Page 6

Luna

"Hey! I wanted that!" The girl, Everetta, exclaimed, pointing a figure across from her in the small circle the three of us had huddled into. A fire was lit in the middle to cook their food. The boy, Eli, rolled his eyes as he glared at her taking a bite of his, or her meat.

What are they fighting about now?

I rolled my eyes at their banter.

How in the world are they always so childish?

They always argue over the most idiotic of things. I had recovered all my memories about two weeks before my supposed rescue, and right in the middle of a theft, at that. I had been caught in broad daylight all because of some returning memories, which I didn't even want. I wished I could just forget it all. But, oracles always remember their past life, no matter what, which was how I was able to predict my prison break from the Summer Queens prisons. I had a vision of being trapped in a cage, of a boy and girl with bright blond hair causing havoc. It would have been stupid of me not to put the pieces together when all the events after my capture aligned.

"Ghhaa!" The girl, Everetta launched herself at the boy, Eli. Her hands curled into claws as a feral look entered her golden Griffin eyes.

"Give it back!" I swore if she screeched like that against my ears again I would kill her.

At this point, the meat was nothing but dirt. The bronze-colored fat was covered in soil.

How could she still want it? She might as well just eat the very soil from the ground. Honestly, why are they even still fighting over it? How childish are they to continue fighting over spoiled meat?

They were eighteen sun cycles. At that age, they should learn to show some maturity. They weren't children anymore. Gods, if we were also counting their mental ages it wouldn't do children justice to call those two childish.

Wrinkling my nose I glared down at the banter before me. Rolling from side to side covering themselves in mud. Glancing up, having finally felt my presence, the boy's sharp narrowed blue wolf eyes landed against mine, "What are you looking at?" His nose wrinkled in disgust as I rolled my eyes. He could sneer at me all he wanted but the bottom line was he rescued me. Which meant he or the girl might have needed something from me. But what?

Taking advantage of the boy, Eli's, momentary distraction the girl, Everetta, snatched the dirt-encrusted meat from his pale calloused hands. For a moment the girls scowled in disgust, perhaps realizing their banter was all for not, but in another second the meat was cleaned. In the third the whole cooked and now clean again werehound's thigh was in her mouth.

Of course, I should have known. Magic was always involved in this world, especially with them.

Can't lift something, just use magic. Got some callused hands just used magic to fix it up.

As I thought the idea, the boy, Eli, did just that, using his magic to clean himself off, as well as the girl, then staring at his hands and removing the calluses from them. Because gods forbid he actually gets his flawless hands dirty.

The boy frowned at having his meat taken, eyeing the girl, but just as it was in the past, he made no complaints against her taking his things. Sighing, the boy took up another werehound meat these two had hunted before my rescue, from the looks of it a lot. I frowned, cocking a brow, and rolled my eyes tossing my meat ladened skewer into the fire. Pity such animals had to die in their hands. The girl gawked at me horrified. I rolled my eyes. Did she seriously expect me to eat that thing, or was I supposed to toss it to the boy and play a game of toss and grab, like a pup fighting for its first kill? Ya, no thanks . The boy glared at me as the girl started to tear up almost like she was about to cry, "My hard work!" She moaned as the boy rolled his eyes all the while patting her back.

"You should appreciate that we're even sharing food with you."

His ice-cold sapphire eyes turned venomous as they landed on me, "How could you destroy a perfectly good piece of meat?"

I rolled my eyes.

I am not playing their games.

"Ya, my hard work." The girl, Everetta, picked up the piece of stick from the fire that once held said meat. Nearly charred to a crisp. Bits and pieces of the meat flaked off the stick. I rolled my eyes, raising my freshly picked and washed berries. "I have this, so no thanks," I went back to eating my fruits.

As if I would ever eat something as disgusting as shadow wolves.

That's what they were, wolves corrupted by dark magic twisting them into the monstrous creatures known as werehounds. But before I could have the tiniest bite of fruit the boy knocked the stash in my hands into the fire.

"Oops." The boy, Eli, shrugged as I closed my eyes. Trying with all the magic in me to remain seated. I am not going to involve myself in their childish banter. Glaring back towards the boy I took out another one of my stored bags of fresh berries. I had picked them up along the trail once we had run far enough away from the Summer Court capital.

Just a couple more days and I'll be gone, just relax. We'll reach the Winter Wonderlands soon. Gods grant me the sanity to put up with these two.

