Ermeline was no more the goody two shoes, she was not the princess who was kept locked in the tower, she was not the princess who cried over her fate and helped her friends, she was pure power and vengeance now. She was the sibling that got power unfairly and now was paying a price for it or maybe she was here paying the price of the crimes her father did.
Her soul was almost dead, maybe completely dead. And that is why it was getting difficult to control her. But that is why I was born, I needed to break this notion of Empath will bring destruction and a lot of pain will make her evil and other nonsensical things that people say.
But I wanted Nazereth gone. I didn't want him to see me doing things he didn't expect I would do. His disappointment and his sadness was something that bothered me more than it should. He should want a brave wife, someone who will be his strength but he was being dramatic for some reason.
"You can't kill her." Syrion asked even in his half dead state and when Ermeline was the one who injured him.
"No promises."
"No, you won't kill her. That is not something you would do." He sounded unassure of his own words.
I needed to kill her though, because it was the only way to stop her and all the gem energy was not affecting me well. She was getting harder to control because I had power over spirits and not other elements and hers were slowly becoming water energy due to her gem. It was unnatural way to obtain power and she was paying the price now.
"Don't worry about it, I will handle it." I said turning to Nazereth and gave him a kiss, kind of a farewell kiss.
He seemed in a trance after my words. I hated doing this to him. And yet it was for his own safety. He had fought enough battles in his life, have been injured and hurt enough, for once I can fight his battle for him. He has been scarred enough with the pain for a lifetime and if I was to take away his pain, I need to let him get closure and destroy the kingdom that killed his family.
A fleeting memories of his pain, made heart curl inside me and I clutched my chest as pain shot through it like a dagger being pierced.
"Hello Queen of Krobet, are you enjoying the positon you stole from me?"
Ermeline's sickly sweet tone snapped be back to senses.
Don't drown Zephora.
"You seek death, don't you?" I asked and sense a mere presence of her spirit.
That meant I still had hope.
"As much as you do."
"I don't, I want to live with the one I love forever."
And that made her laugh hysterically.
I can't let go of this opportunity, if she lost her sense of spirit she would be hard to stop.
I commanded the soul of the dead to rise to surround her silently as I was reminded by the anger on Nazereth's face and decided to make people around her leave. Apparently killing them could annoy my husband.
"Don't kill her." Syrion requested again still there even though both Drian and Nazereth left on my command.
Clarence might be mourning the sudden loss of his father.
"Leave." I snarled my words and obviously he did.
When I said something people had little choice in what they want to do.
"Now it's just you and me Princess, why don't you do me a favor and stab yourself with that sword in your hand. " I said in a convincing tone, focusing all my soul energy and power in that command.
Her sneer vanished and she picked up her sword and angled it enough to stab herself in the heart. Feeling quiet content and proud of myself I stood there watching as it took just few words from me to end the disaster.
Find your anchor, Zephora.
A scream escaped my mouth as agony hit my brain so hard that I fell on the ground. Next moment I was crying hard not sure what went wrong.
But I didn't want Ermeline to die, I shouldn't.
Don't do this. I stopped her right in time as the sword barely grazed her skin.
And the sword dropped from her hand and her eyes widened.
I needed to be brave but I couldn't, I could have just let her die. Frustration and a struggle built around as if someone was ripping my heart into two pieces.
And then next moment I was surrounded by a huge water bubble. Every part of my body was burning under the water.
"YOU, YOU tried to kill me!" She shrieked.
And now anger poured out of her, the little flame of spirit was gone and so was my hope.
My grip tightened on my weapon to focus on my power but I couldn't breathe to let my brain focus. Water was killing me, from outside and within. My organs were twisting in pain and my lungs were filled with water. My eyes burned and somehow the water had enough power to slowly crush my bones.
I was not healing fast enough as her gem was snubbing my own soul.
I can't die, I had to win. I need to prove to Nazereth that I was a worthy to be his wife. I had to be brave my mother told me to. She gave up her life to protect mine and I had to make her sacrifice worth while. Warmth flooded from my dagger to me and let out a loud cry as my bones slowly fused together.
But for some reason, I was still drowning and I had no anchor. I didn't want to give up and yet I had no courage to fight back. I coughed out blood as I tried to grasp the power of my weapon.
Find your anchor Zephora!
And yet I couldn't, what was my anchor. The weapon was not because no matter how much I wanted it a part of me was not letting the dagger heal me. And that part of me accepted, I was scared, scared of myself.
Just then the bubble burst and air rushed back to my burning lungs.
Ermeline was surrounded by a ring of fire, it was not hurting her and yet she couldn't do a single thing. The ring was familiar and I turned to find Morel standing with my husband. The dagger dropped from my hand in relief and in discomfort. Even if I had the mental courage to go on, my heart and body gave up and I fell on the ground, just this once greeting the darkness.
---
Anchor. Find your anchor.
I was not worthy of one.
"Wake up Queen, we need to go before you loose yourself again." It was Morel's voice.
