Lightning and Fire, page 2
I leave the room, and my guards follow behind me. Heading down the stairs, we pass the rooms of my ladies-in-waiting followed by those of the advisors. There are different levels for housing. My room is above all the others, with a library and an attic above it. The servants are on the basement level, and below that, there’s a prison. Guest rooms are on the second floor, the guards and their commander are on the first-floor.
The ground floor comprises the grand hall, dining room, throne room, and a small library.
As we walk past the servants, they glare at me from the corner of their eyes. Some of them pretend to be busy dusting invisible dirt. As I pass them, I can hear them whispering.
I can always tell when someone doesn’t like me. It’s in their body language, the way they move or don’t move, what they say or don’t say.
“I always know in my bones when something’s not right, and it’s not right,” whispers an old man as I pass. I don’t turn to look at his face but continue on.
The maids guffaw at something said.
We exit the palace and board a chariot that will take us on our tour of Kollosnia.
The chariot rolls through my newly erected gate; it’s magnificent to look at. We drive over the bridge, taking us away from the castle and into the Capitol.
The hooves of the large animal pulling the chariot clap against the hardened dirt road. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I know it is no horse, though it looks similar. My thoughts shift as I hear the muffled chatter of the people. I peer out the chariot window to see them gather as the chariot passes. At first, they only look, but then they clap and cheer as I pass.
I lock eyes with a man standing across from the chariot; as it rolls on, he stares at me long and hard, in a menacing manner. I slink back from the window.
As we move further from the castle, the buildings become dilapidated—the people with a lost look in their eyes. The chariot stops at the entrance of a large cave. I look over at Cosmo, questions in my mind.
“This is the Oracle Cave. It holds the history of Kollosnia,” says Cosmo.
“Why come here, though? You could have told me the history.”
“I know your parents must have taught you a great deal about Kollosnia. This is a refresher that I thought you might enjoy.”
When I was stuck in Colorado, I felt like I knew everything about this place. Stuck is more of an exaggeration though, I was born in Colorado, and I grew up there. Though I always knew that I’d end up here in Kollosnia. Colorado was always a place holder in my mind. It was somewhere I didn’t want to enjoy, too focused on the task at hand.
When the portal didn’t open to transport me here; I felt trapped. Kollosnia was where I was supposed to be. Now that I’m here, I feel like an outsider. I try to remember what I learned about Kollosnia, all the history and stories my father told me.
We enter the cave. I expect it to be dark, cold, and wet, but it isn’t. It’s filled with fires, so it’s well lit and warm. The roof of the cave towers above me. Scrolls lay in grooves on the wall, covering both sides. At the end of the cave, I can see drawings and words carved into the wall.
Cosmo walks ahead of me. “This is Kollosnia’s origin story,” he points to a group of drawings etched into the right side of the wall.
I follow him down. When I was a girl, I heard this story, and it made me excited. I see a drawing of a star and little dashes coming out from it.
“Stella,” I say. A giant star exploded or imploded, forming another dimension, creating a new life—the story of Kollosnia.
The cave also houses little trinkets, cups, and plates; they look ancient and indispensable. They remind me of the ones in Mars and Kelso’s shop. I get a pinch in my stomach, thinking about them. Knowing they died at Kyle’s hand, tortured by the Prince who loves me. My friends who helped me to get here. I push the feeling aside and walk over to the other side of the cave. “What does this mean?”
“That’s the story of your family and why they were chosen to carry the savior.”
I grew up knowing I was the chosen one and that our family was unique, but I didn’t know there was a reason. I remember my father telling me of the prophecy; the story that he would one day bear a child that would become the savior. Soon after that, people loyal to the Dark King tracked him down, and he had to flee for his life. He traveled through a portal that brought him to Colorado, where he remains. Mars and Kelso also had their theories.
I could tell that none of them really had all the answers. They knew I had to train to fight, and of course; the sword. And they knew to send me back on my sixteenth birthday. They all did their best with the information they had. I wish they could be here with me now. I can feel the emotions rising through me and I shake them away. Those feelings of loss.
“And this one? What does it say?” I ask, running my fingers over another scribble on the wall. There’s a drawing of a forest, then a baby in a cradle.
“These trees signify the magic of the land stored away for the savior.” Cosmo points to three that stands out in the center.
“Magic?”
“Yes, long ago, we believed Kollosnia had magic; it will come back.”
I believe the whole exploding star turns to another dimension thing, but magic? Despite everything I’ve seen, it seems farfetched.
“Let me guess, I’m supposed to bring the magic back?”
“It’s believed that when the savior returns, so will the magic of the land.”
“I was joking. How would that even happen?”
“I don’t know; I guess it all ties into why you and only you can be the true savior. Why your family is important? You can call it genetics… or destiny.”
“So it’s in my genes? You sound like Mars, a friend of mine. He believed in magic, but also science. He said science was the closest one could get to magic.”
