For the first few seconds of seeing her again, after nearly five months of separation, I remained in shock. Recalling the last time I saw her. The last time Regalis ordered her to leave my side. And how joy filled my soul, upon knowing she'd never have to be near me at every second of the day.
"Eleanor!" I said "you bullied me for years. Mocked my people and pain for years. You will pay today!"
She laughed, "is that so, weakling Princess Xemein?"
She laughed harder "after these few months, I thought the first time you'd see me again, you'd have something smarter to say. And not empty threats" she said. As the smile on her face wiped off. "But since, we're talking about paybacks. Why don't I repay you for making me unable to fulfil my task of spying on the Prince, the last time I was in the North" she said. Spread her arms, and instantly, globes of fire danced at her palms.
She now had fire magic too?
"Surprise. Surprise. Aren't you surprised?"
Surprised, that I knew she must've tricked a bestower to get this new Gift. No! I wasn't surprised.
The intensity of the globes of fire, burning at her palms increased and she said, "you know what? I won't give you a quick death with the sharp jaws of my wild beast. Instead, -" she grinned "I'll treat you to the slow death of my new Gift".
New Gift. I thought. Obtained only from bestowers.
Bestowers were Gifted, seen as the representation of the Mother of Light here in the mortal realm. And it was rumoured that the most powerful ones among them, even glowed, once a part of their skin was touched by sun ray, how true it was, I do not know, I was yet to meet one. Perhaps, becausefor generations, they've been haunted by kings, queens, and greedy fellows.
Many kings preferred to have them dead, than to find out, one day, that a bestower was tricked into bestowing a dreadful enemy with a powerful Gift.
If you were ever lucky to meet a bestower, and you showed them kindness, they could bless you. Their blessing, if you were already a Gifted, meant, that there was every chance, you could wake up the following day, with a brand new Gift.
However, note, the bestower had to bless you willingly. Hence, for generations, stories have abounded of bestowers being tricked, and now, any bestower, if they still existed, chose to hide their Gift.
And now, I thought of it, Eleanor reminded me of those ancient kings and their fear of bestowers, blessing one of their enemies, and I said, "and the bestower? Did you spare her life?"
Eleanor cackled, "so, she could bestow one of my enemies one day, with a Gift?"
"Never! I killed her!" She laughed.
I gritted my teeth "you pretended to be kind to her" 'cause I knew there was no other way, she could have won a bestower's blessing except through lies "and then, ended her".
"Just like, I will end you!" She roared.
"And do not worry, before today is over, I assure you, the king will learn of your betrayal and he'll destroy everyone in Marjol, just like I've always told him to do!" She growled.
"But for today, just like I've always wanted to do, your head and that of the Prince's, is what I'll use to honour the king!"
The flames in her hands rose. And spread from her hands to her feet. Her body was covered in flames. And suddenly, she seemed, like what one would call, the Queen of flames.
The grass beneath her, and around her, caught fire, but she remained unburnt. And the soldiers who wanted to come close to her, took several steps back. The heat, from her flames, so hot.
"His Highness and Marjol, you'll lose them all" she said.
And the fury that her presence had already awakened in me, heightened.
She just threatened everyone I cared for! Everything I loved, she wanted to end it!
Well, here was her mistake!
"Don't you know why so many Gifted, except shifters, don't like Feeders?" I said "and why so many Gifted never ever tell Feeders the type of Gift they possess? Because, a Feeder having such knowledge of them, puts them in a vulnerable position, just like it just did to you".
For if I had kept on thinking, that all Eleanor had was shifter magic, destroying her would've been difficult, since her shifter magic hindered my Feeder Gift from absorbing excess of her Gift. However now, as I knew, she had another Gift, besides shifter Gift, like thousands of several other Gifted, she was now completely susceptible to my Feeder Gift!
Instantly, I spread my hands and started absorbing. Feeding on her fire magic. Feeding on it entirely. Chasing after every single drop that existed in her being.
Eleanor's eyes spread wide open. In pain. As the intensity of the flames on her body, dimmed.
"You're a Feeder?" She said in shock.
"Aren't your type supposed to be so rare to meet?
I didn't respond. My silence, and how badly her blood vessels throbbed with excruciating agony, said it all.
In all Gifted, our magic flowed through every part of our body, just like our blood did. And soon, it mixed with our bloods. Becoming entirely one with us. Hence, as I absorbed Eleanor's fire magic, she shrieked, as if, someone was shredding off an important piece of her. Tearing it off from her soul. Her body.
And as I fed on her, I felt her fire magic race into my body. Filling my veins.
And Eleanor kept screeching, like something or someone powerful was dragging out all the blood, and every single liquid that existed in her.
And I screamed, "never! Never ever threaten the people that I love. Never threaten Marjol. Never threaten Regalis! Nor me! Never!"
And I felt the last drop of her magic sink right into me. And the last fire globe on her palm, disappeared.
And that was when she collapsed, dead to the ground.
As I panted hard.