Aerys was carrying a basket of bread around the store, when a figure walking past caught his eye. Lynn shot a glance in before averting her eyes and continued walking. Aerys put down the basket, grabbed his coat and slinked out the door. He followed her through the streets, hiding behind crowds, pretending to shop at a vendor and hiding in alleys. Eventually, Lynn turned into a tavern. Perfect. Aerys purchased a new coin pouch from the vendor he was talking to, then walked into the tavern. He took a look around, spotting Lynn on the other side, sitting around a table with a crowd of seemingly mercenaries. Aerys walked up to the bar and ordered a drink, just within hearing distance of Lynn's group. "Lynn, were you there a couple days ago when they put that magic girl on stage in the guild hall?" One of the mercenaries asked while taking a swig of his drink, he had shaggy black hair and a scar across his cheek. Lynn rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I was there. That poor woman, humiliated lik
A few days had passed, mostly being spent in her room, until guards escorted her to the daily training with Aynyra and Valor. She hadn't seen Aerys since the guards separated them on arrival. She would have to go find him, to make good on her promise to him. Being under room arrest wasn't working for her, and today she would convince Valor to trust her. Rhaenyx stood across the mat from Aynyra, pulling up the magic from deep inside her, pulling it to her skin. It was easy to summon the magic, as all she had to do was bring up her anger, which she had a lot of. Aynyra stood across from her, hands raised. They had practised a few times, enough for Rhae to know that Aynyra could send out pulses of force, that were directional. Valor was trying to teach her to control it in pointed blasts that Rhae could dodge, allowing a real challenge. She had also learned that Aynyra could move things with her mind, but she could only do one thing at a time; her magic had limits so far. Rhae pulled
Icran was walking to his office when heard horses' hooves clattering on the cobblestones outside. He paused, listening to the horses stop outside and boots clatter on the pathway. At least 5 people were outside. Icran ran up the stairs and peered out the window. There were 6 men, wearing black cloaks. As one turned towards the fire light outside, he saw the red and gold of the royal guards' uniforms, each of them pouring casks of Gharane onto the wooden walls of the guild house. Shit. Icran ran back downstairs to his office, grabbed a bag and began stuffing items into it. He grabbed piles of paper off his desk, his flask of Akihyra from his desk drawer and a few other important things. He grabbed his sword, slinging the belt over his back and sprinted for the backdoor. As he made it out the backdoor, he felt heat on his back, pushing him to sprint to the other side of the street. He crouched down in an alleyway before turning back to look at the guild house... in flames. The entire
Rhae awoke to the campfire smouldering out, a small plume of smoke rising from it into the dawn. She yawned, stretching from the uncomfortable ground that hurt her back and looked around the camp. Aynyra hadn't returned yet.Rhae stood, examining the blanket that had been laid out for Aynyra, it was undisturbed. She ran over to Valor and shook him awake, "Aynyra hasn't returned yet, we have to go find her."Valor blinked slowly and rubbed his eyes, "What?"Aerys awoke at the noise and sat up, yawning, "What's going on?""Come on, pack up your shit, we have to go find Aynyra!" Rhae rolled up her blanket and shoved everything into her pack as quickly as she could, then ran over to speed up Valor and Aerys.She used her boot to stamp out whatever was left of the fire and ran off in the direction where Aynyra had disappeared the night before. Valor and Aerys ran after Rhae, trying to keep up with her pace as she raced through the forest, leaping
Aerys sat around the camp, unable to light a fire in fear of sending a smoke signal to another monster. Soon enough, the group woke up one by one, staring up at the starry night sky.As the group woke, they appreciated the silence, only hearing the crickets in the forest and bugs buzzing around. They stared up at the stars twinkling and glimmering around them. It felt good to lie and relax instead of fighting for their lives at every waking moment.Rhae began to hum, her throat throbbing at the motion. She hummed an old Lystarian tune, a child's lullaby. The small hum of the notes turned into a whisper, gently singing the song under her breath. She listened as another voice joined in beside her, Valor singing along to the tune. Eventually, she picked up her volume as Aynyra and Aerys joined in, the four singing up to the stars, asking for blessings on this night through their song. Rhae sang to her family, her ancestors and to her passed friends. Those s
Rhae, Aynyra, Valor and Aerys, strode through the dense forest, trying to step as quietly as possible while they manoeuvred through the monster territory. Rhae turned to check on the group and ensure they followed behind. Aynyra gave her a sly smile, before diverting her attention back to the ground.Rhae heard it before she saw it, an arrow whizzed past her head and went straight into Aerys' gut. Aerys groaned, collapsing to his knees. Aynyra gasped and grabbed Aerys, cradling him in her arms. Aynyra placed her hands on Aerys, pushing through her magic and forcing it into Aerys' body. Once the magic was in his body, she snapped the arrow and pulled it out, watching as her magic began stitching the hole back together.Rhae searched the trees, looking for any signs of a threat. She blinked, and then Fae warriors appeared in front of her, surrounding them with drawn bows and arrows. The Fae bared their canines at them, in a warning.The group froze, bu
Rhae stood beside Aynyra on the platform from the previous day, the Queen sitting on her throne in front of them. The room was full, with Fae civilians sitting around the room, staring at them. Rhae turned to her right, to see Valor and Aerys sitting down on the stands, surrounded by guards holding spears.The Queen stood, causing the crowd to mimic her. "Rhaenyx Maltalor, Aynyra Talaelex, you will participate in a test for me. If you pass all three tests, then we will provide aid in exchange for a favour. You will owe me once we have removed your threat. The first test is control." Her voice drifted as the world around Rhae turned dark, hiding the Fae circling her. She seemed to be standing in a black room across from Aynyra, fire on the ground their only source of light. The Queen's voice echoed over them, "Rhaenyx, you must control the fire around Aynyra and stop it from burning her. Aynyra, you must defend Rhaenyx from arrows that can be fired from any direction.
