The next Ender Dragon book I: New Beginnings

Chapter 12: Control Freak

I looked out the window into the mirror, looking back at the truck behind us.

"I'm so sorry Hex," I whisper. I stare at the trees blur by as we arrive at the kingdom.

We arrived at the ice walls and the giant wooden doors. The trucks pull up to the doors and slowly come to a stop. Everyone got out the car and walked to the doors. As they opened the doors I felt trapped. The entire kingdom was in the town square.

Hex walked passed, handcuffed and bare. She had lost her gown and was now in her boxers. She had a few new bruises and was limping a bit. What did they do? I rushed up to the man to ask, but he ignored me. I watched as they led Hex into the middle of the square, right in front of the fountain. I walked up to Hex. I placed my hand over the bruises and looked into her eyes. Her head was hung low. Her eyes looked angry and betrayed.

A man came over and pushed me away from her. I broke free only to be grabbed up again by the man. Two other men took her handcuffs and chained them to the ground. She was now trapped.

"Hey let her go!" Yells Hex.

"Hey shut up you!" Yelled a solider. He took Hex and dunked her in the fountain. She emerged soaked. Her reaction was no action. She did nothing, but look at me. Why did she look at me? Her eyes hid so much pain.

Vilkas stepped forward. He had an eyepatch over his right eye and stitches down his cheek.

"This girl is guilty of many crimes," he says.

"What kind of trial is this? She is innocent until proven guilty!" I yell. He ignored me and kept speaking.

"This girl is the one and only freak! I have proof as well," he said. He pointed at his face and lifted his eye patch to reveal a grotesque, sunken hole of darkness. He laid his eyepatch back over his eye and pointed at Hex. He then removed the necklace from around Hex's neck.

Her ears pointed outward, her teeth grew, and of course her eyes started glowing. The crowd gasped at this.

Vilkas smiled," she also kidnapped the princess and above all that, she is a danger to us all. I shall prove that as well." He dunked her again. This time Hex fell to her knees. I realized he was trying to make her burst into flames.

"Vilkas I order you to stop this!" I yell.

"Obviously the princess is in shock. Take her back to the castle," he said.

Men grabbed me and started dragging me to the castle. I tried to escape, but they just kept grabbing me.

"Get off of her!" Yelled Hex.

"Learn your place!" Said Vilkas. He smacked Hex with his hand. I wish he didn't.

Hex's head jolted to the left as he smacked her. She slowly moved her head back, but her head was tilted low and her black hair dropped over her eyes. Her entire body suddenly burst into flames. Her blue eyes turned into bright purple, serpent like eyes. Her hair changed into purple flames and rose to reveal a sharp toothed grin. She stood there laughing like she enjoyed the surge of power. She then abruptly stopped.

She snapped the chains around her wrist like they were spider webs. She started stretching and then just stood there. Vilkas pulled out his gun and shot at her. The bullet pierced through her skin, leaving a wound that was gushing black blood. The blood glistened a purple before covering her wound back up. Her blood healed her.

Vilkas backed up and fell. Hex looked down at him and crouched down.

"Child is it your duty to bother me?" She asked. Her entire personality changed as if she was toying with us. All that power, but she hasn't totally flipped out. Is Hex still in control?

Vilkas aims at her head, but she puts a long, black nailed finger into the gun and press it downward. The other guards start shooting at her. Her flames expanded and the bullets disintegrated into smoke around her.

She walked up to me and stared down into my soul. She licked her sharp teeth with her black forked tongue. She then grabs my chin.

"God it feels so good to be free," she says. A man takes a Semtex and tosses it our way. She looks at it and her pupils expand a moment before grabbing me and wrapping me in her arms. I awaited the explosion, but I stood there in her arms unhurt. The entire kingdoms was un-damaged. How did she manage something like that?

I look up at her eyes. Her menacing glare turned into a gentle gaze. She protected my kingdom. She protected my people. She protected me.

"Hex? How did you?" I ask.

"That doesn't matter right now. I know you have so many questions, but I have so little time," she says. I notice time has slowed down. Is her father here? No the atmosphere isn't blue, it's purple. Hex has frozen time.

She lets go and grabs the Semtex and disengages it in her hand. She then walks up to me and grabs my chin. She leans in close and licks my cheek with her forked tongue. "You sure are fun to toy with my darling. Just don't ever stop being my little play thing," she said.

Her blue eyes return and she goes limp in my arms again. Time comes back into focus. The people all stood ready for the blast, but there wasn't one. It made me smile. The man that threw the Semtex was taken away and the people stood there in awe.

"I know this may seem frightening, but this girl has just saved our lives in a way that I could never explain to you all. She deserves a chance," I say.

"How can you stick up for this woman? She just tried to kill me," he states.

"I would too if you smacked me after torturing me," I say. The crowd converses about our predicament.

"This is madness! She shouldn't be allowed within the walls! Let alone alive! We should kill her now before it's too late. If you agree then give me the word," he says. He points a gun at the limp Hex. The crowd stayed silent.

"All those in favor of trusting the freak? Look I know it may be crazy, but its not like she is going to live here. Please my ice people, give my friend here a chance," I say. The crowd gives a reassuring cheer to my idea. I try and carry my limp friend, but start struggling under her weight and height.

Some men rush over to help.

"Susan?" Said a quiet raspy voice. I look over at the conscious Hex.

"You're awake early," I say. Last time she was out for a few days.

"Yeah...did I do good? Did I control myself pretty well?" She asks.

"Yes and no," I say.

"Oh," she says before dropping her head down.

"No because you burst into flames. Yes because you didn't hurt anyone and saved my kingdom. Thank you Hex," I say. She looks up at me and smiles.

"Sorry I burst into flames," she said.

"No worries friend," I say.

"Friend is such an old term. How about when I'm healed I take you on a little trip. Just you and me alright?" She asked.

"L-Like a date?" I ask. My pale cheeks turned into a shade of rose pink. Hex laughed a bit at my assumption.

"It's fun toying with you," she said. She went limp and didn't say a word all the way to the infirmary. At the infirmary I sat beside her and waited for her to wake up. Was hex in control of herself during that time and was she trying to take me on a date?