13. Chapter Thirteen Rhowyn
Chapter Thirteen: Rhowyn
My body hummed, vibrating with energy and righteous anger as I exited the pub. I strode down the street to meet the guard who had held the woman, the only sound her cries of pain and fear. No one else stirred or made a noise. Everyone, including the other guards, was watching the showdown between us.
I paid them no mind as I approached, the dust stirring in my wake as I walked calmly toward the coward, only stopping when I was about ten feet away. He grinned maliciously. “Well, well, well. Look who we have here.” I kept my face blank and didn’t say a word, letting him think he had the upper hand.
He turned to his buddies triumphantly. “I told you this would be easy. She’d cower in fear, shaking in her boots, as she turned herself over without a fight.”
“Let the girl go,” I said, my voice sounding like it came from multiple sources, echoing off the stone walls of the buildings on both sides of the street.
He laughed. “So, she speaks.” He turned back to me, eyeing me up and down. “And what if I don’t?”
“Let. The. Girl. Go,” I told him, my voice booming out with force, still holding myself still with my arms down by my sides. “I will not tell you another time. This is your last chance to do as you were bid.”
He sneered at me before releasing the woman and tossing her to the ground, where she curled into a ball as quickly as she could. “And just what do you think you can do against us?” He gestured with both hands and turned as if searching for something. “You, without an army? All alone and powerless? Wounded and weak?”
I remained in place, letting him believe I was harmless even if I was challenging him quietly in front of his men until he did something stupid. “Oh, you didn’t think I’d know about that? A little birdy told me that you were wounded and without enough power to heal yourself.” He laughed again, drawing his sword and spinning until he was holding the blade above the woman, who was still shaking and sobbing on the ground.
“Just how do you think you’re going to stop me?” he challenged me, baiting me into having to act. Slowly, I unwrapped my rope. He laughed at me, turning to his buddies, who remained on their horses as they joined him in his amusement. “Just what are you going to do with that?”
“Your life is forfeit for breaking the laws of Avalon.” My voice sounded out again. I directed my attention briefly to his men. “You may surrender now. Leave and be gone, or you too will face death for your crimes against the people of Avalon.”
Two men looked visibly shaken at the intensity in my gaze, and whatever they saw there had them turning around, spurring their horses away. The leader cursed at them. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going? You’ll be executed for your crimes against the Queen!” he called after them, but they didn’t listen, instead disappearing into the distance, leaving only six men, including the bastard who dared to challenge me.
“Avalonia has judged your souls and found you wanting,” I told them as I looped the rope in one hand and took the slack in the other, loosening my limbs as I prepared to strike.
“Fuck you, bitch!” he called out and reared back, preparing to strike the woman in the heart. Time seemed to slow as my own magic rushed through the cracks of the box that had kept it locked away for too long. I pushed it through, demanding it give me everything that was mine. It burst through in a rush, like a dam breaking, pouring down my limbs to crackle like lightning.
I could feel my hair start to float, the static from my magic lifting it until it danced around my head, weightless. It ran down into the rope I had first selected in the trials, the weapon I had been called to. The one I couldn’t explain but knew was meant to be mine. The rope glowed white in the darkness, so bright that the street looked like the middle of the day even though it was well into the night. Time sped up, and I threw the rope after letting it circle over my head once, landing it exactly where I’d wanted it to.
It floated through the air, falling over his head and shoulders until his bent sword arm stopped its descent. I jerked the rope back quickly, pinning his arms at his sides. His screams pierced through the silent night as my magic burned him until there was nothing left but ash.
My rope fell to the ground, and I pulled it back to me. Looking at the woman, I said, “Run.” She didn’t waste another second, scrambling to her feet in shock while the remaining guards sprang into action. Four of them rushed me at once, and I pulled my daggers, spinning and slicing. Everywhere my blades touched lit up from the electricity that poured from me. Instinct had me ducking and dodging like I was in the matrix, flowing around their attacks like water flows around a boulder in its way. It didn’t take me long to drop them to the ground, their lives and magic bleeding into the ground, feeding Avalonia and the land as it was absorbed into the dirt.
The last man tried to run, but I didn't let him. He’d had his chance earlier but had chosen to be a coward. A bully who hid behind his friends. I threw a hand out, lightning shooting from my fingertips straight into his heart, stopping him instantly.
I hung my head, panting from the exertion, my skin crackling as I mourned the loss of their lives. They were Avalonia’s children, after all, and she wept for all of them, knowing they’d been led astray by the venom of the Queen currently on the throne.
Slowly, I came back to myself, Avalonia relinquishing her hold on me, and I called my magic back inside. I followed it back to the source only to find that the cage that had been there before was no longer there now. I finally had full access to my own magic. Opening my eyes, I knew instantly that I would no longer be the same as I was before. I lifted an arm, glancing at the skin that glowed there, evidence that my glamor had broken as well.
