Taking Back The Crown – Part Nineteen

Half a year since they’d won the battle, and Sonya was still working tirelessly with the other magicians to restore the Palace and other homes in Litia. They sent out the message that Litia had been reclaimed. Slowly but surely, families and individuals came back to reclaim their properties. They formed an emergency government with Sonya at its head, planning for a proper election within the next three years. Their main project was rebuilding the Litian academy, a school that would educate both magical and non-magical students.

 Sonya had never really given up hope that Naria and Trin would return. However, she knew that Litia needed and wanted its Queen. Under pressure, she agreed to a coronation ceremony, scheduled after the Palace would be completed. It was going to be Litia’s fresh start, but she knew that she couldn’t begin until she had determined one last thing.

 One evening, she warped to the Natetic Training grounds. It was midday there, and the sun shone down on her. Sonya hoped it was a good omen. Luck did seem to be on her side, she came across nobody as she walked to the old combat room they’d trained in. They must all have been eating their main meal. As she waited for him, she looked out of the window and told herself that if he stayed here, she’d understand. It would still hurt, but he would have his reasons.

 “Hello?” Sonya swung around to see him. He suddenly dropped the tray of tea he was holding. She winced and hoped that the noise would not attract the elders. “Sonya?”

 She nodded. She wondered if he would recognize her, even without the scars. It had been five years for her, and a year for Seta. There was a big difference between fourteen and nineteen, but did Seta still see her as a child? Sonya swallowed. She hoped not.

 “Where have you been?” He stepped over the mess on the floor and grabbed her arms. “You’re so much older.” She looked him in the eyes.

 “Litia.” she replied, honestly.

“Is that where you’re from? Sonya, why did you leave? I was angry, but I didn’t think you’d run away. I didn’t want you to go away.”

 “I came back before. You didn’t recognize me, but I came back.” Seta’s eyes widened.

 “That was you? What happened to you? The elders never told me…”

 “The elders haven’t told you much, have they? They forbade me from coming back here. They knew who I was, where I was from, and they neglected to tell you.” Sonya explained.  “Let me show you where I’ve been, what I’ve been doing.” She held out her hand and Seta took it.

Sonya teleported them both into the foyer of the Palace, which had been decorated for the Coronation. Seta looked around, taking in the view, especially through the windows where the ravaged city could easily be seen.

 “The country was attacked and I lost all of my family on the night that you found me. They’re crowning me as Queen tonight.” she said. Seta closed his eyes.

 “The Litian Royal Family. I’ve heard of them. I should have known.” He opened his eyes again to see Sonya smiling.

 “I think Litia deserves a Queen that’s actually completed her training. Will you help me, even though the elders forbid it?” she asked.

 “As long as you are honest with me from now on…”

 “I promise. Always.”

 “…I’ll assist you in any way that I can.”

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Taking Back The Crown – Part Seven

“You hesitate too much. You’re thinking, that’s a good thing, trust me, I didn’t think at all when I first started training. I’d just lash out and my mentor would walk circles around me. But you are thinking too much. You shouldn’t need that much time to make judgements, trust the first one that comes to you.”

Sonya stood on the opposite side of the combat room, a sweaty layer forming on her back, trying to take Seta’s advice in. Part of the problem laid in the fact she constantly had to scale down her true power. If he realized how strong she really was, they might figure out who she was and not let her stay. Besides, she might end up killing Seta in the unlikely event that she actually landed a blow on him. Power wasn’t everything. Seta was extremely fast, elegant and he made controlling his strength look easy. Even if Sonya wasn’t holding back, she wouldn’t win.

She supposed that was why they’d let him become a mentor early. Normally, a student did not become a mentor until they were thirty. Then again, Sonya was a year younger than all the other new students. She was also much more female. They had all stared at first. Some still did. She didn’t know what they thought of her. Students here did not socialize much with each other. Everyone travelled around in their mentor/student couplings.

Seta was a good mentor to her. When Trin or Naria had escaped the “abyss” the Rutilus had put them in, she’d be ready to fight with them.

Taking Back The Crown: Part Five

So, I’ve been recovering from my compulsory tour. It was pretty tiring, but certainly a very interesting place. It was quite inspiring and I hope to be able to do some flash fiction based on the things I saw in the near future.

Today’s post is a little longer, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

It had been three days since Sonya had accepted her invitation to stay, but now she was growing anxious. Where was Trin? She’d walked to the path every day and sat under the same tree. She did her exercises and waited. And waited. And waited. She knew that something was wrong. Sonya knew that Trin had told her not to go back to the Palace by herself, but she couldn’t just stay here forever. If she could get into the Palace without being seen and just find out what was going on, maybe she wouldn’t be taking that much of a risk.

In the corridor near the ballroom, there was a small cubbyhole in the wall that was hidden behind a dull, greying tapestry. Sonya transported herself to inside the hole; hopefully nobody would look behind the tapestry. She could hear a buzz of activity. Harsh Rutilus voices drew near.

“Has anyone heard from Vyant?” one voice rasped.

“No. He wait to tell anyone else where Trin hid the little girl before leaving. The little bitch probably killed him.” The second voice was human. Female.

“We need to find her. She might be a kid now, but she’ll cause problems in the future.”

“She can’t defeat us on her own, and Trin and Naria are gone. They’re never coming back to bother us.” The woman was triumphant.

“How can you be sure of that?”

“There’s an abyss in the Back Desert that’s so deep, by the time you stop falling, you’re in Hell. We threw them down there. The evil aura that pervades the desert? That abyss is the source. Litian Royalty has been vanquished there before. It’s well documented.”

Without realizing it, Sonya gave out a despairing moan. The voices stopped and the tapestry was ripped back. Sonya found herself looking into the black eyes of woman she’d never seen before. She had piercings and tattoos similar to traditional Rutilus ones. If she’d had the time, Sonya would have wondered if she’d spent time in the Back Desert. The Rutilus was only a metre behind this sorceress, his eyes full of glee at their find.

Before Sonya had time to think, the dark eyed magician tried to hit her with some plasma, but she rolled out of the cubbyhole just on time, straight between the woman’s legs and the attack missed. The woman tried to turn around but Sonya attacked the back of her head, sending a spray of blood into the tapestry. As Sonya watched the magician slump forward, a searing pain whipped across her shoulder and back. She turned to see the Rutilus raising a ball of energy in his hand. He threw it and she reflected it back at him, sending him flying back against the wall.

By the time her enemies were unconscious, more Rutilus and magicians were running towards her from all directions. She warped back to Natetern before they could grab her.