Wings of Fire: The Kingdom of the Sea | ✔️

~ The Kingdom of the Sea: Chapter 16 ~

Hare expected the world to go dark, to feel pain blazing through her body, but she felt nothing.

She opened her eyes. The cave was still in front of her. She still felt the cave below her and felt Orca on top of her. For a moment, she wasn't sure if she'd really felt Orca's claws on her throat.

Orca lifted Hare's head and looked at her neck.

"How is that possible?" she whispered. "I felt my claws break skin! You should be bleeding out." Orca looked into Hare's eyes. "Are you an animus?"

"No," Hare replied. "I don't understand it either. I should be dead."

No, you shouldn't. You're far too important to die.

Mystery! How-

I saved you, Hare. You're protected from the harm these lost souls could bring.

Thank you.

Orca got off Hare and stared her down.

"You're an odd thing, really odd. I don't understand you."

"I could say the same about you," Hare said, getting to her talons. "Why would you choose to go somewhere so horrible? Why would you choose to be cruel?"

Orca glared at her. "It'd be a mistake to tell you. You deserve to know nothing." She leaned closer until their noses were touching. "You can't stay protected forever, Hare. One day, we will kill you. And we won't give you time to talk before."

"Orca!"

"My mother needs me," Orca said, her eyes staying fixed on Hare as she passed. Hare held her breath until Orca left.

She just tried to put a spell on you.

What? How? Wait, Orca's an animus?!

Yes, couldn't you tell? She tried to enchant you to forget about this and live in constant fear, that way you'd be less prepared and be tortured with paranoia until she killed you.

That's insane! I thought you couldn't enchant dragons?

Orca's very powerful. Her magic grows as she continues visiting the Place of Lost Souls. Albatross teaches her things no dragon should know. There's hardly any good left in Orca.

Hare felt a stab of pity for her. Clearly the Place of Lost Souls was making her evil, but she remembered what Dolphin had said about Clownfish. He hadn't always been that way, so maybe Orca hadn't either.

She was. She was always destined to be this way.

Stay out of my thoughts!

Be glad I'm here. I just saved your life.

And I'm very grateful, but I'd appreciate some privacy.

Hare, I need to stay connected to you. That's the only way you'll stay safe from the lost souls. It's the only way I can keep you alive.

That's absurd!

But true.

"I can't believe this," Hare muttered.

You better, because your fate is coming sooner than you think.