No. You need to move. You aren't some waif of a girl anymore. Remember.
I start to replay the things in my mind that I've been through since the beginning. I can barely remember the girl that sat in her father's house, her makeup being applied by her servant, being called a princess in the human world. But I still remember what it was like to live like a scared little girl within the confines of this Castle. I've faced vampires, seen into the past, battled mummies, and tamed death himself. For all intents and purposes, I shouldn't be alive right now. The visions in my head of my past are far beyond anything I thought I would ever see.
The anger for my father has long since passed, replaced by a satisfying understanding of how deep my love can go for one person. In this regard, Lux and I are very much alike. We have both stared down a darkness and risen above it. Unfortunately, for Lux, it took her life, and it very well may take mine, but not without a fight.
Even standing here, revealing the things I've been through, I cannot move from this spot. The screams emanating from the city wrap around me and anchor me in place. I manage to stand up tall, though, wiping the tears from my eyes. I blink away the blurriness of my vision and get a good clean look at the city. As my eyes scan across, something catches my attention. At first, it's a glistening, a flash of small sparkles of light, like a reflection.
I squint, leaning forward as groups of men emerge from the smoke and fire, calling out with a battle cry that pushes my tears back. Above them, Willem flies, his Reaper wings spanning long and robust. I put my hand to my stomach and close my eyes for a moment, letting the relief trickle through me. Though they won't be able to save everyone, the rebels are fighting back. They're protecting the people of the city, and they are much stronger than the Huntsmen. Drogaem spent little time training his soldiers, and Willem and his rebels have been battling for centuries.
Willem got my letter, and I am so thankful that he did. The city is suffering, but at least someone is on their side. Watching the rebels charge within the city emboldens me. Bravery twists around the fear inside and crushes it. I want to help them. There's no reason that I can't. I cannot continue to tell myself that I'm too weak. At some point, I have to stand up and fight with what I have.
I turn, defiance blanketing my expression, no more tears flowing down my face. I march inside my room and grab my boots. If I'm going to fight, I'm going to do it comfortably. My skirts will only get in my way. I reach for the drawer of my desk, a place I have stored something specifically for this moment. As I pull it open, the sounds of fighting catch my attention. I snap upright, seriousness taking over. The sounds are not coming from outside, but instead from inside the castle.
My heart shutters, wondering how in a time like this, Drogaem could find the time to torture Kane. Then again, if he's going to do away with him, this is the perfect moment.
Not on my watch.
I race toward the door and throw it open, finding the hallway riddled with smoke and soot. I cough, waving my arm in the air, listening for the sounds. I hear them coming from my right. I take off down the hallway, noticing an amber glow to everything as I'm running. Sweat pours from me as the heat radiates. I turn another corner and stop, finding enormous golden and purple flames shooting up the walls. In the center is Kane, crouched, his fangs showing as he stares down two of the old courtiers that had once played at being his friend.
Ishmael, a vampire, stands, smoke rolling from his skin. He hisses as the flames encroach on his pale skin. This does not make him run, though. Instead, he grows angrier like a caged beast. Beside him is a tall, slender woman. I've never seen her kind before, but I've heard of them. She's a shifter, a being capable of twisting her body into whatever form she wants. Her eyes are piercing yellow like a cat, and her arms curl down into large claws. She's not entirely shifted, allowing herself to maneuver around Kane.
As I step forward, Kane's eyes dart to mine. In the split-second that he is distracted by me, the shifter moves behind him, taking her claws and scratching them down his back. He howls, shaking the very base of the castle. Dust flows from the ceiling and stone crackles and rolls across the floor. I stand with my hands clenched, my teeth grinding, and something awakens within me. With an ease I've never felt before, the light inside of me bursts wide open. I roll my hands in circles, using the light to twist and turn, forming an incredible warp.
Just as the vampire and shifter look over, I release the magic, sending it spiraling at incredible speeds straight at them. I use my mind to split the orb, sending one part around Kane and smashing into the shifter while the other envelops the vampire. The shifter screams, her body bursting into flames. I can hear the vampires hissing as its body turns to ash and falls to the ground. With the danger at bay, the light rockets back, seeping into my skin from head to toe. I close my eyes, feeling the rush of energy surging through me, calming me, filling me with light.
Calmly I open my eyes and watch as Kane steps forward, his body turning back into the man I know and love. His claws retract, his skin softens, and his eyes lighten. I let out a
