Four Paths- Liberation Series- Book One

Chapter Twenty-four...

"Oh you know her? That girl showed up a few days ago and she and Joshua have been inseparable," he told her.

Allyssa and Amaryllis came to stand next to her. Violet looked at the scene in shock and anger. She stepped in their direction but her sister held her back and shook their heads. It wasn't the time to approach her. They scowled at their sister and the prince's every movement.

"What the hell is she doing with him?" asked Allyssa bitterly.

"We can't make a scene now. It'll stain the Royal Family's reputation. Let's wait for a little," said Amaryllis. Their dance ended and Orchid ran out of the ball room. They moved to follow their sister out of the hall. They stopped in the castle's garden looking around for her. Daunte came running behind them.

"We have to go now," he said.

"What? No, we just saw Orchid," said Violet.

"The Land of Earth is under attack," he spurted out. Violet stumbled back in shock.

"How do you-."

"What's the rush? Do you intend to forfeit the throne?" Prince Joshua's tone was filled with mockery.

"I intend no such thing. My land is in danger I must return to help my people," his smirk never dimmed.

"That's quite the circumstance. Don't you think?" Orchid stepped from behind a tree and stood next to him.

"Indeed it is," she said smoothly.

"What are you doing here with him?" Violet hissed.

"'Whatever I want' I believe that's what you call it?" Orchid shrugged lazily.

"Now then. Shall I let you in on a little secret"? He walked over to Violet like a predator stalking its prey. He leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"I know your land is in turmoil, after all, I control the Red Hunters," her eyes widen and her joints locked.

"Impossible, they broke ties with you hundreds of years ago," said Amaryllis. Her fist clenched till red began seeping out of her knuckles.

"Get the fuck away from her," Daunte hissed.

"Careful little Giant. You wouldn't want your mother to be in any kind of trouble," Orchid threatened. Daunte's expression dropped.

"Where is she?" he asked angrily.

"Home," she said nonchalantly.

"Orchid tell me why you're doing this. Why are you betraying our family? What about Lancelot?" Violet shouted. Her emotions began getting the better of her. Orchid slowly stepped down in front of her.

"You really think that I thought of you as family? I was locked in your mind for most of my life. I had to suppress my own desires, my own feelings, my own love. All because I had to babysit a weakling like you," she brushed a strand out of Violet's face and held her chin. Violet swallowed the steel ball lodged into her throat.

"I've hated you from the day I first awakened nothing brought me more happiness than to be apart from you."

"What about your promise? To me and to Lancelot?" asked Violet. Orchid's eyes flickered away for a fragment of a moment but returned cold.

"I have no obligation to a child like you. And as for this," she took out the hair pin letting her hair fall free. She tossed it to Violet.

"Tell Lance I have no need to return to that shithole called home or to him," she turned and took the Prince's hand.

"I'm going to kill you for this," Violet's words dripped with the hurt in her chest. This wasn't her sister. That wasn't the Orchid she knew, or perhaps she never really knew her sister at all.

"Guards capture them." The Prince ordered with a faint wave of his hand as they walked away.

"Allyssa!" Amaryllis shouted.

Allyssa nodded. She dropped to the ground and thick branches sprung around them knocking the guards back. Daunte grabbed Violet's hand and pulled her to run with them. Her body followed them aimlessly. Amaryllis kicked a man off the front of a horse-drawn carriage and the others piled into the back. They ran through the guards and head into the towns. They bolted to the docks. Amaryllis yelled orders at the soldiers on the ship and they scurried around. They rushed onto the ship to be welcomed by a group of Feronian soldiers. The soldiers were fighting but most were injured or dead. Liam was gnawing on a soldiers corpse. His fur soiled with a dangerous amount of blood.

"Daunte, protect Violet," ordered Amaryllis. Allyssa and Amaryllis fought the large sum of soldiers. Knocking them off the ship one by one.

Violet was tired, hurt and angry, very angry. She lost her sister and was going to lose her friends and possibly her lands, all because she was weak. Everyone protected her but herself and it cost her someone she loved to despise her.

"I hate this," she muttered.

"I HATE ALL OF THIS!" she screamed.

The petals of her tattoo pooled to the stem as it unraveled. A bright light shone from her hand conjuring a silver long sword with a tear drop jewel on its helm. She rushed into the crowd of enemies and cut them down harshly. Blood splattered on her dress and white skin. Beheading and impaling every single one of them. Her sisters, Daunte and Liam stood looking over Violet who stood amongst the slaughtered men. She stared up at the sky with dead eyes.

"I hate myself," she whispered. She looked down at the sword in her hands.

"But I hate her even more," she said through gritted teeth.

"More of them are coming. We have to get out of here," said Allyssa looking at the crowd of soldiers running to the docks.

"That small ship there will have to work. Let's go," said Daunte. The group of them ran off the ship and onto the small boat on the opposite side of the dock. Amaryllis and Daunte shifted the tides to make them move faster. They were away from the docks quickly.

"Where are we gonna go?" asked Allyssa.

"Selria, Liam is injured and needs treatment and we need protection and help," said Amaryllis. Violet snapped out of her daze.

"What? No, we're going to find our family."

"Did you not hear Daunte? The land is under attack Violet. We won't make it unless we have reinforcements," said Amaryllis.

"I said we're going home," ordered Violet.

"No, we're not," she protested.

"Vi, Amar's right we can't stroll into there blindly. It's not home anymore it's no different from enemy territory." Violet couldn't listen- didn't listen. She just lost her closest sister. She couldn't think of losing anyone else.

"Violet, just think about this," Daunte touched her shoulder but she shrugged him off.

"NO! I'm done listening to any of you. I'm going to get my family back one way or another. I am not losing anyone else."

She sprouted her wings and ran to take off when a branch wrapped around her foot and pulled her down hitting her side on a pole. She coughed. "Enough Violet this is no different from a suicide mission. Don't go. Orchid wouldn't want you to do this," said Daunte.

That was the last strike for her.

"Orchid? She doesn't care what happens to me. She left me for some bastard who is destroying everything I love so don't tell me about her. Cause if she cared she would STILL BE HERE!"

"Violet, sweetheart you're not thinking clearly. We'll explain everything once we make it back to Selria," said Allyssa. Tears blocked her vision. Her eyes squeezed the trapped tears out. Violet conjured her sword and slashed into the branch twirled around her ankle and flew off. She heard them calling for her but she couldn't turn back, she couldn't.