The Alpha Queen's Journey

The earthquake

    Elara could see from her position how they were all trapped between Aiden and this evil witch. She was standing on her knees on a small plank of floor, the ground was still trembling and it was impossible to walk on two feet. The ceiling was breaking into pieces and the lamps and wall decorations were falling like a rain of dangerous projectiles. The sounds of the people screaming and fighting blurred with the gradual earth cracking along the large ballroom. The panicked guests were running towards the lateral doors to scape but they were trapped between Aiden’s werewolf warriors and the deep rifts that were gradually opening on the ground. The pack alphas and their warriors were still facing the intruders to allow the evacuation but it was clear by all the blood and the corpses around them that they were not succeeding.

    Elara began coughing due to the dust, her tears became mud on her face. This sight of pure horror cleared her mind. It was her family, her friends, her people who were dying. Now, she had to take her sorrow to the corner of her mind and do something. She had to fight too. She looked around and saw that a wide rift separated her from Alex and Hendaya. She could not jump to join them, even in her wolf form. She was isolated. Her only escapeway was to jump to the plank where the witch was pushing her power onto the ground. And so she did.

    A huge pain and the sound of broken bones spread all over her body when she hit her back against the staircase. She lost her breath for some seconds but her blurred vision showed her how the evil witch, despite focusing on keeping the earthquake going, managed to throw her against the stairs. Hendaya launched some strong fireballs to the woman but she did not flinch a bit and returned them, leaving Hendaya on the ground unconscious. Furthermore, Alex was not doing quite well in keeping Aiden far from them, he had some deep cuts on his back and right leg, bleeding profusely and limping, but he was standing still. The silver of Aiden’s knife was poisonous for the werewolves and slowed down their healing abilities. Aiden looked as if he was having fun, his wrecked smile constantly stuck on his face.

    Elara crawled to the handrail to stand up and called to her wolf. Her rising aura alerted the evil witch, who kept one hand facing the ground while the other threw a wave of an invisible force against the princess, aborting her shapeshift. Elara hit the ground again, spitting blood. The witch was walking slowly towards her, a murderous look fixated on her face. Elara was unable to move, her breathing was so painful she could only take little gasps, her limbs began to feel dormant. Her wolf was trying to heal her but her body had so many injuries.

    “You stupid b***h!” The evil witch raised her hand and a round blue flame appeared upon her fingers. “I don’t mind how he will punish me but I am going to erase you from this world now… and forever! Hahaha!”

    Elara gulped and closed her eyes, waiting for the final blow. She thought she was going to die with so many questions unsolved, an infinite source of deep sadness and a broken heart. Even so, she preferred that rather than to live as a slave of this people, of this man, Aiden. Flashes of her life came in front of her eyes, her father laughing while playing hide and seek at the palace gardens, her mother combing her long red curls while singing sweet lullabies, Hendaya and her tricks to skip their classes, Palvin’s wise lessons, Oswald’s training, Adele’s loving smile, Alex… Alex was still alive and fighting for her a few meters away and so was Hendaya. She had to wake up. She slowly opened her eyes, using her last willpower to stand up. Out of the blue, a bubble of golden light surrounded her, melting the lethal blue fireball directed to her at the last minute.

    “What the…?” The evil witch cursed.

    “Stop Zahara!” Adele was floating over the two women on a cloud of golden sparks, all traces of her usual charming visage absent.

    “Master Adele” Zahara exclaimed with derision. “I thought your housekeeping life would have dented your skills. I guess I was wrong” Then, she glanced at the unconscious body of Hendaya. “However, I thought you’d have trained your own daughter better, she was no rival to me, your best apprentice, remember?”

    “I did not teach you all you know to make evil! Retreat now, Zahara and ask for mercy! This is your last chance!” The royal witch was as terrifying as ever before.

    Elara finally stood up in the middle of the two women’s argument. She was feeling better, Adele’s golden barrier had accelerated her recovery. She also saw how Hendaya was slowly waking up, trying to move. Meanwhile, the evil witch used all her magic to gather a huge flame that wrapped her whole body, the floor under her feet burning into ashes. Elara quickly tried to reach her but she burned herself and growled in rage. She felt so useless that a scream of anger and despair irrupted from her lips. At that moment, her aura went out of control, spreading like a silver blade, fighting the witch’s fire and intertwining with Adele’s protective barrier. Elara had never done such a thing but there was no time for questioning. Zahara gasped in surprise and got paralyzed for a couple of seconds of which Elara took advantage and quickly jumped to the witch’s throat, nailing her to the floor with all her strength, choking the evil witch. The earthquake stopped. Adele landed and rushed to her.

    “Elara, please, stop! This is not you” Elara’s eyes were of a dark green colour with some silver sparks, but looked empty as a deep hole, her wolf had taken control of her mistress. Adele grabbed her arm carefully. Her touch was sweet and comforting, as always. She got closer to the princess and whispered softly. “She does not deserve to die. She’s not a bad person. She’s just as lost as you are right now” Elara flinched at Adele’s last sentence, her eyes changed to her usual hazel colour and looked at Adele. She loosened her grip on the witch’s neck who was unconscious but not dead yet. Adele sighed in relief.

