BOOK TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Sasha!” the Prince shouted, running to her. Flori finished removing the North Star from the metal, and the temporarily paraplegic Queen tried to use it against the magicist, but the twins were still working their mojo on her. “What happened?” the Prince asked frantically. “Did she do something to you?” A sharp pain ran through Sasha’s skull, causing her to jerk back, seizing, her body and face contorted with pain. The Prince held her tight, completely thrown by this turn of events. Sasha looked around with blurred vision, trying to determine where and when she had landed. Memories and thoughts raced around in her skull so quickly she thought she might be sick.
“…Demetrius…” Sasha managed to squeak out and pointed upwards feebly. Cicero, seeing the green threat, shot into the air. Sasha moved her eyes significantly towards the twins, Flori followed her meaning, and led the boy and girl to cover. Jove carried the Queen over.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded fearfully. Without warning, a blast from their friend Demetrius destroyed a buffet table. Above them, the two dragons battled. Demetrius was twice Cicero’s size, but no match for the Flower Dragon’s speed. Jove materialized in the sky, and joined the fight. The Prince shook Sasha, who was losing consciousness. She came to, and met his eyes. For the first time in two years, the Prince recognized her.
“Sasha! What happened? Why are you-”
“Zeus. You have to stop him. When he gets here, he kills everyone. Everyone. Shows his true form. No time to run. The Queen tries to beat him. She fails. Only the blind survive. Only those who cannot see.” Sasha’s eyes rolled back in her head and her body convulsed.
“What does she mean?!” Flori asked the twins.
“If Zeus shows his true form, it will kill anyone who looks upon it,” the boy explained.
“How does she know he’ll do that?”
“She’s seen it happen already,” the girl said.
“She turned back time,” the boy clarified.
“She did?” Flori asked, astounded. “Impossible. She did?! Of course! That explains your…disagreement.” The children neither confirmed nor denied. “She turned back time! Prince, don’t you see what this means? The scenario where everybody dies must have occurred, and Sasha, she gave us a second chance! We are all going to live.”
“But Sasha is dying,” the Prince pointed out, distraught. He looked at the twins. “You said we all live. All of us. That applies to her, too, doesn’t it?”
“Did we say all?” asked one innocently.
“We meant to say both,” finished the other, smiling sadistically. Never before had either Flori or the Prince felt the urge to strangle children, but suddenly, it seemed like the only proper thing to do.
“Alright, this is simple,” Flori said, re-centering herself. “When Zeus arrives, we’ll all just cover our eyes.”
“Mortal flesh isn’t strong enough to block it out,” stated the girl.
“Can’t you two stop him?!” the Prince screamed furiously.
“We can,” said the boy.
“But we don’t,” said the girl.
“Why not?” a frustrated Flori asked.
“You’ll see,” they chimed in tandem before laughing hysterically as only children can. Flori’s rage reached a height she didn’t think herself capable of in her new body. Sasha gasped horribly. The laughter ceased.
“Can’t you do something?” the Prince begged the Twins. “Make her forget how to die?!!”
“Death is forgetting,” they answered somberly.
“Flori? Can you--”
“I have a potion,” she said, already searching her pockets. “It will slow down whatever’s happening to her. Buy us time.”
“Do it, please.”
“Tilt her head back.” Flori poured three drops of a red liquid down Sasha’s throat. Her body calmed and fell into a coma. The Prince laid her down gently. Just then a lightning bolt hit the birch, and the tree stretched as if waking up.
“Zeus can’t be far behind that,” the Prince. “Flori, any ideas?”
“I have a blinding spell, but it doesn’t last nearly long enough, by the time I reached the third person, the first would be able to see again. I suppose I could just use it on us. What we need is something that will work on everyone at once.”
“Perhaps you should be talking to me,” the Queen interjected. “I once briefly robbed an entire village of it’s hearing. I have no doubt sight would be much the same.” Flori looked at the Prince with imploring eyes.
“We can’t risk it,” he said heatedly. “If the twins let up on her for one second, she’ll turn on us all.”
“I know,” Flori agreed, “but what else can we do?” Tree branches fell all around them. In the sky, Cicero and Jove fended off a growing number of dragons. Every once in a while, a new guard would make his or her way into the room, only to join the growing number of invalids laying on the stone floor.
“I promise, son,” the Queen assured him. “Call off your friends here, I’ll do what you ask. Nothing could be easier for me.” Ignoring the Queen completely, Flori and the Prince wracked their brains for solutions.
“You can do it, Prince,” Flori said, inspired. She put the rock in his hand. “If she can do it, you can do it. Give it a try.” The Prince took the diamond in his hands and concentrated. Nothing happened. He thought harder. Nothing.
“How do you do it? Can you tell me?” the Prince asked his mother.
“I can demonstrate it,” she offered sweetly.
“You have to tell me now or we’ll all die.”
“Give it to me.”
“Tell me!” the Prince said. The diamond glowed bright. When their two minds connected, a telltale stillness came over their persons. Flori held her breath.
“…Demetrius…” Sasha managed to squeak out and pointed upwards feebly. Cicero, seeing the green threat, shot into the air. Sasha moved her eyes significantly towards the twins, Flori followed her meaning, and led the boy and girl to cover. Jove carried the Queen over.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded fearfully. Without warning, a blast from their friend Demetrius destroyed a buffet table. Above them, the two dragons battled. Demetrius was twice Cicero’s size, but no match for the Flower Dragon’s speed. Jove materialized in the sky, and joined the fight. The Prince shook Sasha, who was losing consciousness. She came to, and met his eyes. For the first time in two years, the Prince recognized her.
