Anastasia (The Bolton Series Book 1) (17 page)

Calhoun, another was for Emilie and I and the last one for Cabel, Kenelm, Yelson, and Simon.

Our dinner consisted of nuts and some beef jerky. Not very appetizing but it surprisingly got us full. No one said much of anything that night. We were all a bit tense of what was going to happen in the next few days.

Everyone quickly packed up all our items that next morning. Kenelm said we should reach the area where Daruka was said to be by the morning. Once again we set out on a long ride.

*~*

When we finally stopped for the day it was late in the night. The sun would be coming up in a few hours. We were just miles away from Daruka. I was oddly excited. This was finally going to end. Years of fighting, of death, would be ending tomorrow.

“Cabel and I have come up with a plan for tomorrow,” Kenelm said to us all at dinner. His plan sounded good except for one part.

“You can’t make yourself known to them. Are you crazy? They will probably kill you on sight,” I practically yelled at him. He was stupid if he thought I was going to just let him waltz in there like his life wasn’t on the line.

“It is just the distraction we need to get you in. We have thought over this and it is the only way.” His blue eyes held mine as he tried to comfort me. He could see how distraught my mind was over this plan of his. “It will be alright your majesty. I have faith in you.”

Everyone nodded in their agreement with him. How could they let him do this? Chances were Daruka’s men had orders to kill him on sight. I wouldn’t let him do this. I brought up my mind barriers that Kenelm taught me to protect me from Daruka’s prying eyes in order for him not to see my plan. I wasn’t going to let him do this. If my plan goes the way I wanted it to he wasn’t going to get anywhere near Daruka or his men.

I couldn’t finish my dinner so I made my way to my tent. Emilie knew there was something wrong with me and followed me.

“How can he be so stupid Emilie?” I said to her once she entered the tent.

“Annie, he is the king. He can do as he pleases. If he feels this is the right thing to do then it is. Please don’t fight him on this.”

“But he could die. Why do none of you seem to see that? For all we know he’s going on a freaking suicide mission.” My head began to hurt the more I thought about it. I had to sit down on my cot before I fell.

“Are you okay?” Emilie rushed to my side. She instantly checked for a fever but I knew I wouldn’t have any. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just feeling really light headed,” I whispered as I lay down. Light headed was an understatement. It felt like someone was banging against my skull to a very annoying beat. “I’m just going to go to sleep.”

“I don’t think you should sleep right now.  We don’t know what is wrong with you. You could have a concussion.”

“I haven’t even done anything to earn that. Plus I’m fine. Just tired.” I fell asleep before she could reply.

*~*

When I woke the next day the sun was in the middle of the sky. Its light purple rays heated me as a slight breeze caressed my skin. I lay on top of the grass as I watched the clouds move throughout the sky.

Wait, this shouldn’t be happening. Emilie would have woken me up before morning. Why was I outside? I shot up from the bed of grass I was laying on. There was no one else around or anything to prove someone else was here. The horses were gone as well as our supplies.

Did the leave me?

No. They couldn’t nor would they. So where were they? I searched around me as if someone would just appear out of thin air. It was then that I noticed my sword hidden in a bush near the tree line.

I ran to get it but it disappeared into someone’s hand before I could reach it.

A man stood by one of the trees. He was very handsome but I could see the hate he held. His short blonde hair stood in perfect formation. Plump lips formed a smile at me revealing his white teeth. However, what really caught my eyes were his shocking blue ones. They held nothing but disgust that practically oozed out of him. If it wasn’t for his hands moving over the sword I would have thought he was a marble statue.

“What are you doing here Daruka?” I instantly knew who he was. There was no denying that we looked like each other. And that fact made my skin crawl.

“Well to see my niece of course.” His voice was deep and made the hairs on my body stand up. “I never had the pleasure of meeting you before you were shipped off to a new land. I have to say, you are a spitting image of your mother.”

The rage boiled inside of me as he spoke of my mother. He didn’t have a right too. He killed her and my grandmother for his own gain.

“What have you done with my friends?” I asked him. I noticed that the sword hadn’t glowed blue as it did when I had touched it. Maybe it wouldn’t work for him. That brought a small hope that I would be able to defeat him.

“Nothing my dear princess. This is, after all, in your head. Granted I may have influenced it a bit.” Then that meant this was a dream. If what he said was true then I could influence it to make him disappear or even wake up.

Come on Annie, wake up. Wake up!

“That won’t work Princess. You see this may be your dream but I control it. I created it so it only seems fair.”

He was lying. This was my dream, my imagination. No one but me could control it I just needed to concentrate hard enough. I closed my eyes again, shutting out Daruka’s smug smile, and tried to make him disappear.

When I heard his chuckle I knew it hadn’t worked so I concentrated harder, this time to wake up.

“It’s not going to work Princess. I finally have you where I want you. And I won’t let you go till I say so.” With that he disappeared from my sight. I let out the breath I was holding. Now I saw why everyone was so afraid of him. Just his presence had made me want to hide in a corner. If this was what he was like in real life then I was in for some trouble.

