PART I | "Are you really a queen if your world is in ashes?" |
After a devastating attack destroys her palace, Sera finds refuge on Earth and meets Matthew, the confident leader of the Allegiant Academy. This academy is the last defense against a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
In the wild world, there was no more desperate creature than a human being on the verge of losing love.
Teshia blinked, taking in the world around her. The challenges she'd faced to reach this point brought back the reasons she'd come here and sought him out above everyone else.
"You're Ezra's daughter," Matthew's voice echoed in the dim infirmary.
He observed how she had been, death-like in her features, her energy drawn from her, sullen eyes; she was exhausted beyond reason.
Teshia's gaze shifted from the emptiness around her to the soldier seated opposite, leaning forward with elbows on his knees, scrutinizing the battered woman.
"Skarsgard," she weakly uttered, "Vause sent me."
Hesitantly he breathed in, assuming that the Mage had, and while he still had his suspicions if this had been a trick from their enemy, there was something within him, with how Teshia looked at him that made him believe there might be genuine intent behind it.
Shifting on the bed, Teshia, visibly feeble, succumbed to the plea of her bones for rest, evident in her struggle to keep her eyes open.
"Your wounds seem to have healed quickly," he remarked, taking note of this detail.
Teshia nodded and responded, "Yes," placing her hand on her chest, "I tapped into the powers. It's what helped me escape."
Today unfolded unexpectedly, as Teshia surprised him by extracting a crystal from her chest, its dazzling blue glow filling the room.
Speechless, he witnessed her struggle to stay conscious. Deprived of the powers that had been healing her wounds, the energy drain was taking a toll on her, making it challenging for her to remain awake.
"Vause told me," Teshia's voice quivered, tears streaming down her face as she recalled the traumatic memory. "He instructed me to find you when they ambushed for us."
"Who came for you? For them?" he urgently inquired, his voice escalating.
"The Sorceress," her eyes blurred, acknowledging the likely fate Vause had faced. He wouldn't have submitted to that woman. "The Sorcerer..." she trembled at the flashbacks of their ruthlessness when they killed everyone around her.
Teshia wept softly, her hand covering her mouth, and the crystal seamlessly reabsorbed into her body. Matthew observed her trembling hands, attempting to contain the tears, grappling with the overwhelming realization of what had forsaken Vause.
"They came for us," the gasping breath continued, "they killed everyone that tried to protect me, and the mages just were just dying everywhere I turned..I...I." She hyperventilated.
"Teshia," Matthew's brows furrowed, "I know this is difficult. Where did you get your crystal from?"
Her head shot up to Matthew, nodding. "Months ago, they showed up with it, and when the time was right, I took them," Teshia shook her head in chaotic fear. "Both of the crystals, and then I ran for it." Her hand clutched her heart, where the crystal had retreated to.
"I'm not... quite..." Matthew was confused.
"Your princess turned up with them. She had both of them."
"Maddy?" Matthew's eyes widened. "Wait, is she alive!?"
Teshia shook her head. "I really don't think she is. I've been on the run for months now with the mages before we were caught. Before I left, they were torturing her, trying to get information about her, about you." She flickered her eyes between his own, and he swallowed hard.
Matthew was torn, unsure if Madison could have provided anything valuable. However, if she had, it would have put her cousin in danger, and Matthew knew above all else that Madison did not want Eko harmed.
"Okay," Matthew leaned forward, "when did you escape, what's my timeline here?"
"Sometime before Christmas, I think," she nodded, confusion evident in her attempt to recall dates. Everything was a blur for her.
"So, you've been laying low for about nine months now?" Matthew processed the information. "And when did they catch up with you? When were you attacked?"
"Today," Teshia's lip quivered. "This morning. I'm not sure how they found us. There was this new guy, never seen him before. He's different from the sorceress and sorcerer. They all bowed to him. He's a nightmare, with these pitch-black claws and horns on his head. He towered over everyone. His eyes, Matthew, it was something else entirely. Slitted pupils, like the darkest black pools mixed with this amber of green. It was chilling. "
"The crystals could've drawn them to you," Matthew shook his head, "did you use their powers at all?"
Teshia shook her head fiercely, staring down at the man intently. "It was like he knew where we were hiding. I don't know if we were betrayed, but if so, by whom? None of it makes sense. He said they were not to be a part of the war."
"Not to be a part of the war?" Matthew reiterated, and Teshia nodded.
"It doesn't make sense; I swear it was like he knew something we didn't. He knew how to fight the mages, and they don't fight! They're peaceful, you know that! He knew every tactic, every spell." With Teshia's outburst, Matthew watched as the inconsolable woman completely broke down, gasping for air; the grief of losing the Mage consumed her.
Matthew moved forward from his seat to her bed, sitting on the edge, and instinctively, the woman latched onto his shirt as she heaved, trying to gain air.
"Teshia, did they kill Vause?" he whispered.
"I-I don't... k-know," and she lost her rationality.
The hysterical cries from the events that had transpired forced Matthew to sit with her for the longest time, patiently waiting until she had fallen asleep. There he took a moment to understand what was happening to their world before he made his next move forward.
He just couldn't bring himself to break the news to Eko that Madison might have faced torture before her death. Some truths don't offer solace, and Eko was already drowning in guilt for not being able to save her. For choosing him over her
It didn't feel right to burden her with this harsh reality, especially when the chances of Madison being alive were slim. And even if she was, the mystery of her whereabouts would take a lot of effort on his part to find her and until he had something solid, he knew he had to keep that from her.
But, if there was even a glimmer of hope, he would give everything he had to find her. Madison was Eko's real family, and keeping that family together was his top priority.
With a heavy sigh, he let Teshia get some much-needed rest. There was work to be done, starting with revisiting the site of the attack. His main goal was to look for any clues of where their enemies came from and where they were going. It seems the war war ramping up again and it did not bode well for him.
