Spurned Queen

Chapter 10: Stolen Power

Lexi

"The lies are fairly original, and the execution was perfect. Your tears looked so real; where did you learn to smell like whatever emotion you wanted? You're so very young."

I looked up at her. "You knew," I deadpanned.

"Not the whole time, though. You had me fooled most of the time."

I smiled a wry grin. "What gave me away?"

"The binding spell. That lie would have worked on anyone, but I would have seen it in your aura. Very few can fool me, Child. What is your real name?"

"My name for yours," I bargained.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Why do you want my name? Everyone knows me as the Wolfsbane Luna."

"Yes," I grinned, "but there is power in a name."

She raised an eyebrow. "That is true. A name—"

I didn't think. I didn't process what I was doing, or what I would do afterwards. I just saw her move her hand a certain way, and I knew she would not be able to react that fast, so...

I grabbed her finger and quickly pressed it to the tiny awaiting screen. Before she could react, I planted my foot and drove it into her belly in a vicious kick that sent her across the room. I leapt into the safe room, smashed the glass dome over the Pearl, and grabbed it. The thing pulsed with power.

I leapt out again, only to be sent flying through the air and crashing into her island. The Pearl rolled from my hands, but I crawled and snatched it again.

Another kick sent me into the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs. One of my ribs was shattered. I coughed blood but stayed on my feet.

She approached, her brown eyes now orange as her wolf touched the surface.

The Wolfsbane Luna wanted to kill me.

"Sorry, Luna," I gasped. "But I need this more than you need a family heirloom."

"You are very cunning," she snarled, "but I'll make you wish you weren't."

She attacked again. I swiftly dodged, moving to the side as she punched the wall where my face was moments ago. She was insanely fast for a woman that old, and she fought ruthlessly, kicking and throwing me multiple times. I could barely fight back because the Pearl Sea was extremely heavy! I wondered how something the size of a large bead could weigh over five kilos.

But she was serious about making me regret it. She seemed to be attempting to break every bone in my body, then break them all over again as they healed.

She battered me for a few minutes until I felt my blood loss levels escalate.

Deciding quickly, I placed the unnatural bead with moving patterns in it into my mouth. I stood up to her and fought, but my ribs were in splinters and I had several concussions. I only managed to dodge a few hits before she punched me straight in the jaw.

I swallowed the Pearl Sea.

And as it went down, it burned.

Searing pain like I had never known before hit me like lightning, sizzling its way through my soul. I let out a bloodcurdling shriek.

I fell to my knees, still screaming, as the pain ripped through my insides. It fried its way down my arms, my legs, leaving me screaming on the floor. White flames bordered my vision of the Luna staring at me with barely concealed fear. The electric pain singed up my neck and to my head, leaving everything it touched feeling like it was charred and burnt. Everything in me was realigned and repaired, but it came at the price of the most unbearable, intense pain.

I screamed and kicked wildly on the floor, fighting the fierce pain that tore through me, jerking me back and forth ruthlessly as if it wanted to rip out my spine.

I screamed. Bitterly, desperately.

I barely noticed my blonde hair dangling at its normal length. Was my whole disguise burned away?

I screamed miserably as my body convulsed, lurching and twitching on the floor.

The pain lessened, enough to allow me to feel the soreness of my throat and the throbbing of my head. My vision was given back to me. It lessened so quickly that by the time I could choke down more cries, all I could feel was a tingling hot sensation in my fingertips, like they were sparking.

Hands gripped my shoulders and shoved my chin up to look at the Luna. "Stop this at once! Pain or no, I will not allow you to destroy this building. There are hundreds of important wolves here, not to mention the Royals— if this building collapses it means war, everywhere," she growled down at me.

It was at that moment that I noticed the smoke in the air. I cast glances around that showed me that there had literally been a tornado in here while I was screaming in agony, and a few things had caught fire. The ground trembled below.

But the power inside me was still far too much. It still shook my soul, tingled along my arms, and rang in my ears.

It was too much.

I had to get out of here. I swiftly created a spear of air and smashed a window on the opposite side of the apartment, following it quickly as I leapt out.

The insanely powerful wards outside smothered all my magic completely, giving me temporary relief from the sensations killing me.

However, as soon as I fell past the hamper zone, my newly acquired powers hit me with full force. They bashed into my form, sending me careening to the ground. I dared not scream for fear of scaring all the children in the house. I went spinning through the air behind the house, my jaw wired shut, enduring the heat and suffocation attacking me.

All sounds were suddenly silenced in exchange of a sound that reminded me of gurgling. My eyes opened briefly to see a mass off murky blue-green and swarms of bubbles. The water rushed into my mouth and nose with a mind of its own, forcing its way down my trachea and into my lungs.

I only kicked a few times before I could continue no more.

Honestly, I was grateful when I was finally pulled from consciousness.

***

"Scourge," the voice hissed.

"Who... who are you?" I panted weakly. The light was too bright. Something dark skittered on the edge of my vision.

"Shhhh... I? I am the Power you stole. You stole," the voice snarled harshly in my ear behind me.

"I had to," I whirled around, only catching a black form slipping out of sight in the endless white fog.

Another hissing snarl was heard, the creep of something dangerous crawling on my bones. "You stole," it whispered. "You are worthy but a thief. I will not serve you willingly."

"You were my only hope," I cried. "I had no choice."

A shrill ring like the tail of a rattlesnake sounded. "Take what you need, O Scourge. Take more, and I will extract from you a price and interest. For you were not given this power, nor was it yours to begin with. You are a thief. You stole..."

Tears rose to my eyes. "I had no choice!" I screamed again into the whiteness.

"I will not serve you willingly!" the voice screeched back at me. "I will not serve you willingly. Take what you need. Take more and I will take double from you! I will serve the Scourge, but I will not serve you willingly!"