“Sasha! What happened? Why are you-”
“Zeus. You have to stop him. When he gets here, he kills everyone. Everyone. Shows his true form. No time to run. The Queen tries to beat him. She fails. Only the blind survive. Only those who cannot see.” Sasha’s eyes rolled back in her head and her body convulsed.
“What does she mean?!” Flori asked the twins.
“If Zeus shows his true form, it will kill anyone who looks upon it,” the boy explained.
“How does she know he’ll do that?”
“She’s seen it happen already,” the girl said.
“She turned back time,” the boy clarified.
“She did?” Flori asked, astounded. “Impossible. She did?! Of course! That explains your…disagreement.” The children neither confirmed nor denied. “She turned back time! Prince, don’t you see what this means? The scenario where everybody dies must have occurred, and Sasha, she gave us a second chance! We are all going to live.”
“But Sasha is dying,” the Prince pointed out, distraught. He looked at the twins. “You said we all live. All of us. That applies to her, too, doesn’t it?”
“Did we say all?” asked one innocently.
“We meant to say both,” finished the other, smiling sadistically. Never before had either Flori or the Prince felt the urge to strangle children, but suddenly, it seemed like the only proper thing to do.
“Alright, this is simple,” Flori said, re-centering herself. “When Zeus arrives, we’ll all just cover our eyes.”
“Mortal flesh isn’t strong enough to block it out,” stated the girl.
“Can’t you two stop him?!” the Prince screamed furiously.
“We can,” said the boy.
“But we don’t,” said the girl.
“Why not?” a frustrated Flori asked.
“You’ll see,” they chimed in tandem before laughing hysterically as only children can. Flori’s rage reached a height she didn’t think herself capable of in her new body. Sasha gasped horribly. The laughter ceased.
“Can’t you do something?” the Prince begged the Twins. “Make her forget how to die?!!”
“Death is forgetting,” they answered somberly.
“Flori? Can you--”
“I have a potion,” she said, already searching her pockets. “It will slow down whatever’s happening to her. Buy us time.”
“Do it, please.”
“Tilt her head back.” Flori poured three drops of a red liquid down Sasha’s throat. Her body calmed and fell into a coma. The Prince laid her down gently. Just then a lightning bolt hit the birch, and the tree stretched as if waking up.
“Zeus can’t be far behind that,” the Prince. “Flori, any ideas?”
“I have a blinding spell, but it doesn’t last nearly long enough, by the time I reached the third person, the first would be able to see again. I suppose I could just use it on us. What we need is something that will work on everyone at once.”
“Perhaps you should be talking to me,” the Queen interjected. “I once briefly robbed an entire village of it’s hearing. I have no doubt sight would be much the same.” Flori looked at the Prince with imploring eyes.
“We can’t risk it,” he said heatedly. “If the twins let up on her for one second, she’ll turn on us all.”
“I know,” Flori agreed, “but what else can we do?” Tree branches fell all around them. In the sky, Cicero and Jove fended off a growing number of dragons. Every once in a while, a new guard would make his or her way into the room, only to join the growing number of invalids laying on the stone floor.
“I promise, son,” the Queen assured him. “Call off your friends here, I’ll do what you ask. Nothing could be easier for me.” Ignoring the Queen completely, Flori and the Prince wracked their brains for solutions.
“You can do it, Prince,” Flori said, inspired. She put the rock in his hand. “If she can do it, you can do it. Give it a try.” The Prince took the diamond in his hands and concentrated. Nothing happened. He thought harder. Nothing.
“How do you do it? Can you tell me?” the Prince asked his mother.
“I can demonstrate it,” she offered sweetly.
“You have to tell me now or we’ll all die.”
“Give it to me.”
“Tell me!” the Prince said. The diamond glowed bright. When their two minds connected, a telltale stillness came over their persons. Flori held her breath.
Instead of a field, the Prince found himself in the center of a dark, marble hall—a grand, empty foyer whose walls and columns went up so high they disappeared into darkness. A door stood on either side, one ajar, light streaming in; the other closed, guarded by a young girl. Our hero headed toward her. He barely recognized this version of his mother.
“Please, don’t,” she said softly upon his approach. “Don’t come in here. We don’t want you to see.”
“I must.” The Prince looked around suspiciously. “Do I have to fight you to get in?”
“Those goblins of yours have made it impossible for me to fight. All I could do was erect these walls and ask you not to enter. I beg you, my son, my beautiful boy, do not go through this door.”
“Is what I need behind it?” The Princess looked down. “Then I must.” The Prince unlocked the deadbolts littering the door’s edge and placed his palm on the handle.
“WAIT!” she shouted, the cry echoing off the hard surfaces. “I’ll make a deal with you. She won’t give you what you want, but I will. I can show you how to save everyone, but only if you kill her.”
“Kill who?”
“And I mean annihilate.”
“Annihilate who?” The Princess looked fearfully at the door.
“The Queen.”
“Please, don’t,” she said softly upon his approach. “Don’t come in here. We don’t want you to see.”
“I must.” The Prince looked around suspiciously. “Do I have to fight you to get in?”
“Those goblins of yours have made it impossible for me to fight. All I could do was erect these walls and ask you not to enter. I beg you, my son, my beautiful boy, do not go through this door.”
“Is what I need behind it?” The Princess looked down. “Then I must.” The Prince unlocked the deadbolts littering the door’s edge and placed his palm on the handle.
“WAIT!” she shouted, the cry echoing off the hard surfaces. “I’ll make a deal with you. She won’t give you what you want, but I will. I can show you how to save everyone, but only if you kill her.”
“Kill who?”
“And I mean annihilate.”
“Annihilate who?” The Princess looked fearfully at the door.
“The Queen.”
The meeting of minds goes on in Chapter Twenty-Four...