“It’s not possible,” I insisted.
“There was a time when I was the most powerful Mage in the Isle. I assure you it is very possible. I sent the dreams to make sure you would be ready to hear the truth. You need to remember who you are.”
“You sent the dreams?”
“Yes,” she replied. “but someone from the Council has altered them. He entered your mind using a Dream Spell and used your dreams to find you. You will be in danger until you can fully remember yourself and your power. You must sever the connection that he created to track you. In moments, your power will return to you, but your memories will not. Aaron will help you remember and Jaden will protect you until you are fully capable of defending yourself.”
Fear began to fill me as I dreaded what was to come. What she wanted from me was too much. It was too big. I didn’t know how to be what she wanted.
“What if I can’t do it?” I asked. “What if I’m not strong enough? I’m not like you. I’m not a queen.”
“Maybe not in this life, but there was a time when you were. I know you are strong enough. I have foreseen all of this. I would not have engineered all of this if I didn’t know you could do it. You have my strength; you must simply remember it. We are the same.”
She stepped forward, closing the space between us. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes.
“Remember, your friends need you as much as you need them. Perhaps even more. Above all, trust your instincts.”
Sophia smiled. Although I was still processing everything and not entirely sure I believed any of it, I couldn’t help smiling back. Then, she unexpectedly pushed me back and I began to fall.
***
When I opened my eyes, I was still standing where I had been when I’d left the scene, but everything else had changed. Andrew, Jaden, and Aaron were all fighting, trying to keep the intruders away from me.
An overwhelming pain suddenly gripped me. I cried out and resisted the urge to fall to my knees. Through watering eyes, I saw Aaron get thrown into a bookshelf and Andrew narrowly avoided being skewered by a sword as they both looked over at me. Jaden was the only one that remained focused on fighting the three men who were surrounding her.
I looked down as my skin began to glow. It was a bright warm light. I inhaled sharply as a rush of memories came to me. I could remember experiencing this before. The pain began to subside and I laughed to myself. I remembered something as Sophia that hadn’t been part of my dreams. Maybe she wasn’t crazy. Maybe I wasn’t crazy either. Maybe, just maybe, it was all true.
As my skin returned to normal, I suddenly felt a certainty that I had never felt before. I was Sophia, Queen of The Sacred Isle, and my friends needed me. I could feel the power inside me, but I had no memory of how to use it.
“Trust your instincts,” I whispered to myself.
I looked around and focused on my enemies. Without thinking, my hands came up and power erupted from them. All at once, they fell to he ground unconscious. I knew without checking that they were still alive and would wake in several minutes.
I walked over to my friends. Jaden was standing with a sword in each hand, staring down at the men who had been her opponents. Andrew was lying on the floor behind the sofa; trying to lift the unconscious man who had fallen on top of him. Aaron sank to the floor and leaned against the broken bookshelf.
“We need to go,” I said.
We were all in danger. We needed to get as far away as we could as soon as possible. Andrew maneuvered himself out, but remained sitting on the floor. Aaron and Jaden didn’t move at all.
“Now,” I commanded. I didn’t raise my voice, but my tone was that of Sophia. It was the voice of a queen.
Jaden dropped the swords and walked around me to help Andrew up.
“We need supplies, Jade,” I said.
She nodded and pulled Andrew after her into the kitchen.
Aaron’s gaze had been glued to me ever since Sophia’s voice had come out of my mouth. He sat staring at me, unmoving.
“Are you okay?” I asked, walking over to him. I noticed that his left hand was badly cut, so I offered him my other hand.
“Yes,” he replied, taking my hand.
I pulled him up. His starring was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable as it finally hit me who we were to each other. I thought back to our time together over the last few months, seeing everything in a new light. I smiled to myself as a brief memory of walking down the aisle in a white gown entered my mind. I suddenly felt like his wife and wondered what he felt about me.
Jaden and Andrew came back into the living room. They were both carrying large paper bags filled with supplies. They put the bags on the sofa and I went to take a look. I dug through two bags before I found the first aid kit.
“What are you doing, Shay? We need to move. We can patch each other up in the car. These guys could wake up any moment,” Jaden said, her voice full of anxiety.
“They won’t wake up for at least another eight minutes,” I replied.
I pulled out everything I needed to clean and bandage a wound and moved back to Aaron, who was still starting at me.
“Aiden is hurt and I won’t be able to bandage his hand properly in the car,” I said.
I heard three distinct gasps.
“What did you just call him?” Jaden asked, the first to recover.
I thought back to what I’d said and realized that I’d called him “Aiden”, not “Aaron”.
