The Dark Queen ✔

18

Days passed. With each sunset, I carved a notch into a stick so I wouldn't lose count of the days. I stayed put at the stream and worked on surviving. It was hard work, building shelter, hunting, trying not to think. 

During the day, when I had to work, I pushed all of the thoughts out of my head. I became numb, not feeling anything. But the moment I sat down in the tree, everything came crashing down. I was sleeping one or two hours a night. I wasn't eating. I was wasting away. 

The only thought that kept me going was the need to take back my throne. 

The power that I had held before was long gone. I barely had enough strength to walk without needing to sit down. Grief had settled down over me in a choking veil. It was hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to live.

I was sitting on the river bank, my bare feet washing off in the cool water when I heard a snap. I knew it was the snap of a branch, but the sound made me scream and jump up, my sword already in my hand.  My heart thudded against my chest, my stomach clenched and just like that, I was pulled back into the throne room. 

The snap of their necks breaking echoed through my head. The feeling of the blood pooling at my knees. The pull of the chains, the screams, the glass breaking...

"Are you okay?" 

A voice brought me back, pulling me out of the horror. I looked up and saw a girl who looked the same age as me. She had short, reddish-brown hair, and bright green eyes. She crept a little closer to me. 

"Are you okay?" She repeated, her arm relaxing. She had a beautiful bow, carved out of dark wood. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. So I shook my head instead. She held out a hand and said, "Come with me. I can help you."

I had no other options. I took her hand and we exploded through space and time, darkness squeezing in on me. It was over before I could think about it. We were standing in a small house. Everything was spinning around me so fast. I crumpled to the floor and tried to keep from throwing up. 

Darkness took over, cloaking me. I let it take over. 

*     *     *

"What happened?" 

"I don't know, I found her in the woods."

"Why-"

"Look at her! She's starving. When Ruby looked at her, she saw terrible things."

"The whole kingdom will be looking for her. You heard what King Tristian said. He wanted her dead or alive! We can't risk that-"

"We have to."

I opened my eyes. Everything around me was blurry. I could only make out vague shapes. Two people talking, their backs turned to me. I tried to sit up but only managed to groan. A girl said, "We'll talk about this later, Pheonix." 

I looked around me, trying to remember how I got to this house. I was laying on a cot, blanket piled on me. The girl with green eyes sat down next to me and put a hand to my head. "You're still burning with fever," she said. 

I tried to speak, but my throat was on fire. She smiled softly and said, "I'm Angelina. You've been out for a few days now." She handed me a glass of water, which I drank from gratefully. She took the empty glass from me and looked at me. 

I tried to speak again. My voice was rusty. "Where am I?"

"Just a small village in the Eastern Kingdom." The Eastern Kingdom. Autumn court. 

"What happened to me?" I asked, sitting up. Everything was sore. I winced as she put a hand on mine. She pulled away. 

"I'm sorry. We had to teleport back. It took a toll on you because you are so weak."

"I'm not weak," I hissed. She stood up and picked up the empty glass. She said, "Physically, you are. You're too thin. You need to eat and rest."

She walked to the kitchen and placed the glass in the sink. "I know who you are, Princess Raven," she said, not looking at me. "Ruby saw what happened to you. I'm so sorry."

Tears pricked my eyes. I swallowed hard, trying to hold them back. "We can help you heal. We can help you get stronger."

"How do you know?" I snapped, anger burning in my stomach. She didn't know anything. She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. 

"My sister, Ruby. Her mind is very powerful." She tapped her own skull. She sighed and looked out of the window. "Get some rest."

She disappeared, leaving me alone. I laid back down and closed my eyes. It didn't take me long to fall asleep, but it didn't last. 

I shot upright, screaming for Tristian to stop. I was shaking, dripping in sweat. Someone came crashing down stairs and in front of me stood a boy with red hair and glowing eyes. He was panting, his eyes wide with panic. 

"Are you okay?" He demanded, one hand planted on the wall, steadying him. I took a deep breath and said, "It was just a dream." He nodded and sighed, walking back up the stairs. 

"Good night," he called over his shoulder. 

"'Night," I said, laying back down. I didn't fall asleep the rest of the night.