GIFTED: CURSE OF THE DARK QUEEN

BLOOD SHALL BE THE PRICE TO PAY

We opened our shoes throwing them away, our minds focused on how to reach Abantika and end this nightmare. I stood near the river, the others beside me.."Ready?" I asked, my breathing getting rougher..They all nodded slowly. Slowly we went in the river, the water surrounding around our hips. I took a deep breath and went under the water. As soon as I went in, the others followed..the dark underwater was slowly constricting my breathing, air bubbles forming around me..Someone tugged me towards themselves, Vinnie..We all gathered around holding each other, Shivangi's hands started glowing with a light blue aura , the water started swirling around us! the air bubbles slowly merged into one another and engulfed all of us into a big bubble. I gasped when I felt the air hitting my lungs again! I asked "Shivangi..Do you know where is the exact location?" Shivangi nodded "Um..No. I-I don't. I don't know how to use my powers in that way." Aishik kept his hand on Shivangi's shoulder giving her a comforting squeeze, but she winced..in pain but smiled at Aishik, I looked under me..the river, it was deeper..deeper than I thought it would be. "How can a fucking river be this deep?" Aindrik asked, his brows raised...Anaya was looking at the depths "It's her." she said, her voice merely a whisper "She..The queen..she's using her magic." "Anaya..can you find her?" I asked, my jaw clenching "I can try." Anaya closed her eyes, her hands surrounding with a pink mystical aura..the aura slowly started to move, it passed through the bubble and lit a way for us..into the depths. Shivangi's hands lit up again, as the water swirled around us pushing the bubble downwards in the depths of the water..The bubble slowly followed the pink light as it lit up the dark waters. A weird sensation settled in my heart, my mind reeling with endless possibilities of what's going to happen when a screeching noise caught my attention, the frozen darkness suddenly started moving! it started revolving around our bubble, screeching loudly! "shadow monsters." Vinnie muttered under his breath, a claw scratched the air bubble puncturing and before Shivangi can fix it, the darkness hurled at us pushing us all back! I struggled against their grasp, holding my breath as I was back in the water. The shadow demon scratched my stomach, I groaned in pain and my eye widened as the area started burning! Vinnie was getting choked by the demons while they trapped Anaya, Aishik and Ishika! Aindrik was racing trying to reach Anaya but they grasped his leg pulling him back. Shivangi was still trying to fix the bubble but the demons kept on puncturing it, rage started to build inside of Shivangi. Her hands glowed blue again, a luminous blue, and the whole water started freezing! Shivangi let out a strong energy blast from her hands as all the demons froze turning into ice, she quickly formed the air bubble around us letting us breathe again, I coughed and gasped as I tried to calm my heartbeat...my shirt drenched in blood "Shit aditya!" Anaya came rushing over to me, she gave me a handkerchief and I put pressure on my wound "She knows.." I said "We are getting closer to her, this was just a ploy to delay us." Vinnie asked "But why didn't she come herself? If she can control shadows from miles away I don't think she needs anymore power to defeat seven teenagers." I shook my head "No, she's planning something big. She..she needed time for something." Ishika quickly stopped us, frustration evident in her voice "Whatever this was, we have to move quickly. God knows what she's doing to Abantika." We all nodded as Shivangi summoned her powers again, she suddenly winced "Ouch." Anaya asked "Are you ok?" "ye-yeah, the shadow demons pushed me a bit too hard." She said with a uneasy chuckle, Shivangi used her powers and the bubble started to move again.

"Brave, and smart as well" The queen said, while staring at the white globe. Abantika sat in a corner, her hands still chained, she couldn't break out of those as it was nullifying her magic..making her weaker as every hour passed. The queen's eyes moved towards Abantika "Your friends are going to give me a good fight. I can confirm that." "And yet you are still going up against them.." Abantika said, gritting her teeth. The queen chuckled without a trace of humor "You make me laugh child, I have lived for so many years..I have seen wars you can only imagine in your nightmares." with a wave of shadowy smoke, the queen appeared in front of Abantika. She grasped her chin forcing her to look up at him "I have seen your fears, your desires, your darkest truths..you think you are better than us?" Her eyes glowed with a purple aura "You gifted think you are better than everyone, the superior culture. But deep down.." Her nail grazed down and pressed on Abantika's chest, making her wince "You all are pathetic, egoistic human beings trying to be something they are not." Abantika looked up at her "You were a gifted too, you are..just as pathetic and egoistic as the rest of us are." The queen pressed her nail harder drawing blood "I stopped being a gifted the day I learned how they disguise evil with their sickeningly sweet knife." She backed away from Abantika and went towards her throne "Let your friends come..and let them see what the price of blood is. The gifted took away my heart from me, washed him in blood...they shall get back what they gave."