-Karen-“You know what I mean, Kay.” He replied narrowing his eyes. I do but that was amusing for me. I waited for him to ask his question. He was silent for a moment. “You act like nothing happened yesterday… I’m just… I’m concerned that you’re-” Damn it. I knew this was going to happen. I sat up and looked down at him with a steely look stopping him mid-sentence.“It’s because it’s happened so many times that I have been able to emotionally delete things like that. So, yes, I was really bothered by it yesterday. Today, I have been able to push it completely away from me. As far as I am concerned, it was a mistake, and I don’t plan to think about it anymore.” I paused for a moment. “Honestly, as far as attacks go, that was practically a slap on the wrist. I’d take that again every day over the other things I’ve suffered through, Conor. You didn’t beat me nearly to death and then walk away leaving me to die like has been done in the past.” He said he just like Lewis. Ha! Never! “You d
-Karen-“Perfect, we have all day tomorrow and I want you to pick things for yourself to get.” Conor commanded. I looked up and started to protest when he grabbed my lips held them shut. “Not a damn word. I’m not taking no for answer. You have to get at least ten things and you better not be a smart ass about it either.”Bart and Joanne laughed at the dirty look I gave him. “Fine! No point in arguing.” I glowered sourly. “You haven’t eaten yet, Conor.”“I’ve had someone far more important to take care of than myself.” He whispered in my ear. I looked up in surprise that he would even say that. “You’re very important to me. I regret hurting you like I did which means I have to make sure I take much better care of you.” He kissed my cheek and hugged me tightly. I’m important to him? Why though? I’m replaceable.“Awe! Geez Bart. I don’t know if I can handle all this cuteness!” Joanne squealed grabbing his arm and burying her face into his left shoulder.“It is cute isn’t it? Don’t worry
-Karen-I woke up to pretty gray eyes staring at me. I squinted at him and slowly realized I was in the bed next to Conor instead of on the chaise where I started out last night. “Morning gorgeous.” He whispered with a gentle smile. “You were asleep on the chaise when I got back… I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. My father wouldn’t stop talking.” I sat up and stretched. I don’t know if I can handle my emotions today… I haven’t been able to separate everything from yesterday. “I didn’t wait for you. I took a quick shower and then went to sleep.” I remarked plainly. I started to get out of bed when he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. “Her words really bothered you, didn’t they?” Conor asked with a note of concern in his voice. “Are you going to be alright? We can go shopping on a different day if you want?” It won’t matter what day we go. The problem is me.“She isn’t the first to say things like that, remember?” I reminded him. She probably won’t be the last. I left the room be
-Karen-“Don’t- It’s fine Joanne.” I said flatly. I held out my hand for the first article of clothing. I felt slightly cold since I was naked. I could hear Bart and Conor chatting cheerfully in the main room.“No. It’s not fine at all. I just- I really want you to be happy… You deserve it so much! And I know Conor can do that for you. You just need to trust him.” She instructed, handing me a set of silky lace underwear. “I know for a fact that you make him happy. More than you could ever know.”“Every single pair has had lace you know.” I giggled lightly. “I like it though… It makes me feel… Sexy and dainty.” I smirked at the thought. “I know he has been trying since the beginning to make me happy and I am. I’m just not use to feeling so many emotions all the time. It’s got me feeling like I’m losing control of myself… And I am. Punching that mirror was the only thing I had from completely losing my composure.” I shook my head at myself. She handed me the dress and I pulled it on wit
-Karen-“Karen? Is that you?” A familiar voice called to me.I turned around and saw an old acquaintance of mine named Oriana. She was a bit older than I was. She was tall and slender with black wavy hair and sharp blue eyes. “Oriana! How are you?” I asked her happily.“I’ve been well despite the invasion. Good to see you made it through…” She said warmly. She looked over my clothes and gave me a quizzical smile. “Did they change the uniforms for servants? I don’t recall that happening when Zargo took over.” She walked over to the counter and started unfolding the bolts of fabric. “How much fabric were you looking for?”“They didn’t change the uniforms… But I’m not a typical servant anymore either.” I answered trying to figure out how to explain my new position. Despite the companion offer, I was still an official servant to Conor even if he didn’t treat me like one. “May I please have three yards of each fabric? Four of the black though please.” I walked over to the scrap bin and pic
-Karen-“Actually, I was looking at that one. It reminds me of one of the hybrids I made… I named it Dark Devotion. It was the prettiest rose I had created, and it was my favorite one. I have a barrette that is similar to this pin.” I said thinking fondly of the times I would stay out in the garden falling asleep under the open sky surrounded by my flowers.Conor and the shop keep joined us fifteen minutes later. “Have you picked something, Kay?” Conor whispered in my ear. “Yes... May I please get this pretty brooch?” I asked pointing at the rose bloom. It’s pretty and it will make him happy. I hope.“Absolutely! Jasper, if you please.” Conor instructed the shop keep.“Yes, Majesty.” Jasper pulled at the beautiful pin and handed it to me. I carefully ran my finger over it and then kissed it sweetly. “Thank you Conor. I love it!” I pinned it to my dress and showed it off to him.“A pretty rose pin for a gorgeous flower.” Conor said proudly. He kissed me warmly and led us out of the j
-Karen-A week had passed since I found out about Novo’s death. I was an emotional wreck as I tried to deal with it as best I could. I’d never felt so devastated about anything and it never really occurred to me how powerful death was. No one I cared about had ever died until Lizette and now Novo. All three of them had been extremely supportive and did their best to cheer me up as I grieved. The first two days I did nothing but cry and sleep. I felt even more helpless than ever but the three of them took care of me. Conor was especially supportive of me. He would sit and let me cry while he stroked my hair and hummed the tune from before.On the third day of the week, Conor had started doing the drills in the morning again and then was back around lunch time each day. I waited at the door for him and as soon as he would come in the room, I would greet him with warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. I had started to become much closer to all three of them during this time. It felt wonderfu
-Karen-“I do! I borrowed a book from the library when I first became a Mage. It was called 'Nomel Palace'. There are two other palaces in this kingdom. One in Dareme and the other is in Ralio. Dareme used to be the original capitol until the Lucevkin Dynasty took over. Back before the dynasty took over, these lands were just separate small kingdoms. Eventually, they banded together to fight off the kingdom of Imogau. As far as I know, we are the only kingdom with Mages but I'm not very certain about that. I think the other kingdoms might have Mages but there numbers are much smaller in comparison to Mazifik's.” I explained, wracking my brain for this information.“Well, we started the invasion with the kingdom of Covina in the far east and then worked our way over to Mazifik. From what I saw, no other country has Mages and if they did, they hid them very well.” He paused a moment. “What I can say is that the other kingdoms did not put up a fight like Mazifik. Father had sent a messen
-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