Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (17 page)

Sage sat in front of her vanity mirror
finishing the final touches on her dark lined eyes.  The jet black pencil was
almost a nub but she expertly glided it around her oval shaped eyes then
dropped it down on the glass tray littered with eye shadows and lipsticks.  She
leaned back in her chair and took in her reflection, "You are one hot
fairy."  She kissed at the image staring back at her then began packing up
her curling iron, hairspray, and every hair clip she could find into a small
travel bag.

After she had the bag ready she slipped
a button up shirt over her black strapless bra then walked across the room to
grab the pair of gray yoga pants.  Just as she slipped them on over her slender
hips a knock sounded on her bedroom door, "Come in," she yelled not
looking up as the door swung open.

"What do you want, Destiny?"
asked Sage with a bored tone.  The young fairy stood in the doorway watching
Sage dart about her room gathering items and stuffing them in a bag.

"Where are you going dressed like
that?" Destiny asked but with a snarl of disgust twisting her pale face in
a comical way.

Sage stopped in front of the teen girl,
"If you must know, I'm going to help the princess get ready for
tonight," she waved her hands across her body, "I didn't want to get
anything on my dress so I'm going like this."  She rolled her eyes as the
girl just stared at her with a dimwitted look on her face, "Was there a
reason you came here?"

"Oh…yes," stammered the girl
as her cheeks tinted red.  "You've been summoned to Queen Teya's
chambers."

"Now," huffed Sage.  "I'm
a bit busy."

Destiny's almond shaped blue eyes
gleamed with joy at the chance to be mischievous, "Do you want me to tell
the Queen that?  You know I will."

Sage laughed a dark giggle, "That
would be a sight.  No, I'm coming."

Within minutes Sage was waiting outside
the Queen's room as Destiny announced her arrival.  After a few moments Destiny
opened the door and waved Sage inside as she stepped out, closing the door
behind her.

The room was dimly lit with the thick
red drapes pulled closed so no sun could seep inside.  The drapes matched the
coverings on the grand canopy bed that was perfectly dressed; not a pillow out
of place or a wrinkle in sight.  Sage stepped deeper into the room finding the
small framed queen sitting quietly in a chair with an open book in her lap,
"Come," Teya waved her hand at Sage motioning for her to take the
Victorian high back chair across from her.

"Sage, I've brought you here to
speak of something very important that mustn't leave this room.  I'm about to
ask you to do something that may seem…a little out of the ordinary but I'm sure
that you want to do what is best for this kingdom as much as I do,"  she
smiled but the emotion didn't touch her eyes.

"Of course what you tell me will
remain between us," agreed Sage.  Though her voice was confident unease
was creeping under her skin as she stared into the queen's eyes.

Teya placed the book onto the table
beside her then folded her hands in her lap, "I need you to wipe Nicole's
mind of us.  You need to take her back to a point where she can return to her
happy life in her little town without the burdens of our world."

Sage wrinkled her nose as words bubbled
in her chest, "Have you gone insane?  I will do no such thing.  This
kingdom needs her like she
—
"

Teya held up a hand, "I know you
care deeply about the princess, Sage but this is for her own good.  I'm sure if
the princess thought it through this would be what she would want.  She's not
cut out for war."

Sage shook her head as she tried to wrap
her mind around what she was being asked to do, "You want me to wipe her
memories clean of us?  And what do you plan to do about her powers?  You can't
just wipe those away."

"No but you can convince her to
wear this," she held out her hand and dangled a tear-shaped emerald that
was wrapped in silver Celtic knots.  The intricate knots wove into the chain
that held the shimmering jewel creating a complete link.  "Tell her that
it was her mother's and that she never takes it off."

"Made to contain her power just
like the one Slade wears," Sage stood up and stared down into the
unreadable face of the Queen.  "Is it for Nicole's own good or is this
because you're jealous of the princess?"

"How dare you talk to me that way. 
Have you forgotten who I am?"  She raised her chin high as her eyes lit
with fire.  The beautiful young woman instantly looked hard and dangerous as
the power whipped her long, white hair wildly around her face.  Sage covered
her eyes and took a step back just as the table between them flipped up and
slung across the floor, splintering when it slammed against the wall.

Anger ripped through Sage.  She would
not be bullied by anyone.  What the Queen was asking her to do was wrong and
she wouldn't dare do anything to hurt Nicole.  She took a defiant step forward
into the energy that was threatening to drop her to her knees, "How dare
you speak of doing such things to your future queen," Sage screamed over
the roar of the power around her.

"She will never be queen.  She does
not know what these people need or how to be a leader," she smiled
indifferently then leaned back in her chair as casually as if they were talking
about the weather.  "If you care about your friend, Sage, I would suggest
you do as I say."

Sage laughed coldly, "Or what,
you're going to kill me?"

"No, I know your loyalty to that
half bread runs too deep for that threat to work on you my dear," she
cocked her head sideways as she studied Sage, almost as if she was looking into
her soul.  "But if I kill the princess you would lose this fight.  It
would be easy to take her life away."

Sage fought to keep her voice strong and
her eyes focused even as her heart tried to beat out of her chest, "You
would be caught.  No one can murder inside this realm and get away with it. 
There are many fae that are truth seers living within the very walls of this
palace."

Teya smiled a toothy grin, "Very
well.  I'll prove to you how easy it is."  She turned her eyes toward the
door leading back out into the hall where Sage had entered, "Destiny,
come."  The door opened only seconds later and the witty teen fae with
shimmering, shoulder length blond hair came through the door using as much
enthusiasm as a young girl being grounded for skipping school would have.

"Destiny dear, seems we had a
slight accident," Teya waved a hand at the shattered tabled on the far
side of the room.  "Mend it for me."

