Consequence

Chapter 24

June 3, 1813

Beads of sweat drip down my cheek as I sprint in the direction of the castle using my newfound speed. Levi was too much to handle and after five minutes of nonstop dueling I needed to escape. So I lost him in the thick woods and am trying to focus on memorizing a spell as I run for my life. This better work.

"Una cum aere, celare intuitus eorum."

I repeat five times in accordance to the grimoire and pray that it works. I run passed a river and see that my reflection is still visible in the water. I curse myself for being useless and cast the spell once more.

I peek one more glance at the river and grin, nothing is staring back at me. Levi's footsteps become louder as I am unable to keep up. I climb up a tree and hold my breath, hoping that the pounding of my heart won't give me away.

He slows down and sniffs up into the air like some type of bloodhound on a hunt. "What a gross scent...I know you're here Angie." He mocks using my mother's nickname after taking one long whiff.

Levi is a demon because we share the same father but his mother is not mine...thank god. That insinuates that he must be born of my father's second wife who is human. This means that he has demon blood so he is stronger then most vampires however he's only a halfbreed so it's not like he's immortal.

Just as I'm about to leap down from the treetop and bash his skull into the ground with my bare foot, a figure blurs passed me. It strikes Levi square in the jaw causing him to spit droplets of blood. Ouch that's gotta hurt like a bitch!

I slide down the trunk of the tree as quietly as possible while keeping my eye on the fight. The figure is moving so quickly that I'm unable to get a good look at its face.

Then Levi jumps unexpectedly and releases a dagger midair. He misses his target's heart by a mere two inches. The figure clutches its shoulder and stops for a second to pull out the weapon. At this moment I see who it is.

"Watch out!" I yell when I see Levi pull out another dagger from his sleeve, aiming straight for his enemy's heart.

I realize that I gave away my disguise but am surprised when the world around me spins rapidly. I'm unable to find out what happened to my protector as my vision fades. Darkness returns.

June 17, 1813

The blinding translucent lights dangling above me are the first thing I'm greeted with upon my awakening. This is followed by a sharp pain pounding throughout my head and dryness in my throat.

A large window displays a beautiful night sky outside. I stare at the depths of the darkness as I watch the hills rolling in the distance and the torches that light the paths for travellers and merchants in the distance. I place my hand on the glass wishing that I too can travel these roads and find my way. Who am I? Why do I feel so lost?

The sound of a door creaking open causes my gaze to shift towards the other side of the soft bedding. A handsome man walks towards me with an unusual familiarity. A tall women strides inside the room after him and takes my hand as if she knows me. Her expression is stern giving me the impression that she has quite the serious attitude.

I stare up at the neat knot laying at the top of her head as she leans in towards my bed. She places her other hand atop of mine as she grips my palm with a reassuring force. A sapphire bracelet is beaded around her thin wrist and it begins to glow as she whispers to me in a foreign tongue.

Suddenly I no longer long to find my way for my past is clear. I smile at recognition of the women before me, Mrs. Helen. Who would've known that such an uptight women was an enchantress all along?

I spring out from under my covers and embrace her tightly relived to no longer be in deep sleep. I peer over her shoulder at Nik who is smiling sheepishly at me. I stand up with incredible energy and leap off the bed into his arms as he catches me and chuckles at my affection.

He describes the tale of how I passed out after shattering the dagger that was a millisecond away from piercing his heart. After this, he dealt with Levi but refused to give me the nasty specifics. I was asleep for 14 days and many feared that I would never wake but Nik visited me every day with Mrs. Helen who was, crazy as it sounds, one of the most powerful witches in the world. Supposedly, she was concealing me all of my childhood with thousands of protection incantations and location spells.

I walked with them towards the dining hall were Polly, Mac, Sebastian, and Vera sat. "Hi." I said eliciting an excited shrill from Polly and tears of joy from Vera. The two of them engulfed me tightly and let go only to tell me that I had so much gossip to catch up on.

Mac and Sebastian had to pry them off of me so I could breathe. I saw Mac and Vera holding hands and I was glad for they were absolutely adorable together. Sebastian seems like someone who wouldn't put up with Polly's hyper demeanor but he treats her like the duchess she is which is something extraordinary.

I look at Nik a part of me hoping he will treat me that way too but I know that he is too cold for that. This is when I realize he has his hand on the small of my back and he is slightly rubbing circles with his thumb to comfort me.
He must think this is a lot for me to take in after being, well, comatose.

But this small sign of affection shows how much he cares. He cares...he saved me. I feel a light push on my back and realize I've been staring at Nik for way too many seconds. Instead of turning my cheek in embarrassment I smile up at him.

I feel stronger, faster, and the energy coursing through my veins may take a while to get used to but I'm absolutely in love with the feeling.

I don't know where my life with Nik will lead me but I have a grimoire in my left pocket and an emerald ring on my index finger.

The power to defend myself but also to let people in resides within me. Nik leads me to the grandest room in the palace and takes me to a seat beside him. Imagine that only months ago I sat alone on a windowsill reading fairytales in ragged orphan nightgown. Nik grips my hand in reassurance as a crowd of the most honored people of the country bow to little me.

"Queen Evangeline Klein..." They begin to address me with confidence. I can lead my own life now and the lives of an entire kingdom, I'm free to play a role of influence, to help others achieve their dreams.

The future may remain uncertain but I have found my home, my mother is with me, and I have fallen fifty thousand times harder than I thought I would for Dominik Klein. Destiny works wonders in ways only fairytales do.

I stare through an open window at the far right of the corridor and watch as a white dove perches on the windowsill. I watch as it flies alone into the distance only to be joined by another white beauty. I continue to gaze at the blue skies until the doves are just specks of white dots in the distance. "Your highness do you accept your duty?" My focus returns at the summoning of the title. I take a deep breath and smile at the open skies once more as my words pass through my lips. A deafening applause erupts and the only thing left for us to do is celebrate. The kingdom bands together for the first time in decades for the beginning of a new era, and the crown resting upon my head gives me a new purpose, may the new reign of England begin!

THE END.