Gregor
Felicia was quiet and contemplative on the way home. It was very late, and perhaps it was strain and exhaustion, but I doubted it. The revelation about her past was enough to make anyone pause and reflect upon things. I could have pummeled Clayton within an inch of his life for being so blunt with his memories. I helped her down the mountain. She held tightly to my arm, and I knew it wasn’t just for balance.
“Are you alright?” I finally ventured softly.
“Yes.” Her response was nearly inaudible.
“I’m sorry about Clayton.” My disapproval was evident in the growl I could hardly suppress. <
GregorI knew Felicia was dreaming. Vague images drifted into my dreams, Zana’s face, a struggle of some kind that was just a blur of colors and sound. We both woke with a start. I heard her get out of bed and go to the kitchen.I got up and followed her. “Are you alright?” I asked. The room was dark except for the starlight outside, but I could feel her nearness as I approached like an electrical current running between us. My breath quickened, and my throat went dry.“Yes, just a dream.” She said with a weary sigh.“I got some of the images through my implant,” I told her.
FeliciaI swallowed the lump of nerves that had lodged in my throat.“Can we take a stroll, Zana?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure of the wisdom of being alone with a dangerous predator, who harbored some resentment against me, I knew it was the only chance I would stand of breaking the ice with her.She inclined her head and indicated for me to lead the way, but her wary yellow eyes watched my every move.I was not sure where to start with her. But I wanted her to know I meant no harm and that I wanted to help her.“Zana, do you remember any
FeliciaGregor made lunch, and I watched him. He made a simple meal of bread, cheese, and some apples. His concern for me was evident, and it was endearing. He set the food before me, and we ate in silence for a while. He seemed lost in thought, and a felt strange sort of hum come through my implant from him.“Are you alright?” I asked him.His eyes snapped to mine. “I’m worried about Zana. She is so full of rage.”“Rage?” I asked, surprised. “She is in pain, anguish even, but rage?”“Yes.” He confirmed without hesitation. “Rage is what I f
FeliciaI watched Gregor through the window until he was out of sight. He can't have gone far before he called the wolves, for I picked up the gist of their exchange. If I was going to do what I felt I needed to, there was no time to waste. I put on my red cloak and snuck off into the night.I needed to see Zana. And I needed to do so while there were no interruptions or hovering pack and master. I moved quickly to get out of range before the pack showed up. Once I knew I had successfully avoided them, I headed in the direction Zana had gone that afternoon. I thought I could follow her tracks, but I found wolf tracks heading all over the place, and I had no idea how to tell which ones were fresh.I crouched on the grou
FeliciaThe men gagged me and bound my hands. They had horses waiting not far from the village. The man who came to install my bed, a large brute of a man, picked me up and set me on the horse. None too gently, I might add.Riding made me nervous. I had not been on a horse since I was a girl, and that had only happened once when a fellow guardsman to my stepbrother saw me watching them and offered to give me a ride. In that instance, I only had to hold on while the horse was led around at a very sedate pace.I thought about protesting to the men but thought better of it. If they realized I couldn't ride, then they might make me ride with one of them, and I think I would have preferred to fall off an
FeliciaBy early morning we had cleared the tree line and were riding through craggy peaks at the top of the mountain range. It was frigid, and I was shivering. The air was filled with the fog of everyone's breath. It floated in the air and sparkled as it froze. The snow glowed with an orange haze as it reflected the morning sunlight.From where we were, I could see for miles. I took a moment to appreciate the view. The forest seemed to go on forever until, way off in the west, I could make out the azure skyline that marked the edge of the sea.My teeth were chattering, though, and I wondered how far it was until we arrived at wherever our destination was. Surely, they didn't intend to let me freeze
FeliciaI looked around the room that had been mine so very long ago. As I looked at the details, I could tell it had been fashioned for a young girl, not a grown woman. Like it had been frozen in time, just waiting for my return. But the whole thing didn't make sense. How and when could I have lived here?I tentatively sat on the edge of the bed. My brain was trying to sift through the details of jumbled memories. They were vague images and feelings mostly. I got the impression that, as pretty as the room was, it had always been a cell.I sighed heavily and walked over to the slit of a window. It faced a sheer cliff that disappeared into a deep ravine, so deep I couldn't see the bottom, just swirling snow and mist. I would not be escaping that way.
