Aspasia

Chapter 38

 >Aaron<

  Merlock holds the arm I sliced. He gives me a dirty look before disappearing in a black fog. I run outside. I throw fire into the air. It curled into the “A” with a circle around it. It was a S.O.S symbol. It meant something had happened to Aspasia. I ran back into the room where she lay. On the ground, pale, cheek bleeding, and a stomach wound that was going to be the death of her. I lost her once, and I would again. I knelt beside her, and pulled her into my arms. Her head against my shoulder. She opened her blue eyes, and stared into mine. She lifted a bloody hand to my cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her voice was weak. She left a streak of blood on my check. I took her hand in mine and kissed it.

    “Don’t worry you’ll be okay,” I whispered.

    “We both know that’s a lie,” she laughed weakly. At that moment Anna, James, Sadira, Sam, and Miranda walked into the room. She looked at them and smiled. Anna cried out loud when she saw Aspasia on the ground. James put his arm around her. They were all bloodied, and dirty. They knelt around Aspasia, and I. I looked at James.

   “Can you fix her?” I asked.

   “She’s too close to death,” James responded pulling Anna against him as she cried. I looked at Miranda.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have that much power,” Miranda replied. “I can take away the pain, but I don’t hold life. Well not just me. There are forces you children don’t see.”

 “Is he gone?” Aspasia asked. “You and I know that’s only half the truth. I figured everything out.”

 “Yes dear,” Miranda replied. “You want me to tell them everything? In the short time you have left?”

 “Yes. I want to hear it all outloud,” Aspasia said closing her eyes.

“When I was young I found that I was a sorceress. I learned that magics. I still am. I met my husband when I was fifteen. We were married young. He was the King of Krow. So I was the queen. His most trusted advisor was Balios. They were close friends. Balios fell in love with me. He taught me the most complicated spells. Balios told me that he would dethrone my husband. He would take the throne and I could rule alongside him. I told my husband who banished Balios. Meanwhile, my husband and I had a daughter. Her name was Aspasia. We loved her. But, Balios wanted his revenge. He decided the way to do this would be to steal my daughter. He wanted to marry her to his son, Merlock, when they were older. Balios stormed the castle. He killed my husband when he blocked the way to Aspasia’s room. I took her, and I ran. Balios took Krow. I ran away with my daughter. I hid her in the forest. Then I left. She couldn’t know me this way. I used a spell and became Marie. She lived with me and I let her grow to be strong. When she left I followed her. Trying to protect her. Yes, Aspasia or Quinn is my daughter.”

   “And,” Aspasia prompted without opening her eyes.

   “Her father wasn’t just King of Krow. He is also the King of the Universe, some sort of mortal god given extraordinary powers. I was his Queen, of Heaven and Hell. I hold powers, but not enough to bring her back. That would be my husband, and the fairy of death. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait your Quinn’s ..er..Aspasia’s mother?” Sam asked. Miranda nodded. I looked down at Aspasia who was smiling. But, then the smile fell. Her body was shaking in my arms, her breathing was shallow. Death was around the corner. Her face pale. She drew in along breath. Then sat up and pressed her lips against mine. I kissed her. She fell back.

 “I love you.” She said.

“I love you,” I replied. A breath. In and out. Nothing. Her body went limp in my arms. I close those eyes that I loved so much. Anna dissolved into tears against James. Sadira hid her face behind Sam’s shoulder. Sam stared. A tear rolled down my cheek. Miranda was still. She was frozen.

 I laid Aspasia down on the ground and left. There would be a funeral. First, she would sit in a room with flowers when the flowers died she would be buried. Then she would be gone forever. The women would bathe her, address the wounds, clothe her in white, and let the mourning begin. I stayed the night in the forest. I didn’t sleep I walked. In the morning my brother found me. I was completely numb. James took my arm, and led me back to Krow. He had me thank the troops. Made my thank the fairies for redecorating the palace. There were flowers, and a fresh breeze. Krow was almost beautiful if it didn’t hold so much pain. “Aaron,” James started.

    “Yeah,” I said sitting at the steps of the throne where Aspasia had died.

    “Anna, and I are leaving. I’m taking her back to Algernon. I’m going to ask her father for permission to marry her when she’s old enough.”

        “When?” I asked.

       “Tomorrow. Anna doesn’t want to be here for the funeral. She wants to grieve at home. And I want to be with her.” 

  “I’m fine with it if that’s what you want to hear,” I said quietly. They were leaving. We would all go our separate ways.

  “Will you visit?”

   “Yes.”

 “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to roam around for a bit. See the world I guess.”

 “Be safe then.”

     “Yeah, you too.” We sat there till the sun set. Then James went to bed, and I stayed.