The guards round up the other birds and capture them one by one. Jemime is ordering them around. "Put the cages in the basement, I have a friend who will take a look at them. Do not let them out."
All the guards bow and respond in unison, "Yes, My Lady."
The healer is also called to take a look at Lord Makonus. He closely examines the handkerchiefs covered in blood.
"Who stopped the blood?" The old man asks. Rachel steps forward. The healer looks up and down, and then settles his gaze on her green eyes.
"What is it?" Lord Makonus asks in a hoarse voice.
The healer turns to Lady Reyne, who is standing next to the Lord, and then to Jemime. "My Ladies, you may want to take a look at this." Both women stare at the side of the Lord's neck and instantly turn to Rachel.
"Nuvole, you need to rest. Let us go to your chambers. I will explain everything. Jemime, talk to them." Lady Reyne tells her daughter. Jemime nods and waits till everybody is out of the room, except us sisters and Alyssa.
"You told us you brought people from outside Manelysse. You didn't tell me that they had powers." Jemime says to Alyssa.
"It occurred to me as well but I was not sure. Not completely sure, until now." She responds.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Phoebe asks both of them.
Alyssa clears her throat and speaks, "I wanted to tell you something in the room. Remember, when I told you about the spirits? Well, the first four rulers of Manelysse had four children. They possessed similar powers but their mind was quicker and they were more adventurous. They formed two more Clans, by marrying each other. The daughter of the Earth King to the son of the Water Queen, and the daughter of the Fire King to the son of the Air Queen. But those two Clans do not live here."
"Why not?" I ask her.
"Because the members of their Clans went out of Manelysse. The eldest children of the first rulers were too restless to stay in the land of peace. Almost all of the descendants of the rulers here are from their younger children. And the only time we get to see the members of these Clans is when someone from the outside comes to our land. The last ones were the previous Earth, Fire, and Water rulers of Manelysse."
"And you think we belong to one of these Clans?" I ask Alyssa.
"Well, I do," Jemime replies. "You know what I saw on my father's wound? It was healed. Hardly a scratch. But there was a green mark on it. I wonder where did that come from?" She glances at Rachel, who takes a step back in shock.
"And when you killed that talpa- " She addresses me about the bird creature. "I noticed the blue streak forming on your hand. Look at yourself, you are drenched in water. And Phoebe was it? I sensed the energy around you, the minute you started talking to me."
"What are you trying to say?" Phoebe asks angrily.
Jemime releases a low laugh. "Oh, fairy, such powers you have, yet, you fail to recognize the colours of their eyes. Have you forgotten what is said about them? 'The eyes hold no secrets or lies'. Now to answer your question Phoebe, your unique amber eyes define you. Rachel, your emerald eyes describe you. And, Caroline, your indigo eyes explain you. What I mean to say is, you three are the spirits of Fire, Earth, and Water."
*
She is right. I just know that she's right. "What does it exactly mean? That we have powers or something?" Rachel asks both- Alyssa and Jemime.
"Oh, you have powers, that I am sure about. Would you like to explain further?" Jemime turns to Alyssa who says, "It could possibly mean that you three are the Queens of Manelysse."
Ok, that I don't expect. Me, a queen? I can't imagine that. All I wanted to find out was the truth about Dad. Not that I had the possibility of being a queen.
Rachel is as surprised as I am, but Phoebe is grinning like crazy. "Honestly, I am not surprised." She says with a sense of pride in her voice, which results in Jemime giving her a look of annoyance.
"Aren't we a little young to be rulers?" I ask Alyssa, but it's Jemime who speaks up. "All the rulers show signs of their powers at a young age. Once the former ruler is dead, the next one is chosen. Some train under the current rulers in case they show symptoms of having any elemental powers."
"This is what our Air Queen had done. Her mother noticed the power of Air in her and prepared her for the task. Some don't take any training and still are chosen. It's said that ruling comes to them naturally, but still, to be safe, a council of advisors is present to monitor their actions."
"What do we do now?" Rachel asks her.
"The castle is not safe, and my family will not be responsible if harm comes to the future Queens of Manelysse. I would suggest you travel to Castle de Siel and seek help from Queen Alaena. It will take a day from here. We will provide you with food, water, and fresh clothes for the road." She says while looking at me. "Only stop if necessary. And don't lose her because she might be the only thing keeping you alive." She jerks her chin towards Alyssa.
"Thank you very much, My Lady," Alyssa says as we head towards the door. We open it and walk to our room along with Jemime. I change into a similar dress and cloak. Phoebe has now ditched her bloodied heels and kept them in a bag. The servants give us two bags for our journey. One full of food and the other containing pots of water.
I don't notice Jemime creeping up on me. "You saved my life. Why? I am nothing to you." The true answer is that something just came over me. The power inside devoured me and I wanted to test it.
Instead, I reply, "Cause reading the number of History books I've read, allies are important. And if I'm gonna stay here for a little longer, I need an ally, especially those that come with a sword."
Jemime's rosy lips turn into a smirk and she unsheathes her sword. "I cannot argue with that." The rain has now stopped, the sky has turned into a shade of dark blue, yet the castle still remains bright white.
Jemime leads us to the exit, where the same guard I had seen at the entrance hands me my cat. "Thanks," I tell him. He nods with a smile but instantly turns still when he sees his lady behind me. The other guards open the gate to let us out.
Before going out, Jemime starts speaking, "Fairy Alyssa, we will never be friends but you helped me save my home. I grant you a safe passage. Caroline, I owe you my life, you will always find help in me. I grant you a safe passage. Rachel, I owe you something bigger than myself, my father's life. I grant you safe passage and a wish if you decide to stay here." Rachel smiles in response.
"Phoebe-" Jemime's eyes instantly turn dark. "You have been nothing but ungrateful to my family. You disrespected me and the creations of my homeland with your harsh words. I remember you clearly, simply standing and doing nothing when the talpae attacked my home, with a knife and pretending to be brave but failing terribly. As I see it, you have done nothing for my family. I deny you a safe passage."
*
Hope you liked this chapter! The girls can possibly be the rulers of Manelysse. What do you think will happen to them as they get closer to their supposed destination? How will they react to the Air Queen of Manelysse? And what does this safe passage mean? Find out in the next chapter.
Releasing a chapter every Friday.
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THE MYSTICAL MIRROR (THE MISTRESS OF MAGIC)
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