Shadows of a Broken Past: A Shard of Faith (Book one)

Chapter 12:

Red. 

White. 

Blue. 

Green. 

Violet. 

Colours everywhere. 

Everything was spinning. 

Where am I? Why can I feel now? 

Am I still floating? 

Why is there light? 

I opened my eyes. Colours were still spilling into every line of my vision. I looked around, feeling like my head was going to burst from everything around me. 

I twisted and looked down, seeing I had a body. My body. I hadn't seen myself for years. 

I flailed around for a moment before realizing I could stand. I set myself on the ground, looking around. I was walking on air, really. I looked around. 

The whole realm was spinning in a downwards sense. 

'Hello?' I called out. No sound, just that Exor-awful ringing. I tried again. 'Hello?'

Again, nothing. I sighed and looked at my hands. In them was a sketchbook, filled with drawings. At first, it was of a variety of men and women with wings sprouting from their backs: fairy wings, feathered ones, scaly ones....but then they turned into images of the same person: a tall, handsome young man.  

This boy, this unfamiliar boy, had two wings spread out widely behind him and a malicious yet playful look on his face. He held a sword out in front of him but and he had three long tail feathers swishing behind him. His eyes were sparkling. 

My heart thumped in my chest and my eyes widened. I felt a heat streak across my face. Who was this, and what was this effect this....this person I have never seen before had on me?

Who was he?

I shook myself off. 'Is anyone there?'

There was a pause. 'Who's there?' Came a soft velvety voice. I turned. There, a little ways away from me, was a girl dressed violet. She had a skirt that came down to just below her knees that was trimmed with dark purple-black lace and a pale violet blouse with a ribbon the same colour as the lace just under the collar, like a bow tie. She had her arms crossed over her chest as if she was cold, and her long ginger braid fell down her back like a rope. 

 I stepped forward and as I did so, she stepped back. 'I won't hurt you.' I said. 

'Who are you?' The girl repeated, heeding my words and walking close warily. 'I'm Gem. Of Crystal Cliffs.' No sound came from her lips but I could hear her clear as the colours I could see around me in my head. She had a wonderful voice. 

I stepped forward again, noticing the red crystal dangling around her neck, identical to the one around mine, except hers had violet smoke mingling with pale pink swirling inside it, whereas his only had dark red-purple. 'I am Xornoth of Rivendell.' 

The ginger-haired girl, Gem, gasped and raised her hand to her mouth. 'Scott's brother?' She asked. 'The one controlled by Exor?'

I stepped back, looking away in shame. 'Yes. That's me.' I took a deep breath before looking at her, flaring my violet wings. 'Is he okay? Do you know of him?'

Gem sighed. 'Yes, I know him. He is my friend.' She narrowed her eyes. 'Why aren't you attacking me?'

I rolled his eyes. 'I can't.' I said bluntly. 'I have no weapons besides, why would I? I'm not evil.' 

'You've killed your own mother!' Gem yelled. 'Queen Snowebreeze is dead because of you!'

'I....I what?' I felt my heart drop. 'She's....gone?'

'She is.'

'What have I missed?' I lowered my eyes and sat down. 'What has happened?' I asked, fiddling with the sketchbook in my hands. I opened it to a new page, pulling out a pencil and absentmindedly starting to draw again. 

Gem sat down across from me. 'I don't know.' She said. 'I was just....brought here.' She gasped and put her hand to her mouth. 'Katherine!' She said, eyes wide. 'I hurt Katherine!'

I was silent for a moment. 'Who's Katherine?' I asked slowly. 

Gem gave me a startled look. 'The queen of House Blossom? You know, the daughter of Dowager Queen Estasia?'

'But I though that Meghan was Estasia and Matthew's crown heir.' I said, visibly confused. 

'All of Katherine's family was trapped in their cat forms when Katherine became Queen. No one knows how or why.' 

'What did you do?'

Gem rubbed her face. 'I don't know, but isn't this....' She lifted the pendant crystal around her neck. 'Isn't this her....spirit-thingy?' 

I examined it from where I was, still sketching. 'Well, yes, technically.' I said finally. 

Gem sent me a horrified look, and I hurriedly raised my hands. 'But she's not dead!' I said hurriedly, hoping so give her some relief. 

The woman glared at me. 'How is that supposed to help my peace of mind?" She demanded. 

'Because there's a chance to save your friend.' I said. 'But they have to hurry, because if by the clock strikes midnight exactly thirty days after her soul was taken.... They'll never get her back.'

'But aren't our spirits trapped in here too?' Gem asked. 'Will we perish soon as well?'

This made me hesitate, but I found my answer. 'No.' I said slowly, in a quiet voice. 'We won't. I have been in here for the past ten years, and I have not lost my body.' 

I looked down at the sketch and sighed.  'I believe it's because we were directly corrupted by Exor; I on my ceremony day, you about a week or so ago. We won't die, so long as Exor possesses us and we have our spirits in the crystals around our necks. But Katherine doesn't have either luxury, and neither of us has command of our bodies: Exor does.'

'So how do we save my friend?' Gem had tears in her eyes. 

I went silent. 'I do not know. And we couldn't tell anyone either.' I say, looking down at the now-complete drawing of the same boy from before. I growled in frustration and shook my head before showing Gem the picture. 'Do you know who this is?'

She examined my art. 'Yes.' She said. 'I do. This is Joey, king of the Lost Empire.'

I stared at the image. 'Why am I drawing him? I've only every heard of the prince from letters and ambassadors visiting Rivendell.'

Gem shrugged. 'I don't know.' She said. 'But it might be an omen.'

I nodded slowly. 'Maybe.' 

This boy I had never met had captivated me. I yearned to know more about him. 

Somehow, deep down, I knew: 

This boy would have great importance, both to me and to all of our futures. 

————

SURPRISE!

It's Xornoth's POV!

To be clear: every time it's Xornoth's chapter, it'll be in first-person, so don't get confused. It's so that you can feel more of how his life was during his corruption. 

-Quiet