“Enough!” shouted Prince Cillian, walking into the middle of the hall. “Who is this imposter? Has my brother lost his mind? We all know he has no heirs. Should my brother die before me, it is I who shall sit upon Meren’s throne. I am the rightful heir.”
Cordelia ran out of the great hall with Breck chasing after her along the passageways and into the garden.
“So when were you going to tell me?” asked Breck.
“Tell you what?”
“That this world of yours has a King and you’re his daughter. I thought it might have cropped up in conversation.”
“I wasn’t certain myself until today. You saw what happened in there. I don’t belong here.”
“Yes you do. The King announced you as his heir.”
“I don’t care about that. I didn’t even know I had an uncle.”
“What do you care about?” “You.”
Breck smiled and hugged Cordelia. “I hear there’s a good view from the first battlement.’
“Lead the way.”
Cordelia and Breck climbed the stone steps.
“It’s beautiful,” whispered Cordelia.
The young lovers kissed in this fairytale setting, illuminated by hundreds of torches that surrounded the castle gardens. Then, from the darkenss beyond the castle walls came a chilling sound.
“Do you hear that?” asked Cordelia.
Breck listened carefully, his senses not as strong as Cordelia’s. Her wild eyes told him something was wrong. She stared in the direction of that awful noise, her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. Then she saw them; white wings against a blackened sky. The reprieve had been short lived. Malevolent Zamira flew towards the castle with an army of gannets returning in droves. Before Cordelia had time to react, Zamira snatched Breck and flew him high into the air. The castle guards aimed their arrows at the Sirens.
“Stop!” commanded Cordelia. “If you shoot they’ll kill him!”
Cordelia signaled for help with a high pitched screech that shattered the window panes. The King and Cordelia’s friends rushed outside as unrest rippled through the castle. The Sirens began to attack, drawing their daggers and destroying whatever they could.
“Don’t just stand there!” shouted the King. “Defend Meren!”
“She has Breck!” shouted Cordelia, pointing at the sky.
“Prepare for attack!” shouted Prince Cillian.
A series of conch shells sounded and the guards aimed their arrows.
Cordelia pulled her mother’s dagger from beneath her dress and held it in the air. “This was my mother’s dagger,” she shouted from the battlement. “My mother was Carmen, Leader of the Gannets and my father is King Lorcan of Meren. I command you to stop!”
“Draw!” shouted Prince Cillian.
The guards pulled back on their bows.
“Release!”
As the arrows ascended, Zamira released Breck from her grasp and he fell head first towards the stone courtyard. Perched on the parapet, Cordelia’s wings unfolded and she flew into the air.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryn Andrews graduated from The University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred’s College) in 2002 with a BAED HONS Degree with QTS and Art. She teaches primary school children and lives in Hampshire, England. Elements: Acquiesce is her debut YA novel. Find out more by visiting her official website at kandrewsbooks.com
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