The Assassin Queen (Book Four)

Chapter 10- Ryia

I fell asleep nestled against Leo a smile softening my face. I fell asleep relatively speaking but instead of the usual library I always walk into I seemed to be standing in what felt like fire. Screaming out, I called for anyone I could think of, Alexandria, Terrin, Aaron, Rowan, Simon, but mostly I screamed out Leo's name. Over and over lost between sobs and screeches. "LEO... HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!" I screamed until my throat felt like torn up sand paper. Then a voice I almost recognized, the same voice I heard in my very first childhood nightmares, when I was the mere age of two. It was a dark and ancient voice that usually came with another darker and more powerful voice. "Hello young princess, do you remember me? We used to speak often but back then you were so afraid that you didn't need the fire, how strong you've grown. Its a shame you have to die. The King likes you so very much as do I. Your soul has this delicious dark taste to it one I haven't seen in all my eternities of life. Its irksome that you have to be one of the two to bare the children of prophesied to slay my immortal king. Oh no bothough I can fest on your soul all the same. This young shadow king that I have been using as my pawn has been rather hard to control because of you though, you are a inconvenience for me it seems but that shall be when I present your unique soul to my king. That boy you kept screaming out to what was his name, that' s right Leo, I think he will make an interesting appetizer. Oh, I'd best be going I can't tell you all my plans as much as I may wish to. Good night princess, take good care of your sold would you?". My body burned as I realized that these were the demon flames of the stories they used to tell to me at Fae camp. I wouldn't have been able to decipher the words the voice spoke if it weren't for his echoing voice penetrating the very depths of my mind. The flames melted away as I woke up but h excruciating pain on my back didn't. I was still screaming when I woke up. Leo bolted staight up in bed. "Ryia, whats wrong?" Leo said confusion and worry clouding his eyes. "My, my back" I cried out as tears spilled rapidly from my eyes. Leo carefully turned me around. "My gods, what happened? Ryia, your back is burned" he stated. "The hell fire, it wasn't a dream" I murmured before passing out. When I woke up I was laying down on my stomach in the medical room. My baack was still sore but there was ice layered across my back. I groaned my voice sound scratchy as it had in my dream. "Ryia you're awake" Leo said rushing over to me frantically as I struggled to get up. "Ryia you need to lie down, when you wake up we can remove this ice and heal your burns, and then I can bring all of our very worried friends in here, alright?" Leo asked gripping my hand firmly. I could tell by the way his knuckles were tense that he was more worried than he let on. "Hell fire, not a dream" I croaked out my voice straining as I thought about what that voice had said. I tried to get up once more but the struggle was too much and I passed out once more. This time when I woke up my back no longer had ice on it and it didn't hurt as much when I sat up. I realized that my throat was dry as the desert and I started looking for some water Right when I was about to attempt to stand Leo walked in with two glasses of water at hand. I motioned for him to give me the water. "I figured you'd need some water when you finally woke up" Leo said as he handed me the water which I promptly gulped down. "Leo-" my voice cracked as he handed me the second cup of water which I drank much slower than the first. "Everyone went to bed after I told them that you were going to be okay, do you want to tell me what happened?" Leo asked cautiously. "I was dreaming but instead of my usual dreams I was in a fire, it burned like the ancient demon fires; and a voice, one I haven't heard since I was eight, one that used to haunt my nightmares, one that used to be a pair, spoke to me saying that my offspring were prophesied to kill his king" I took another drink of water. "It said it had been controlling a shadow king, I think he's been controlling Simon" I stated fear in my eyes. "No, that can't be right, only the most ancient dark magics could allow control over a human being and even that kind of magic can only be controlled by a demon knight or The Demon King" Leo said shaking his head profusely. "I'm so sorry" I cried. "No, no, no its okay Ryia its not your fault but I promise you that I will never let that demon knight touch even a hair on your head. I'll keep you safe alright? No matter what I will always be your protector" Leo said hugging me tightly to his chest. Tears fell from my eyes. "I-I I just can't st-stand the thought of you getting hurt because of me" I sobbed into his shoulder. "Please just don't die" I cried out in a broken sob. "It's going to be alright" Leo whispered softly into my ear. We layed there like that until we both fell asleep.