Viridian

Chapter 9

"Are you insane!" I yell, pushing myself up off the couch.

"Adhi...," Cato stands up, trying to reason.

"No, Cato, no!" I scream, pushing him away. "I will not risk my life because you have attachment issues."

"Adhira!" Shyama gasps, but I can barely hear her.

"Adhira," Cato grumbles with total power in his voice.

"Your parents are dead Cato. Let them be."

The light in Cato's eyes vanishes and I immediately understand just why this man is called the Prince of darkness. Before I can think, Cato's hand flies to my neck as he rumbles, "out."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blake hop off his chair and quickly make his way towards Shyama who immediately grabs his arm and snaps her fingers, both figures dissolving into shadows, leaving me and Cato entirely alone. I wait for the fear to come. It doesn't.

"My parents are not dead," he grumbles, his voice deeper than usual.

"No one has ever returned from Oblivia, Prince," I snarl, his grip around my neck tightening in response.

"I am quite aware of the fact, Princess," he snaps back, the usual playfulness of the endearment gone.

"And yet you are naive enough to believe that they are different? That we will be different?"

"I am not naive."

"And what did they tell you about Oblivia?" I growl, stepping deeper into his grip. "Who is there with them, or better yet how did they contact you?"

"Telekinesis."

"Across an ocean?" I laugh. "Convenient."

"Careful," he warns again, his eyes glowing with anger and power.

"You had a fever dream about your parents, a mere fantasy you concocted in your head, and now you expect all of us to sacrifice our lives for it," I bark, refusing to back down from his challenge. I stumble as Cato pushes me back onto the couch and leans down towards me, putting an arm on each side of my head so that I am caged in with his face mere inches from mine. "You will come with me on this journey, if I have to drag you there myself," he growls, his breath on my face. "Because despite what you think, I am not crazy."

"If they are alive," I suggest, meeting his power. "Then I want nothing to do with them." His face hardens. "Let them rot in hell for all I care. Your people are the reason my mother is dead, no doubt under your parent's instructions."

"Is that what you were told?" Cato laughs, no hint of joy in it. " No doubt by your father?" he pauses, waiting for a confirmation that I won't give him. "Is it possible that he was simply a terrible husband? That he brought her to the brink of insanity until she couldn't take it anymore? Until she decided to kill hers—"

I slap him. "You know nothing."

"I know that he is the reason you prefer a dagger to your electricity," he waits, letting the words sink in. "He made you feel uncomfortable with who you are. Made you doubt yourself? What do you think would have stopped him from doing the same to his wife."

"You're trying to get into my head," I shudder, even as the magnitude of his words sink in.

"If I wanted to get inside of your head, I would have done it by now."

"I don't believe anything you've said," I shake my head, my thoughts running wild with everything I have heard in the past hour.

"Then why haven't you electrocuted me yet," he says, inching closer to my face still. I push him away, causing him to step back as I shuffle up off the couch and towards the fireplace. Wrapping my arms around myself, I ask "why me?"

"What do you mean?" he sighs in exhaustion as I hear him shrug down onto the couch.

"Why do you need my help?"

"We are trying to reunite light and dark, for that we need a child of Illumnae...."

"But why me? Clearly I'm damaged. I'm too tentative with my powers, remember?" I scoff. "So why choose me?"

"Because despite what you have been led to believe," he states. "You may just be the most powerful royal of Illumnae."

"A second ago you were saying—"

"You're tentative, Princess, confidence issues I suppose, but your power... it's extraordinary. You managed to escape my palace undetected until you had to run through that open field. You managed to almost kill me, until you relied on that dagger instead of your powers. You—"

"Enough," I stop him, turning around to meet his eyes. "You don't get to talk to me like you know who I am."

"Adhira—"

"Let me be very very clear," I interrupt him again. "You are Prince Cato of Mindrella and I am your puppet. I must do what you want me to do, when you want me to do it because I have no choice in the matter. You call me a guest when you treat me like a prisoner, you say I am powerful but you make me act weak. Words mean nothing if your actions contradict them. You can say you believe in me but you are no better than my father. So congratulations, Prince, you have brought a Princess to her knees and forced her to obey you like a pup, but I swear to you, one day, you will be the one kneeling."

I walk to the door, refusing to look at the emotions in his eyes, and leave the cottage. Outside, I find Shyama and Blake leaning on the side of the adjacent house, laughing and talking to one another. "Shyama," I call to her. "You can teleport?" I ask, remember her disappearing act from earlier.

"Mist," she corrects me. "I can change into shadow and transport to a different area so long as I have seen it before."

"I need you to bring me ho—" I catch myself as I walk towards her. "Back to the palace." She looks at me tentatively. "Please?" I ask, shocking her. "Okay," she responds, holding out her hand to me. I take it, and together we become darkness.

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She kinda a baddy. Do you think she was overreacting? Do we agree that Cato needs to step off a little bit. What do we think about Oblivia? Is it a suicide mission after all? Questions, comments, concerns? I would love to here from you guys!

 - Nicole Winters