Rhae slowly opened her eyes, finding Aynyra lying beside her, facing away. Rhae smiled, admiring Aynyra's long chocolate brown hair. She reached out and gently ran her fingers through Aynyra's hair, smiling to herself. She was giddy from the night they shared, completely ignorant of what challenges she would face later that day.The door opened suddenly, and Rhae turned to see her Fae helper standing in the door crossing her arms. The woman bared her canines before walking over to the curtains and slinging them open."Wake up," the woman growled, ripping the blankets off of Rhae and Aynyra.Aynyra sat up, holding one arm over her chest and using the other to rub her sleepy eyes."You should be focusing on the tests and the fate of your kingdoms rather than your relationship. Girl, leave. Your helper is waiting for you," the woman bared her teeth again before walking into the wardrobe in Rhae's room.She emerged with a long black dress, that h
Rhae stormed through the camp, straight for Aynyra's tent. Ambrose left her feeling hot and her skin sticky. His presence always made her feel strange like there were butterflies flapping their delicate wings along the lining of her stomach. She thought that she could vomit at the feeling and maybe it would go away.But Aynyra came first, so she shook her head and took a deep breath before stepping into the darkness of the tent.Aynyra was sat up on the bedroll, staring blankly at the entrance to the tent. Her long ears and canines had turned back to human features, and her face was sickly, clouded by dark circles that hung low under her eyes.Even in Rhae's presence in the tent, Aynyra didn't blink. She merely stared, lips slightly agape and grey in colour."Aynyra?" Rhae whispered, kneeling down in front of Aynyra. She gently reached out and grasped Aynyra's cold, dead fingers. Rhae grimaced at the cold that seeped from her usually warm skin.Rhae bent to the side and picked up the
Rhae had surveyed the camp a few times on the back of Diavel. He seemed agitated but wouldn't talk to her about what he had seen behind Aynyra's tent. Since then, neither of them had spotted anything unusual. Even Ambrose's Fae senses hadn't picked anything up.Rhae decided that it was enough and flew back down into the camp to sit outside of Aynyra's tent, keeping watch until she woke up."Did Diavel say anything else about what he saw?" Ambrose asked, climbing off his Draekon to sit beside her. Rhae ran her fingers through her dirty and matted hair, trying to pull it away from her face. "No, he has refused to talk to me since," Rhae whispered staring at Diavel, whose head was snapping around at the smallest sounds, searching the treeline for movement. "He needs to rest, but I don't think he will now that there might be a threat.""You need rest too, and a bath," Ambrose chuckled, covering his nose. "So do you!" Rhae laughed, lightly shoving Ambrose. Ambrose stood and held out his
"What the hell do you mean, they AREN'T DEAD!" A man with long fiery red hair and a scruffy beard yelled. He tapped his long fingernails on the wooden table in front of him. It appeared to be a repetitive action as there was a small dent in the table where he had slowly worn out the wood."They escaped. The monsters were too large, it made them slow. They couldn't kill two of those bloody so-called warriors." This man's voice was smooth and deep, rolling off his tongue. He oozed confidence and strength, hidden under a black cloak that covered his features. He was calm compared to the other's rage."So why weren't they in the Kingdom? Why weren't they burned with it?" The man with the scruffy beard yelled, his voice raspy and scratched."A number of the citizens managed to escape. The princess has grown powerful, she is able to use a large amount of her power so quickly.""It won't last forever, raw magic isn't as all-powerful as she thinks. Her powe
Ambrose, cradled Rhae's unconscious body, next to Diavel who grunted in pain every time he tried to move his torn wing. The two monsters still stood at the edge of the kingdom, blasting fire at the wall that blocked them from tearing down the city. It would fall in seconds. He couldn't stop them along, and neither could Rhae. One blast knocked Rhae off her feet. Who knows if that same blast would work on the monster who breathed fire itself? There was no choice, they had to evacuate with the citizens of the Kingdom.Aynyra? He called out in his mind, hoping she would hear him.Ambrose! I can't feel Rhae's mind anymore. What happened?We need to evacuate and now, have you all left?We have all made it out the gate. We are heading deep into the forest. Most of the Fae have abandoned us now, Aynyra whispered.I'm bringing Rhae to you now, I'm sorry we couldn't help further.Sometimes you need to know when you've been beaten, Ambrose. We will return with a plan.Ambrose remained silent, f
