-Karen-"You could call it a bribe or a present, depending on how you look at this situation. In this case, seeing as how stubborn and combative you've been, I would be inclined to call it a bribe," he said, picking up part of the broken apple slice and putting it to my lips. Eat it."I looked away defiantly. I heard Conor and Bart both sigh out of frustration. Before either of them could try to say anything, I laid down on my left side and curled up tightly into a ball. I just wanted to be alone. I didn't want bribes or presents. I didn't want food or advice. I wanted to die, and I wanted it to happen quickly. I was tired of this life, and I felt like I had no purpose now that the Queen had been killed. Who do I serve now that she is gone? I sure won't serve either of them- Especially the prince! I could hear the men talking and did my best to block out their voices. I closed my eyes as tightly as possible when I felt Conor's presence coming back towards me. I balled up tighter on i
-Conor-"Wake up!" Conor yelled at Karen, trying to wake her up. He set her down on the bed and tapped her cheek repeatedly in hopes that it would rouse her. Oh, my goodness. This woman! "You are so damn stubborn! You're going to drive me insane!" He snapped angrily. "I wish you would stop fighting me. Even if it were for half a day…" Conor grumbled as he pulled her to the pillow and covered her with the blanket. I need to see what I can do for her. Conor left the room, locking the door behind him. He rushed to Bart's office and burst through the doors, startling Bart and Joanne. "She passed out, Bart… Would it be a good idea to give her an IV now? I don't want her to regress." I mean, at this rate, she's going to kill herself by being a pain in my ass."Yes, I don't see what it would hurt. Jo, can you help him with that, please? I also want a vitamin bag added. It's going to be a Zargan one, so I don't know how much that will actually help, but let's see if that helps perk her up." B
-Karen-I woke up alone in the same servant quarters as before. The only difference is I was propped up on more pillows with a tube running into my right arm. Ugh… I felt weak and heavy. My hands had been placed over my stomach, and it took me an hour to realize that I was in a new nightgown. The fabric was soft against my skin as I stayed still, thinking about my last encounter with the prince. How dare he even comment on them? I thought about what he said regarding Delia and Lizette and how I acted. It enraged me.I'm not being ungrateful at all! I'm being belligerent and uncooperative with the enemy! He's just an arrogant jerk! He's a stupid, lusty Zargan. Another man that I will have to deal with somehow. The only option for him is to die as painfully and as slowly as possible. I have to find a way to make that happen! I tried not to doze off as I reaffirmed my thoughts. I felt sleepy from the heavy feeling of despair I was left with. I glanced over to the window to my right. It w
-Karen-"Tell me about yourself, Karen," Conor said, scooting the chair closer to the bed. I gave him an edgy glance as he gave me an expectant look.What? "There's nothing to tell." I shot back flatly. "I'm a servant. End of story." I mean…"Nope! You have to do better than that," he retorted quickly. "Come on. Really! I'm curious about you. Tell me anything."I watched him for a moment, and he watched me with a smirk. What do I say? "Well… I, uh. I'm a Mage, and I have a flower garden," I said plainly. He nodded for me to continue. “That's it. Really." I don't know what he is looking for in this."There has to be more than that," he said, frowning at me. “Who is Karen? What's your favorite color? Do you have any hobbies? Do you have a favorite food? What is your family like?" he asked rapidly. Who is Karen?—She's a servant with a garden like I just told you.Being put on the spot like this made me feel uneasy. "Well, uh- My favorite color is purple. And I have the garden that I have
-Karen-I waited a few more minutes and got up slowly. I crossed the short distance from the bed to the small window and watched as the sun dipped behind the ocean, allowing darkness to cloak the sky. I could see Taurameras high above the town, and the stars started to dot the darkened heavens. I love the light of Taurameras at night. Its soft light is so beautiful! The city was eerily dark below the palace. It left me with a relatively empty feeling as I thought about the many people who must have died in the attacks. I shook my head as the sadness continued to eat at me.'I could just throw you to the soldiers. They would love to get a piece of you…' The words echoed in my head as my throat became tight with emotion. And that is precisely why I don't expect to have a happy ending. I could hear yelling down the hall but ignored it while I cried silently by the window. I wrapped my arms around myself as I stared out into the darkness. He is just like Lewis, but he was more than okay w
-Karen-The next day, I awoke to the smell of porridge entering the servant's room. Sleepily, I sat up and rubbed my face through a yawn. Conor and Bart were carrying things, and instinctively, I got up to help. "Oh no, Karen. Go lay back down," Bart said firmly while he set up a foldable table."Go," Conor said just as firmly to me."I'm a servant- I'm supposed to help." I retorted flatly. I tried to help take the tray from Conor, but he raised it high over my head. "It shouldn't matter if I'm sick or not-""It matters. Now, change into your dress while we step outside." Conor said in a commanding tone. I frowned at him while he set the tray down. Why does it matter?! "Go on. I want to make sure it fits you correctly."I rolled my eyes while he snickered under his breath. I'm going to hurt him. He is making me mad! Bossing me around and not letting me help- I trudged over to the night table as the door shut, leaving me alone. "Such a bossy bastard," I grumbled as I changed into the s
