flap of my flaming wings, I moved back, giving enough space to see the two of them as their horses steadied themselves.
The woman hugged the female warrior, whose eyes were still locked on me in complete shock. She expected to die - no - was willing to die to protect her mother and unborn sibling, which was both brave and utterly stupid.
It angered me that this woman who potentially could have been a queen brought her family to attack us, but the woman opened her mouth to speak.
"Apologize. Regret. Told you are enemies. Evil. Came to destroy family. Please. Spare my daughter. Princess."
I looked at the girl again as she looked back at her mother and shook her head wildly.
"Little brother! Mom! Will sacrifice to survive!"
"No. We wrong. Played. Misinformed by Light. Seek vengeance. For me."
The two of them were clearly arguing as to who would survive, but their comments struck worry through me.
Someone on the light side told them we were enemies...
"Who told you?"
The two of them darted their heads back at me, shock registering on their dark expressions at my question. It took me a hot minute to realize why - my speech mimicked theirs.
"You. Speak Darkness. Blood Line. What Bloodline?"
"Rosadette."
The daughter looked at her mother, and she somehow seemed relieved.
"Daughter of Savior. Daughter of Hope. Understand now. The Light is our enemy!"
"Who of the Light gave you such information?" I asked again.
"King of Light," the woman replied, which made me think of Xavier, but that didn't make sense.
"Xavier?" I inquired, but the woman shook her head.
"King. One of Ice. Controls. Uses. Deceives. Uses ice to manipulate victims. Cursed to live within others. Killed by his own curse. Instead, lives amongst the sorrow of others."
The riddles didn't make much sense to me, and yet it felt like something I could solve if given the right amount of time.
"Must unlock castle. Ice castle. Far away. Castle. Previous homes. Seek truth. Seek Savior who ran to lower lands."
"Seek my mother," I concluded, and the woman nodded.
"Truth lies in Bloodline. Hidden Light that is of Darkness. Manipulates but too powerful. Hides behind royal crown," she explained.
"Are you sure it isn't the son of Light?"
The daughter was the one to shake her head.
"See past the ice. See past the strings of control. Prince of Darkness is a victim. Not an enemy. Don't fall for the illusion."
Their eyes seemed to look behind me, and I turned my gaze in time to see a man double our size riding in a chariot pulled by dark horses.
Out of all of these Forbidden creatures, he was the only one to look close to human, his long black strands levitating with power as a black crown with purple jewels sat on his head. He looked pissed, but it almost didn't seem solely directed at me.
I looked back at the woman to see the daughter shake nervously.
The mother frowned but spoke, "Amethyst. Return to Father."
She looked at her mother before glancing at me, and I decided to move to the side, giving her a clear path to the man that awaited them. I caught his lingering gaze, but I didn't give him my attention as I forced the world around me to calm.
Amethyst gave one last glance to her mother before she began to move but stopped to look at me. We stared at one another for a long moment before I watched her bow.
"Mercy. Thankful. Ally."
She whipped the reins of her horse, heading to the chariot and entering the back bench after the horse she rode faded away.
That left me with the mother, whose horse walked a few steps before she stopped parallel to me. Her eyes bored into mine, before she, too, bowed her head.
"You have our loyalty. We trespassed out of spite. Our family...home was threatened. We aimed to seek revenge when time was right."
She lifted her head, so those red hollow eyes met mine once more.
"Patience is key. Act naive to the truth before you. Only playing dumb will begin to unravel the hidden evil. The danger beneath the light. Melt away the ice of the dark lands. Retrieve the Savior identical to you. Do these things, and Amethyst will find you to share the truth."
I nodded in understanding, sensing a
group of energy heading our way.
"You should go. I don't want harm to come your way unnecessarily. I'll hold your warning close to my heart and act like a naive fool. When the time is right, I hope to see you again. The real you," I declared.
She bobbed her head slightly before she whipped her reins and was at the chariot. The man offered his hand to her, and I noticed her shock and hints of relief in his act of compassion that she surely didn't expect.
He helped her to sit by his side, and I noticed the long gaze he gave her before placing his hand on her stomach. He seemed pleased before he looked at me.
