Blood of A Seeker

Blood of A Seeker -31-

“The only Chroma in existence who is able to read the Latin language,” she replied coolly, her long fingers curling into fists. “Give me the name and I give you my word the town will be left unharmed.”

“It’s too late for that,” I snarled. “You’ve already killed our townspeople.”

“Not my doing – my sisters,” she shot back, her thin lips curling back in annoyance. “You are wearing my patience, Chroma.”

Realisation washed through me as I deciphered exactly who she was looking for: someone able to read Latin without any translations, someone who could read the ancient books and Latin commands without a hitch. I had a feeling she’d tried the Keepers already – they were the only others that had studied the ancient powers of our kind, the ones that had learned Latin over the years. But while they needed time to learn and study it, the Queen wanted someone more capable than the Keepers.

That someone was me.

With my eyes widening in shock, I took a step back and bit my lip, earning a frustrated look from the Queen.

“You know,” she snarled, taking a long stride forward and walked through my barrier as though it were mere air, completely unaffected by the strong power I was pushing into it. “Tell me –”

“You need me!” I blurted out, clenching my fists tighter and licked my dry lips. “I’m the one you want, not them. Let them go and I will do what you want.”

 The Queen narrowed her eyes at me, a ferocious glare in her glowing red irises. “Would you dare to lie to me, Chroma?”

“No,” I said hastily and shook my head. “I’ve been working with the Keepers for several months, deciphering codes and spells –”

Her hand shot forward and cut off my air supply, lifting me off the ground by my throat. I choked on nothing, scrabbling at her leathery skin and watched the black spots dancing across the edges of my vision.

“If you are wrong,” she hissed, squeezing her bony fingers into my throat. She prolonged her words and the lack of oxygen sent alarms through my body, causing it to writhe. “Then your entire town will pay for your lie.” She released me, dropping me in a heap on the ground.

My hands instantly massaged my stinging neck, tears welling in my eyes as I stared up at her through blurry vision. “Done.”

She lifted me to my feet with a yank of my arm and threw me to a pair of Seekers who immediately latched onto my arms, snarling in my ear. “Take her inside.”

I twisted my head around and glanced at the Fairwyn Library where her finger pointed at and felt my stomach lurch. Would I even be able to get out by all these Seekers surrounding the place? Would I even live to see sunlight again? And what exactly did the Queen need me for?

The enormous library doors shut behind me once the feral woman entered. The entire space normally filled with tall bookshelves had been cleared to the side, the books miraculously still intact and resting on the wooden ledges.

“What do you want with me?” I hissed, trying to yank myself out of my captors’ grip but to no avail. They clung on like vices.

“You will read the ancient scripture written by my creators,” the Queen replied in a monotone and seemed to glide across the room, resting in the centre under the dull lights scattered across the vast ceiling. She turned to one of the Seekers protectively surrounding her and leaned down, long stick-like legs beckoning elegantly. “Bring in the others and the scroll.”

Fear began stabbing my chest as I squirmed in captivity, uncomfortable with the proximity between me and my captors.

“If you cannot read the prophecy, your entire kin shall die for your mistake,” she told me smoothly, tucking her hands behind her back and kept them there.