Ariadne has always been a dreamer. Her mother would always say she was away with the faeries.
Until one night, an envelope shrouded with magic lands at her doorstep, inviting her to the dance of the damned in the enchanting land of Altoria.
It's m...
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Ariadne turned and ran.
She pushed aside Orin's hand when he went to stop her, and she kept on running. Ariadne raced back down through the corridors littered with glass, not giving a care in a the world when her shoes crunched on any shards in her way.
The sound of running footsteps sounded behind her. Ariadne pushed herself and she shot forward in a burst of speed. The corridors began to blur as she sped past them. Her lungs expanded to let in more air, and fresh air filled her lungs. Ariadne turned, and raced up the small staircase that led to her room, all but flying up them. The footsteps behind her were relentless, but she didn't look back, she couldn't, not now.
The door loomed in front of her, and in a swift movement, she opened the door and skidded inside, locking it behind her.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as the race caught up to her and her chest heaved up and down. Somehow she had left behind her worries of being seen and had tapped into her full Fae instincts, using the unnatural speed that they were famous for.
Her hands shook, and her knees gave way as the cool floor met her. Her knees barked in pain, shooting up her legs, but it burned away. The familiar itching crept along her arms.
A few, short knocks sounded at the door.
"Ari, let me in," Kallen called through the door.
The air popped beside her and Iyrena appeared, she bent down, her delicate dress pooling around her as she laid her hands on Ariadne's shoulders.
Iyrena scanned Ariadne's face, her eyes were bloodshot, and her skin looked an unhealthy shade of white tinged with green. Altoria was taking its toll on her only remaining family member. Iyrena was done with living in fear, living with the torture of her past. If she could save Ariadne from the same fate, she would. So she enveloped Ariadne in a gentle hug and whispered in her ear.
"As long as you refuse him entry, he cannot cross that threshold."
Ariadne saw it for it was, a heaven sent way out. Without hesitation she took it, leaping away from everything she thought she knew.
"No!" Ariadne stood up, her hands stopped shaking, and faint traces of flames licked at her fingertips.
Ariadne walked towards the door, she turned her head over her shoulder once, to look at Iyrena. Iyrena shook her head once.
"Stand your ground. Fight back," it was both a warning and a plea.
"What do you mean no. Ari let me in," Kallen's voice was hard, empty of everything that Ariadne had come to cherish.
"I said no! I'm done with being a prisoner." Ariadne laid her head against the wood, hand placed on the bevelled edge.
"You have never been a prisoner here," Kallen replied.
