The Raven's Fury

Chapter2

Walking into the arena, I pull my arms from the guards’ grip and walk forward on my own. I push my shoulders back and hold my head high. It’s dusk, but the remaining sun is still harsh enough to burn my eyes as I look at all the people in the stands. The seats are packed full of Queros witches who point and mock me. Honestly, I can’t even blame them. I haven’t seen myself in years, but with tattered rags covering my body and my hair dragging behind me in the sand, I imagine I paint a pretty pathetic picture.

Regardless, the opinions of Queros citizens is of little to no consequence to me. Turning my eyes forward, I intake a sharp breath as I see a circle of eight people, all chained together, kneeling in the sand. I can tell they’re all some form of hybrid by their scents, but there is something else about them that seems almost… familiar.

As I step through them and into the center of the circle, I take a minute to examine each of them. With every one I look at, my budding fury intensifies. They all seem to be teenagers, no older than maybe fifteen. Their clothes are torn, their faces are bruised and swollen like they were recently beaten, and their arms are covered in dried blood that is flaking into the sand. I slowly join them in kneeling in the sand, but clench my fists to stop myself from attacking the guards behind me. To treat another person so poorly is one thing, but to treat kids this way is a different level of cruelty I never knew to expect.

Once I am kneeling, a guard shoves my head forward and holds it, while his comrade removes my collar. The second it hits the ground in front of me, the wind stirs around me, and it feels as if I can breathe for the first time in a long time. A lightness fills me and I recognize it as my magic. It feels as if I am hugging a dear friend for the first time after a long separation. Instantly I know what to do. I close my eyes and clasp my hands together as if I am praying. Being out of practice for so long, I need to focus all my energy on giving my magic the form I want it to take. I listen to my surroundings, taken aback by a sudden silence that overtakes the crowded arena. Then she begins to speak, and I have to tighten my hands in order to keep my focus.

“Welcome all, to this most joyous of occasions!” Queen Petra bellows out to the crowd. “As of today, we will officially be entering peace talks with both the Revand and Tristo kingdoms! In honor of this event, I have invited both rulers for an incredibly special showing today.” She pauses, and I can feel all eyes turn onto me. The excitement of all the people in the crowd is rising, even if no one makes a sound. “I present to you all, the forgotten princess, Juliette Linus! As a bonus, I’ve included the beasts I have used to feed her these past two years. Without further ado, men, please proceed.”

Once the queen finishes her speech, I snap my eyes open and look around at the kids. Nine soldiers are closing in on us, but the kids have my full attention. Their shoulders are slumped, and their eyes are downcast. Their defeat in the face of death is evident. I open my hands and release eight small, golden butterflies, each landing on the hands of one of the kids. Slowly, they all look from the butterflies to me and I offer them a small smile. I have to cough a few times to clear my throat before I am able to speak. Once I do, my voice is grating to even my ears. “Listen up. If you want to get out of here alive, you’ll do as I say, and you’ll do it quickly. Tell the butterflies where you want to go, and they’ll take you. But do it now before the soldiers reach us.”

They all look to one another, clearly unsure, but quickly look back to me and nod, determination now burning in all their eyes. They each raise their hands with the butterflies and whisper to them. As they start disappearing one by one, the soldiers start running towards us. At their approach, I bury my hands in the sand. I feel for my magic and once I feel a tiny spark, I channel it into the sand. Manipulation of elements and matter doesn’t require much magical energy, but I don’t have much to give, so I have to get this right in one shot.

Pushing my magic further into the sand, I begin changing it to glass. The moment the last hybrid is gone, and the guards are closing in, I launch the glass out of the sand. It forms eight spears and skewers eight of the nine soldiers through the heart. Turning around, I throw myself at the ninth soldier and tackle him to the ground. My singular fang descends from the left side of my gums and I quickly ram it directly into the soldier’s jugular. I drink so deeply from him that his entire body is drained of blood in a matter of minutes.

Once I finish feeding, I slowly stand and see about fifty soldiers storming into the arena. Now that I’ve had more blood, more of my magic has been replenished, but I’m not even close to being at full capacity. Physically, I’m still weak and even though I used to train with swords, I doubt I could even wield a knife effectively. I need some kind of large-scale attack to take all these guys out, but it can’t take all my magic, or I’ll never get out of here alive.

I look up at the clear sky above me and an idea begins to form in my mind. A smile pulls at my lips. It’s crazy, reckless, stupid, and exactly what I need. As the soldiers start to close in around me, I roll my neck and once they’re within five feet of me, I use wind magic to launch myself into the sky. Once I crest the seats of the arena, I reach a hand out towards the sky. I push a large amount of my magic into the sky before turning back towards the soldiers and throwing my hands out to the soldiers. Lightning rains down on the soldiers beneath me, striking their swords and shields until none are left standing.

Slowly lowering myself back into the sands of the arena, I look at all the bodies around me and clench my fists. Such senseless violence, and all for a queen who would celebrate their deaths instead of mourning them. Something feels as if it snaps in me and I turn to face the Queros Queen. “Queen Petra!” She looks calm, her face a blank mask, but I can see the anger burning in her eyes.

“I don’t know whether it was your arrogance, or your ignorance that convinced you to release me from my chains, but for someone so brilliant, it’s quite the stupid mistake. You probably thought that starving me all this time would leave me too weak to fight back. Too defeated. If I was anyone else, you might just be right. But what I am currently lacking in both magic and strength, I made up for with pure, unadulterated rage. Rage at how you have treated my people. Rage at being forced to watch my parents breathe their last breath. Rage at my own inability to help my people. My people, who I have spent years listening to their screams as they pleaded for mercy. A mercy which you never give.

We are not animals for you to slaughter! Our lives are not games for your entertainment! We are regular people, just like all of you!” Taking a moment to steady my breath, I look around at the people in the stands again. They all have apprehension in their eyes, but they don’t truly see me as a threat yet. How could they, when they sit above me while I fight in the hell they created. The tension as they wait for my next move is so thick, the air is almost suffocating.

Smirking, I walk to the wall of the arena directly across from the queen. Turning to the queen, I stare her down, challenging her to stop me at this moment. But she just watches me, and whispers quietly to her advisors. “You burned down everything I cared about, everything I knew. Starting now, I will repay you in kind until the only thing you have to look forward to is meeting death. And even then, I will stand beside him as an old friend. When the shadows come calling, I will lead them to your door. Every atrocity you have committed, every wrong you have made, I will right them. I will take everything from you, Petra. This day I swear to it.”

With one final glance at the crowd, I turn to the wall of the arena. Resting both my forehead and hand against it, I push a small amount of magic into the wall, along with a silent request for the arena to bring itself down. The surrounding sands begin to stir, and the entire arena begins to shake. I watch long enough to see one of the walls collapse and the queen start to bark orders at the men surrounding her. But any longer, and I’ll be caught again. I summon one last golden butterfly and immediately feel like my body will give out. This teleport will take the last of my magic, but it’ll be worth it to survive this day. As pieces of the wall begin landing around me I whisper to the butterfly, “Aegon Forest.” The arena immediately fades from view and I fall to my knees in relief when I see myself surrounded by the lush green trees I remember from my childhood.