AN: No Piarari Key needed this time. Be sure to drop some comments as you read. Enjoy!
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After lunch the next day I'd spent some time writing in my journal, and eventually I'd fallen asleep on top of the blankets on the bed in the master suite. It had been a difficult day, dealing with the Court and Council was never easy, so my exhaustion wasn't surprising. But unfortunately, I wasn't asleep for very long. I woke up to soft footsteps, but kept my eyes closed. It was probably Sidra. Nothing I needed to worry about. But then I felt a breeze on my skin. I opened my eyes and saw that it had gotten darker out and that the balcony door was open. That was odd. I hadn't left it open before I went to sleep. I sat up and looked around. Then I felt a gloved hand cover my mouth. I tried to scream, but the hand muffled any noise from my lips.
"Careful, Your Majesty," a masculine voice said softly. "We wouldn't want the guards to come charging in here now, would we?"
The man that was hovering over me was dressed in black from head-to-toe, there was no way I could see who they were. I tried to summon my magic to throw the man back, but I couldn't reach my powers. Something was suppressing them. The one thing I made sure to lock into memory was the unique necklace that hung from the stranger's neck.
"Long live the Queen..."
Panic coursed through my veins as I saw the man take out a knife. He was going to kill me. Thinking quickly, I reached up and grabbed his wrist, twisting it and forcing him to drop the knife. He gasped in pain and backed up, letting go of me. I scrambled to my feet and rushed towards the door, trying to get away from him, but he cursed and grabbed me again. I started flailing my arms, trying to stop him in any way that I could, but he back slapped me hard, and I fell to the floor.
He charged for me again, stabbing at my body, and I started kicking at him causing my legs to be exposed. He slashed my shin, and I cried out in pain. He yanked on my arm, trying to pull me to my feet. The movement was painful and my anxiety spiked as I saw him raise the knife again. But then I heard a familiar voice.
"Let her go or I will break your neck," Polaris growled. The ice phoenix changeling stood behind the assassin and was furious. He held the assassin's neck with one hand, promising pain if I was harmed.
The assassin released me and Polaris slammed him against a wall. The sound alerted the guards and they rushed in.
"Your Majesty, is everything alright?" one of them asked.
I swallowed hard and tried to stay strong. My emotions were all over the place, but I couldn't falter. I was the Queen. I managed to stand up, putting all my weight on one leg.
"This man just tried to kill me," I told them. "Put him in a cell and call Lady Sidra."
The guards nodded and cuffed the assassin.
"W-Wait..." I stammered. "I'd like to see the face of the man who just attempted to kill the Queen of Espor."
One of the guards who was standing beside the assassin snatched off his mask. This man looked rugged and middle-aged, one of his eyebrows had a big scar, and his eyes were cold. I would never forget his face. A tattoo of a crow also caught my attention; it was located on the right side of his neck. Looking at his neck, brought my focus back to that amulet he wore, only he wasn't wearing it now. Had I imagined it? Something didn't feel right about it. The way it'd looked...it seemed familiar somehow...like I'd seen it before somewhere.
"Take him away," I ordered.
The guards dragged the assassin away, and I watched them leave with my head held high.
YOU ARE READING
Storm's Rapture | Storms Series: Book 1 (This is a Co-Write)
Romansa"The past haunts you, flowing through your veins like water..." Cyris Castellan is a young man with water magic and royal blood. When he was a child, his home was attacked and destroyed by gruesome magic users. They killed his family, orphaning Cyri...