As if reading my thoughts the boy just had to provoke me. Using the magic that chained me to him, he yanked the magic-ridden cuffs against my wrists. I watched in a red haze as my food dropped once more into the dirt. It wasn't as if I could use magic, not with these cuffs on my hand. Cuffs, the girl seems all too willing to manifest without a protest against the boy. Honestly, it doesn't matter what life we live, those two will always be the same. Always revolving around their own little circle, never letting anyone else in. It's just like them to never even question one another, to never even get mad at one another. But I know what the boy is hiding. I've seen it in his actions, in the way the girl acts too, in his private questions for me.

But I can't say anything, if I did she wouldn't believe me anyway. Like I said the girl was blind when it came to the boy and the boy towards her.

Knowing my helplessness at the moment the boy smirked down at me. I don't know why I snapped. Maybe it was because of something in his self-assured gaze or perhaps it was because I knew of their futures. Futures in which they stole . Those thrones were never supposed to be theirs. Or at least not the boy's to claim. How I wished I could just break my magic binding cuffs and strangle the boy.

The boy shrugged, "Hmph, maybe next time you'd think twice before throwing something away."

To the shadows with restraint, I launched myself at the prick.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" I tore at his blond waves or at least tried to but he had two hands free, and I was cuffed.

"Hey, hey, hey! No fighting!" The girl bellowed, yet she dared not do anything to stop it. Or at least she was about to but then realized something and didn't. See this is the exact reason why I don't like either of them, they are so-so irritating! They're such-

Ugh ! There's not even a right word to describe their kind.

I kicked my free knee against the boy's groin but he anticipated it. Using one of his hands to hold me in place while using his left to cover his junk all the while twisting out of my reach. Cocking his head and smirking at me as if to say “ Is that the best you can do? ".

I could practically feel the heat from my crimson cheeks as I flared up, my body bursting into purple flames. The boy's eyes went wide. Guess he wasn't expecting me to do that, was he? I smirked, feeling the lick of galaxy-colored magic skittering across my body, through my veins, through every ounce and crevice in my body. The click of the cuffs on my hands was like the chirping of a bird in the morning. The small thump as the metal hit the soil was even more glorious. The girl crept closer, her head tilted in amazement, in intrigue, as if I was some specimen to be examined. I rolled my eyes.

"Wow, you're like a Phoenix , well, I mean you are a Phoenix so this only makes sense-" The girl‘s eyes lit up with an eerie shine as she grew even closer. Creeping in on me like I was some specimen to be examined.

I glared at the boy, no he's not worth my time. Control yourself, Luna, you will get your revenge soon. I don't know why they saved me but one thing was for sure they needed me alive, at least for now.

"I am so done with this," I muttered, grabbing my bags as I turned, heading towards the sleeping grounds in the trees. After all, we were in the Shadow Lands. A region not under any of the court's domains. The lands were not protected by the royal family's magic and thus, a victim to the ravages of shadow creatures, such as the werehounds and all sorts of other monsters and no one should sleep on the grounds of the Shadow Lands. The trees were a bit safer. Less creatures live in the trees, at least those that wouldn't be twice your size.

Making myself a little nest of pillows and blankets I snuggled down to hopefully sleep this nightmare away. But, I knew I couldn't really do so. Not until we reached the Winter Court, there I would have the necessary equipment to do what I needed to do, to help end these vile creatures. Closing my eyes I let the dark abyss of the night envelop me.

"Mother! I made this for you." A boy with a smile as bright as the sun beamed up to a woman whose hair shone like that of a lion's mane. The woman turned her golden brows arching as she frowned down at the boy. Her discontent with his actions was clear. Narrowing her eyes down at the drawing she sighed, seemingly exhausted at the beaming little boy. The woman was ready to get back to looking at the map she had laid out on the table behind her, "Eli, I highly doubt this is a useful endeavor of your time. Now go bother someone else. I'm quite busy. Besides, did I not get you five nannies for this? Don't tell me I have to get you another. We can't have our warriors waiting on your hands and feet, Eli. Now hurry and go back to your room. I haven't the time for this." With a flick of a hand, the woman shooed the boy away as if he were a pesky fly on the wall.

The boy's brightness dimmed as he nodded back. His wintery blue eyes frosting over, "I understand moth- I mean chief." Bowing his head the small boy ducked away into the little cave that served as his room.

The woman watched the boy from the corner of her eyes.

As the boy disappeared behind the folds of sheets the woman focused back on her map. At her feet, a picture of a boy and a woman stood in front of a hut smiling and holding hands. Noting the fallen paper the woman picked it up. Tearing it into pieces, she watched it burn in her hands gazing back at the small blue eyes hidden behind the curtains just as the scene started to waver.

