Shadow's Throne

Chapter Twenty-Six

Mare

Our jet slowly comes to a stop at the airfield near the Lakelander palace. Cal and I lead Maven off the jet to find Cameron already waiting for us.

"Why's she here?" Maven asks, fear flashing in his eyes.

"Just in case you decide to try anything" Cal answers him.

I lean to Maven's ear and whisper, "I promise it's not a trap. We really are going to help you."

Maven seems to relax at my words and we continue over to Cameron. We share a quick glance before she takes up her spot behind us as we enter the palace. We walk through the gilded halls until we reach a staircase that leads us down to another hallway that splits, one side to the dungeons, and the other to a series of interrogation rooms.

As we head towards the interrogation rooms, I can't help but glance back at the dungeons and remember what I did there just hours ago. I quickly return my thoughts to Maven and the task at hand as the tears threaten to fall.

Cal leads us into a room on the right that's made mostly out of plain stone. It's empty except for an operating table and Sam who's waiting in the corner. Cameron shuts the door behind us after we've all safely made it inside and Sam gives a quick smile in greeting. His gaze turns to Maven as he walks over to us, a smile plastered on his face.

"King Maven," Sam says stopping near us. "What a pleasure to finally have met you."

Maven looks Sam over with his cold eyes before saying, "So you're the whisper who's going to help me?"

"I'm gonna try," is all Sam says.

He motions at us to bring Maven to the table where he lays down. Cameron waits by the door, watching for any threats. Cal carefully takes Maven's flamemaker bracelet off of his wrist and slides it into his pocket.

"We'll start whenever you're ready," Sam says, taking up a position near Maven's head.

Maven's eyes quickly flash to me, full of fear and hurt. I give him a nod and a quick smile, telling him that it'll be ok. He looks back to Sam before nodding.

"I'm ready."

Sam pulls a needle off a table sitting next to the bed and carefully injects the anesthesia into Maven. I watch as his eyes slowly close and he falls asleep. Cal pulls me to the side of the room and takes my hand just as Maven's screams start.

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Maven

I feel the all too familiar sense of a whisper entering my mind as I slowly drift off. He shifts through my memories looking for when it started. When she started to completely take control. He stops on the day Cal killed our father. The day all the truth came out. I watch everything happen again, my real emotions being kept inside me thanks to my mother. I scream inside my head, trying to make the memory stop, and it does. He travels back and stops again. I start screaming again as it starts to play before me. This memory is one my mother has made me forget, one that I never wanted to remember.

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Thomas and I are out on the battlefield, watching as Lakelander soldiers take down our legion one by one. I bring flames to my fingertips, ready to go help the few of us left.

"Maven, don't," Thomas says grabbing my arm.

I look at him, tears in my eyes.

"But Thomas, we need to help them!" I say getting up from behind the bush we're hiding behind.

"Maven, you know you can't. They'll kill you if they find out a prince is here!" Thomas replies, pulling me back down. "I'll go."

"Thomas no!" I yell as he gets up and runs toward the battle.

I sit and watch in horror as he runs through the fray, shooting any Lakelanders trying to harm our friends. He notices a Lakelander advancing on one of our bunkmates with a dagger and charges in his direction, taking aim. But he doesn't see the Lakelander come up behind him with a sword.

"Thomas!" I scream, jumping up from behind the bush.

But by the time my words have left my mouth, it's too late. I watch in horror as the Lakelander plunges the sword into Thomas's back.

I run towards them, flames erupting from my fingers leaving a trail of fire in my wake. I hear screams and gasps as everyone notices the prince in their midst, but I ignore them as I watch my friend's body crumple to the ground, blood pooling around him.

"You killed him!" I scream at the Lakelander, flames bursting from me, heading towards him.

I barely hear the man's screams as I fall down next to Thomas's body. Blood steadily pours from his wounds and I watch the color drain from his eyes.

"Noooooo!" I scream, tears streaming down my face.

Flames erupt around me devouring everything in their path as I scream. They grow as my screams get louder, more desperate, until they finally consume everything around me, including Thomas's body.

Sobs take the place of my screams as I realize what I've done. I look around and see only ash, no sign of the soldiers and the battle that was taking place only moments before.

My sobs get louder as I realize what happened. I look down at my hands and stare at the flamemaker bracelet around my wrist. I rip it off and throw it to the ground before collapsing into a ball of tears, crying and screaming because of what I've done.

That's how Cal finds me hours later, crying in my tiny ball in the middle of a battlefield of ash. He only picks up the flamemaker bracelet lying forgotten next to me before picking me up and carrying me back to the barracks.

My mother is waiting for me there and immediately pulls me to her, trying to stop my tears. She calls for someone who makes me drink something that causes me to fall asleep.

When I wake up, I'm in my room in the palace, my mother sitting by my bed. She notices I'm awake and leans over to give me a kiss.

"Don't' worry, I took care of everything," she whispers to me.

"Why can't I remember?" I ask as I desperately try to remember what happened and how I got here.

The last thing I remember is being sent onto that battlefield, but nothing about what happened there or how I got here.

"Don't worry, it's ok," is all she says back.

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The memory finally starts to fade as the whisper once again shifts through my head. He pulls up every painful memory, but shows me the truth, lets me remember my real feelings instead of the ones my mother made me believe.

I scream and cry as every single one is relived.

Until finally it stops.

He's no longer here. My mind is empty. My mother's taunts are gone. The pain, fear, and everything that she made me into, it's all gone.

I take in the silence, the freedom, and remember the boy I was. Remember that I loved my brother. Remember the true stories of my childhood. Remember that I fell in love with Mare.

And when I've finally remembered everyone as they truly were, and everything as it truly happened, I open my eyes.

So I really really think this chapter turned out great and I really really hope you guys think so too because this chapter is obviously really important and I want it to impact you guys as much as it did me. So, if you thought it was good or you liked it, leave me a comment telling me that, give it a vote, or maybe even do both. I really want you guys to like this chapter so please let me know if you did!!! :)