Dancing on Strings

Queendom

"Black Rabbit!" Mai shrieked, whirled around as Black's body hit the ground, his stiffened limbs and rolling joint clanging against the metal, glass eyes staring blankly at nothing out of flawless, porcelain skin, the metal plates in his face continuing to tick, tick, tick along as his chest stopped moving and he failed to blink.

"Black!!" she screamed, running back towards him.

"I think not," Reve said, his arm flying around her waist and wrenching her backwards, right off her feet, carrying her back out of the room as she thrashed and writhed, screaming in his ear, reaching for Black. "Griffin is gone, Mai. He is useless to both of us. Stop. SCREAMING!"

Mai's voice was suddenly choked off as he heaved her upwards.

She felt herself tipping backwards and her eyes widened as she realised what was about to happen.

And then she toppled over the balustrade and fell from the very top level of the palace, the floor of the grand penetrance hall, a dozen floor below, raced up to meet her, wind screaming through her ears, threatening death or shattered bones and ruptured organs.

He was going to kill her.

Just like that!

He was going to kill her like Griffin had died. Like he'd finished Black.

In an instant, that was it.

She'd stepped beyond his limits and this was how he chose to kill her?!

Fly!

She had to fly!

But she couldn't.

She knew she couldn't because it was something she could only do with Reve.

Through the screaming in her ears and her mind, Mai managed to twist her body in the air.

No different from dance.

No different from throwing herself into the air on the stage. Control the body.

Get the feet ready to land, to steady herself.

She didn't have to fly!

She just had to float!

The weightlessness came to her five meter before the palace floor and she drifted.

Fluttering down with the delicateness any ballerina would kill for, she lightly touched down on the carpet, her hair and dress settling back into place and she stood still for a moment, waiting for her heart to stop hurting with fear.

Then she whirled around to see Reve easily gliding down from the top floor, landing several meters from her.

"You tried to kill me!" she screamed.

Reve just raised an eyebrow at her. "I did not, I have no interest in killing you yet. It's your own fault if you couldn't figure out how to save yourself."

"You have no ability to take blame, do you?" she spat.

"A god is not to blame for anything," he replied, "A god may do as he will and it is the job of mortals to survive it."

Mai was tempted to actually spit at him.

"You want to be a queen around here? I have a long life still ahead of me; you're going to have to learn to be a better queen than I a prince if you wish to live long enough to see my death."

"Still don't think I'll find that door, huh?"

"You won't find it."

"But I know where it is. Griffin told me. It's below the castle."