I turned around to the palace backyard. I signed with relief. At least it was someplace I knew. Crossing the large lawn I entered the kitchen. Everything was just how I remembered it being the day we left.

Mari and Arabella were eating at the table. They were laughing at something I hadn’t caught.

“What’s so funny guys?” I asked but they ignored me. They didn’t even acknowledged that I had entered the room. It was as if they couldn’t see or hear me.

A sudden commotion rang out through the halls. People were yelling at each other. Mari told Arabella to stay as she checked it out and I followed.

Five guards were in the living area. Their yelling subsided when we entered the living room but they were all looking to Mari.

“What is happening?” Mari asked when she saw one of the guards had an arrow through his shoulder. He was leaning against the far wall trying not to seem like it was a big deal to have an arrow going through him.

“They are here,” said a female hyjia, a cat-like hybrid, as she pulled the arrow from the other guards shoulder. He barely acknowledged the pain.

“What do you mean? Who is here?” I asked but once again no one acknowledged me.

Mari’s face fell at the three words the hyjia spoke. She had the same look on her face that my mom did the day that Daruka’s men attacked our cabin. She looked utterly defeated. Now I understood what they were talking about. They were being attacked by Daruka’s army.

“We have set up perimeter around the palace.”

“No,” Mari said to the guard. “Send your men to protect the villagers. There is no one here worth that protection anymore.”

“But the King-“

“I don’t care what he said. He is not here. You protect our people not an empty building.”

All the guards nodded before leaving out the front door. When it opened I could hear the chaos from outside. People screamed as they tried to run from Daruka’s men, a fiery glow illuminated the outside before the door closed again.

A sense of pain washed over me. My people were dying and I wasn’t able to do a damn thing about it. I wasn’t able to protect them.

Mari ran to Arabella who was now crying in the kitchen. She knew what was happening. It was the same thing that happened to her last village. Even though she was too young to remember she heard the stories. 

“You need to listen to me okay? We are going to run to the barn and you are going to get a horse. I need you to run into the forest and don’t stop for anything. You go to that place Cabel was telling you about. You remember the wooden shed? I’ll cast a hiding spell on you so no one will be able to see you for a few hours. Can you do that Arabella?”

Arabella was sobbing now but she nodded. Mari wasted no time as she grabbed her hand and ran to the barn. She didn’t bother saddling up Arabella’s smaller horse. She just lifted her to sit on him.

“You just run okay? Don’t come back. Cabel will know where you are.” Mari quickly said her cloaking spell and Arabella disappeared from sight. We could hear the footsteps of the horse as it galloped away from the village.

Mari fell to the floor when the sound disappeared. She finally broke down and let the tears stream down her face. Memories of her last village being attacked played through her mind, of her parents being murdered.

“Mari it’s going to be okay.” I tried to give her a soothing hug but my arms just went through her. Of course, this was a dream. But I still couldn’t understand how she didn’t see or hear me or how real this all felt.

The sound of a window breaking got her up from the floor. She looked pissed unlike the broke down girl just moments ago. Her eyes sparked red as she made her way to the palace. They made me cringe into the barn walls.

A tall man was looking into the window from the outside. His skin had a red tint to it and his arms and legs seemed extra-long. I was preoccupied as to trying to decipher what he was that I didn’t notice the ball of fire fly out of Mari’s hand to him. He burst into flames for a split second before he turned to ash.

I stared shocked at Mari. Her eyes had completely gone red with bloodlust. Now it made sense to me why she was always a bit distant and mean to me. She was a Siren. It was in her nature to be that way.

Another man ran into the yard. He had to be seven feet tall and had small horns poking out of his head. Mari threw another fire ball at him hitting him in the chest causing him to meet the same fate as his companion.

Soon the yard was filled with creatures that had only one thing on their mind. To kill Mari and anyone else they saw.

Mari started throwing fire at anything that moved but soon it wasn’t enough. She was fighting them now with her hands. They glowed red so when she made contact with one of them their skinned burned. The screams from the distance just fueled her rage.

I tried to help her but I just kept going through everyone. Every spell that I casted didn’t work. All my attempts of helping Mari just wouldn’t work. I yelled in frustration. How could this be my dream but I can’t do a dang thing in it?

Then it occurred to me. This wasn’t my dream. Daruka had said he was the one in control. He wanted me to see this because he had caused this. No, this wasn’t my dream because it was a memory of what happened.

Daruka had attacked our village.

Mari managed to kill eight more men before one of them grabbed her arms. Only her hands had to power to burn so he was able to keep a hold of her. The laugh that escaped its mouth made me want to choke it. He was laughing at capturing her and was now just waiting for someone to kill her.

“No,” I yelled as I tried once more to attack them. Once again it didn’t work. I could feel the tears start to fall from my eyes. They were going to kill her and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

A tall goblin planted itself in front of Mari. His blue, cracked lips broke out in a sinister smile. Mari fought against the man who held her but her efforts were useless.

The goblin slapped her face. A red sore instantly marred her smooth tanned skin. He hit her again and again enjoying the sounds of pain that escaped her lips.

I knew what was coming. I didn’t want to see it but I couldn’t look away.

