The Goddess's Hero

Jacqueline's Trial

Skye's POV

I woke up in an uncomfortable chair. My neck was tight as were my shoulders. My vision was blurry and I wiped the blurriness away. I rubbed my face trying to get some feeling back into it. I stood up on wobbly legs and stretched them for a moment before turning my attention to the room I was in. It was warm and cozy with a large fireplace and mantle that several plush chairs and a couch sat nearby. There was a large window to the left of the fireplace and to the right of me. In front of it sat a medium sized oak desk that had several papers scattered around, several inkwells, and quills that made it messy. 

That's not what caught my attention, though. Black wavy hair covered part of the desk and as I came closer I noticed that her hair covered her face. Her plain cotton shirt and tan leather pants looked stained from food and sweat. As gently as I could, I moved her hair from her face. Her eyes instantly opened and she sat ramrod straight in her chair. It startled me for a moment where I froze in place. My hand was still gently in her long waves and she froze in place as well. Once I relaxed a bit, I moved her hair behind her ear. Her cheeks turned a little blue and I chuckled realizing that she was blushing. I moved my attention to the papers on her desk. 

They looked like maps with routes and some areas had been crossed over with a big x. Other places had been circled and there were even some notes associated with them. 

"This place is large: enclosed." I read one out loud. Jacqui stood up and began making piles of the messy parchment. "What is this?" I asked in amusement. She looked like she was going over a child's treasure map. She blew some hair out of her face and stared at me with her large lilac eyes. They were so beautiful. I noticed that I no longer felt the pull towards death as I had before when I first saw them. Pride bolstered my broken ego. 

"Plans, routes." She leaned over the desk, pressing against me just a little bit. I tried to pay attention to what she was saying, but I couldn't stop my eyes from glancing her over. "I think this is where you should stay for the time being, and then you'll move here, and then here." Her finger followed the boldest route. "I know it's in the open, but with constant vigilance I believe we can dupe him." 

"What are you talking about?" I asked genuinely confused. She looked up at me with an innocent look. 

"Keeping you safe." She responded. I smiled in dark amusement. 

"You want to keep me safe after all I've done?" 

Her frown and furrowed brows were a little cute. 

"If you were safe, you wouldn't have had to do those things." Her voice got quieter the more she went on. "And besides, how were you to know? Nikolai probably didn't teach you about the Guardians because they had all disappeared." Her voice turned stony. "Nero had them. Nero forced your hand. HE did this." 

"Which is why I'm going to kill him." I wasn't going to play hide and seek with Nero. Even if Jacqui could hide me, I didn't want to hide. I wanted revenge. "I vowed to atone for their deaths, Jacqueline. Bri was my friend. She was my guide. The fact that she was also my birth mother is just that: a fact. Nero will pay for what he did to her. Nero will pay for all their deaths."

"Nero is to powerful." Jacqui stated in a matter of fact tone. She shook her head. "There's no way you can stop him." I turned my body so we were mere centimeters apart and looked her in the eye. 

"At least I'll know I tried." I shrugged. Jacqui grabbed my forearms in a tight grip. 

"Don't you care about your own life?!" She yelled. 

"Of course I care! Nero wants to use me to destroy my world! My home!" I shouted back. "He's already used me to kill people I care about. I won't let him use me. I will destroy him or die trying!" I stared hard into Jacqui's concerned face and relaxed as her eyes teared up. "That's MY choice." I softly iterated and wiped a tear from her eye. I didn't even think when I held her face in my hand and brought my lips to hers.