    “Well, well, well…the royal witch and the future queen. What a wonderful couple!” Aiden’s arrogant tone irrupted while he was slowly walking towards them. Both women stood up, Adele taking a defensive pose, covering Elara with her back. Aiden continued. “I’ve never had the opportunity to see the power of the queen at its peek. I must say it is a spectacle for the eyes”

    Elara saw Alex’s ripped body on the floor behind Aiden and her heart tore once more. This hideous man had killed everyone she loved most. She got out of Adele’s covering and prepared to shapeshift.

    “Yes, Elara, come to me. I’m looking forward to make this world a better one with you by my side. I’m looking forward to make you my queen” Aiden’s words were pleading as he extended a hand to her, his smile not fading.

    “Never!”. Elara spitted in rage. How could he ever think that she could willingly accept his proposition as if nothing had happened? After all he had done? He had destroyed everything that mattered to her, leaving her nothing left to live for. Nonetheless, she felt deep inside her that Aiden was familiar but her anger towards him was stronger. A gentle hand stopped her from jumping to her target.

    “This is not your time to fight” Adele warned her. A single tear was rolling on her cheek, her eyes closed, her face concerned. She handed Elara a small crystal bottle, filled with a sparkling golden liquid, like the colour of her magic. “Live, Elara, you have to live” Elara took the bottle and opened her lips to say something but Adele quickly turned to face Aiden.

    “If you want her, you have to kill me first” Adele began to gather a circle of strong golden wind around her.

    “Mother, NO!” Hendaya shouted from her place. She tried to fly towards her mother but the wind was turning into a huge tornado that prevented anybody to come near the royal witch. Aiden laughed hard and took his silver knife by its tip.

    “So it be” He threw the knife full force, pierced the raging wind and went right into the witch’s chest. Hendaya’s scream of pain bounced the walls of the ballroom. Elara froze on her seat, she was holding the little bottle tight on her left hand, her jaw clenched. Adele gasped but stood still in the middle of the tornado. With her last glimmer of power, she blowed Aiden against the farthest wall of the ballroom, taking him by surprise. After that, the loving witch fell on the ground and the golden wind dissipated.

    “Mother, mother, please, talk to me mother” Hendaya now flew beside her mother and took her in her arms. She was trying hard to use her curative powers on her but the knife was stuck deep into her mother’s heart.

    “Stay with the queen” Adele whispered to her daughter while coughing, blood coming out of the corner of her mouth.

    “Mother, you can’t die. I still need you so much!” Hendaya’s tears fell uncontrollably on her mother’s face.

“Promise me, Hendaya. Your fate is linked to the queen’s”

    Elara saw how her best friend’s weeping was all she could answer. The princess herself could not utter a single word. Another beloved person was dying for her today and now it was her best friend’s mother.

    “I promise you, mother” She heard the little witch say. Elara was still paralyzed, a lot of questions bottling in her head.

    “I’m sorry, my child. I love you” The royal witch’s life slowly faded. Hendaya leaned over her mother’s dead body and her painful cry deafened all the remaining fight sounds.

    “Catch her! Follow her aura! Bring her alive!” Aiden’s damaged voice from afar broke the silence of the moment. There were few guests still alive at the ballroom but Aiden’s warriors stopped fighting them and gazed at Elara following their master’s order. The young princess got on alert and shook Hendaya by her shoulders.

    “Hendaya! Hendaya! I’m sorry darling but if we don’t escape right now we’re dead!” The little witch looked at her friend with lost eyes. Elara insisted. “Take us out of here! Use the teleportation magic!”

    Hendaya gave a sad last glance at her mother. She took Elara’s hand, closed her eyes and tried to focus. Elara saw nervously how Aiden’s warriors were jumping from one to the next piece of the ripped ground, getting closer to them.

    “I can’t! Elara, I can’t!” Hendaya burst out crying again. This kind of magic required a lot of concentration and energy sources and Hendaya had none by now. Elara cursed and tore the last straps of her dress to run comfortably, she had lost her heels long ago. She pulled Hendaya up the stairs. They had no time; the werewolves were reaching them.

    “Elara, what are we going…?” Hendaya run beside her.

    “To the library. We have to use the secret door” That magic door was their last opportunity to escape out of the palace without being detected. The palace was nearly ripped apart, they had to jump from side to side of the walls to be able to follow the main corridor. They slipped and fell many times because of the scratches of the floor. Growling sounds were heard close behind them, the warriors were hot on their heels. They had silver bows but Aiden’s order was to catch her alive, so they could not shoot her to kill but they used them to hinder their escapeway. Several arrows scratched Elara’s limbs, the silver causing her great pain but the girls did not stop, their survival instinct was stronger.

    Finally, they crossed the thick doors of the library and run to the bookshelf that carried the so well-known blue book. Out of breath, Hendaya touched the book spine and yelled the password.

    “Mandarat!”