“Who knows what it is? Maybe it’s in your blood. But whatever it is, only you have it.”
“So I can snap my fingers and boom.”
“The savior—you—will be the first member of your family that will manifest this ability.”
“So if I have magic, everyone will have magic, and if I don’t?”
Cosmos goes to say something but stops. He seems to ponder for a moment. “Then we were wrong, and magic never existed. But the legends and prophecies have not been wrong yet.”
“And when will I be able to manifest these abilities?”
“Many people think abilities manifest at a certain age, on the cusp of adulthood. However, I believe if you have it, you’ve always had it, and it grows within you. Until,” he snaps his fingers.
My neck grows itchy, and my head spins from all the information I didn’t know before. The cave gets warmer, and sweat rises from my nose.
“Well, I would know if I had it. So when is this cusp of adulthood?”
“Around sixteen.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have any magical abilities. So what gives?”
“You might be a late bloomer; sometimes, these things need a trigger. Some even believe having a ceremony to celebrate the beginning of power is welcoming more.”
“Okay.”
“Or?”
“Or what?” I ask.
“What if it comes when you become the official queen,” says Cosmo.
“I already am.”
“You are, but it is official after the coronation ceremony.”
Cosmo walks over to another drawing with two swords. My sword and the Dark King’s. “It’s also believed that these swords, crafted centuries ago, were molded with magic.”
“So my swords have magic, but not me.”
“I thought when you killed the King and held those swords in your hands, that power would flow through you. That could have jump-started your magical growth.”
I’m growing sicker by the second. “Uh-huh.” It’s all I can say. It bothers me that the people of Kollosnia believes this. Their beliefs are vital to them; their beliefs drove the people to start a war. I grow even weaker thinking of it.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I say, wiping my hair from my face. “What does any of that have to do with the baby in the cradle? Why is it in the forest?”
“The baby I assume, is you, and the forest must signify your oneness with nature. I’m only guessing here, but what else would it mean? It’s not like you were born in a forest.”
My throat grows scratchy. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. “So, oneness. This is like the Bible.”
“What’s that?” asks Cosmo.
“A book that people back in the other dimension have to decipher. It also has prophecies and stories about what has happened and what is to happen.”
There are more drawings and more scribbles; too many things to focus on. They form a whirlwind around me, circling me, taunting me. I can’t look at these walls anymore.
“I’m ready,” I say.
“Who knows if any of this is even true?” Cosmo adds.
“I’m actually hungry.”
“But there are more things to see.”
“I’ll come back another time.”
“Sure,” says Cosmo.
“Great.” We leave the cave and head back to the castle.
“Magic is already coming back, you know?”
“Where?” I ask.
“Everywhere. You can already see it in nature. You wouldn’t know this, but the land in Kollosnia was barren. Now we see new life springing forth. Who knows, maybe by the end of your coronation, you will feel it too.”
I nod my head; I sure hope so. The ceremony is tomorrow. What if I don’t get these powers by then? Will the people turn against me? How late can a late bloomer bloom?
At the very least, no matter how long it takes, I will have a wall that separates me from them.
Chapter Four
Leann
I walk over to the door to lock it. There’s nothing; no movement, no sound.
Then there’s a knock. I stare at the door; as if watching it might reveal who’s behind it.
I clear my throat and harden my voice. “What?” I ask.
“Open up,” says Alix.
My heart thumps and my breath grows shaky. I don’t respond to him. I drop back into bed.
“Come on Leann, I just want to talk!” shouts Alix through the door.
I block out Alix’s voice and close my eyes. A moment passes, and I can feel myself dozing off to sleep when there’s a cracking sound. I’m up and a little disoriented. Another crack.
I get out of bed and sneak over to the door, trying not to make a sound. I place an ear against it and listen—nothing, no noise, no footsteps.
A loud crash rings out. Then, the door comes flying at me and I reel back from it. I let out a scream, my heart deep in my throat. Alix kicked the door in.
I try to run to the other side of the room, but I’m not fast enough. Alix grabs me by my hair and pulls me to the floor. I fall with a thud, knocking the wind out of me. With one swift motion, Alix is over me, pinning my hands down.
“Get off me,” I scream.
“I am sick and tired of your behavior.”
I spit at Alix.
Alix slaps me across my face. Heat rises to the surface of my cheeks, making the skin stiffen. Already I can feel it swelling up. I glower at him, not quite believing what’s happening.
“See what you made me do?” he says.
“That will leave a mark. When Mom comes…”
“Shut up.” Alix curls his fingers around my neck. He stretches his enormous arms out, the blue veins pulsing under his ivory skin.
“You’re hurting me.” I punch and kick, but it’s no use. The weight of his body is too heavy for my frail limbs to counteract.
“Well, you shouldn’t have mouthed off.”
“I didn’t,” I gasp.
