AVERYThe Beast drops my body and steps in front of me. My heartbeat slows down as the green beam gets near him, ready to hit him in the chest. “ Aleister! ” I shout, stumbling on my feet. My voice echoes around the lake, sounding louder and deeper than I intended. My legs wobble. Another loud explosion rings in the air. From behind him, I can barely see anything but the beam that is directed towards him. The Beast stumbles back, his knee bending. I close my fists. The water rises again. I glance at Agrona. Her jaw is gritted in anger, instead of relief or joy. The water hangs in the air as I move my gaze towards Aleister again. The green beam hits an invisible shield in the air, getting repelled with an unbelievable force. Slowly, the Beast’s body starts to shift back. Energy returns to my body as relief fills my pores. “ My King! ”“ My King has returned to his senses. ”People chant, voices of relief rising in the air. With a loud noise, the green beam dissipates in the air
AVERYDraven pulls me back and steps forth to shield me with his body again. I shudder, shaking his hand away.There is no point in hiding or running.The people, seemingly hypnotized, come closer and closer. My brows furrow when I realize the water won’t stop them. My powers don’t work on those who have their minds under the control of some other entity. The first man steps out of the lake and sprints towards me. Draven kicks him back before he can reach me. More of them jump out of the cold water, their eyes hollow and their hands reaching out for me. I yelp, as Draven moves fast and pushes them back with lightning speed. I should do something too.I raise my palms, and the water moves up, drowning the people moving through the lake. For a moment, their efforts are delayed. But, they are moving again. Towards me. To kill me.No matter how many times the water drowns them or Draven injures them, they keep coming. They disregard their wounds, their blood, and the fear of death as m
AVERYKnowing I am safe, Aleister turns to the people again. The dark fog wraps around his body, hiding him from plain sight. I let out a shaky breath, my eyes finding Nirana. Her hollow, black eyes are already fixed on me instead of the Army she is trying to compel into killing me.Those eyes hold a deep melancholy, a sense of vengeance that runs deep, making it impossible for her to return to her senses. I can’t imagine her as a woman who was once loved by every witch and wizard in the South. The woman who sacrificed everything to get her people a place to stay. As she watches me, the sharp pain starts in my head again. It’s like some force is knocking at the threshold of my mind, trying to penetrate my senses. I place my hand on the side of my head, never taking my eyes off her. I can tell she is trying to get inside my head now.Slowly, Nirana starts lowering to the ground. Her focus has shifted away from the people of the South. And their footsteps had retreated, hinting that
ALEISTERShe stabbed herself. For me. Why am I not surprised? One moment Nirana was in control of her senses, but when she tried to hurt me, Agrona broke through. The next moment, she took out the dagger from under her dress and stabbed her chest. Without hesitation. Without giving me the chance to register her movement. Without waiting to think. “ As long as I live… ” She utters quietly. I move from my spot, approaching her with my heavy feet.“ No one…will hurt you, Leister. ”That’s what she said to me before, when we were children, when I sat on the throne for the first time, after I killed Clara. As long as I live, no one will hurt you.I crouch in front of her, my gaze flickering to the dagger in her chest. Agrona groans, shaking her head.“ She will take over again, Leister. ” She whispers, raising her bloodied hand towards me. It feels like I am not here, not in my body but somewhere far and it’s only happening in my imagination.“ The Princess can heal you. ” I grip he
AVERYNirana’s soul perished. With it, the darkness disappeared too. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the dark clouds parting. My eyes stung, my lungs ached, and my hands trembled as the light shone through the sky.I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I last saw light. But, I knew…it hurt to be in the light again. The sunshine, the brightness, the sun…it all felt foreign. But the warmth didn’t.The warmth felt familiar. The cold night ended, and the warm morning came again.It took the people, the brothers, and Aleister some time to finally come to terms with the new reality. The looks of disbelief on their faces told me everything I needed to know.The light was not new for me. I had spent my life basking under the sunlight, seeing the blue seas and feeling the warmth on my skin.But they didn’t.That’s why, I felt Aleister’s emotions fluctuating. The grief was pushed behind a wave of awe, as if he was introduced to a whole new world, as if he had served the purpose
AVERYAleister has washed the blood off his body and is now wearing a set of clean clothes—a black button-down shirt with black pants. Everything about him looks put together, even the coldness in his eyes except for the emotions he is hiding behind the hard exterior. I wrap my arms around myself and stand beside the doors, my back against the wall and my eyes on the man sitting on the throne. When the doors close, fear spreads in the air. Instinctively, people drop to their knees, showing respect to the King again.“ We apologize, My King. ”“ Spare our life, My King. ”“ Have Mercy, My King. ”Aleister’s cold gaze sweeps across the kneeling people until his eyes find me standing there, just staring at him. I expect him to look at me coldly too…because I did play some part in Agrona’s death.But, his eyes soften the same way they do. No one sees how vulnerability reflects in his gaze as he stares at me, as if asking me to come to him and embrace him.‘ I am here. I am not going an
AVERYIt took everyone some time to finally come to terms with what Aleister said. First, it was hard to believe.Then, it sounded like a joke.Finally, it dawned upon them.The King left the throne room. People were pushed out of the castle by the warriors.Outside the walls, Noelle helped them understand what Aleister’s order meant. He was not tricking them or trying to hurt them.He was letting them go.Once again, the people found themselves in disbelief. Until…One of them tried a magic trick they had only ever read in books. He turned the green grass to a funny blue color. And in the end, chaos erupted.They all could do it. I watched as the people laughed and cried and prayed for the King’s long life. Amidst the disaster that befell the Kingdom, this felt like a moment of celebration. But it was heavily tinged with melancholy. I couldn’t fathom if their tears were tears of happiness alone or if they cried because for the first time in their lives, after almost generations, t
AVERY“ You know how it goes, Princess… ” Aleister murmurs. “ I was not born to be anything special. From the moment I started understanding what life is, I was already told that I was to die when my brother became the King. ”He told me this before. But I don’t stop him as he speaks in a low voice.“ When the servants mocked us brothers, when the witches told us what they were going to our bodies once we were dead, when our father shot us cold looks as if he couldn’t wait for us to die…Drew, my brother was the only one who said that it didn’t matter. ” Aleister sighs and leans closer.“ It might sound strange but…The world I was born in…didn’t teach us hope. When I was told that I must die, I thought it was my destiny. It was scary and cruel…and it hurt…but I never thought about fighting it. The previous Princes were killed. And so I didn’t even find it odd. ”I swallow, and place my hand over his forearm. The detached tone he is using doesn’t sit right with me because it doesn’t mat