All Shades of Magic

All Shades of Magic - Chapter 2

I should be mad. I should curse her with the darkest spell I can think of, I should scream for her to go away and rip her heart out. But instead I found myself feeling relieved. She had that effect. I soon found myself pulling on my pajamas, pulling out my hair, and making sure I didn't look like someone who had cried for hours. Then, I went out on the balcony.

"Hey Val, you there?" she whispered. I stepped out onto the balcony and there she was in all her glory. Fiery red hair was tucked back into a ponytail, deepening black eyes that matched her entire outfit top to bottom. Seeing me, her thin pink lips smiled. I could feel my face heat up. I think she could see it because her smile growed. I was never so enchanted. "Oh thank god," she whispered. When she reached out to touch my arm, her sandy-toned skin showed only slightly from out of her sleeve. "I have to tell you something, my parents they-"

"Want to go to war?" I said, trying to keep the hope I was wrong out of my voice. But I knew it was right when her eyes darkened.

"Yeah," in that moment, I would take the war rather than stare at her saddened face. I would take anything. "I wanted to let you know before it was too late,"

"Thank you Kimi," I smiled. I wanted to give her a hug or something, but it just didn't feel quite right. Not right now anyway. "Do you wanna come inside? I'm being guarded so it might be safer,"

"Sure," Kimi replied, apparently a little happier.

I led her into my room and my god this girl. The way her hair glows in the low light of my lit candles and her eyes shine even though they're so dark. I felt my heart race. It was pissing me off.

"Are you upset with me?" Kimi asked. It was the quietest I'd ever heard her voice. 

"No!" I cried out, unable to control my shock. "I'm so glad that you came," with that came a smile only Kimi can do. Her little sly, mischievous, annoyingly hot, slightly flirty smirk telling me I just said something sweet to the point it sounded suspicious.

"Aww, how sweet princess," she teased. I rolled my eyes and tried to hide the fact my face was flushed light crimson. "Well, I hate to bring us back to such an undesirable subject, but what are you gonna do? About the war?" my confusion bubbled up. What does she mean? What am I doing? Dad said... wait. Dad said. Only dad.

"Nothing yet," I replied thoughtfully. "But i have an idea,"

"Spill!"

"Kimi, do you happen to know what they're fighting over?"

"Yeah, an ancient moonstone of powerful white magic. Apparently it was lost years ago in some sort of temple or cave or something in the forest near your kingdom. Dad thinks you stole it and hid it on purpose,"

"If we can find it and restore it to wherever it goes-"

"The temple underground on the border line,"

"- then we can maybe restore it and end the war,"

"Genius," Kimi muttered. Then she yelled it. "You're a genius! Then we won't be fighting!" Then she paused. "How are we gonna do all that? I mean I'm skilled but those forests are full of dark creatures. And dark mages," the excitement from moments ago paused as I pondered this. I could do it, fighting creatures, with the magic in my notebook, dark and light spells. But no one knows about that notebook, not Kimi, not anyone. And if I had to use a dark spell I can't even imagine her reaction. I don't want to imagine it. So... we rely on her skill and my limited knowledge of fighting, the forest, and survival. No point looking suspicious with a vast knowledge of magic. "We rely on the covered up paths, our knowledge put together, and mostly your but kinda my fighting skill,"

"There's paths?"

"Old ones, from traveling and adventuring days. They were protected by light magic, now I doubt it's very strong or even working but a path is a path," I felt happy I knew something. I was never treated like I even had a brain in the palace.

"But we don't even know where the gem is," Kimi pointed out, not doubtful but more matter-a-fact. I thought for a minute. I knew a spell that could track, and even without it the magic inside me would sense the gem. But unless i told Kimi, which i absolutely cannot do, then i don't have an answer. My overconfidence is definitely not helping. Racking my brain, I found a memory from when I was twelve years old and wanted to run away.

I was stupid to think I could. Immature. I should've known my dad would find me. But I made a discovery that day. I found the underground temple.

I wish I could say something people say about memorable stuff like "I remember like it was yesterday," actually that phrase specifically, but it's actually quite spotty. I remember walking down the streets in my day dress and people whispering as I passed. That was dumb move number one. Dumb move number two was running when i saw royal guards. I drew unnecessary attention. Although, I guess I should be thankful now. I ran straight to the border line and off to the side to hide. Maybe East? Or West? I saw a trapdoor and figured it was just storage so I could hide in there. So little old me was quite surprised when I entered a cavern of moonstone gems and one big, shiny one on a rock in the middle. And wrapped around it? A necklace pointing straight at it. No matter how I moved it, the little arrow stayed focused on the gem.

If we were doing this without me getting ridiculed and arrested, we're going to have to go get that necklace. I think Kimi knew I was coming to a conclusion, because her face was expectant and awaiting. I finally decided to tell, but dodged how I found out.

"So there's a necklace, and no matter what the little arrow placed on top of the necklace spins to point at the moonstone, no matter what or where the moonstone is. If we can get it, we might actually pull this off," I explained and Kimi's eyes lit up.

"So... where is it?" She asked.

"Well, last I checked it was where the moonstones usually kept. We should check there first, if nothing else," but as I was saying it, doubt filled my voice. Someone would've tried to find the moonstone by now and restore it... although the steal was recent. What if no one else had figured it out? It was a start if nothing else.

"It's late right now so..." Kimi trailed off and then restarted in a moment. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow,"

"Alright well, I should go so I can get some rest," Kimi started. Then she smiled at me. "See you princess!" she grinned, hugging me around the shoulders and then hurrying out into the dark. I rushed out to the balcony and watched her race back to her kingdom. I felt my heart race with the I had been silencing start to butterflies poke in my stomach.

God, this girl.