"I think I already did Morel." I whispered afraid Nazereth would hear.
The horrors in my head replayed again and again and again and I felt panic rising to my throat. All the blood, pain and hatred was making me nauseous. How could I think about killing people? How I could I think about torture and inflicting pain on others? I shivered at how my mind was twisted and then more tears flowed down my eyes.
"Relax Queen, it's not your fault, in a way." Morel consoled me.
But it was my fault, it was me and my own brain, my tainted heart and soul of an Empath. I couldn't handle all the pain that weapon brought me and it triggered something dark inside me. Every soul the weapon took, every soul I commanded, I absorbed everything bad from them because I wanted to block the pain.
It's like people do, turn into something else since it's too difficult to handle the truth.
I broke down into more sobs as I was reminded of Nazereth's feeling around me, how I used my powers on him. He must be disgusted.
"Hurrry, I don't for how long it's the good you." Morel said in a pleading tone.
I moved and realised I haven't healed like I did before, the weapon was in the tiny velvet back and I was scared to pick it up. My whole body was covered in cuts and bruises, my lungs ached and when I moved it felt like my skin teared up from some place.
"I can barely move."
"But we need to go and get some answers for ourselves. Before you destroy yourself and I can't even do one thing I was born to do."
"Where is he?" I asked afraid to face him.
"He is the firemaster and right now the only one tackling the Princess of Udairis."
Of course he was and yet he had the restraint to keep her alive just because he loved me.
"No, no, don't cry again. We can't afford to lose time and -with your condition." He said and this made me look up in curiosity.
"What condition?"
"You are too hurt, not just by water attacks but also by gem energy and- the pain of the souls you commanded. It is destroying you from within."
But don't I deserve to die? I was an anamoly and I should not exist anyway, if I died everything would be fine. No, Nazereth wouldn't be. He can't lose his family once again.
"Ok, let's go wherever you will take me." I said my head buzzing in pain and the gruesome memories.
I used to take pain away from people, how could I cause so much?
I saw a big lion pick up a bag and a small smile came to my face at the scenario.
"Don't, leave it behind." I said scared of that dagger now.
"I will carry it don't worry, we need it where we are going."
"Where is that?"
"Spirit Kingdom."
***
I had no home. Not unless I fell in love but here I was standing in a place I would have called home if everything was not destroyed and it was all because of me. Maybe my father and people of my Kingdom were not so wrong in hating me, if only my mother let me die then.
I stood on a hill I saw in my dream where my mother attacked various soldiers following us and where she saved me from being killed. And from the hill I could see the destruction, the death and the wreck that the Spirit Kingdom was now. There was not a single soul there, alive anyway. The haunting silence, the smell of death and rotten bodies was so prominent that it made my inside curl in disgust. It was a miracle with the amount of pain by heart, body and mind was in that I could breathe right now.
Morel flew down and crossing the hill, stopped at a huge wall barrier. It was shattered to pieces, a reminisince of the war. How long it had been since everyone here died and the life was sucked out of this place?
Why did King of Udairis left this place and didn't expand this land?
"It's haunted. We can't move forward." Morel said as if he heard the question in my head.
"Haunted."
"Yes, the spirits, tormented ones, one with unfinished wishes are still here."
"I can feel them but they don't seem.... scary."
And I saw the giant flying lion smile, I was so used to seeing Morel as a cat that his larger form was kind of intimidating.
"You are good Queen, you are too good and I was missing the good you. They don't seem scary to you because you see good in people and soul."
No, I was not good. The things I did past week were enough proof. I was cursed, broken and weak.
My hand shook on the thought of me trying to stab someone that brutally.
"Get a grip and use that weapon, it seems it can break this barrier to your Kingdom."
"What if I turn..into that thing again?" I asked.
"Then you need your anchor Queen." He said.
That was you?
And the lion nodded. It was Morel guiding me through chaos to find my anchor.
But what is my anchor.
I pulled out the weapon trembling from within and felt the sharp jolt of a destroyed kingdom filled with souls crying with pain. In true sense of world, it was haunted.
And yet I needed to help those souls.
The barrier broke down and I put the weapon in bag around Morel's neck once again.
My head jumbled with thoughts and actions as abhorring as I did before and I tried to hold on to my sanity. Not again, please not again.
Wailing of souls pierced through my brain and I inhaled sharply almost tasting blood.
I needed to end their suffering help these souls find peace.
Is this it? Morel said in my head.
What is?
Home.
And then Morel landed inside the courtyard of a very familiar place.
I didn't move, couldn't move as I waited for something drastic to happen my heart crying within me as I struggled to not let the weapon affect me.
"Welcome home child." A soft tingling voice said.
My mother's soul was walking out the palace doors in the dead darkness of surroundings in the night. This is where she has been all this time.
***
On level of 1-10, how unexpected this events in this chapter were?
As always, what was the best part?
Also just because I am curious, soaps or shower gels?
Personally I adore shower gels, especially from Bath and Body and Body Shop.
And...HAPPY READING Y'ALL!