Alix loosens his grip on my neck and picks himself up. He paces around the room—pondering.
I crawl away from him, trying to create space between us.
****
“We remain hopeful,” another detective interjects, snapping me from my thoughts. He stands inside the entrance of my home; I didn’t notice him until now. The stress and trauma of Calina going missing have been bringing up memories I’ve tried hard to forget.
“Come, take a seat,” I say, motioning the detective into the dining room. I already sit with one detective; Diamond. The new detective closes the door behind him and takes a seat at the table. He’s dressed in a black suit. The detectives look the same, indistinguishable in the way they dress. Both have black hair and black eyes, though one has a mole on his lip.
“I’m Detective Grant,” he extends a hand to me.
I know what this visit is about. The detectives will say that they have tried and are now using their limited resources to find other missing people. People that haven’t disappeared for months.
“Did you look into the girl I told you about? The one who said she knew Calina?” I don’t let them continue.
Detective Diamond clears his throat. “It’s not enough to go off of. No one at Calina’s school fits that description.”
“And what about the forest? Did you check the forest?”
Detective Grant, the one with the mole on his lip, folds his hands and relaxes back into the chair. “We checked as far in as we could. We discovered nothing new.”
“The students are cooperating. No one seems to know anything. And we’ve already tried to retrace her steps,” says detective Diamond.
“As a courtesy to you, we’ve checked areas of the forest. It’s improbable that your daughter was anywhere near that forest to begin with,” says Grant.
I force my eyes to look at him and not his mole. Taking a deep breath I prepare myself to speak. When I do, I want to sound strong. If I don’t, they won’t take me seriously.
“Not to be offensive, detectives, but are you asking the right questions of the right people? Checking a part of the forest isn’t the entire forest. It is your job to do what you must, to find the missing person, no? Calina has walked there before, which is why I asked you to check. Besides, if she got kidnapped, wouldn’t a secluded area like a forest be the first place to hide a person’s…?”
My rant stops short. I go to say body, but that would mean my baby is dead, and I know Calina’s not. The way a mother knows.
“We’ve done everything we can do,” says Grant.
“And we aren’t stopping. We have to explore other options now. But we’re running out of ideas,” says detective Diamond. Diamond reaches out a hand to mine. “I know it’s hard. I know it feels like we’re not doing enough. Unless you have some other information, something you think can help, there is only so much we can do.”
Somehow, despite his statement, I know this will be the end of their active search. Now it’s time to wait for some miracle or for someone to offer information they can use. This might be the last time I hear from them.
“So, I guess there’s nothing more for you to do then.” I stand up and walk over to the window, peering out.
When the detectives don’t move, I turn to look at them. Detective Diamond and Grant stands up. They both look confused and concerned that I seem so calm, so together. The weeping, distraught version of me is what they have become used to. They head for the door.
“Let us know if you need anything,” says detective Diamond.
I need you to find my daughter, is what I want to say. A chuckle escapes me. “Thank you,” is what I say.
I’ve depended on them, while cooped up in here waiting for Calina to come home. Waiting for someone to find her. Waiting for something to happen.
I’ve been the weeping mother for months, begging and hoping my daughter would come home. Now I realize that isn’t enough. Hoping alone won’t get me what I want, and I can’t depend on anyone else to do this for me.
I listen to the door close as the detectives leave. If I go out there and search for myself, could I find her? That’s what I will do. I will find my baby. I’ll save my baby girl.
Chapter Five
Aiden
I wake to see Cosmo standing over me. My head burns and I can feel a lump on the back. Cosmo is holding a bowl of Sanitas Herbum. The healing herbs of Kollosnia.
“What happened?”
“Someone knocked you on the head; a friend found you and left you at the castle’s entrance.”
I’m disoriented, but I try to remember. I had my fingers wrapped around Nate’s slippery little neck. Someone must have hit me to save him. Touching the back of my head, I look out to the window to see it’s still dark outside. It should be cold too, but I’m not surprised to see the windows open, because my body has been racked with heat for days.
“How long have I been out for?”
“For a day. You kind of scared me there for a minute.”
“A day? You mean I’ve been out since last night?”
“Yes, a day. The person who found you said you were in Keliosh. What were you even doing there?”
“I need to do something,” I say, trying to get up. My head thumps from the motion. I fall back into bed; lying across it, in agony.
“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere. Does this have something to do with Nate?”
I don’t answer.
“Let me tell you a story,” says Cosmo.
Cosmo sits on the edge of my bed, talking as I fade in and out of the world of sleep. Cosmo runs his fingers through his long grey beard. Then he taps a finger on his bald head as if trying to remember something.
He says he doesn’t want me to be alone while I grieve. No one should be alone while they suffer. I’m never actually alone. There’s no need for him to be here. No need except that the moment he leaves, I will kill Nate or die trying. I turn away from Cosmo.
