Amethyst Gem- Completed

Chapter 32

My eyes shot around the room, taking in the destruction and those located in the remains. A male ran into the room, obviously having heard the power which had taken place, his wide eyes staring at me in shock, dust causing his pale skin to be concealed behind ash and cuts.

Frozen in place I watched as another face appeared behind him, her grey eyes glinting dangerously. It was Karina and her rebels.

I watched, stunned at what had happened, along with their sudden appearance. In the back of my head I could hear Karina order her people around the disaster zone, using magic to clean up the mess and keep those left alive in check.

"Thomas and Carter I require your assistance in the west quarter," Karina ordered them to follow her as they charged past me. The silver eyed boy glancing at me uncertainly as they past.

I felt the silence pushing into me, trapping all emotions from the outside reaching in. Clearly seeing people move methodically around me, I couldn’t help but feel out of place. A shiver shot down my spine sending shudders down my arms and legs. I could feel a cold sweat forming on my brow and my breathing became heavy.

"H-Hope?" I stuttered uselessly.

No one answered me. I felt a space inside of me that had been emptied of Hope. I soon realised that she must have used up all of her strength to attack the King before he could harm us.

Glancing up to the spot the King had been standing, I saw a dark smudge against the wall, tall and sturdy as I had last seen the King. Our noble ruler was now an incinerated mark imprinted on the castle forever.

Watching the rebels as they flittered around the room, I focused my interest on Karina and her lackey’s. Although there was, what I supposed, a healer gushing over all the blood seeping from my wounds, I did not acknowledge their urgent questions as their magic flowed over me.

Karina and another rebel were moving a lump of debris from a crushed body. Once they’d finally managed to extract the figure, after mere moments of sweaty power, I could clearly see that it was Archer. Although he seemed to be alive, it was my fault that he was now as pale as death with a large chunk from his side gone and blood spilling everywhere. His own magic was already surging into action in an attempt to heal his wounds.

Fretting incessantly, I still couldn’t see the person I was searching for. Spinning around, my investigation was cut short as Karina stormed over to me.

“Where is the King?” Karina demanded.

I stared at her dark eyes, full of fire and determination, and simply shook my head solemnly.

“Don’t give me that,” Karina frowned. “You know where he is, so tell me.”

When, after a short silence, I still didn’t reply, Karina brought up her hand and soon after a flash of red erupted across my cheek. My mouth opened in surprise.

“Captain, she is in shock. If you would just allow her a few minutes to calm herself…” the healer jumped in.

“She is not ‘in shock’, she is simply being stubborn and I will not tolerate it.”

“Dead.” I muttered silently.

“Oh really? Then where is the body?” Karina asked sarcastically.

I nodded towards the marked wall, refusing to look at what I had done.

“OH,” Karina exclaimed as she realised I was telling the truth. “I suppose we will have to use the boy instead.”

Karina motioned for the guards to take Archer from the room, probably to a containment facility somewhere. Wanting to stop them, I knew they wouldn’t believe me if I pleaded for his innocence, even so, my feet refused to move and mouth to speak so I had to be content with remaining on the side-lines.