The Chronicles of Guertanna: The Sword of Light and Shadow

Chapter XXVII

The Tea Party ended. It lasted more than any event Rinna could remember. Trey and Kenor remarkably kept discussing for most part of the resting time, funny because they kept using the same level of gentlemen they could. It was funny for Rinna not to see any swords coming out, but she guessed that at such important and elegant party, neither of them should cause a spectacle over the other guests. Guests...Rinna thought, they were a lot of people that she never saw before. The Noble Families brought up some other siblings, friends even; it was so hard to actually have a good time with them when there was no knowledge over them at all.

After walking the long hallway at the Palace, she started taking off the hairpins already piercing in her head, making her head ache. As she took out the hairpins, her hair fell again into the semi-curly waves down, leaving just the white flowers at the top of her head. She was walking deeper in the Palace, closing a door behind her and moving towards her bedroom. It was dark outside already, and there was no single soul. She sighed and noticed that in front of her Kenor walked opposite hers.

"Hey..." He said, a little bit caught of surprise, looking at her hair all dropped down.

"Hi..." She said, blinking, "what a party..."

"Sure it was...tiring as well." He said and started walking passing next to her.

She sighed once again and kept walking, "Rinna..." He called and she turned over her shoulder, "You looked good today..."

Rinna stared at him, her cheeks suddenly flushing. She felt a swirl in her stomach that bumped up the beats of her heart. Her breathing was suddenly out of track and she needed to take a deep breath before she could answer with a smile, "You did too," She said, and kept walking, glancing back at him now and then before disappearing in the corner of the hallway.

Kenor stood up, staring at her as she left, drawing unconsciously a half smile lifting through his cheek. Maybe it fell good that for once he could say something nice to her. From behind him, the door slammed open. He turned around and barely saw how a little girl ran through the corridor with bare feet. Dia...? He thought listening to the low gasping of her voice.

He decided to follow, slowly to not upset her. She ran through the hallways and ended up in the one hallway that was opened to the garden down. She clung her hands on the bar of the hallway, grasping hard to the stoned material, feeling that she could rip it off. She was sweating, her breathing loud and her hands trembling in fear. She tried to look everywhere, anywhere, but her eyes seemed to feel that shadow so near, so penetrating and frightening.

Tears started falling on her cheeks, filled with the impotence of not controlling it. Her lips started moving, murmuring sounds that she couldn't decode. "Stop it!" She finally murmured, grasping the edge of the bar, "Stop it..." She whispered, but it was inside her head.

"I can't stop it now," Her lips kept moving, the voice suddenly changed, sounding heavy, "You know why—"

"No!" She exclaimed, her tears running down violently, trying to shut the demons inside away. "You can't, not now, please...it hurts...!" Her voice was drowned and she could just sob drowning in words she couldn't speak.

"It's too late already!" Her lips kept moving, talking to herself, her eyes changing, getting darker, and killing every light in her golden eyes. "It's time for me to rule..."

She screamed, her voice shaken and broken. Her tears ran, without any smile to stop them. She inclined down, trying to not lose the grip of the edge. She slipped down, kneeling, trying to provide air to her lungs, trying to breath fresh air, while her tears soaked her face. The fear inside flamed, destroyed her soul, pierced and burned her intuitive healers. She was devastated, controlled by her own mind, controlled by her fate.