A Queen Among Darkness: Chapter Fifty-Six - Isolde

A Queen Among Darkness: Chapter Fifty-Six - Isolde
Even with all the arguing, I was certain death was inevitable at this point. I never in a million years thought Valeria would find a way to sneak into the most impenetrable fortress on earth, bringing with her the Empress of the nagata – something I’ll have to get details on later – all just to save me. I rejected her and yet she, a human, managed to come all this way for me. I’ve never had someone go to such lengths for me. I never questioned her love, but there’s not a chance I ever will after today.

But Manon couldn’t let me be happy for five minutes. Well, she’s certainly shown her true colours now, but she made the biggest mistake of her life. Poisoning me is one thing. Trying to kill Valeria in front of me? This bitch is mine.

I step around Valeria feeling more invigorated than I have in a long time. I knew the Gold Snake that every nagata Empress is blessed with has healing abilities that far surpass anything a makkari can do, even a Priest or Priestess. Their healing is second only to the Gods and feeling it firsthand I can understand why. She didn’t just heal my body, but she somehow healed my magic. I feel the flame of my magic burning intensely inside me, and I’m about to put it to good use.

“Tell them the truth for once in your heartless life,” I say icily, “Tell them how you poisoned my family with henbane and burned them alive. You murdered your own animai, and you did so while hoping I was in the house.” All eyes shift from me to Manon, and I feel some satisfaction when Arthwin gets up, stepping away from her and stepping to his sister’s side. “Tell them how you found the Orraikam. Tell them how you slit their sister’s throats. Tell them how you killed Nuray!” I shout.

“How did you know their throats were slit?” She smirks, thinking she’s got me. Every irshiust looks at me, patiently waiting for my response while Manon manages to get up, putting her weight on her good leg.

“I had a vision. Just like I had a vision the first time you went after the Orraikam. I felt agony rip through me the moment it cracked.”

“It’s true. I heard her screams and saw her writhing on the floor in pain,” Valeria says, having my back. Her words are like a steel rod up my back.

“They’re speaking the truth. Only a High Priest or Priestess can receive visions,” says Filiz.

“You could also tell them about how you threatened to kill Alaric’s family if he didn’t poison me with hemlock and make me your puppet. Or you could tell them how you gloated about switching my blood samples, or even more recently, that it was you manipulating Aulen,” I say as I stare her down.

“Fucking knew it,” Valeria snorts.

“What the fuck did you do to my sister?” Arthwin asks murderously as his eyes shift to black while keeping a protective arm around his sister.

“What do you have to say for yourself, Manon?” Makbule asks venomously.

Manon glances around the room before resting her eyes on me, and in a single moment, her entire demeanour shifts. It’s like a mask has been pulled off and she’s finally showing her true self. Her brow is lined with sweat as her eyes stare at me with burning hatred. I swear there’s even a hint of excitement in her dark eyes.

“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” she shrugs, “Only one thing left to do now,” she smirks as her body glows more intensely than I’ve ever seen from any regular makkari. She throws her arms up as a wave of power erupts from her blasting everyone in the room back as if a bomb has been detonated, causing bodies to fly in all directions.

My body hits the floor painfully, my head hitting marble with a resounding crack as I roll before coming to a stop. My head throbs painfully, but I lift it just in time to see Valeria hit one of the pillars.

“Valeria!” I shout. I push back all thoughts of pain and get myself up on my knees and crawl over to her, “Baby? Can you hear me?” I ask in a panic as I caress her cheek.

She groans as her face contorts in pain, “Is Mei okay?” She asks. I look over to see the Empress slowly sitting up and rubbing her head.

“I’m okay,” she says, having heard Valeria.

I look down at Valeria’s sweet, pained, face as her eyes open and look back at me burning with anger. She grabs my shoulder and yanks me down, “Give her hell.”

I look back as every irshiust is getting up to charge at Manon, but with a thunderous clap of her hands, she summons another powerful blast. I pull on my magic and feel it ignite around me as I raise my hands and conjure a large forcefield to take the brunt of her attack and shield everyone in the hall.

Manon looks at me and smirks, “You’re fast. Now block this one,” she taunts. With a flourish of her hands, I notice golden daggers appearing over each irshiust’s head. Manon thrusts her hands down as if pushing down gravity itself sending every dagger hurtling towards their targets. I attempt to conjure another shield, but before I get the chance I’m left stunned when they all freeze in mid-air. I glance at Manon who looks equally confused. Every irshiust is just staring up at these daggers in bewilderment, except Yildiz who is smirking for some reason.

“Nice reflexes,” I hear Valeria say, as I glance back to see her move up onto her knees slowly.

“That wasn’t me,” I comment, making her frown in confusion.

“How are you doing that?” Manon hisses.

“She’s not. I am,” says a deep voice to my right.

I look over to see a muscular man with mixed-Asian features standing at 7’4” with muscles that even as a lesbian I can appreciate. He’s wearing a black tank top that dips low at the sides and grey sweatpants, and no shoes. He looks like he just rolled out of bed but in an attractive way. He has bright azure blue hair and piercing crimson eyes. Wait, he’s a sanguidae? With magic? Power is radiating off him like a nuclear bomb just waiting to detonate, and I realise where I’ve felt that level of power before. Putain de merde… he’s a God.