The goblin grabbed a dagger from his belt. It was old and chipped but would do the job he wanted. He placed the tip on her throat and applied little pressure forming a small nick. It was just enough to cause a small amount of blood to trickle down her neck.

I stared at Mari. Her eyes had gone back to the dark blue I remembered. She didn’t look scared at what she knew was coming. In fact it looked like she was welcoming it. Her mind was at peace.

She had said goodbye to her brother, protected Arabella who was like a younger sister to them, and now she was ready. She wanted to see her parents who were killed years ago. She no longer fought against the men.

I cried harder knowing she had practically given up.

The goblin moved the blade until it was over her heart. It’s eyes sparkled when it thought of pushing it through her chest. Mari closed her eyes and thought about her family as the blade pierced her heart, ending her life.

I sprang up from the cot screaming as the memory ended. Tears rushed down my face and my body was covered in sweat.

No, she wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. Daruka had just played some sort of trick on me. He couldn’t have attacked the village. But it was all a lie. It was all too real to just be some sort of mind trick. I had heard their thoughts. Daruka couldn’t have faked that.

“Annie,” someone yelled beside me. I couldn’t find it in me to look at the voice or put a name to it. I was still screaming when the person pushed me back.

“Annie, you’re okay. Nothing is going to happen to you.” Arms wrapped around me and held me close to them. “Shh, just breathe. You’re okay. You’re fine. I promise you nothing is going to happen to you. I will protect you like I always do. Just breath.”

“What happened?” Another voice asked. People started talking around me but I couldn’t bring myself to pay attention. I only listened to the voice trying to calm me like it did so many times before.

Simon brushed my hair away from my sweaty face and whispered words to me. I tried to follow his directions but Mari’s face kept popping up in my mind and I would start panicking again.

After what seemed like hours and I had my breathing under control. My mind was still replaying the scene from the palace. Everyone was quite now and just stared at me waiting for an explanation. Well everyone except one.

Kenelm kneeled beside me. He had his hand on my knee in an attempt to calm me. He had seen everything in my mind. His eyes held sympathy for me but his hatred for Daruka grew, burning in the back of his eyes.

“They killed them,” I whispered to everyone. “They attacked the village and killed everyone.”

Gasps erupted from the people crowded in the tent. That wasn’t what they were expecting to hear. They never thought the village would be attacked when they left. We left to protect our village.

But they didn’t see what I did. The flames that took the town, the panic in the guard’s eyes, Mari’s death. She wasn’t the only one dead though. Master Kai, Ulma, and everyone else were also dead. I knew all of them would have gone down fighting the way Mari did. Images of them fighting and losing went through my mind. I could feel my heart start to race again and quickly took a deep breath.

“Daruka did something with my mind to let me see it in a dream.” I felt the need to tell them the story so I did. “Mari was told the village was under attack. She told the guards to protect the villagers and she ran to get Arabella. She managed to get her on a horse and told her to run and not to come back. She then attacked as many of his men as she could.”

I looked up to Yelson. I could see he was trying to not break down. Mari was the only family he had left and now she was gone. “But they killed her. Then I woke up.”

Emilie was crying into one of the guards shoulders. The other guards were nowhere in sight and were probably watching the perimeter. Cabel looked to the ground as he was thinking of a way to get Arabella back. Calhoun was shedding silent tears in the corner. He had left his family there and they were most likely gone now.

“We need to go back.” Cabel was the first one to speak. “Now.”

“We can’t. We are so close to ending Daruka.” Kenelm stood up from his position and looked to his second in command. “We cannot go back now.”

“What if Daruka is there, at the village, not where you are sending us.”

“He isn’t. He needs to be close to Annie to do what he did.”

“So he knows I’m coming for him,” I whispered. I was thankful for Simon’s arms still around me as he was my anchor.

“I’m afraid so.” Kenelm looked sad. His plan would never work now.

“I think you should all get some rest. I can stay up to keep watch. Can’t really go to sleep now anyways.”

“I’ll stay up with Annie,” Yelson said before anyone could object to me staying up by myself.

Everyone agreed and went to their tents. They couldn’t find it in themselves to fight over it with me. I followed Yelson out to the fire. He was quite as he just stared at the small flames. I decided not to pry by reading his mind so I just looked at the flames with him. They reminded me of the one’s that shot out of Mari’s hands.

“If it helps she was at peace, so to say, when it happened. She was happy she had the chance to say goodbye to you and that she was finally going to be able to see your parents again.”

A small, sad, smile spread across Yelson’s face. “Thank you Annie. I’m just mad at myself. I left her there. I didn’t want to bring her on this trip. If I just did she could still be alive right now.”

“Don’t do that to yourself. There are a thousand different things that could have happened to make sure she was still alive. You can’t live in the past Yelson. I’ve been there. I thought if I had done one thing or another I could have saved my dad from being killed but it doesn’t change the fact that they are gone. It happened and they wouldn’t want us beating ourselves up over it.”

“I know you are right but I can’t help it. When my parents were killed I vowed that I would do anything and everything to keep my little sister safe. She was the only family I had left. And