Cursed

I had arrived just in time to see the queen fall. Her face had been frozen in a mixture of surprise and hurt, overlain with pain. The gaping hole in her chest had gushed blood, like a waterfall of molten gold. And standing over her with a vicious snarl on their face, holding her displaced heart, was the High Priestess of Ialantha. A trusted advisor and friend to the queen, the leader of Ialanthine rites and rituals, and the overseer of the queens' beloved Danashren, had murdered her. Simply thinking about this wrenching betrayal is enough to make me sick. But it was worse than that. I had seen it. Had smelled the scent of my queens' blood, had watched her touch the hole in her chest in confusion, and seen the heartbreak that had stained her last moments before she collapsed. I can't get the image out of my mind, even as the queen's guards chase me out of her palace. “Seize her! She murdered the queen!" Are some of the shouts I hear behind me as I run swiftly towards the forest. My breathing is labored, my heart a drum. I hear the pounding steps of the guards as they pursue me through the trees. Tears rush down my face and are whisked away by the sharp winds. Faster, I tell myself. Run faster. The vibrant trees are large blurs as I rush through them. I push myself as hard as I can, and yet the guards are still close. Where am I, I ask myself. How far have I come? I can no longer hear the flow of the Lanta, a river that traces through the middle of Ialantha. I must be at least twelve miles away from the palace by now. But there seems to be no end to this forest, and I have not successfully gotten away from my pursuers. My fingertips tingle lightly, a reaction of my power to my heightened emotions. I clench my hands tightly. No. I will not use force against them, no matter what. I have no wish to hurt them. I feel something scorching fly past my ear, and to my right a tree explodes into flames. They, however, do not seem to share that sentiment. I make a sharp left to avoid their next shot and see a break in the trees. At last! But my humor, along with my relief, dries up as I see what awaits me beyond the edge of the forest. The Forbidden Field. Were it not for the guards on my tale, I would have frozen and backed away. The field, cleverly named the Forbidden Field, has its name for a reason. No one is allowed to step foot onto it, on the queen's orders. But I keep running toward it, because I need to escape… And the queen is dead, I think grimly. My heart twists at the thought. Just seconds before I make it onto the field, a blinding pain cuts into my arm. I scream aloud at the sensation. And yet I keep running, with blood rushing down my arm and pain permeating my whole body. My life's essence, glittering gold, falls down my arm and onto the sharp blades of grass. Now breathing with exertion as well as pain, I progress further onto the Forbidden Field. Behind me, I hear the exclamations of the guards. I chance a look back. A group of fifteen guards stand at the edge of the field, glaring at me in shocked fury. But none of them is bold enough to even touch this forbidden site. Whether out of respect for the queen's memory, or a natural aversion to it, I have no clue. But I am thankful, all the same. But they can still fire at me. With that alarming thought, I pick up my pace once more, and cross through the Forbidden Field. My bare feet are bloody and tired, and I shiver from more than just cold. There is something about this place…It sends harsh tingles down my spine. The darkness of the night is one that I am familiar with, one that I love, and yet the night caresses this field with a different sort of darkness. One that makes me tremble with fear, that makes my soul shake. Even as I trek across, nearly delirious from pain and grief, I cannot ignore how horrible this place makes me feel. I look back once more to where the guards had stopped, but they are no longer there. I turn forward. I see now why they didn't risk stepping onto this field. If I had had a choice, I think, I would have done the same. But it is too late to turn back. I have already made it to the middle of the vast field. It seems to stretch for miles in all directions. I can no longer see the break in the trees that I emerged from. I need to leave Ialantha. The thought nearly cripples me. But where can I go? It is too dangerous for me to stay in this realm, and yet I have no other place to go. Word will have already spread about my supposed murder of the queen, and no other kingdom will provide me asylum. There is nowhere-that thought cuts off as an idea takes form. I can go to the human realm. It is perfect. It is dangerous. If I journey there, I will not have access to my regular magic. I won't be able to protect myself if need be, and I will not have a way to get back. But still, there is nowhere else left for me to run. Tearing a piece of my dress off, I wrap my still bleeding arm tightly, and set about summoning my magic. My vision wavers with the loss of blood. Focus! I tell myself sharply. I need to work quickly, before I am caught. My hands grow hot with power. I focus on seeing the glowing threads of magic that float all around me. They light up in my eyes, and I try to quickly find the ones that will aid in my transport to the human world. My fingers twitch as I flip through them. A relieved sigh flows from my mouth as I grasp tightly the travelers' thread. Fighting the exhaustion that fatigues me, I imbue the thread with all of the power that I can summon. It glows brightly as it touches my magic. I push, and push, and push all of the magic I can muster into the thread, and the sight of the Forbidden Field around me fades with every passing moment. I breathe heavily at the effort of holding the connection. “Human," I breathe out, struggling to stay awake. "I need…to…human…worl-“I can say no more as my vision fully fades away, and I lose consciousness.