Mystic - EN version

Chapter 9 : Storm

Suddenly, Duke Arthur was thrown across the room by a violent gust of wind. Clave fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. She had not felt the Duke's lash and everything around her was golden.

"What... Why... Why did I..."

Clave was so stunned she couldn't even think two words in a row. She noticed Catherine staring at her, her eyes wide open, and wondered why.

As the young girl was crouched down, she leaned on the ground to get up, but she was staggering. She felt weak. And she was still seeing gold, she didn't know why. Had she gone mad, after only a week in this place?

Glancing at Duke Arthur, Clave saw him already getting to his feet, having just been thrown by a storm. Well, was it really a storm? Clave would have liked to know... She looked down and suddenly noticed that her pendant was glowing with an intense blue light. She could even feel an immense force emanating from it.

Catherine was still staring at Clave, who was surrounded by a golden storm that looked like magic, but she snapped out of her surprise for a moment to see that Duke Arthur was closing in on the young girl, and that he looked to be in a fury without a name.

– Clave... Are you alright?

On hearing her name, the young servant girl looked up at her friend in panic. Catherine noticed that her eyes shone with a powerful golden light, as golden as the storm that was blowing around her. However, despite this violent storm, the room was not ravaged.

"So this is magic," thought Catherine, speechless.

– Cath..., whispered a voice. Cath...

It took Catherine a moment to realise that Clave was talking to her.

– What... What happened, Cath?

– I don't know any more than you do, but we have to leave, the Duke is angry.

– But... Wait! protested the young maid. Why did my necklace react like that?

Catherine grimaced. She didn't know any more than the young girl.

– Clave, can you... Can you stop this storm, please? she asked, watching Duke Arthur out of the corner of her eye.

But he was no longer there.

He pushed Catherine aside without really paying attention to her and approached Clave, his eyes greedy for power and an evil smile pasted on his lips.

– No... Stop! cried Catherine without thinking, as Clave pressed herself more and more against the wall, terrified.

How could she not be, in such a situation?

Duke Arthur grabbed the frail arm of his servant, who gasped. He pulled up the sleeve of his black robe to her shoulder. Catherine, for her part, couldn't see what he was looking at, but she did notice the awful expression on his face.

– At last... after all that searching... it's definitely her! Wonderful! he murmured.

"What is he talking about?" wondered Catherine, but she preferred to keep her thoughts to herself.

He began to snicker, then to laugh louder and louder, a laugh that made the maid tremble. Then Duke Arthur snapped his fingers and the golden storm that had enveloped Clave until then disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, neutralised by a kind of silver steam. Catherine couldn't believe it. The scene unfolding before her eyes was almost unreal. She could just as easily have been dreaming.

She noticed that Clave had fainted, probably from exhaustion. She hadn't even been on her feet a few moments ago. It was as if the storm she had created had sucked out all her energy. Duke Arthur, still paying no attention to the maid standing next to him, took Clave in his arms and stood up.

– Wait! stopped Catherine, kneeled on the floor. What are you going to do to her?

Duke Arthur turned around very slowly, surprised by the intervention of the maid, whom he hadn't even noticed until now.

– You're just in time. Go and find my sister. She'll take better care of her, he said, pointing to Clave with his chin.

Catherine stood up so as not to have to raise her head too much towards her interlocutor, but even tiptoeing made no difference.

What was he to think of her, the reserved little maid with the wild hair who tried to stand up to him?

- Go and find my sister, repeated Duke Arthur. I won't say it a third time.

- No, replied Catherine suddenly.

She widened her hazel eyes in shock. She was the one who had said that? She had stood up to her master, she was going to be punished! But she might as well carry on...

- You... You haven't answered me! What are you going to do to her? She's just an ordinary servant...

"Of course not, stupid, you saw for yourself! To have powers like Clave has, you have to be very powerful, and therefore special!' exclaimed a little voice in her head.

Seeing that Duke Arthur didn't reply, Catherine lowered her eyes to the ground, intimidated. Duke Arthur turned his back on her and, with Clave in his arms, left the room without a word.