FeliciaI woke up with my heart racing. Waking from the dream had left me disturbed. The face I had seen was mine but not at the same time. Her smile had been malevolent even psychotic. It had frightened me.The light from the window had faded and was the eerie bluish-grey of twilight. It made the room look menacing rather than childish.I got up from the bed and took the water glass drinking from it quickly, then looked around for something to take my mind off of the dream. I went over to the vanity and gazed at my face, it looked frightened and...fragile. Nothing like the expression in the dream. I got up and moved around the room.I leaned ag
Faizah: When Braith caught sight of Zana, his roar made the mountain shake. But the guards jabbed him with a rod that sparked and filled the air with the smell of burning hair and flesh. Zana lunged against her captors, a deep growl emanating from her. I grabbed my head as the sheer force of her rage entered my mind. I realized she was trying to communicate with me. So I steadied myself and concentrated on her connection. Liars, betrayers! She snarled. I broke every bond with my pack, I betrayed them to save my mate, and these monsters betrayed me! They went back on their word! She sent me images of what she had done. I recognized the boy from the market in the body lying in the snow. That was hard enough. But I nearly crumbled to the floor when I felt her guilt, her anguish. I’m so sorry, she howled. And I knew it was true. I felt her sorrow. I felt how trapped she had been. How desperate she was to save her mate. My heart broke for her. “Help me now, Zana,” I pleaded “If we c
Faizah: The stern woman turned and started straightening a few things around the room. “For what it’s worth, you look lovely,” my maid said quietly. I glared at her. Tears smarted behind my eyes, and I clenched my fists to control them. I would rather eat horse manure than let them see me cry. I turned back to the mirror and took in my reflection. “What a lovely-looking slave,” Felicia laughed inside my head. “I am no one’s slave!” I spat at her. I turned away from the mirror. “It’s time to go, my dear,” the woman said. I reached for my cloak where it lay, draped over the back of the chair. “Oh no love, leave that here,” the stern woman said with disdain. “It will deflect from the lovely gown I made.” “But...” I started to protest, not wanting to be parted from the last vestige of my life with Gregor. But the seamstress held up a firm hand. “You’re going to be late for your wedding.” She urged me towards the door and into the dark and chilly hall. I followed the seamstress
Faizah:I spent a sleepless night, trying to figure out what to do about Felicia. Her utter confidence gave away that she had a plan of some sort. But I couldn’t read her to find out what it was. “Don’t beat yourself up, my dear.” She said after I had been trying to probe her thoughts. “I’ve had years of practice while you just discovered your switch.” “How do you know that?” I asked. “I can read you like an open book, dear.” She said wryly. She did not need to remind me, I knew I was outgunned, “Well then, I guess I have some catching up to do.” I said, gritting my teeth and probing again. I tried many times, but all I managed to accomplish was to make my headache return. While the echos of her laughter in my mind reminded me that she took sadistic delight in my struggles. By dawn, I had given up and sat looking out the window with sleepy eyes. The sun had just cleared the crags when I saw a skyship headed for the fortress. I had never seen one in person before, but I had heard
Faizah:I don't understand, my lady. Dana had been silent for several seconds before she found her words again. “I’m a genetically modified clone, Dana," I sighed. “created to be put in the place of the real princess,” Why would they do that? “Because the real princess is apparently an evil sociopath.” So you’re not the Felicia we have been searching for? Dana’s confidence was breaking by the second. “Well, yes and no.” I sighed again, exasperated at this situation and by the facts of my very existence. “My mother called me Faizah, and I guess that's who I am.” She has a king switch too, doesn't she? Fear laced Dana's thoughts now. “Yes,” I said. This complicates things. This is very dangerous. Somehow I could feel that Dana had started pacing. There were never supposed to be multiple king switches. That defeats their whole purpose. “I don't know all the details, and my memory is still spotty. But I don't think Felicia is supposed to have survived this long.” Then why did sh
