Blade of Queens

Chapter 6 | Aurora

AURORA SILVERLIGHT

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The palace grounds quaked violently and the clouds moved swiftly in the air.

Thunderheads formed clusters in the sky. All was quiet except for the sounds of rumbling thunder and lightning bolts striking. Aurora's grandmother sat still in the courtyard throne as she watched her grandchildren fight. Servants eased by, gifting the reigning monarch with vin du ordinare and sweet mountain berries. Lady Jianne's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Milady, would you like me to summon the Court Master?" A servant asked as he removed an empty wine glass."They're making quite the fuss."

Lady Jianne shook her head in disapproval. Her granddaughter's pain was the source of her daily entertainment. Lady Jianne dismissed her mousy servant. The servant quickly scampered away in fear of punishment.

"You're weak!" A thunderbolt was thrown.

"Incompetent," another thunderbolt whizzed past Aurora, inches from her face. Her cheeks stung from shallow slices.

"You're a disgrace to this family!"

The last thunderbolt pierced Aurora's right clavicle. As it vanished, electrical currents burned through the nerves of her shoulder. She lurched forward, tears brimming her eyes.

Lady Jianne arose from her pretty throne as Aurora stepped before her brother. Aurora was determined to win this fight, whether her grandmother liked it or not. Her brother, Auris, planted his feet ready to charge. Aurora was wary of his next move, yet ready to shield herself. The tension built in Aurora's temples as she waited. A small smirk spread across her brother's face. Static electricity sparked at the tips of his fingers. He was ready to strike.

"Blue Bolt!" Auris bellowed his signature battle cry as he charged at Aurora. Lightning blasted from the palm of his hand, manifesting into a blazing blue thunderbolt.

Aurora rapidly used the wind around her to create a clear force field. The thunderbolt dissipated at the touch of the barrier. Without warning, the force field disappeared, exposing her once more. Auris began charging again, this time armored with his Skyforce Blade—a fairly small blade that discharged pure light photons. The blade itself was simple enough. Even the smallest of graze could fry one's skin.

In an instant, Aurora placed her palms together and formed her fingers into a triangle shape. She softly blew into the hollow of her fingers "Tri-fold Wind Palm," The soft blow produced a swirl of wind. The ball of wind floated, jabbing Auris in the stomach, stunning him.

Aurora fell onto her back as a spell hit her directly in the chest. The impact hurled her across the courtyard. She scrambled on the ground as the atmosphere surrounding her expanded. It became increasingly harder to breathe as her chest tightened. Aurora lay suffocating.

Never in her life has she been attacked by someone of her Tenjuian status. Every inch of her body screamed for help. The lining of her lungs burned like wildfire with every breath. Her brain pounded against the thick of her skull, pleading in agony for a gush of fresh oxygen.

"Get up," Lady Jianne snarled. She released her hold on Aurora.

It wasn't long before Aurora's lungs filled up again. She panted as she caught her breath. Of all things, she didn't expect the almighty Jianne Silverlight to stoop low enough that she had to attack a tenju of her own kind let alone her own progeny.