His eyes told me he was intrigued by my power as the cloud began to disperse and the troubled waters were now calm and tranquil.
All the man did was deliver a firm nod in my direction, and I replicated the move. With a slash of the reins, the chariot was passing by me and they were heading towards a spiraling void in the dark sky until they blended into the surface.
The sword in my hand burst into tiny shards as the crystal pendulum began to fade back to its pouch. All that was left was the gold ring on my finger, which left me curious as to why it had suddenly appeared with my name and Rainer's.
"ROSADETTE!"
My tired eyes caught onto the approaching four individuals: Alicia, Camilla, Vixen, and Xavier.
Seeing Xavier made me frown, but I was confused by his worry.
Confused by his fear.
Returning to look at the ring once more, I worried about Rainer and if he was okay. My eyes began to close as the flames that kept me up all this while began to extinguish. I didn't have any energy left to care as my questions flooded my mind about what had just occurred.
So many questions. So few answers. All I knew was that we had to figure out how to melt the ice of the dark kingdom and locate my mother.
That meant I had to become stronger. Was this proof of my potential?
What about Dad? Was that my dad's spirit? How was he able to save me?
My body continued to fall, but a voice called from above that suddenly slowed my descent. I couldn't hear what was being said, but my consciousness was too weak to hang on.
Please, Mother Universe. Help me find out the clues to this unfolding mystery.
Temporary Break And Worthy Of Purgatory
"Another three months?" I quietly stated as I sat on the medical table. "We're going to miss the entire school year at this point," I reasoned.
Alicia gave me a look while Seraphine sighed.
"Rosadette, you're lucky to be alive," Alicia stressed as she crossed her arms over her chest. I knew she was going to give me yet another lecture about how important it was to rest the mind, body, and soul, especially with as unique a fae as I was, but I was tired of being here.
This recovery nonsense was only a little easier since I was now allowed to walk without crutches to Rainer's room without the nurses freaking out that I was doing something 'illegal'.
Visiting your future husband is illegal. Hmph. I have to stop saying he's my husband. Unless they piss me off. Then all bets are off.
"I understand," I voiced before she could start her lecture. "Yes. My actions of being a superhero caused me to be unconscious for two months and I basically had to learn how to walk again because nineteen-year-olds don't go summoning the land itself to destroy enemies that were trying really damn hard to kill us. However, this is the year we're supposed to learn all the combat skills and basically become epic Purely Divine students. But you're now telling me I need another three months of therapy and Rainer many need more than that?! The whole damn school year will be done by the time we recover and then what? We're going to be left behind while our peers head into Year Three?"
"You won't be left out, Rosadette," Alicia assured me. "Neither you nor Rainer are going to be held back. What you two seemed to accomplish is an act that should be rewarded with a medal of fae honor. The headmaster and all the students have learned about the incident and it was a unanimous decision to allow you past this year."
"I don't want it to be given to us," I huffed. "Neither would Rainer."
"I'm aware of that," Alicia assured me. "What we've decided is that we'll play this by ear. If you're strong enough to partake in the midterm exam next semester, you'll be given the approval to participate. If you're still dealing with leg function issues, you'll have to wait until the final exam to participate. We'll reassess a week before to determine if you can partake. I'm not necessarily worried about you, but Rainer will need at least three to maybe four months to recover," Alicia explained.
I bit my lip hard, trying not to feel so unsettled that Rainer would sense it. He was probably still sleeping after the mental magic training exercises he had to do twice a day. He absolutely hated them, but he could definitely see the difference in summoning his magic.
"Let's just focus on a day at a time, Rosadette," Alicia suggested. "Even though this semester is about combat, you and Rainer are extremely advanced. I've taught you many of the moves you'd be taught in class. As for the curriculum portion, you two can take the written portion here. Vixen volunteered to take notes and Camilla will have them copied for you and Rainer to study on your own time."
"What about-" I tried to bring up the incident yet again, but there a knock on the door before a guard opened it and bowed. "My apologies, Your Majesties. Queen Rose. You are needed to review an incident at the school."