“Since I can’t interfere, by all means, continue this little tête-à-tête you two have got going on, but you keep your hands and your magic off my family,” he says in a deep threatening voice as his eyes glow brightly, and with a snap of his fingers, ever dagger in the air vanishes. “When it comes to them, I can very much interfere.” Family?!

“Father!” The Empress cheers, making my head whip to her. She looks surprised to see him, but also rather elated. What the hell is going on? The nagata Empress is a demi-god? What?

“Father?” Yildiz chokes. She schools her face and crosses her arms as she stares up at the towering God, “Let me get this straight, so you told her who you really were and let her call you ‘father’, but I get deception?” She asks pointedly.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously, “You’re going to lecture me about this later aren’t you?”

“Provided we don’t all die, you bet your ass.”

“Since you know I’d never let that happen, I guess I can expect a lecture,” he sighs.

“I guess you can,” she nods in agreement.

The God – which one, I am unsure – looks over at the Empress and gives her a kind smile, “I’m glad to see you doing so well,” he compliments, making her cheeks turn scarlet.

“ENOUGH!” Manon screams, “I have had enough of this shit. I haven’t come this far to lose everything to a convent of useless justice riders,” she seethes as her magic burns around her and she glares defiantly at the God. The woman is truly insane..

“She did not just say that,” clicks Dilara.

“You murder their sister and then insult them? There truly isn’t a compassionate bone in your body,” I say in mild disbelief.

“You think you can fight me? You think you can win?” She laughs mockingly, “You’re a makkari who never ascended, whereas I?” She says, stretching her arms wide but keeping the wait on her left leg. Does she not feel pain or is she just that crazy? “I have spent centuries building an infinite supply of power that not even you can contend with,” she gloats.

“That power doesn’t belong to you. To even stoop so low as blood magic is despicable,” I announce to the shock of the Delegation, and disgust of the Fortis twins.

“Do I look like I care? It’s been incredibly handy. After all, I couldn’t have so successfully manipulated Aulen without it. Who do you think told me where to find the Orraikam?” She smirks over at Aulen.

Aulen’s eyes blow wide as horror coats her features, “I… I didn’t know… Oh Goddess… Nuray’s dead because of me,” she whispers hauntingly as tears fill her eyes.

“You sick bitch! We trusted you!” Arthwin shouts as he cradles his sister in his arms.

“Don’t blame me for your poor judgement. You trusted me and condemned and nearly killed your Priestess,” she laughs, “And that took very little effort on my part,” she smirks.

“It ends here, Manon. I couldn’t stop you centuries ago, but I can now,” I say in a hard voice as I channel my magic into my hands. I thrust my hands forward hurtling every ounce of energy I can summon right in her direction, but as the enormous purple wave of energy gets halfway, it collides with an equally enormous purple wave coming from Manon. The collision causes a shock wave to erupt across the hall making the very room shake.

I push my magic forward with all my might, feeling as though I’m trying to push through solid steel, but I only feel her magic give a fraction before it pushes back at me.

“You’re pathetic. You can’t protect them; you can’t even protect yourself. Hiding away for centuries, too scared to face me. To face your failure. You’ll die as the only High Priestess to never ascend. You’ll be erased from history, and I shall rise a Goddess,” she says maniacally. I tune her out and continue to channel everything I have into my magic, but I feel my feet begin to slide back against the marble. “Just give up, Isolde,” she mocks pushing her magic towards me with all her strength, “I have an endless supply of magic at my disposal. My power is infinite. I have everything, what do you have?” She gloats.

Her words have images filtering through my mind like a Rolodex being spun out of control. Images of happy moments shared with my family, followed by the flames that burned them alive. Images and memories of every friend or innocent who ever dared to know me or help me, who were soon snuffed out by Manon’s darkness. Centuries of loneliness and grief compiling and drowning my from the inside. I drowned in that pain every day. Until Valeria came along and brought joy into my life. Joy and love I thought long lost. Then I see the image of Valeria screaming and writhing on the floor as I rejected her and Manon burning another home to the ground with someone else I loved trapped inside.

Manon has taken everything from me. She infected my life like a poison and tainted everything around me, but I’m done. I’m done bottling it up. I’m done being ambivalent. No longer am I a contradiction of emotions. I’m one singular emotion. I’m fucking furious. What do I have that she doesn’t? Only one word comes to mind.

“Anger,” I say through gritted teeth, as I feel a surge of energy build inside me out of nowhere. I quickly channel it through my hands and use it to push back against Manon’s magic. I watch my energy fire at her like a canon, her eyes widening as it hits her, hurtling her across the hall and directly into a wall, where she then drops to the ground like a bag of sand.

I take a slow step forward as she struggles to lift her head. Her dark brown eyes glare at me with so much hatred I expect her face to melt off.

“Lucky shot,” she says breathlessly through gritted teeth, “You can’t stop me,” she gloats maniacally as she struggles to sit up, “You’re not strong enough.”

“Then I’ll die trying. I will use every ounce of magic and strength I have to make sure you never hurt another living soul,” I declare.

The ground beneath my feet starts to shake, and soon I’m blinded as a geyser of light erupts through the floor where I’m standing.