Smoke and Mirrors (16)

Sixteen

Of Fire and Darkness

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The Weeping Stones were in the Mirror Kingdom, it turned out.

This was just great for me though, because I practically swore to myself that I would never again step foot in Sterling’s kingdom, let alone journey alongside my psycho fiance to find some stupid rock just to fix my powers.

“Look,” Father said, the next morning when I told him about Seraphina’s visit, “there’s no way I’m letting my daughter travel through that kingdom alone. Who knows what Adara’s sister has in store for you. You’re not going.” He inhaled and waved his massive hand over the teacup before him. A bubble of tea floated out of his cup and into his mouth.

“And I wouldn’t want to,” I reminded him, forcing my eyes away from his tea. “But I need that rock. Er, horn.”

“I’ll send guards after it,” he stated. “Seraphina will regret ever trying to tamper with our world. What does the woman hope to accomplish?!” He popped another floating tea bubble into his mouth and swallowed. “The whole family is insane, I tell you.”

I shrugged, unsure of what to say. Seraphina definitely seemed insane. Mom. . . mom just wanted to protect me. You couldn’t fault a mother for that.

“You can’t send guards, Father,” I reminded him. “She specifically said not to.”

“You won’t go alone. Especially not with Sterling. Not only do I not trust him, just think of the gossip it would raise! You are new to court and the people don’t know you. Think of what they would say.”

I laughed. “Trust me, if I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t.” I paused and tapped my chin. “If I took one bodyguard though, I should be safe, right?” I inhaled. “Besides, I don’t need Sterling. I can figure stuff out for myself. There’s no way I’m going to travel with that jerk.”

“I thought she specifically asked for him to come?”

I groaned. “Yup, she did.”

He paused and stroked his beard. “I’m sure if we got all the kingdoms together, we could stop her. You wouldn’t have to do anything she asks at all.”

I sighed in relief and sagged in my chair. “That sounds perfect. I’m up for anything that doesn’t require Sterling.”

He beamed and clasped his large hands together. “Wonderful. Then I will summon the kingdoms.”

****

The next day, the arrest began.

Since I was the princess of water, as well as Seraphina’s accuser, I stood alongside father on her castle’s grounds, watching the entire event unfold.

Seraphina’s castle was armed with guards wearing black, and each one had a headful of flaming hair. It was really intimidating, to say the least, but they backed down when they realised that whatever was happening was above them. All of the kingdoms had agreed to bring their queen to justice.

The guards from every kingdom were so different. Some had dark, shadowy skin that I could literally see through. Some looked like walking trees. Some looked like diamonds and sapphires. Every guard was unique and. . . well, strange.

I shuffled my feet nervously as I eyed Seraphina’s giant castle, which towered above us in twisting, black spirals, as if they were dark claws reaching towards an ashen sky. Certain rooms in the castle were on fire, but after what I’d seen from my mom’s place, Seraphina likely wanted them that way. Suddenly, the fiery rooms sputtered and burned out.

The castle doors flung open not too long after, and guards from every kingdom brought the queen of Fire out in chains that would hold her powerless.

“Can’t she just burn out of her chains?” I whispered to father.

He looked down at me and shook his head. “The chains are kept in a vat of mermaid’s tears. They’ll keep her from using her powers for a while.”

I felt so dumb when it came to things like this. Everyone around me knew what was about to happen to Seraphina, where she would go for her trial, where she would be imprisoned, and even how to make sure she didn’t use her powers! I was clueless here.

The guards led her past father and I, but she stopped suddenly and stared into my face. “This won’t stop anything,” she hissed. “This just makes it worse.”

The glint in her golden eyes made me shiver, but I lifted my chin. “How so?”

She chuckled. “You’ll never find your precious horn. Not alone. You need me.”

The guards shoved her and forced her to keep walking.

But no matter how far away she was, her words didn’t leave me.