This Enchanting New World

Chapter 19

I took a look at my schedule and promptly laughed- but it was a dry, empty laugh without humor, perhaps even tinged with bitterness. A laugh like cold shards of ice slicing at the air, or jagged fragments of a broken mirror collapsing into the sand.

I was being compelled towards Politics of the Palace, taught by my brother, Prince- no, King Edward.

My whole body shook as if I might burst into flame. My teeth clenched like pieces of a puzzle put together incorrectly, as it all was. My fists trembled violently, for I was stone-cold...colder than I ever thought possible...

A chill raced down my spine...

And then I no longer was.

And then I exploded in a dazzling kaleidoscope of light and color, greater than a puff of smoke.

I was going out in an iridescent supernova of jewel-toned smoke and fire.

I had never felt this degree of rage in my life. It seemed as if the parts of me I had eternally toiled to quell, like a rogue wave, had completely taken over me. And I found, surprisingly, that I loved it.

Yes, I felt a terrible, unbelievable anger; But with that anger, an undisputed power.

As flares convulsed around me, I had the sensation that this fury could be focused and used as a weapon.

So, all coldly controlled fury, I imagined a kingdom of ash.. a crumbling castle..a tattered gown..

The schedule in my hand, the intricate gold leaf, the regal calligraphy, burst into flames without a spark and the flares gave way to dying embers.

I took deep, deterred breaths as the schedule browned, the gold leaf melted, and it all dissolved into sad tatters, and I made my way into the classroom.