-Karen-"Your first task is to get well. In order to do that, you need to eat. Seriously, I have no problem having you tied up and force-fed," Conor said softly. “What do you want to eat? I know you don't like me here, so in order for me to go away, you're going to have to eat.""The Porridge is fine," I replied quickly, reaching for the bowl. He grabbed my hand and shook his head."It's too old. Pick something else," he said with a grin. "Are you in the mood for turkey and cucumber again?""But the." I tried to reach for the porridge as he lifted it out of my reach. "It's perfectly fine!" I snapped angrily.He chuckled at me. "You're pretty cute when you get angry." Conor stood up before I could do anything. He walked over to the door and whistled a different noise. I heard someone run down the hall to him. "Please go to the kitchen and bring me a plate of turkey, peeled cucumber, and some cheese. Also, a small glass of water." Conor turned around to face me, shutting the door behind
-Karen-Bart stopped me and made me sit on the bed. He and Conor took the dishes out while I was useless on the bed. They came back an hour later with a giant metal bucket. Before I could even ask, a towel was laid down, and the bucket was on top. Several servants added twenty pitchers of hot water to the bucket. A bath in this room? Another servant set a full pitcher on the table and several bottles down. This is unnecessary. I just need a rag and half a pitcher of cool water.Conor was handed three towels, and then the servants and Bart left the room. He turned back to me. "I'm not sure when you last had a bath, but I think you should have one. It might help you relax and unwind." He placed the towels on the table and walked over to me. "I'm going to leave you alone for a couple of hours so you can wash up, and then I'll return. I hope it makes you feel a bit better."He was almost to the door when I quickly stood up. "Prince Conor." He stopped and gave me a dirty look. "Thank you..
-Conor-“I have a terrible feeling about this Nathan. We need to go to her. As soon as possible.” Conor said pacing back and forth in front of all the Mages. “After she lost consciousness, Eldon came and took her away. All he said was that she was being summoned by a tree. That's when a portal was made for me to come back here.”Nathan's eyes got wide and he lost the coloring in his face. “The Tree summoned her?” A serious yet terrified look remained on his face. Alexander started screaming making everyone jump. A portal opened and everyone stood up while Joanne worked to calm him down. “Karen?” Conor asked feeling hopeful. Eldon walked through carrying her, but he was stoic. “She’s going to be okay, right?”Eldon gently placed her into his arms. He didn’t answer right away. “Not exactly.” The portal shut as all the Mages gathered around. “As you know, she won the war against your father with your help. However, she lost the fight.” He said quietly. “Senescence, has deemed that she i
“Soul Release.” I whispered quietly. I watched as the souls compressed into different color orbs and floated away on the breeze. Bombs started falling around me while breathing became harder. “Healing Serenity.” I’ve used a flurry of spells and I still have a small chunk of magic left. I can easily get two or three more Master spells… I think. I decided to change positions so I could get a better aim at the last large ship flying around. I still have those small ships too… I took a deep breath and sent a Blazing Hypernova up to the middle area of the small ships. They all exploded in a bright flash and the wreckage fell to the destroyed town. I looked around for the large ship, but a bullet ricocheted very close to where I stood. Suddenly, more soldiers appeared charging at me.“Frostfire Surge!” I shouted angrily. All the soldiers shouted in pain and collapsed dead around us in heaps. I pointed up at the sky as the ship tried to leave again. “Blazing Hypernova!” Due to the high level
-Karen-A blow to the back of the head put me on the ground faster than I ever thought possible. Blow after blow was delivered as I squirmed to get away, but Zachary pinned me under him and continued to land a barrage of punches. He yelled and screamed about what I had done to his family. I grabbed his ankle and let him have a taste of ‘Lightning Surge’. It bought me enough precious time to weakly get to my knees.“Recovery Salvo.” I shakily got to my feet and leaned against the wall, but he was no where to be seen. I looked around nervously, but nothing moved. I heard the bullets before I felt them. Hot metal burrowed its way into my right thigh followed by my abdomen, left arm and chest. I collapsed in heap trying to fight the massive amounts of pain I felt. “Healing Serenity!” I whispered under my breath. Damn, another healing spell… I whispered for a portal and fled to the shadows of a building across town. There were still so many ships in the air, and I was starting to feel the
