CHAPTER 35 #2
“No! Not my mother!” She was the only one I cared about that was not here, and if they planned to use others to try and force my powers out… “Please, she is not a part of this!”
The Queen looked to me. “Don’t be silly, girl, your mother died over a year ago.”
My heart was pierced with a knife of pure pain, as shock crashed through me, knocking the breath clean out of my chest.
My knees wobbled, “My mother… is dead?" I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore; they streamed down my face of their own free will.
“You didn’t know?” She looked to Zen, “Did you not tell her?” A cruel smile formed on her face. She was enjoying this moment. She was enjoying that my life was falling apart right in front of her eyes.
I looked at him in confusion, and he looked back at me.
His eyes pleaded silently at first, until he spoke, “I didn’t know how to tell you… When I went to the villages… I stopped at yours…”
Anger. Anger was rising and filling my veins at each word he spoke.
“No.” The heat rose in my chest, fueled by the anger boiling under my skin. “You knew, this whole time, and didn’t tell me!?” The tears running down my cheeks sizzled as they touched my skin, and small tufts of steam rose from my face.
“Avyn…”
“Don’t! Do not say my name.” I could feel the heat radiating from my body, and I struggled to hold on to it.
“Avyn…I’m, sor..”
But before he could finish, I erupted. Flames exploded from my hands and around me, and everyone ran for cover; everyone except Zen. I cried out in pain. I cried out in sorrow. I cried out in anger. I cried out with everything I had left in my soul.
My flames were met with a cloud of darkness, suffocating them before they could cause any real damage. The onlookers screamed in terror as the room was enveloped in darkness; a darkness not even my flames could penetrate.
Calm yourself. This is not the time.
I breathed in deeply, and as I did, what little remained of my flames disintegrated into soot, blending into the darkness around us.
The room was silent until a shrill, piercing laugh echoed through it.
“Interesting. Very interesting.” The Queen’s voice broke through the darkness. “Zen, that’s enough.”
With the Queen’s command, the darkness dissipated around us, leaving the air, and slowly disappeared into small waves retreating on the floor.
I looked away from Zendryk, the hurt evident on my face as tears streamed from my eyes. I wanted to curl up on the floor and never move again. I did not want to be a part of their game anymore, my mother… she was… dead.
“She has more than one house’s power.” She leaned forward in her chair, looking excitedly at me. “I wonder how many more she can wield.” Her eyes lit up. “Venryr, I want you to double your efforts. If she can wield multiple powers, she could be a vital weapon for us.”
I was drained, gutted, heartbroken, and the words she just said didn’t even faze me; my mother was gone.
“Your majesty.” The shrill, high-pitched voice sounded from behind me. Jane. What the fuck did she want?
“Young lady, I understand that you were close to Avyn in her training?” The Queen directed at her, but I was slowly fading away into the darkness of my own mind.
“Yes, your majesty.” Jane’s voice was barely a whisper as she replied.
“And after she left service, you became close with her replacement?”
“Yes, your majesty.” Lies. She was fucking lying to the queen.
“You claim that her replacement is that young lady over there.” She pointed to Maya.
Fuck. No! My attention snapped back to what was happening right in front of me.
“Yes, your majesty.” I could kill her! I wanted to kill her! I was going to kill her!
“You also claimed that after a short while, she became her lady’s maid?”
“Yes, your majesty, I witnessed them embrace in the gardens upon her arrival. It seems they know each other from before.” She’s fucking dead!
“Thank you, you are dismissed.”
She hesitated before asking, “Your majesty?”
“What girl?” The Queen was more than irritated by her lingering presence.
“I have also heard rumors that she is entangled with the Prince.” Everything around me was fucking falling apart.
“You don’t think we already know that? You are dismissed.” She said with finality.
Jane turned to exit the room, but not before shooting a snarling, wicked grin at me. I should have saved my fire outburst for her. I wanted to see her as a pile of soot on the floor before me right now, but I had nothing left. After last night and my fire show here, I was drained.
“Venryr. You will use the young lady that the servant girl spoke about as motivation for Avyn.” She waved a hand in Maya’s direction.
Venryr didn’t respond except for a wide set grin showing off his silver and black teeth.
Ulric glanced at Maya in despair; his fists were clenched shut together, and a drop of blood was squeezing through his fingers; his claws were out and digging into his skin.
Focus. Now is not the time to fall apart. Stay together.
The words rumbled through my head but had no hold on me. I could already feel myself falling apart, crumbling into a pile of nothing.
AVYN! Focus! STAY ALERT! A growl of a command.
It boomed through my head this time, only increasing the pain starting to spread over my temples.
AVYN! I WILL NOT LET YOU FALL APART IN THIS MOMENT.
Who? Who will not let me fall? For all I know, I am going crazy, hearing voices in my head.
ENOUGH! YOU WILL NOT LET THIS brING YOU DOWN. YOU WILL NOT LET YOUR MOTHER DIE IN VAIN.
Mother…. Her name was Elodie…. Did she even have a grave?
The thought of her in a grave unraveled the last piece of me that I was holding together.
I fell to my knees, the tears streaming down my face as I brought my hands up to my eyes.
Zendryk rushed over to me, but I shook him off. “No! Get away from me!”
“Get yourself together, girl.” The Queen demanded.
I couldn’t breathe! I couldn’t get enough air! Everything was wrong!
“Girl!” The Queen yelled in my direction.
“Give her a moment, mother!” Zendryk kneeled beside me. “Please, Avyn, let me help.”
I looked up to him, and nothing but sorrow was there. But I was full of rage.
“You’ve done enough.” I took a moment to gather my crumbling self and focused on my breathing.
I inhaled deeply and forced myself to stand up.
I’ve had my moment of weakness, and while sorrow swallowed me, I would not let Maya have the same fate as my mother.
I will not let death meet her at the hands of this giant.
I looked at the Queen and wiped away the last of the tears from my cheeks.
“Very good girl. You will begin your training this afternoon. This will give time for Venryr to set up.” She looked at Zendryk, who was at my side, looking down at me, but I did not look back at him. I kept my focus locked on the queen. “Oh, Zendryk?”
He didn’t respond. He only cared about me at this moment, but I wanted nothing to do with him. His betrayal alone had broken me.
“Your betrothed will be here in two days. I expect you to brush up on your manners.”
After that final blow from the queen, we were dismissed.