Tanzanite Star

Chapter 6

Flying along the halls of the castle, I gazed out at the clouded windows. The corridors were specifically built so that Mages and Terrans could walk and there still be plenty of room for any Angelica whom wished to fly from place to place. I had a number of reasons for choosing this method of travel: having broken wings, even for a short amount of time, makes you appreciate them more; it was so much quicker and less tiring than walking; and finally, the view was so spectacular.

Reds and golds reflected off each and every cloud bump, creating a wash of colour that could only be seen if you were up this early in the day. Therefore, it felt more secretive and as though the sky was giving only you a hint of its spectacular beauty.

Landing only a couple of corridors away from my own quarters, I knocked gently on the wooden door. I had decided to call on Rebel to see how she was doing and show her the way to the breakfast area.

Almost immediately, the door was yanked open and the white haired girl appeared nervously behind it. Amazingly, she was already dressed and had her hair combed nicely. She looked a lot more rejuvenated after a good night sleep but still did everything softly, including talking.

"You must be a morning person then," I commented, nodding down the hallway indicating our walk direction.

Nodding slowly, Rebel padded across the floor after me. I found it unusual the way she held her hands together on top of her skirt.

"Did you have a good sleep?" I asked, smiling warmly at her.

"The bed was extremely soft, much nicer than sleeping on the floor," Rebel admitted.

I laughed, "I would certainly hope so."

Rebel smiled tentatively. "Amethyst.."

I stopped her with a stern hand, "my friends call me Amy."

Rebel's shocked mouth turned into a small 'O'. "I'm sorry."

This time it was my turn to look puzzled, "don't be sorry, I just wanted you to know that we are friends."

Rebel gave a curt nod, breathed in deeply and began again; "Amy, I've been thinking about some of the things said yesterday and I realised you were all talking about my mother as if you knew something about her that I didn't. Would you please tell me what that it? Do you know where she is? Will I be able to see her again?"

I turned my head away from Rebel, unable to look her in the eye. Those eyes, so full of hope that I would be able to give her the answers she needed. That hope which I was about to crush.

"I'm sorry, the King used her in a spell, years ago," I explained.

"What kind of spell?" Rebel asked after a small pause.

This time I stared my new friend right in the eyes. "The worst kind."

"Oh, okay."

Sighing, I placed my arms around Rebel and brought her into a hug. She stiffened under my touch.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled worriedly into my ear.

Pulling back, I looked at her in concern. "Have you never been hugged before?"

"If that was a hug, then no. The King only touched me when he wanted to hurt me." As if instinctively, Rebels hand slid up and held her neck protectively.

"Well, a hug is used to show affection or compassion. I wanted to give you support as you found out your mum is dead," I explained.

Rebel nodded, "it was nice." She admitted, smiling slightly.

"Good, because Comet is undoubtedly going to give you quite a few now your her friend," I warned her nodding through the doors of the banquet hall we'd just reached.