April
The guards lift me up from my armpits. My shoulders already hurt from straining against the chains to get away from whatever monster had possessed Caleb. They shook Caleb awake, careful to keep their spotless black uniforms impeccable.
I pulled against the chains gritting my teeth as the chains continued to rub against the sores.
"Caleb! Can you help me, please?"
He ignored me, and leaned against the van, arms crossed. He glared at me, then continued chatting with a guard. The guard holding onto me dragged me, my feet having no purchase on the slippery ground.
I looked down, half expecting to see glass, but it was gold and white marble. It was as reflective as a mirror, and I could make out the shape of a large spiral tower, the sun glinting mischievously as it peeked behind it. Other towers were there too. One branched off in five directions, each a different color and shape. One was a large tree. The others were cream colored stone, seemingly impenetrable.
The middle one however, was a twinning tower of silver and gold, twice the size of all the other towers and flanked by Statues and buildings. This is where they were taking me.
They turned sharply, and dropped me behind a folded curtain. A few maids entered, and started stripping me of my clothes. Bewilderment flashed over my features, and I fought the urge to run.
Someone laughed, but it wasn't the maids. It was distinctly male, and I spun around to see a uniformed man leaning against the wall. I wrapped my arms around my chest, but he shook his head. "It's all right. I'm not interested in women."
"You—you aren't?"
"Nope."
"Well that's a relief."
He laughed, holding one hand to his bulging belly.
"I like you. What's your name, sweetheart?"
"My friends call me Sye."
"Well, Sye. That's quite a peculiar name you have. I'm Baron Glod. Head Judge of the Fire Court."
The maids rushed off, bringing with them my clothes. Something itched my side, and I looked down. Gold chiffon wrapped around me Roman style, with my chains wrapped around the belt.
The sleeve, knotted up in a puffy bow, could be high fashion among Romans visiting England. My hair was plaited, and Baron Clock offered me his hand. "Gold is a special ceremonial color. It could mean wealth. Or it could mean greed. Both have consequences that you could run into inside the court. Choose your words wisely, lest there be an effect you do not wish to have."
He disappeared, leaving me to my thoughts outside the giant gold plated door. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach. Fear racked through me, freezing my blood and my muscles. Hands shoved me forward, not onto the door, but into the cool air of the courtroom. Faces and eyes turned to meet mine, curious stares and quirky smiles. Whispers, some similar and different to the monster's voice.
Silence.
Disrupted by a single voice, deep and loud, echoing across the room.
"Miss April Blue, you have been accused of stealing a precious royal heirloom. How do you stand?"
Nothing could've prepared me for this. The nerve-wracking chills crept through.
"I stand. . . As an innocent. I stand here as Cherubims Queen, the Lost Princess Cypress."
"A dangerous accusation, Miss Blue. What evidence do you have?"
"Well, I have wings." I swallowed, trying to force the quake out of my voice. "And I. . .would like to have any glamours taken down."
YOU ARE READING
The Lost Heiress Of Hyperion
FantasyApril has always been told to never enter the Forbidden Woods. They told her of frightening monsters that swallowed up the UnCounts who dared defy the Councils rules. Until her Grandmother dies, she thought she was an UnCount, but then she stows awa...
