The pain was unbearable. It felt like hot lava flowing through every part of my body.
"Hey, what's your name?" I heard a female voice ask.
I winced as I opened my eyes. The movement from my eyelid made my face burn.
"Your name?" She asked again. She had long fire-like red hair. Her eyes were like chocolate brown swirls. She wore a simple black uniform.
"Hurts…" I managed through my breaths.
"Hm? Oh! Right!" She went to the door and pulled it open.
"BRUCE!" She yelled down the hall.
A few moments later and a tall man walked in. He had a buzzcut and icy blue eyes. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt but the same black pants as the uniform. He was the same man that kidnapped me and Nix.
"What?" He asked, annoyed.
"Heal her, or whatever."
I closed my eyes again. As he spoke the pain washed away. It felt like taking a cold bath on a hot summer day. I sighed in relief. When I was sure I wouldn’t melt I slowly sat up. I took in my surroundings. I was in a bedroom. I was suddenly aware of the silk sheets I was currently in. In fact, the entire room was decorated with lavish furnishings. The curtains were made of black satin and there was a red plush chaise lounge adorned with gold accents. The only light in the room was from the candle chandelier. The curtains were closed so I couldn't see what time of day it was.
I locked eyes with the strangers. My hand went to the gem making sure the cloak was still there.
"Where's Nix?" I asked
The woman cocked her head to the side.
"You must be talking about Oriana," the man, Bruce said.
"Oh! She's fine," the woman chimed in, "in fact, you'll see her soon."
I sighed a sigh of relief. She has some questions to answer.
Though I knew she didn't want to come back here so it's partially my fault. I just didn't want to be left alone.
"Well, I have things to do," Bruce said walking away.
When the door clicked shut the woman turned to me, "So what's your name?"
"Lunette," I responded.
"What a lovely name. So what were you doing with our Oriana?"
"Your Oriana?" I muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Oh, she was just helping me out."
She looked away and pondered my answer. Before I could ask for her name the door opened. We both looked up to see who had entered. It was a woman in the same uniform.
"The girl's presence is requested," she said before leaving again.
"Come on. She means you."
I stood up the silk sheets sliding off the fabric of my jeans. I ignored the stiffness in my legs.
"Follow me, stay close, and don't touch anything," she said, opening the door.
I did as I was told remembering how willing they are to use painful spells. The halls weren't as lavish as the bedroom which made me wonder what the big deal was. There were a few simple paintings, however.
We came up to a set of glass double doors. I peered through the glass. It was a dining room. There was a long table with eight chairs. Three on either side and one at each end. There was a candle in the middle of the otherwise empty table. Large windows were letting the moonlight spill in.
A woman sat at one end. She had black hair that was pulled back into a fancy-looking bun. She was wearing a black dress with intricate designs on the sleeves.
The woman walking with me opened the door and the other woman's attention turned to us.
"Hello, dear," she said. Her eyes sparkled like blood-red rubies.
I smiled nervously. It was Reina Kingsly, a well-known noble who owned a lot of assets. And people.
"The names Reina, Reina Kingsly," she grinned and gestured to the chair at the other end. "Take a seat."
I sat down feeling my heart speed up.
"So, darling, what's your name?" She propped her head on her hands.
These people really like their pet names.
"Lunette," I said.
I wanted to ask about Nix and my personal belongings, but the door opened before I got the chance.
Nix walked in. She was wearing one of those uniforms and had a black eye. She sighed at the sight of me, but her relief was short-lived as her face changed to fear. I looked away and caught a glimpse of my bag.
"So, Lunette, what's your business in Dragon's Creek?"
"I'm- I’m looking for someone."
"Oh? And was my Oriana who you were looking for?"
I cringed at her possessive tone, "No she was merely keeping me company."
"May I ask who it is you are looking for?"
I swallowed and replied, "The sun spirit."
Her face fell but she quickly covered it with laughter.
"Honey, you know the spirits are only a myth. A mere bedtime story for children."
I stayed quiet and glanced at Nix. She had gone pale.
"Why might you be going on this ridiculous quest anyway?"
The flame from the candle flickered.
“Because I need answers,” I simply replied.
“Answers? For what?”
“For who I am,”
She looked intrigued, “And who do you think you are?”
“The m-” I stopped myself, instead, saying, “I don’t know.”
She smirked and the flame went out. Even the light from the hall went out. My heart skipped a beat. The room was now only lit by the moonlight flooding in from the big windows. Reina's grinning face was half-illuminated by the moonlight giving her a sinister look.
“Lunette,” I heard Nix say.
I glanced at her. The moonlight illuminating her face made her look even paler than before.
Nix took a step towards me.
“Where are you going?” Reina asked, glaring at Nix.
We both ignored her. I felt sick being in the same room as her. I rushed to my bag that was behind her. The chair clattered to the ground. As I reached for my bag Reina’s cold hand grabbed my wrist.
No. Not cold.
Burning. Her hand was so hot I could feel my flesh being burnt.
I turned punching her in the face. Without wasting a second I twisted my wrist, biting back a scream.
She let go, bringing her hand up to her now broken nose. Blood glistened in the moonlight as it ran down her face. She glared at me with murder in her eyes.
Shuddering, I grabbed my bag. She made another move, but before I can react Nix is there shoving her to the ground. Then she’s shoving me out the window.
Time seemed to slow as glass shattered around us. Adrenaline filled my system as I realized how far of a fall we had. There was a probability of not dying but we’d certainly have broken bones. There would be no way of running. We’d be caught and probably killed.
There was one thing that came to mind. But would I be strong enough to save us both? There was no time to think about it. I casted the spell, hoping with every fiber of my being that it would work.
My gem started glowing.
Ice encased us. It formed an airtight seal making it momentarily hard to breathe. The ice took most of the impact, shattering as it hit the ground freeing us.
We both gasped as air filled our lungs.
“What the hell!” Nix shouted.
“No time,” I said, “We need to keep moving.”
She nodded and we got to our feet. I looked up and noticed we were on a dormant volcano. We took off running in the opposite direction of the mansion. They would expect us to leave the volcano and head into town. They would most likely use tracking spells to find us so we had to run fast to get a good distance ahead. My gem had a very dull glow.
I didn’t think about it as I focused on keeping up with Nix.
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