Rhae and Ambrose soared over the Kingdom. There were a few struggles below running for over who hadn't made their way to the square. Hopefully, they don't get in the way.Then Rhae looked up and towering over the wall were three great beasts. That was the only way she could describe them. They were amalgamations of many different creatures and bigger than anything she had ever seen. They were taller than the castle at full height. Full-blown monsters. Even Ambrose stilled.Diavel's voice popped into her head. You're magic is strong, but not enough for this. Ambrose can't help much. Rhae, we won't win."We have to try," Rhae growled, pushing forwards. "See if you can get close enough to get a blast in."Diavel grumbled but complied. Even he was a bug to the monsters before them. Before they could even get in range, the arm of the monster came down on them, swatting them away. Diavel barely managed to dodge.Ambrose's Draekon sent a blast of lightning from a distance before swerving out
"We need to make a statement," Valor slammed his fist on the long wooden table that the remains of the council sat around. There were a few old men from the old council, along with Aynyra's court. Rhae sat on Aynyra's right, Valor on her left. Beside Valor was Aerys, whose actions gave them the god's favour in the battle. So, he was offered a place in court. Besides Rhae was a sneering old man who was twisting away from the Fae ears that peeked through Rhae's hair. The rest of the council appeared equally aggressive. "We have all been recovering from the battle, surely they will understand," Aerys rubbed his dark eyes. "The people recognise the power vacuum. We need Aynyra to solidify our position," Valor retorted. An old man piped up, the man who sat next to Rhae, "Maybe the Princess is too young to lead us." Rhae interjected sharply, "You will address her as your majesty." "She is not Queen until the coronation ceremony, even then, she needs a King by her side." The other counc
Rhae's eyes burst open and she pushed herself up quickly, examining her surroundings. She glanced around, Aynyra lay unconscious beside her and Ambrose knelt on her other side, reaching out to support her. Icran; she had to find him, she had to end him.Quickly, she stood, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head and the dryness in her mouth. There was no more time to waste, nothing else to do, but end it here and now. Behind the pillar, that's where he hid before. Ambrose followed close behind her, his arms being held in her direction, ready to catch her if she fell. Her body was filled with only one burning desire, to kill Icran. Fate could be damned, bloody destiny could be damned. Only one thing mattered and that was ending Icran. She found him, cowering behind the pillar, a fool and a coward in his last moments. She grabbed him by his hair and threw him out onto the concrete, towering above him. Rhae felt the white fire burning through her and pushed it onto the surface of her
Rhae was surrounded by darkness, her mind empty. It was like standing in a void. Every time she moved, her body shifted, fading in and out of existence.Was this death? Was this her final punishment from the gods? It couldn't be. Surely, she wasn't doomed to float in a never-ending void forever.No, Icran wasn't dead yet. She couldn't end it here, not when she had so much to do, not when she had so much to return to.Her relationship with Aynyra had been rocky so far. They went from enemies to friends to enemies again. They had no time to talk to each other, spend time together, to develop anything.Yet, Aynyra had been by her side through it all. Without earning it, she had received unwavering loyalty. How did she repay Aynyra? By stabbing her.Rhae didn't deserve anything. Didn't deserve the love that constantly poured from Aynyra. She had betrayed Aynyra multiple times along the way, even abandoning her in an ancient city. She had been focused on revenge for Kaia, focused on keep
Rhaenyx was burning. She was fire itself; hot, bright and hungry. The fire ate her from the inside, consuming her body with rage. Finally, she was in front of the man who brought her so much pain and now she could end him, once and for all.The flames covered her body, bright and blue, all-consuming. Icran trembled in front of her, his wide eyes taking in the fury in front of him. He barely even noticed Aynyra standing behind Rhae, sweat dripping down her forehead."Rhaenyx, dear. Violence isn't the answer. Do you think the people will follow you when you storm into your own Kingdom and burn it to the ground? Do you think they want you as a leader when you bring in our enemy to slaughter us like lambs to the wolves? You're a fool. You had no real plan. This Kingdom will fall if I don't take place as its leader. You are the real traitor," Icran growled, his voice dripping with malice.Behind his anger, was fear and Rhae could taste it. "Shut up," she hissed."Have I hit a nerve? You kn