-Karen-“We don’t have a choice anymore!” I snapped back frustratedly. “This is it, Conor- We fight or we die- I’m not about to let him claim victory. There is going to have to be a risk in order to win this fight. I plan on coming back, you know.”“But what if you don’t, Kay? What if Eldon doesn’t revive you?” Conor asked firmly. He cupped my face and stared me in the eyes. “What if you’re gone forever?” What if… Such a big 'what if' and its running through my mind too.I didn’t answer him right away. “I’m going to die someday. I’d rather die fighting for my family and the people I care about than to run and live in fear wondering if today will be the day. As long as I don’t exhaust my magic and turn into a demon, I should be fine.” I’ve used a small bit of my magic, but I still have more than plenty. As long as I can take them out in fifteen to twenty Master level attacks, it should be okay. Permitting this doesn’t drag out for very long.I could see he was very much not accepting o
-Karen-“Your sudden jerking movements re-opened a wound I repaired.” Bart explained as I lay still looking up at the ceiling of the empty crypt bed. “I stitched it closed but you can't be doing those type of movements yet.” I sighed feeling useless as another bomb shook the ground.“Let me put some salve on her stitches, doctor.” Valerie murmured rubbing in a sweet smelling cream. “This should help numb the stitches so they won't hurt if you do have to move.”“Thank you both.” I replied, slowly sitting up. “Those bombs have been falling for the last three days now. How much more punishment can the main floor of the Crypts take?” I asked Nathan, feeling uneasy about our situation.I could see that Nathan was very reluctant to answer. “It probably won't be much longer, honestly. We have to make some hard choices now. The only other place we can go is the Forest and that has its own set of challenges and hazards as you know.” He heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his face from the growing pre
-Karen-At the snap of my fingers, my brother’s arms were torn from his body. Screams of agony echoed around me while the soldiers took aim at me. A soldier was yelling, but I paid him no mind. I heard the same soldier call my brother’s name, Marcus, telling him to hold on. I giggled softly enjoying this scary side of myself and met Marcus’s now terrified yet agonized gaze. “Marcus… I’m going to annihilate you and as I do, I will make sure that your soul quivers in unimaginable terror.” He some how lost more coloring in is face at my calm words“Ground Spears!” I shouted angrily punching up into the air. The soldiers that surrounded us were now high up on the points of the spears with blood gushing and dripping down the jagged rocks, more groans and moans of pain filling the air which was tainted with the scent of blood. “Soul Snatch!” I ripped the wispy soul out of the body, and he looked terrified. “Soul’s Doom!” Just like before, a white demon charged right at him and shredded his
-Karen-I woke up enveloped in warmth, but I was extremely sore. I really felt like I hit every tree branch coming down from that fall. So sweet- He changed my dress. The orchid under dress. I looked over to my right and saw Conor and Alexander cuddled up next to me both sleeping with their mouths open. Ha- My loves. “Conor!” I whispered softly. I tried to roll over and found out that was a mistake. Ah! I’m still busted up pretty badly… I grabbed his hand that was cupping my left cheek and gently squeezed it. Wake up!Without opening his eyes, “You’re the most recklessly insane person I know, Karen Anne Elizabeth. That was awe-inspiring, terrifying and thrilling all at once, but I don’t want to repeat that any time soon.” Conor said rubbing my cheek with his index finger. Mm. So warm… “We’ve only lost two ships in two separate incidents before but that was insane!” He opened an eye and leaned into me. “You have a lot of injuries still. You broke lots of bones. Bet you’re sore?”“Very!
-Karen-Conor groaned while rubbing his face and then looked up at me. He rubbed his eyes again. “Is that really you, Kay? You’re not an illusion, right?” He whispered sitting up quickly and grabbing my left hand pressing my palm to his lips. “You know I’m not upset with you- Don’t you?” I dropped my gaze feeling so much shame as I stood before him. “I-”“You may not be upset but I am.” I interrupted quietly. “I just see myself punching you and then charging at Joanne and then the nightmares I had. I may not be cursed anymore but the weight of my guilt is so heavy. I feel like I should just die and end everything once and for all. But that wouldn’t be fair to you or to Alex.” I closed the gap between us and hugged him tightly. “I love you Conor. I love you and I hate that I only hurt you… I feel like I do nothing but that.”He was silent but he held me tightly to him after he pulled me onto his lap. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get this again.” Conor kissed my cheek and nuzzled my
-Karen-Sweet kisses on my lips woke me up though it took me several minutes to realize I was in bed next to Conor. As soon as I did, I tried to move away from him. “Ah ah ah!” He captured me quickly and pulled me back to him. No. Please don’t!I completely avoided his gazes and wouldn’t let him kiss me at all. “Karen- You won’t even look at me.” I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Alexander cried all night after you left. Will you at least hug him?” I shook my head. “He says Mama now.” I don’t care. I can’t be here anymore! I only hurt you. I can’t continue to be a danger to you and everyone else here.I took advantage of the situation and pulled away from him. “Karen! Wait!” I left the tent as quickly as I could hearing him following me. “Please just listen to me!”All eyes were on me and it shot me right back to the memory of charging at Joanne. I dashed to the clearing and left the camp as fast as I could. I raced back to the Royal Crypt, crying the whole way. The guilt