The Arcana

Reckoning

"UGHHH" I jumped out of the way just in time for a dagger to slice a little part of my cheek and hit the back of a tree. I looked at the dagger in horror as I realized that it was perfectly in the spot of where my head used to be.

"Tobias! You nearly took my head clean off my shoulders!" I looked back at where the culprit stood leisurely by a tree looking at his nails as if he had not just tried to murder me. What a little brat he was!

"You act more the Princess than the Poison, Empress." And the way he said it you would have thought I should have just stood there and taken the knife to my head.

I sighed frustratedly. We had been going at this for two days now and all the direction he had given me was to tap into my arsenal and then riddled off some more vague sentence fragments that never made any sense.

I worriedly looked back at the church from our little spot behind it (still within the spells perimeter mind you) and wondered if I would ever be able to get a hang of my powers. I never admitted it to anyone but that day back when Lockewood and I were escaping I had a secret thrill of pleasure when I used my arsenal and ever since then I have dreamed of accessing it again if but only to feel the rush of the high. I was hooked and it was only a few seconds worth of a power that everyone says is at the tip my fingers. If only it were that simple.

I was shaken from my train of thoughts when I heard some of what Tobias was mumbling to himself. It almost seemed like he was talking to another person but that couldnt have been possible.

"She is not doing her part...

I know she knows...

How did you get her to do it last time...

I wonder..."

"Tobias what are you say-"

But Lockewood cut me off when he caught both of my and Tobias' attention. He had some papers in his hands and was waving them around as if to show us something but before he could I saw Tobias out of the corner of my eye reach for another dagger from his pouch and I knew in that moment he would throw it square in between Lockewood's eyes. That is if I didn't get to him first.

"STOP TOBIAS NO!"

I was sprinting at full force toward Lockewood to try and push him out of the way but as if in slow motion I saw Tobias already throw the dagger. Shit, shit, shit, I was more than fifty feet away and wouldn't be able to reach him in time. So with an outreached hand I thought back in the forrest and willed the voice from that time back into my head.

Ahhh it feels so good to be back my love. Oh how I've missed our little talks.

No time for talking please give me the powers!

Haha very well my little dove.

And within the span of only two seconds I imagined the roots of a nearby tree shooting out and grasping Lockewood's ankles and slamming him to the ground only a millisecond before the dagger lodged itself on the wall of the church.

I rushed over to where Lockewood was laying still tangled under the roots and having the most betrayed and horrified expression I had ever seen. Breathless I shooed the roots away and extended my hand for him to stand up.

"Are you okay Lockewood? I thought for sure I wouldn't make it in time to save you..."

I heard a whoop and a holler over where Tobias still stood looking smug that he got a reaction out of me.

"What the hell is wrong with you Tobias?! You could have killed him!!" I was steaming mad that he would have ever thought to use that kind of underhand trick on me.