Footsteps sounded out behind me, and I turned, noting that my vision was sharper and clearer, the sounds crisper. If I focused, I could hear the low conversations from the people in the pub. Their awe echoed into my bones as I continued to stand there among the slaughter before me. Cyerra halted instantly as I turned around to face her, her eyes going wide. “Holy shit!” Her words broke me from my stupor, a grin lighting my face for a second. She took in the bodies and piles of ashes at my feet, saying, “You were badass! Where the hell did that come from?”
“Obviously, I finally have access to my magic. I broke the locks on it.” My satisfaction ran through me, a part of my brain unable to process the magnitude of what had just happened.
“Clearly.” She laughed with me. “And that shit you did with the rope. That was crazy!”
“What can I say, I had a little help from a superhero on Earth. She gave me the inspiration.” I laughed, thinking about how I should probably purchase a leather bustier and tights.
“Well, tell her I said thanks. When you walked out there by yourself, I didn’t know how the hell you were going to get out of that, but it seems you got your powers just when you needed them, lucky bitch.”
I laughed again. “Seems like.”
Just then, the crowd rushed out to me as the middle-aged farmer I had been talking to earlier, Jeremiah, approached me. “Thank you, my Queen. The woman you saved was my daughter.” Tears prickled his eyes as he remembered just how close he had come to losing her. “I owe you a debt.”
He crossed a fist over his chest, resting it on his heart as he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. “I vow my service and loyalty to the true heir to the throne. Long may you reign.”
As if his words spurred the rest into motion, they all dropped to their knees swearing fealty and sending up their gratitude. For once, I didn’t brush them off, somehow knowing that this moment had been inevitable. My reign depended on this fight, and now I needed to obtain the loyalty of my people if I had any hope of reaching the throne.
After a moment had passed, I spoke. “Please rise.” Once they had done so, I continued, “As your Queen, the only thing I ask in return is that you spread what you have witnessed here today. Tell anyone who will listen. The time for cowering in fear is over. From today forward, I will be bringing the fight to Titania. It’s time she relinquished the throne to its rightful heir as ordained by Avalonia.
“I call upon the people of Avalon, the able bodied who wish to join the cause. Pray and she will lead you to me. She will direct you straight to the resistance, where we will fight for the land and for Avalonia. Now is the time.”
Cheers sounded out around me, and the barkeep walked up to me, dipping his head in deference. “Your Majesty, please join us for another drink to celebrate your reign. It’s on the house.”
I smiled at him regretfully. “Thank you for the offer, but I must be going. Avalonia is calling me onward. Who am I to deny her will,” I told him honestly as I felt the tug in my gut again, that insistence that there was somewhere else I needed to be.
“I understand. If there’s anything you need, I’d be more than happy to supply it. And, in the meantime, I’ll be sure to spread the word about how you saved our village.”
“Thank you. Be well,” I told him as the tug in my gut grew sharper. Avalonia’s impatience was calling me onward. I turned back to Cyerra. “Ready to leave?”
“Of course. Let me grab our bags, and we can head out.” I nodded, letting her fetch them as others continued to approach me. I spoke with them as I waited, knowing they needed this moment. Such a simple action to demonstrate to them that even though the capital may look down on them, in my eyes, they were equal. If anything, they were more important. They were the backbone of the land, ensuring that Avalonia’s people lived to see another day. Without them, we would perish as surely as if we had been struck down by a blade.
The farmer approached me again. “I don’t have much, but what I do have is yours. It won’t be easy feeding an army, but I’ll coordinate supplies to make sure you have what you need.”
“Thank you,” I told him, truly grateful for his offer. “All those hungry men will surely be happy with full bellies. Your efforts will be no small part in the battle. Not everyone fights with swords.”
“Very wise, my Queen,” he told me, wrapping an arm around his daughter, who was still visibly shaking.
She looked up at me, her voice weak as she said, “Thank you.”
“No woman should ever be a victim. Trust me, it’s not easy, but this violation is not the end of you. You will learn to trust again. You will continue to be strong. And one day, you will find happiness and peace again.”
My words brought tears to her eyes as I heard two sets of footsteps approaching. Cyerra was arguing with someone, and when I turned to find out who it was, I smiled as the young man she had been dancing with earlier trailed after her.
She stopped, glaring at him. “I said no. You can’t come with us.”
“And why is that, Cyerra?” I asked her, a teasing note to my voice, remembering how she’d outed me as we’d entered the pub.
She looked at me with exasperation, knowing what I was doing. “I thought this was supposed to be something you had to do on your own?”
“It is, but tonight I realized that it’s also my chance to gather an army.” Turning to the young man, I said, “Be welcome.” He grinned triumphantly, whooping out at my acquiescence. Cyerra rolled her eyes at his obvious excitement and thrust my bag at me.
“Let’s go,” I told them both, setting out in the direction Avalonia pulled me in. The only difference this time was that I was confident in her plans. I’d follow wherever she led, assured that this path was the one I needed to travel.