Felicia:The maid agreed to keep me informed of anything helpful she saw or heard. Periodically I heard the agonized roars of the creature that used to be Zana’s mate, Braith. But, when I tried to reach out to him with my mind, all I could get was chaos. His mind was broken. Just a jumble of overwhelming emotions was left. It broke my heart, and I had no idea how to help him, or even if he could be helped. I also had to work hard at keeping Felicia out of my mind. She wanted to taunt and manipulate me like she used to. But I was stronger now, I could keep her at bay. I didn't want her to know anything about what I was planning. I couldn't sleep that night and I spent most of it pacing the room. Then, around three in the morning, I felt an approaching presence in my mind, Dana. I went to the window. She was bearly in range of my implant, so her voice came in and out. My lady, are y- the-re? her voice was broken by static. “Yes, I'm here.” my throat became tight with excitement an
Felicia:Lucas sat dumbfounded when I finished catching him up. “Uh...I’m not sure what to say,” he faltered huskily. He stood up and paced the room, shoving both hands through his hair. “We have to get us all out of here as soon as possible,” I said matter-of-factly. “You mean you want to bring her with us?” Lucas's eyes bugged out, and he looked at me like I was insane. “We can’t leave her here,” I argued back. “Why?!” “Because we need to know where she is and what she is doing,” I explained. “If we leave her behind, she becomes a risk. A factor we don’t have control over. And trust me, we need to be in control of her.” Lucas stood silently looking at me, a plethora of emotions crossing his face. I realized the poor guy was suddenly out of his depth. I took a step towards him and touched him on the arm gently. “Don't worry, I'll think of something,” I reassured him gently. He looked at my face and frowned slightly, then gave me a crooked smile. “Are you sure you're not the Pr
FeliciaThe next morning, when the maid returned, she was prepared for me, as I expected she would be. “Don't worry” I said, “I won't ambush you anymore. I'm hoping you will simply allow me to do what I need to do without such tactics.” “I want no responsibility in any of this,” she whispered. “If you get killed in your endeavors, be it on your head.” her eyes were hard. I didn't blame her for wanting to protect herself. No doubt the punishment for helping me would be nothing less than a death sentence if she were found out. But I had to do what needed to be done. “I won't blame you, and if we get caught, I'll do my best to convince them of your innocence.” “Innocence.” she scoffed “no one who steps foot in this place is innocent.” she stepped away from the door, leaving my way out clear. She stared at me with defeated eyes as I walked through the door. I felt a pang of guilt until I realized it wasn't me
FeliciaWhen I returned to my room, the maid was pacing frantically. “What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? Do you have any idea what they will do to you?” she hissed at me. Her eyes were wide, and beads of sweat were visible on her brow. “I need answers. Whatever the risks involved.” I hissed back. “Now you better run along before you're missed.” She gave me one last wide-eyed look then fled my room as fast as she could. I heaved a heavy sigh and shakily sat on the side of the bed. I was having a hard time processing what...she...had told me. I didn't even know how to refer to her. She was not my sister. She was my base code. So what was I? Who was I? No more than another experiment. A pawn. And that realization was the last straw. Whether I was their creation or not I was no one's pawn. I cast my eyes toward the vanity and the secrets it held. I thought of my mother, and my emotions oscillated
FeliciaThe hall was cold and so I gripped my arms. The first thing I noticed was the smell. Damp, mixed with what smelled suspiciously like sick and excrement. The hall was long and dark. I began to think I had gone the wrong way, heading into an endless tunnel to oblivion. Then, I came around a corner and saw light shining from under a door up ahead. I slowed my pace and concentrated on listening. But, all I could hear was my rapid breathing and heart rate. Along with the distant drip of water on stone. I realized that this part of the facility was old, ancient even. Like they had just added on, delving deeper into the mountain as the years passed. How long had my country been experimenting on its fauna and subjects I wondered. I was only a few feet from the door and I could see a shadow moving around inside. Then I felt a ripple inside my mind, a recognition, from whoever occupied the room. Hello Faizah, it's been a long