At Valor Academy * EDITING *

Chapter Four

❝ Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given to them isn't worth ruling. ❞

Z O E  W I L K E S 

T H E  L O N E L Y  Q U E E N

P A R T  F O U R 

I I I I 

"Stay on the ground girl.” The mulberry purple caterpillar stared at me but warned her as he started to hide in the prickly thistles while I stood watching, I couldn’t reach out to her. 

Whispers of nature had surrounded her. The light wind was blowing through muddy brown hair, a inky pitch-black landscape was surrounding her, entrapping her. The girl had a moment of clarity where she realised that she was running for light, for freedom and most importantly for herself. The overcast and sunless domain was leaping bitterly into the lightest of corners, her heart was racing, something was deep within her, telling her to leg it. Run. Natural instinct which humans had since the beginning of time, to run when you see enemies, or run over to see your friends or run naturally because of fear. Something about this domain had unsettled her. In the pit of the stomach, someone or some people were watching her. This was the start of the game of cat and mouse...

She stopped in her tracks and listened, she felt eerie, nothing had hurt her yet. In the air I sensed that a deal was about to be made that wasn’t going in the girl’s favour, she started to stepping over stones, a beat was coming. The sound of it’s footsteps boomed through the land, trees were crying hastily and the heavens opened.  A river gently formed around her and I watched how she was hypnotised by the beauty of the flow, how the river was allowed to be free, I empathised. In awe, the hypnotised girl, followed a serene river run into a moat leading to a massive hill, I followed but something felt utterly wrong. Then she and I heard it the roar of energy, was vibrating underneath the ground.. She sped through the trees, she was trying to avoid the hill, she kept running, the girl kept looking behind her for a presence while the ground shook and she shook from fear.

Light no light. 

I gasped. 

" Little one, it's no use running," The voice sent a shiver down her and my spine, it made her heart beat a little bit faster and it made her have bats in a stomach. She prayed to God, that she would be safe, that it was all in her mind, it was a psychological effect.

The prayer had been answered, a spirit stood before her.

" Romani, come here little one, or older one, it has been a while since we have last met," The girl stared up at this god-like stranger, he wasn't a demon, he looked so angelic, kind and gentle. His blue eyes glistened. She was to smart for his ways though but his lyrical voice had to be related to a siren’s call.  The girl stood firmly but everything was fuzzy, like the world was spinning but at the same time she was still. The earthquake, she called it, stopped. The apparent angel was still here, his golden hand outreached but she took a step back.

“ NO ROMANI RUN!” I screamed but no one could hear me. 

" Romani, little one come back to your home with me, I'll keep your darkness away, I'll help you," The guardian took two steps forward and he ran his fingers through his hair, she started to choke, like she was choking on water. She couldn't breathe. The angel stared at her intently while she she spluttered water.

" Are you coming?" He waited impatiently for an answer, while she choked even more, it was impossible! How could she choke on water when her feet were stood permanently on dry solid land. She nodded her head, she needed taken away from this place.