A girl and boy stood together, their hands clasped as they watched their parents binge on the luxuries of a conquered kingdom. The two kids stood peering out at the massive piles of motionless sphinxes. Brother, why did this have to happen?" The violet-haired girl squeezed her elder brother's hand tightly. Her free hand clutched onto a small paddle doll.

“Because it's the natural way of things. Nothing lasts forever." The red-haired boy squeezed his sister's hand back his gaze firmly set on the red blaze in the arena. The chard smell of burning flesh still clung to my nose even in this vision.

Suddenly the scene changed once more like a ripple in the waves.

Fire.

There was so much fire, and there in the center stood the boy with chestnut-colored hair, his eyes glowing black with crimson blood in its depths. "We're finally free, dear sister." The boy pronounced to the purple-haired raven as she stared down at the woman beneath her foot.

"Yes, finally." The girl loomed above a woman bending down just as she ripped out the woman's heart.

So similar was the girl to the woman below her, the girl hated it.

"No more cages, no more beatings," The girl snarled her lips curling in disgust, closing her eyes as the woman beneath her closed her inky violet gaze.

Falling through the floor I was once more in another scene.

Blood.

Pools and rivers of it as agonized cries echoed all around, "You can't do this! He's my fiance!" The violet-haired woman was standing atop an altar now. The dark brown-haired boy rolled his eyes, plunging the crimson-drenched dagger into the man before him despite the woman's desperate rebuttals to stop.

"Please, if it wasn't for me he wouldn't even be here. Now, I have corrected that mistake." The boy spat, his malicious drawl tone echoing through the holy chamber.

Stepping over the motionless body on the marbled ground leaving clear imprints of his chunky black boots indented against the chest of the blooded corpse.

"I thought you wanted to be free." The boy frowned puzzled, a question lingering in his eyes, offering his blood-soaked hand to the violet-haired woman with eyes that seemed to resemble that of the night stars.

The girl closed her eyes, taking the offered hand, knowing she had no other choice. She had to otherwise she too will die tonight. Why die when she can take revenge on her brother for killing what was hers?

"Yes, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking, '' the woman relented. She feared the promise of death in the red-haired man's gaze. If she hadn't taken what was commanded of her to do, would her brother have killed her too?

Ripple.

There was nothing and then there was something.

There was a girl, her smile was said to light up even the darkest of rooms. And there was a boy whose sword skills were unmatched. The boy would do anything to save the girl, but then she betrayed him.

Black… darkness… nothing.

Then there was life again. And then there were two boys, then one, "Everetta, this isn't you, not the one I know, not the one I grew up with. I'm sorry, but I will not place my kingdom endangered because of your ... hunger!" The boy with hair as green as the forest trees and eyes as rich as emeralds bellowed. "Goodbye." Then a floating piece of rock, with greenery finer than that on the ground, and a sky, a sun and moon of its own.

Nothing.

Ripple .

Groaning, I awoke from the sudden onslaught of memories and visions. Too entwined to make out. What was the past and what was to come? The throbbing pain beat like drums against my ears slowly fading into the air. Panting softly I tried to gather myself and reclaim what was me.

"These memories are not all mine, they are not all mine. Calm your emotions and dispel what is true and what is not. What is yours and what is theirs? Relax and calm yourself." I chanted in my mind over and over until what was true separated itself from the lies.

Brown and red waves, that was my brother, those were my memories, blond hair, blue eyes, those of the boy, Eli, green eyes, who was that? No, there was also a blond girl, Everetta, with him, so those must be her lost memories. Or they could be visions. At least I think so.

Whatever magic they cast to come to this reality must have required a great sacrifice because for all I knew only those of the Phoenix royal line could reincarnate. There had to have been a loophole they made, after all, I did know them. If anything I'd put my life on it they didn't just come after me for nothing. So why doesn't the girl seem to know any of her former magic spells? From the glimpses that I saw she knew far less magic than she used to. But that made no sense. I’m sure if she were to have cast a reincarnation spell, and it must have been the girl who cast it because she was the only one capable of it, she would have entangled a spell so that she and those joining her in this life would have all their memories intact. Which meant Eli must have tampered with her memories after they reincarnated. I also knew she didn’t have her memories because well she would be sneering down her nose at me right now if she truly did have all her memories. She wouldn't have stood aside and let the boy attack me. No, she would have slit my throat when she found me. But she didn't.

Or does she already have all her memories back and was just playing with me? Perhaps Eli truly tampered with her memories, and if so why? Then again why did they come back in this life? Staring at the sleeping girl beside me I frowned at just what schemes she was up to now.

