Echoes in Darkness

Chapter 30

I woke the next morning in my bed. The sun shining through the window. I sat up in bed, and let the blankets fall down around me. I touched the crystal and let it all sink in. I was a princess. I smiled a little to myself. A dream come true. Then I remember what I had heard about. My true mother was poisoned, and dying. As much as I wanted to leave here, to meet my true family I knew it was going to have to wait. I was going to have to tell this family who I was, and what had happened. They'd all think I was crazy. I even sounded crazy to myself just thinking about it all.

I changed into a simple dress, and walked to my door. When I went to open it, it was locked. I tried it again, but it wouldn't budge. A jostled the knob, and pounded on the door, but nothing worked. I pounded some more, and shouted hoping someone downstairs would hear me. Then I remembered. My mother here knew I am Princess Isabella. I don't know how or why, but she was determined to keep me from leaving Lagranda.

Footsteps came up the steps, but nobody said anything. Instead a slip of paper was slid under the door, and the footsteps retreated. I picked up the paper and read it.

Forget the fantasies. Hand over the crystal.

There was no name, but I knew my father's hand writing. I didn't know how they could've known who I really was unless Emile told them what had happened yesterday. If that was the case the others could be in serious trouble.

I crumpled up the note, and felt the crystal. As I did something new bloomed inside of me. An understanding. The voices were gone, and I knew then that I had made the right choice. I had listened to the voices. They had led me somewhere. Was it the right choice? My family was holding me against my will and forcing me to accept something I had refused for most of my life.

***

The entire day passed, and the only time my door was opened was when Nason was bringing me meals. More notes were brought encouraging me to forget Isabella, but I couldn't. Not after all of the proof I had seen in the last few days that I was in fact Isabella.

It was dark now, and my empty plate was sitting on the ground next to the door. I was sitting on my bed already ready for bed. My auburn hair was fanned out around my head, and hanging off the end. My feet rested on the pillows of my bed, while my head was at the foot of the bed. I played with the crystal hanging around my neck.

Then there was tapping coming from the window. Sitting up I go over to see what it is. It's a falcon. The same falcon that was with Sebastian and Kolton when they first arrived in Lothan. I opened the window, and the falcon flew into the room perching itself in the center of my floor. I then watched as she began to take another form. Soon Aadya was standing in front of me.

"Alex, are you alright? Where were you all day?" she asked quietly.

"My family locked me in my room. They know who I am, and they don't want me to believe that's who I really am," I explain.

"How can they know?"

"I told my sister. She's married to the man who had saved my life. I talked to him, and then I broke down, and told my sister everything. I didn't think that she would tell anyone."

Aadya sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Okay listen closely. Sebastian and Kolton need to get back to Hutan soon. They told your Mother that they would bring you home safely before a war started. I'll tell them what happened. I might be back tonight with a plan, but if not I'll be back tomorrow."

Aadya went to turn back but I quickly stopped her. "Tell Bianca to go to Emile's. Have her ask my sister if she had told my family about what I had told her."

Aadya nodded, and began to shift once again. Soon she was back as a falcon, and flew out of the window she had come from. I closed the window just in time for the door to unlock and open, but instead of Nason walking in it was mother.

She looked me up and down before walking in, and locking the door once again. "Who was just here Alexandrine?" she asked stressing my name.

"Nobody. It was just a bird pecking on the window," I said which was true.

She looked at me again. She wasn't buying my half-truth. "I'll ask you again Alexandrine. Who was here?"

"Again, nobody was here."

"Oh Alexandrine. You are a terrible liar." Suddenly a shock wave went through me, and I crumpled to the ground. As I fell I hit my head hard on the ground. "Who was it?"

"I'll never tell you. You want to take away who I really am. You lied to me for seventeen years who I really was. Was all that love a lie too?" I nearly shouted at her. Hot tears were threatening to fall down my cheeks.

Another shock went through my body. I curled into a tight ball as to somehow protect me from the blows. I could feel my Mother standing over me. "You are not the Princess Isabella, Alexandrine. No matter what Cassian tells you, or Bianca, or those boys. You will never be the Princess Isabella again. She is dead."

I wanted to ask her how she knew about the boys. I only told Emile about Cassian, and Bianca. Never about Sebastian, Kolton, and Aadya. This wasn't Emile. Someone else was feeding her the information she needed.

Mother crouched down next to me. She grabbed my crystal in an attempt to rip it off my neck. She pulled away when it had started to burn her hand. A large burn was bright red on her hand. She clutched it tight and looked at me. Rage boiling in her eyes. She stood and walked out of the room. Locking the door once again as she left.

I held myself tighter. I didn't know what else to do. I tried to sit up, but my body refused and crumpled back down to the ground. I was able to muster enough energy to feel the back of my head. My hand came back bloody. I sighed and rested my hand next my body. Too weak to do anything else. It wasn't long until I blacked out.

Thatnight I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel the sting of the amulet against myskin. Even if I did, I wouldn't have known what it would mean until I would finda note from Rus in the morning.