Queen of Ash

Entrella

Emerson

We continued walking through the labyrinth of hallways and stairs. I counted every footstep, every turns, every door way we past. I made sure to make a map of the labyrinth of hallways in my head. I just had to escape, then I could deal with everything else. I just had to take every thing one step at a time.

After two-hundred and fifty six steps, three hallways, and two flights of stairs, the smell of sand and dust wafted into my nose. We were here. I still had a chance to escape, doubt started to weigh down my thoughts. Even if I managed to escape, it would mean a lifetime of being alone and constantly looking over my shoulder. I would be alive but with that kind of life could anyone truly be alive? If I refused his offer I would be executed, I wouldn't be alive at all. I thought out the split path before me, run or die. I was trying not to think about the third path in front of me, the path I never should have thought about, but my heart overruled my brain.

My heart said to stay. If I stayed I could make a true difference in the world. I could change things, help me people, have Igancia rise from its' ashes. If I stayed everything I did to try to earn my freedom would go to waste. All of the saving, the killing, the training, all of it would have been for nothing. I would never truly be free, I would always be a prisoner, just someone else now held the key. The guards were coming up to me and I had to make a choice.

Die.

Run.

Stay.

Rye's so called, Coterie, stood in one of the dugouts while the guards shoved me into the pits. My feet kicked up clouds of dust as my knees hit the sand. I watched as the invisible barrier was placed up, leaving me isolated from everyone else. I wanted to turn around and flip them off, but I figured I would try to muster up all of the decorum I had. I stood up and brushed off the sand from my pants and palms. I tucked a strand of loose hair from my braid behind me ear, and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and millions of scenarios were laid bare before me.

Die.

Run.

Stay.

I walked towards the middle of the sandy pit, letting my power flow through me again. I took a few deep breaths and plunged to my core, where that star burned inside of me. I curled my fists letting them grow brighter. I could feel the energy rushing through me meshing into my very soul. I plunged deeper than before, trying to gain as much power as I could, I hit a wall. My magic whiplashed against the impact. I could feel it stop and push against the barrier. It was blocking my magic, something foreign, something I was never used to. I tried pushing it away and focused on drawing up all of my energy. I couldn't break past the wall that was blocking my power. Confusion flushed through me; lead couldn't break magic only stifle it, or so I thought. Could my powers be broken? I took a few deeper breaths and used the magical barrier to push my powers off of.

I let the anger of Mathew's betrayal fuel me, light grew in response. I thought of every wrongdoing at the hands of the heir bloodlines, I thought about the starving families, the injustice in the cities, and I thought about getting the hell out of here. I let it build until my own skin was burning. I held the burning starfire as I gathered all the light in the sandy pit and plunged everything in darkness.

Then I released it all.

White burning Starfire erupted all around me pushing against the barrier walls, lighting up the darkness I had just left in my wake. I dug deeper into the power, pushing further. If they wanted me to prove myself, I would. I once again felt the barrier push against my magic, I grabbed ahold of it and willed it open. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as the a new burn rushed through my veins. The power was so intense for a moment I thought it was going to shred through my skin.