Alicia frowned before she rose up. "Again? This is the third time this week," she complained and glanced over at me. "Rosadette, we'll continue this discussion tomorrow. Try to get some rest and remind me tomorrow to take Rainer's and your weapons to charge up under the full moon."
"Alright," I quietly replied, my shoulders sinking at yet another interruption. I wondered if someone was doing it on purpose since the last week had been full of interruptions that forced Alicia to leave unexpectedly. It was only today that she came with Seraphine, which was unexpected.
"I'll stay behind for a while longer," Seraphine voiced out. "Let me know if this issue will lead to a late night. We can always reschedule our discussion for tomorrow."
Alicia nodded. "I'll keep you posted," she said with a light smile.
They exchanged another nod, their eyes communicating more than just a look before Alicia bid farewell and walked out of my recovery room. The remaining two guards with red armor bowed and closed the door once more, leaving me with Seraphine.
We were quiet for a moment, as if we needed the extra time to filter through our own thoughts. Eventually, Seraphine decided to speak up first. "How's the therapy been going?”
"Slow," I commented as a deep frown formed on my lips at the thought. "Learning how to walk again is far harder than when you're a kid. As a kid, I forced myself to learn by trying to chase butterflies or reach places in the corner of the closet one of the families let me stay in during the winter season. Back then, it was hard and frustrating, but I didn't really cry or worry about the idea of having to walk. When you're an adult learning, it's a pain in the butt. The therapist talks to you like you're stupid. It's not like I don't know how to move my legs. My legs just won't respond to the signals my brain is attempting to send to them. Blocked receptors don't mean I'm stupid."
A huff left me as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Adding the fact that all they do is keep praising me for saving you, the queen and Rainer's mother, they feel like it's some sort of honor to help me recover. Or maybe they're trying to get a raise. Who knows?"
I shook my head and let out another grunt. "It's just frustrating, and though I'm happy I can walk short distances, I'm still struggling with long-distance. I know the therapy for the next three months will focus on rehabilitation and getting me on a treadmill to aid in practicing running exercises, but time is ticking."
"Why are you in a rush to recover, Rosadette?" she asked and looked into my eyes.
I hesitated with my answer, looking at the door as if our words would leak right through and give whoever dared to listen valuab
le information to someone who could potentially use it against us.
Seraphine snapped her fingers, and the walls of my room shimmered with gold. I looked back at her as she put her left hand on her chest and whispered, "I vow to keep whatever is stated in this room at this very instant between us. May the Universe be my witness."
I could feel the wave of magic that coursed in the room and wrapped around her body. Seeing she was willing to keep my theories between us helped ease my anxiety over the matter.
"Please allow me to help you," she whispered.
I gave her a stern nod before I looked at my hands, my eyes lingering on the ring that remained on my right finger. I'd been keeping it hidden from Rainer because I didn't want to bother him with my worries, but it gave me strength whenever I noticed it.
"Someone on the light side is against us." I got straight to the point, which had her a little surprised by my abrupt statement. "I don't know who it is. I thought it would be Xavier, honestly. However, I don't think he's capable of tricking the Forbiddens."
"The Forbiddens who attacked us were tricked?" Seraphine questioned with worried eyes. "King Rose stated there was a mere misunderstanding and they thought we were a threat."
I shook my head while absorbing the new information.
"Why would the Queen of the Forbidden Kingdom, if we can call it that, come out with her daughter, the princess, while pregnant, with her guards to view what was happening in our lands?" I summarized the question.
Seraphine's expression grew serious as she took in my words.
"The Queen of the Forbidden is pregnant?"
All I did was nod, and that made her frown further. "A prince."
"How do you know?"
"If someone wished for her to be killed by you, the baby must be a male."
"Why would they be worried over a group that was apparently forbidden from the lands?"
Seraphine seemed uncomfortable talking about it, but she looked into my eyes. "Only you and Rainer can know about what I'm going to say," she whispered. "Rainer knows a bit, simply because he's royalty and I trust he won’t talk about it publicly, but this information is sacred and normally passed along through royal lines. Seeing as your mother wasn't able to do so, I'll take the role."
Fae Rose Academy: Year Two (For The Purely Divine Book 2) Page 20
