As a new queen rises to power, the kings of Caeleste grow unrest. The Inlustris in their sights, they send an assassin to Antonella Feulune's palace, and the war is declared.
Inexperienced and filled with grief, Antonella sends off her fiancé on a t...
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The overwhelming desire to collapse got the best of me. Once my feet touched gravel, I fell back. Frantic steps hurried around me as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Heat spread over me like a blanket, but was blocked when I felt the Bleeders standing around me.
"First times are always the worst," Jax grumbled.
I let my eyelids peel open, only to hurriedly shut them close. That Earth vermiculo was way too close for comfort.
For a moment, I wanted to curl up and pass out. Then I remembered one detail.
I was in the land of no magic.
I sat up way too quickly, surprising everyone around me. I clenched my fists to feel the Maior's magic medallion still in my hands. I sighed in relief. That would surely help me keep my masking spell up until we went back to Caeleste.
"Gracious, I feel like a drunk Fulgurian tried to explain common sense to me." I held my head in my hands. Chuckles surrounded my ears, but I chose to ignore them. The pounding on my head continued like someone was hitting me with a hammer repeatedly.
"Come on, if you don't stand up, you'll create a scene. We already look odd enough." Marisole offered her hand. I took it and stood up, finally surveying my surroundings.
It was so weird to see such a bleak land. The air was stuffy, it felt almost wrong to breathe. The ground was a worn-down cement, but a few steps in front of me, the color changed to a washed-out black. It looked like crushed rocks. In the middle of the crushed rock land, different colored lines divided the ground. Some were white, some were yellow. At the other side of the crushed rock land were some bland woods. Trees stretched out into the sky, but they weren't as big as the ones at home. It definitely paled in comparison to the Aetherius Garden.
"Where did we land?" Adonis asked.
"I think this is California," Gaia spoke up. She looked around like I did, before shrugging and pointing to the right. "Shall we?"
Herc nodded, so we started walking in that direction. Marisole stayed beside me, which calmed me down. I grasped the medallion in my hand tighter, hoping that it would conserve my spell. If I lost it, I would be in heaps of trouble, and something told me Herc wouldn't hesitate to eliminate me.
If he did hesitate, Orion would gladly take matters into his own hands. The thought sickened me. Potentia Flamber would have another dead queen, and the people would be right about my own stupidity.
I wasn't ready for the throne.
"The sidewalk ends here," Gaia pointed. "We should go through the woods. Walking on the street could cause trouble." Everyone nodded and followed her lead. Herc stood beside her, as if they were both sharing the position of leader. Like a queen and king.
Gaia was more like a goddess than a queen.
If only I had the same grace, then maybe I could appeal more to the people. Instead I was too young, too naive, too impulsive, and was deemed insane by everyone. Even if all of that were true, I wasn't going to hand my power to those idiots who believed they were ruling the right way. I wasn't going to let my kingdom fall.