After giving Sage a curious glance
Destiny stood in front of the shards of wood and shattered glass waving her
hands through the air.  Like her fingers controlled the strings of a
marionette, the rubble moved and swayed.  Each piece edged its way into the
proper spot guided by the flick of Destiny's fingers.

Sage watched the simple but fine-tuned
power of the young fairy with awe until movement to her side drew her attention
away, "Sage, you wanted proof," said the Queen in a volume that could
be heard by everyone in the room and hinted of darkness.  Teya closed her eyes
as her power returned to the room.  It whipped and danced through the air like
wind from a hurricane racing across the space to where Destiny stood with her
back to it unaware of what was looming over her as she worked her magic on the
wounded table.

Sage stepped in between Teya and the
unsuspecting girl, "No, you can't do that."  She pleaded holding her
hands up in a sign of resignation, "I'll do it.  Just don't hurt
her."

The queen stopped her forward motion and
opened her eyes.  She glared at Sage, "You will watch and you will see
first-hand what I will do to Nicole should you fail."  Her voice was hard
and intimidating as she stared unblinking at Sage.  With a nod of her chin the
pulsing gray fog split into two streams.  The first cloud wrapped around Sage
from her ankles all the way up to cover her mouth as she fought to scream.  The
second rushed toward Destiny as she spun around to see Sage dangling inches
above the floor.

Destiny stared wide eyed but before the
gray viper of power could reach her she whipped her hand around her head like
she was winding a lasso.  The table she had just mended slung through the air
toward the queen at lightning speed.  The flying furniture hit its mark leaving
Teya temporally dazed and confused.

The power holding Sage weakened slightly
allowing her to free her face.  She looked over to the confused girl,
"Run!"

Destiny shook her head, "I can't
leave you," she yelled moving closer to Sage.

"Don't be a hero Destiny, run you
damn stupid
—
"

The rope holding Sage tightened until
she couldn't breathe, cutting off her plea.  Teya's dark, taunting laughter
echoed around the room like a ghost, "Destiny dear, you just made killing
you all the sweeter.  You're too much like Sage and one of her in this kingdom
is already one too many."

Destiny shook her head as she backed
away but it was too late.  The gray power struck out, cocooning the beautiful
young fairy.  All Sage could see were Destiny's big, blue eyes as they filled
with glimmering tears.  The girl struggled to break the power's hold on her but
within moments she collapsed to her knees.

"Stop it," Sage wheezed with
what little air was being allowed to fill her own desperate lungs.  Panic raced
through her veins as helplessness consumed her heart.  Her own vision started
to blur and warp in odd shapes but it didn't keep her from seeing the life
slipping away from Destiny with each ticking second.  The girl's features
slacked as tears streamed down her snow white skin and disappeared into the
gray mass that greedily took every last emotion from the girl.  Sage closed her
eyes, she didn't want to see Destiny take her last breath but she couldn't help
but hear her lifeless body hit the floor with a sickening thud.

Moments later Sage was dropped to the
floor and left gasping for air.  The power was slithering its way back to Teya
like a trained serpent to its master.  "How could you," Sage screamed
as her lungs burned and her chest heaved trying to recover.

Teya looked down at Destiny's lifeless
body, "Such a powerful feeling." She whispered admiring a job well
done.  "To be a God
—
decide who
should live and who should die," she sat down in her chair then turned to
Sage.  "I make good decisions in the interest of my kingdom.  I will never
hesitate to kill for us and you needed to see that for yourself, Sage.  Do not
doubt my conviction."

"I don't doubt that you're fucking
crazy," Sage hissed as she pulled herself to her feet.

"Call it what you will but I
believe we understand one another now, don't we?"

Sage stared into the Queen's face and
for the first time, could truly see the darkness lurking under that pure skin
and innocent eyes.  She wasn't sure if the queen truly believed that she was
doing the best thing for the fae people but she was sure that there was no way
around doing this.

**~***~**

Sage walked back up to her room in a
trance.  Her mind kept screaming out how wrong all of this was even though she
didn't have a choice
.  It would be better for her to forget all of this. 
She doesn't want this for her life
, she thought to herself as she opened
the door to her own room.  She sunk down in front of her bed and stared out the
open window across the room. 
She would rather live out a normal life, even
if it is a lie, than to be dead.

She watched the clouds rolling by
outside as she tried to clear her mind then gave up and dropped her head down
into her hands letting the tears fall that she had been holding back.  Images
of Destiny's lifeless body falling to the floor played out when she closed her
eyes, reminding her that this wasn't a bluff.  She had cost the young girl her
life, a life that she had just began to live, by butting heads with the Queen. 
She wouldn't risk Nicole's life.

Drying the tears away roughly with her
fingers she took a deep breath, solidifying her resolve to do what was best for
her friend even if Nicole wouldn't understand. "It doesn't matter anyway. 
When I'm done she won't remember me so she can't be mad," Sage sighed then
grabbed the bag of beauty supplies from her bed and hurried out the door.

All too fast Sage stood staring at the
large oak door that served as the last barrier between her and carrying out the
plans that would change Nicole's life forever.  Her heart beat in her chest as
if it was trying to escape the pain that was waiting on the other side of
wall.  She pulled the enchanted necklace from her waist band and stared into
the emerald stone as it dangled from her hand, "I can't do this." 
She hid the jewel back in her pants then backed away from the door knowing this
would be her own death sentence.

Have you forgotten so quickly, Sage?
  Teya's voice
rang out in her head stopping her where she stood.  The tone of the queen's
voice was sickly sweet making Sage's stomach tighten into a knot.

"No," Sage whispered.  Defeat
was suffocating her with each passing second.  She swallowed hard to push back
the bile rising in her throat.