"Come on, we've stayed long enough here." The boy, Eli, didn't even bother to offer me the same courtesy as he offered the girl. Giving her a hand up from her makeshift sleeping bag above the trees.

All's well then.

Rolling my eyes at the boy's small dig at my pride I dusted off my ragged clothes. New little holes poked themselves in my prison suit as the boy never bothered to offer me a new form of clothing, making my walks through the woods a bit more chilly than necessary.

Gritting my teeth I glared at his back as I crawled my way down. My legs still wincing from the lashings the queen had given me. Not bothering to help me down either huh? Not to mention my powers seem to have faded once more. Without the ability to use my healing spells, I was not able to heal myself. And this was why I took up making potions, but alas when I was arrested all the healing potions I had on me were taken as well. So unless I died and came back again I would forever have this damaged leg unless it was healed now.

"Oww." The girl whined as her leg scraped against a narrow sharp branch just poking out the tall bushes.

Sighing, the boy rolled his eyes walking over to the girl just as she made it down the tree. Lifting her by the waist to make her descend quicker even if the ground was just mere inches before her. From the blue glow of his hands, I could already tell he was healing the girl from her small scrape.

How nice of him to heal her small cut when I had a gaping hole in my ankle and ribbons of skin around my calves. Suddenly the girl's hair stood on end, literally little strings of curls seemed to spring to life lifting from her head slightly and away from her body as if stuck by electricity.

Leaning against the boy for support before standing straight looking forward at the forest in front of us and then behind us. There it was I sensed it too, the spikes in energy around us, no doubt the boy must have sensed it as well.

"Guards." The girl whispered as I felt the sudden life energy flowing through my body, I glared up at the boy, his hands brushing against mine for a brief moment. So, was he finally willing to help me? Giving me some of his energy to replenish my fleeting magic.

Ever since I was little, I had lacked the actual magical source my brother and everyone else had. So I practiced in potions and ruins, symbols that held magic. Only when someone else gives me some of their energy can I too perform magic. As for the flames, well, they're part of my Phoenix side, I can always shoot fire from my body. But, as for any other type of magic I am dependent on the kindness of other fae.

"I knew we shouldn't have stayed here for too long, we should have dove deeper before resting." The boy, Eli, was all too quick to pin his daggers for eyes at me. Oh, how I wanted to set the boy on fire. But he only cocked a brow. Impatient as always, before rolling his eyes.

"Just cast the spell I know you can, witch." He sneered the last words, before clutching my left arm in his grip, my less favored arm, to keep me from spelling away. It had been more injured by the queen than my right arm. But I wasn't going to give this boy the satisfaction he craved.

As for spells, well, just because I lacked the magic didn't mean I couldn't learn them. My brother always offered me his energy back when we used to be close. Back, when he didn't betray me. Grabbing the girl with his left hand, which I noticed was far less constricting than his bruising grip on mine, to make sure I took all of us when I cast the spell. I rolled my eyes.

My magic was limited for now he made sure of that, but I could do a masking spell, enough to conceal us.

About a dozen guards showed up surrounding the campsite. Weapons held. They pointed sharp spears like daggers ready to gut us where we stood. Unfortunately for them, all they'll be able to gut would be the air. The bastards were lucky I could even cast a spell like this in my current condition to mask our things as well, or else we'd have to have left our things behind.

From the furrowed frowns and hushed murmurs the guards gave one another it wasn't hard to tell that someone had tipped off our whereabouts. I frowned looking over my shoulder to the girl, Everetta, with her sun-like golden waves. The thoughtful calculating churning of her mind told me all I needed to know. She was thinking the same thing, but now the question was who. Who told them our location and how did that person know? The guards found us way too quickly.

The boy tilted his head towards the side urging me to move towards the gap between guards as we each silently picked up our things.

Although I could mask us in my current state I wasn't so sure about sounds. And from the looks of it, the boy and girl both knew that too. Or at least weren't risking it. Once we were a good distance away I dropped the barrier collapsing to the ground. I guess my powers weren't completely back, even with the borrowed energy I gained from the boy. I frowned, clenching a small ball of fire in my hands. I shouldn't have been this weak.

"We need to hurry, it won't take them long to find our tracks. Everetta pick up that branch. We'll use it to help sweep away our prints. Witch, set the tree over there a fire, that should help distract them." As always the boy wasted no time taking the position of leadership. The boy pointed to a trunk about six feet away, knowing fully well that in my current condition, it was more than just difficult to reach it.

Nevertheless, I have to agree, we did need a distraction. Still, the girl or he could have caused the distraction but no, a fire would have been better, they were chasing me after all and my gift was fire. All Phoenix es had the gift of fire.