The Realms

20. Playing With Magic

After a long considerations which were actually useless because as advised, the soldiers were not to participate in the last fight, it was time to finish the task ahead of get.

She would be facing two powerful people on her own. If she doesn't make it her people would be doomed, she knew that.

The magically created grounds for the fight appeared as they neared it. At the dias sat queen Indie. As always, she was in black. Her daughter, Palin, sat besides her with an emotionless face until she saw Kai walking besides Iris. The energy around them, the noticed, wasn't tense as she had hoped but almost fluffy. Like something delicate yet so strong. She hoped they weren't in love. They had there bracelets on and that calmed her down.

*****
"Long time no see, I hope you are doing well Princess Iris?" Palin said in such a condescending tone it was comical and she bit back a snarky comment and settled on an easy smile. Just keep them guessing your whole intentions.

As for Kai he looked ready to pounce and subtle look from Iris calmed him down.

Down below, her people would be watching. There fate rested in her hands. The only thing she felt after stepping on the fighting space was her magic coursing through her body as if begging to be let out.

*****
A sudden force caught her off guard and she went air borne before hitting the invisible border of the fighting grounds.

She shot up on her feet and let the already burning magic out. She screamed vengeance as she hauled a gust of power towards Palin who tried to counter it with her own but she was thrown back and hit the ground with a sickening thud.

She tried to stand up to no avail. Her mother looked taken aback by that and she looked at Palin questioningly.

What she didn't tell her mother was, when Kai was surrounded by the halo, she tried desperately to break the unseen force to no avail, therefore using ninenty percent of her magical powers.

She couldn't take long before she was no more another reason being, she was attacked by a vengeance spell by Iris which needed a lot of counter magic to break. She didn't have that.

Palin eyes went still, unblinking. Down below Kai watched in owe at the unfolding events.

He never felt the expected guilt as he watched  Palins body disappear leaving behind a pile of black ash. He felt relieved almost like a kind of pay back for what she did. She had lied to him and took advantage of his vulnerable state. His loneliness.

Everyone gasped in shock when they saw Iris's body floating in the air by a string of black magic. The Black Queen's face looked menacing and her eyes were fully black.

She brought her fingers as if round her neck and she choked gasping for air.

Kai's heart sank when Iris's body went still and the crowd went still.

Her body hit the ground and the Black Queen laughed turning to face the crowd.

Kai desperately searched his being for any hint of what to do. He closed his eyes and tried to find her. Then he felt it. A second heartbeat? He followed the beat, it was weak. He tried and imagined making it strong, he thoughtmaybe if he shared his already stronger heart beat he would revive it.
In his imagination, he saw himself walking towards a Iris her body was unmoving. He crouched besides her body and willed her to wake up. He brought his right hand and a stream of blue light streamed out and engulfed her body. Then the scene disappeared.

He listened to the two heartbeats again and almost cried out of joy, they were in sync and both were very strong. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ground above.

She didn't see her stand up and summon all her magic before pushing it towards her back, at the same time the she turned around in a desperate attempt to break the magic. It was  too late  late and Iris's bout of power hit her squire on her abdomen, directly above her magical core.

The queen screamed in pain as she felt her core break, shattering the magical veins in one heartbreaking crack.

Dark smoke ejected from her body as she fell on one knee. She felt her magic disappear.

"no, no, no, nooooooo," she screamed looking at her hands which were desperately trying to hold on to the disappearing magic.

It was gone. She had no magic left.

As she slumped to the ground the suspended ground floated them down to the crowd below.

Iris suddenly felt exhausted.
Kai watched in alarm as she swayed on her feet and was by her side as her body relaxed on his. She had fainted.

***'' '
Iris opened her eyes finally. She looked up and met the face she hadn't seen for a long time. Her father sat at the opposite side of her bed watching her hopefully as if he was afraid she couldn't remember him. The idea sounded good in a head.

She frowned in the most convincing way and looked at him.

"w-who are you and why I'm I here," she asked and hoped the clueless look on her face was convincing enough.

Her father blinked several times. He was worried that this could happen and he was right. He smiled softly at her before patting her head. It was something iris enjoyed and she held back the tears threatening to fall.

"I'm your father," she went to sit up but he held her down, "it's okay, don't try to remember anything because I know what you're doing."

Iris caughed a shocked laugh.

"Papa"

She missed him. In the short period she had been working on the tasks she was assigned, she had missed all the opportunities to meet her dad. She hugged him and sobbed silently on his shoulders until Kai walked in.

"Iris, you're awake!"

Iris let go of her father who smiled at her and walked out after aknowledging the prince.

She smiled up at him as he tried and failing miserably to hide his grin. He had hang around her chambers waiting for her to wake up.

He sat on the same spot her father was seated and subtly reached for her hand. He looked up to a smiling iris and smiled back.

"How are you feeling? Do you want some food, water, I can get you that," Kai asked.

It was a genuine question she observed. She smiled and sat up, she was okay at the moment and only wanted his company.

When she said that the silly grin came back. He was content for now and so was she.

The unspoken question of whether she would stay as her mission was over was ignored.

For now he would love her and cherish her presence hoping she would stay. If it came to begging her to stay, he would without question.

Iris knew her decision and she smiled content.

The end.

****'
That's it my first amateur novel

I will cringe later as I read it

Thank you for coming this far.

That's all for now.