Date: Yithi 10th, 1590 - Before The Long Stillness
I ran alongside Kathera, my breath coming in short gasps as the palace corridors flashed past us.
Kathera sprinted ahead, and I pushed myself harder. My feet hit the ground.
A pang filled my chest. The last time I ran in Paesuna, I was chasing Antron lizards.
The trees surrounding the palace were tall, their leaves so thick you couldn’t see into the forest the farther you got from the palace.
The front gates came into view; Briar and Castor were already there, approaching the strangers.
Briar held out her hands; the air felt slightly cold, as if she were pulling energy toward herself.
Castor walked towards the two riders, holding the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at a moment's notice.
As we drew closer, we could hear what they were saying.
“Please, we need help,” said the rider on the left.
Her voice twinged with pain. It was a woman’s voice; she looked up, gritting her teeth. Her blonde hair clumped with dirt.
I paused, scanning the woman; no blood dripped on the ground, and the horses didn’t look winded.
The air tightened as Briar stepped closer, and heat radiated off her.
I couldn’t look away as water hovered around Briar, shaping itself like a flying dragon.
The earth shook softly, rippling outward from Kathera’s mother.
Kathera stopped short, her breath ragged. She looked at me. “I don’t trust them.”
I straightened my shoulders and tried to get into position.
Castor stepped forward. “I understand you need help, but we don’t know you. What are you doing here?”
The rider on the right, a man, sat up straight suddenly and met Castor’s eyes, smiling. “We are here to get information.”
“Information on what?” Briar asked, raising the hand that held water.
The rider's eyes shot to Kathera. “On her,” He chuckled.
Suddenly, the air rushed around them as Briar threw air towards them, thrusting them off their horses.
“Run, girls,” Briar yelled as the woman jumped off her horse and slammed a fist into Briar’s face.
She stumbled back, fire gathering in her palms.
My hands shook as I watched Kathera’s mother throw fire at the woman. I didn’t know how to fight like this. I didn’t belong here. My chest rose and fell rapidly, and I fought the urge to curl into a ball.
Kathera shook her head. “No, I won’t run!” She drew her sword and charged into the fray.
I set my shoulders back and grabbed my sword too. My hands shook around the handle. What would a wooden sword do in this fight?
Briar ducked under the woman's arm as she threw a punch towards Briar’s face. She grabbed the woman's fist and began holding it in her palm.
Light glowed around the woman's fist as flame bloomed.
“It burns!” The woman screamed.
The man dodged a swing from Castor’s sword and threw lightning dust at Briar and Castor.
The lightning struck the ground behind them, making it shake.
Before they could move, the woman jumped in midair, clutching her burned hand to her side. She turned and slammed a pouch into the ground in front of Castor and Briar.
“No!” Briar yelled as a gust of wind pushed Kathera and me back with a force we couldn’t push against.
The wind pushed us back towards the palace, throwing us to the ground at least fifty paces back. The pressure left my ears ringing painfully as I lay on the ground, heat and soreness flaring through my body.
My head pounded as I blinked, watching the purple smoke engulf the area.
We couldn’t see Castor or Briar; only the sounds of fighting continued.
Slowly, the smoke cleared, and two people lay on the ground.
Briar’s hand rested gently against the rocks as if she were sleeping. Her fingers reached toward Castor, who lay on the ground, his finger twitching once.
Then stillness.
Nausea hit me as I realized they weren’t moving, their chests barely rising. I tried to stand up but couldn’t move.
Kathera scrambled to her feet and bolted in front of them.
“You will not touch my parents,” She shouted.
I ran next to her and held out my sword. I got into the stance Castor taught me. My legs began to burn.
The woman raised her fists, readying her stance, her eyes set on Kathera.
I raised my sword and gripped it tight; my body felt heavy, but I had to stand with her.
My stance wobbled as I swayed, every part of my body telling me to run.
The man put his hand on the woman’s shoulder and shook his head. “We have what we need,” he said looking back at us with a grin spreading on his face.
“The Shadow Queen sends her regards,” he said, then turned, and they walked away.
They jumped onto their horses and rode off.
“What did they mean by a Shadow Queen?” I asked Kathera.
“Ma, wake up Ma,” She shook her mother, then turned to her father, tears falling down her face. “Pa, please come back.”
My head ached from the pressure of the fight, but I knew we needed to get her parents back to the palace.
“Kathera, let's get them inside, and we will figure out what to do,” I said, grabbing her shoulder.
Kathera rubbed her eyes. “We have to help them,” She looked up at me, and something rested inside her eyes.
Something that told me she wouldn’t stop until her parents were awake.