A Kingdom of Tales

Chapter 47

"Yes, Jasmine." Yuri says from behind me. "I will make sure I am the sole heir. You will be pardoned for killing them. Though you will not need it."

I smile as a flame engulfs the emperor on both sides. So I really am the phoenix.

It takes no effort at all to burn him alive. His screams sound like music to my ears. Yuri walks up next to me, staying far enough away not to be burned by the flames.

Kyoshi falls to her knees next to her father as she cries. "No. Father."

I walk closer to them, making Kyoshi scramble away with widened eyes full of fear.

"I'll tell you a little secret, Kyoshi. You killed the only person who had any power over me. You did this to yourself." I whisper the words into her ear before I place my hands on her arms and send a flame through them.

She screeches as she tries to pull away, but my hold on her is too strong. I smile cruelly, knowing what she's feeling. I was being burned alive only a few hours ago too.

I burn her from the inside out, until she's a body of flayed nerves and nothing more.

I turn back to Yuri, only to see that everyone else has woken up. Eloise has a proud smile. As if the murder I just committed was admirable.

"Let's go." I say before walking out of the room.

"Wait. Give me a moment, Jasmine. Don't leave yet." Yuri says before rushing up the stairs.

I can't forget the image of Miles with a slit down his throat. It's seared into my brain. Another mistake of mine that led to his doom.

I should've said no to the dinner. Everything goes terribly wrong when I use my heart instead of my head.

Never again. I promise myself.

"Princess, I'm sorry." Eloise says from behind me.

"No. I'm sorry, and I'm a princess of nothing, so don't call me that. As you can see, I just killed my own father and any right to any throne."

Surprise marks her features. Before she can speak, Yuri comes back.

"Here." She pushes an object into my chest.

It's the journal. "It's your mother's. You knew I read it?"

"Who do you think put it in your room?" She chuckles.

"Why would you do that?"

"Nevermind that now. You have to leave before their bodies are found." She pushes me in the direction of the castle gates.

I pull her in for a hug before leaving, not knowing if I'll ever see her again.

"We'll see each other again, Jasmine. We have a barrier to take down after all." She plays with the ring on her finger before she hands it to me. It's a stamp. "Show this to anyone that tries to stop you on your travels."

I startle at her words. She knows about the barrier? I suppose she must know of it since her mother was Avenlean.

She walks us to the gates and orders the guards to open them. "Open the gates, soldiers." She says loudly.

"Farewell, Jasmine. I pray you find happiness."

We leave without another word.

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We make it to the harbor in complete silence. None of us willing to break it after the horrors they watched me commit. I show the royal seal to the soldier waiting to see our papers, and he lets us pass without a word.

"What are your names?" I ask hesitantly.

"Ivy." The golden-eyed woman replies with a smile.

"Caspian." The young boy.

"Eloise." The older Damaris.

"Anastasia." The white-haired girl.

"Ronan." The gray-eyed man.

"Alright, then. I'm Jasmine." I breath out. "I'm sorry for the loss of Miles. I know you've all known him for longer. It was not my kill to claim. Is there another person in line for the throne?"

Again, Eloise gives me a blank expression. Am I speaking in a different language? I almost laugh.

I don't give them a chance to reply before I jump onto the boat waiting for us. It's not large, but it's large enough to carry the five of us.

"Jasmine, Miles' death was not your fault." Eloise says as the rest of the group watches the exchange with curious eyes.

"He was sent to retrieve me, wasn't he?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean his death is on you. He was a grown man; he came to Edessa of his own free will." She looks frustrated at me.

I choose not to reply and sit on the floor at the edge of the boat. I feel like I might lose my balance and fall into the sea. I need to think about what just happened, but I know if I do, I'll break down into tears.

My sister killed an innocent boy, so I killed her. My father tortured me in the dungeon for a month, and so I burned him alive. It all seems like a bad dream, but I have the scars on my back to prove it. Even though the dress I'm wearing is charred in some places, leaving it with holes, my back is still covered well enough, thankfully.

"You said this journey would take us three days?" I ask.

"Only a few hours. I exaggerated in the castle. You have three Damaris on this boat, Jasmine." She laughs and motions for her children to join her at the other end of the boat.

Ronan and Ivy sit next to me while Eloise, Caspian, and Anastasia get to work on the boat. I watch as they move the water behind the boat with ease. It's magical. They push the boat forward with an unnatural speed.

I pull the journal out and start reading where I left off.