"Beca!" I could barely hear her calling my name, but it sounded as if I was underwater. "Beca, get up!" The memories started coming back. Kayla turned Dark, Chloe and Aubrey trapped, Will trapped, the weak spot and the explosion. "Beca please!" I groaned and grabbed my head. I felt something sticky and knew I was bleeding. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Chloe and Aubrey standing over me. I groaned and tried to sit up.
"Stay down Beca. You've got a major head injury." Aubrey gently said, while laying me back down.
"What happened?" My voice sounded rough. Aubrey and Chloe looked at one another.
"Will took Kayla. Or Kayla took Will. It was hard to tell who took who, but they're gone." Aubrey finally explained. My head was pounding. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.
"Bec, we should get you to a hospital. You're bleeding." Chloe stated worriedly, while gripping my hand.
"No, no hospital." I said weakly. "Just sleep."
"Beca, I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to sleep on a head injury." Aubrey said. I opened my eyes to look at her and she looked almost as worried as Chloe. I lifted my hand and pointed to my head, knowing it had already stopped bleeding.
"Magic powers, remember?" I grinned weakly, and I saw Chloe smile slightly.
"Well if you're gonna sleep, we should at least get you to a bed." Aubrey stated.
"Mmmm…" was all I could manage.
"Can you stand up?" Chloe asked. I shook my head slightly. I was focusing all my energy on my head and I could barely keep my eyes open. Aubrey shook her head and grabbed my arm. I felt Chloe grab my other arm and felt myself being lifted up. I attempted to move my legs to help, but quickly lost the energy to do that.
"Thank God you're so tiny otherwise this would be much harder." I heard Aubrey say, and that is the last thing I heard before darkness took over.
I woke up to sunlight coming through the window. I touched my head to make sure I was totally healed and felt dried blood. I grimaced and knew I desperately needed a shower, but first I needed to check on Chloe and Aubrey. I carefully got out of bed and found them in the newly clean living room, both with cups of coffee in their hands.
"Well you two were busy." I leaned in the doorway and grinned. Before I knew it, Chloe's arms were around my neck and she was pulling me into a tight hug. I paused slightly, then wrapped my arms around her. "Chlo, I'm alright." She pulled back, and gave me a small smile. I smiled back and looked around. "You two cleaned up. Did you get any sleep?"
"We both got a couple hours, but we each needed a distraction." Chloe stated, while Aubrey just stared into her coffee cup. Chloe sat back down next to Aubrey and I stood next to the fireplace.
"Has Will been back yet?" I asked carefully. Aubrey tensed and Chloe shook her head. I frowned and looked to the floor.
"What happened to her?" Aubrey asked quietly.
"Bree-" Chloe started.
"I don't know." I interrupted. I met Aubrey's eyes. "But I think it's about time we got some answers. Get ready." I started to move towards the bathroom.
"Where are we going?" Chloe asked.
"We are going to visit my mother." I threw over my shoulder.
Twenty minutes later, I was washed and clean once more, the dirt and blood from the past day washed down the drain, leaving me with the determination to finally get some answers. The three of us gathered in the kitchen, each with varying degrees of determination on our faces.
"Alright, when we get there, don't stray too far from me. Don't stare at anyone, though they will probably stare at you. And please," I looked at Aubrey. "don't piss anyone off, especially if I'm not around." Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Aubrey, they won't hesitate to kill you." She nodded carefully, while Chloe just looked worried. "Okay are we ready?" Aubrey nodded slightly and Chloe just looked at the ground. I stepped forward and took Chloe's hand, who looked up at me. I smiled reassuringly, and then held my hand out for Aubrey. She pursed her lips then took my hand. "Okay on the count of three, I want you to take a deep breath." I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I didn't know how porting would affect humans, but I didn't have time to argue with both of them. The past few days have made me believe more and more in my abilities, so I knew I could do this. I opened my eyes. "Alright, one… two… three!" I felt Aubrey and Chloe both squeeze my hand, and saw they had their eyes closed. I grinned slightly. "Guys…" They opened their eyes and looked around.
We were standing just off a dirt road, in the middle of a valley. There were mountains in the distance surrounding us, and we were just outside of the city. Chloe and Aubrey turned toward the city and I saw their jaws drop. I guessed it was at the image of the castle towering above the city. I was quite used to the image, but it's a very awesome view. I bumped my hip into Chloe. "Wait till you see the view from the inside." I winked and grinned.
"You actually grew up there?!" Aubrey asked skeptically.
"Kinda. I lived with my mom and dad until they broke up and not long after we moved here." I shrugged. Aubrey and Chloe gaped. I had never had anyone over before. I wasn't exactly allowed friends as the daughter of the Queen, and also a half breed. It was far too dangerous. I knew Kayla and Mom always fought over that. Kayla always wanted me to have a normal life, something she never got. I shook myself out of my reverie and looked at the girls, grinning.
"Let's head out, shall we?" I asked. Both girls looked at each other reluctantly, and I turned towards the castle and started towards it.
"Why didn't we just teleport into the castle?" Chloe asked.
"Well, the guards would be able to sense me, but wouldn't know who else was with me. I didn't want to risk them attacking first, with tensions so high."
"Well why didn't we just pop in front of the door?" Aubrey stated. I stopped and turned.
"Is the great Aubrey Posen afraid of a little walk?" I smirked and Aubrey pursed her lips. "Do you really think there are only guards in the castle?"
"Well wouldn't you want the most guards protecting the royalty?"
"And what about the citizens in the city?" The girls were silent. "The people are just as, if not more important, than the royals. Besides a large majority of the royals train to be warriors. The royals believe in protecting their people." I met both of their eyes and smirked. "So are we ready to start walking?"
After about an hour and a half of walking, we were finally standing in front of the gates. I stopped just in front of the gate and the girls stood just behind me. I waited patiently for the guards to determine we were not a threat. After a short wait, three guards appeared before us. I immediately recognized the one in the middle.
"Ty." I smirked.
"My lady." He responded, a slight grin on his face. All three of them bowed carefully.
"Ty, just because I've been gone for a while doesn't mean you can start with that shit again." I crossed my arms. He straightened and quickly wrapped me in his arms.
"That's the Becs I remember." He released me and took a step back. "You've got the look of a girl on a mission." I nodded.
"Well what can I do to help?"
"I need an escort to the castle." Ty's eyebrows raised.
"The great Beca Mitchell needs an escort?" I glared at him and nodded to the girls behind me.
"I'm focused on their wellbeing, not my own." I saw Ty's eyes shift, and a smirk form on his face.
"Well the three of us would be more than happy to escort you safely to the castle." The three of them stood straight and bowed once more. I rolled my eyes and turned around.
"This is Ty. He's the leader of the Wall Guard and an old family friend. He'll make sure you stay safe if I get pulled away." The girls nodded and I faced Ty once more. "Let's go." We began our trek through the city with Ty in front, one guard in back, and the third somewhere further behind us out of sight. Chloe and Aubrey walked on either side of me, with Chloe gripping my hand tightly. We passed maybe three people and I furrowed my eyebrows.
"Ty, where is everyone? This time of day this place should be packed."
"The people don't feel as safe as they have been in the past. The Dark get stronger every day, and with the news of Chris's betrayal, everyone has been on edge. They tend to stay in their homes as much as possible." Ty stated with pursed lips. I knew he probably wasn't happy about that. He wanted everyone to feel confident in his Guard. I could understand how he felt, being completely out of control. Ever since I went to college, it's all I've felt. I didn't get a choice in going away to some college. Kayla fought hard for me to have a 'normal' life. I never really appreciated it until now. All I want now is to have a normal life, with my beautiful girlfriend. I know that's impossible now, especially since I dragged her into this life. Lost in my own thoughts, I didn't notice that we were in front of the castle. Two members of the Royal Guard stood in front of the door. I didn't recognize them, must be new, but they were huge. Like, on steroids huge. They stopped us and demanded why we were there, and that no citizens were allowed inside the castle. I rolled my eyes and Ty looked to me. Clearly I was gonna have to play the part of princess. I let go of Chloe's hand and stepped forward.
"Since you assume I'm just a citizen, let me enlighten you. You see this castle you're standing in front of?" Druggie one and two looked at each other then back at me. "Yeah it's mine. My name is Rebeca Mitchell, daughter of the Queen of the Light." They looked at each other then back to me.
"There's no way you are the General's sister." One said gruffly. They looked at one another and grinned. I heard Ty scoff behind me. I glared at them and opened my mouth to send them to the dungeon or something of that nature, when the front doors opened and Will, covered in bandages, walked out. He looked between all of us.
"What is going on out here?" Will ordered.
The druggies snapped to attention. Will looked to both of them then walked to me. "Beca are you okay?" I nodded carefully. He smiled carefully then spun around. "You two. Back to your posts. I don't want to see you ever again." The two guards bowed and walked away. Once they were gone, I couldn't contain myself anymore. Will turned back around and I flung myself on him. He wrapped his arms around me.
"You're okay. Right?" I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back.
"Yeah I'm okay." He pulled me tighter then let me go. "I'm fine Bec really." I took a deep breath and met his eyes.
"Kayla?" He met my eyes and lost his smile.
"I should have guessed you would have shown up here." He stated quietly. He looked behind me at the girls. "Let's go inside." He turned to Ty. "Thanks Ty." Ty nodded and bowed to me. Then he and the two other guards ported away. Will motioned to me and the four of us walked inside the castle.