Chapter 22:
"How long?"
"About three more hours."
"I can't do this. I could never love her."
"That is not the point Zan... the point is to distract them enough to get us all out of here safely. Then we can truly be together."
"I don't trust her."
"Neither do I, so you are going to have to be careful."
"I can never say 'I Do' to her Elena. It feels like I'm betraying you."
"As long as you don't mean it, then I know your love is mine. Although I must say, knowing that you'll kiss her has had me firing with jealousy." Elena kissed his lips softly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You come back to me."
"I would dream of nothing else." He kissed her one last time and nodded at Rath to signal their departure. It was about the time to make their way back to Antar. Serena promised to keep Alakiah, Mayala and Elena at her place until they got the signal, but she was also going to keep an eye on the ceremony. Ava was not a person to be trusted and Serena knew that with Kivar, things could get dangerous.
"Please..."
"I'll guard them with my life." She smiled and hugged Zan and then Rath goodbye. They needed to find Vilandra. Their plan was already underway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have finished the mixture. I will go to find Larek and get access to the Granolith chamber which will hold the ship that will send you all out. It will be ok. I promise you."
"And Vilandra?"
"I had a hair sample that I used. Alakiah, do not worry, it is all done. I shall return shortly." Serena grabbed her bag and rushed out the back door.
"I'm scared." Mayala looked down sadly and Alakiah reached out to hug her.
"You should be." The deep voice penetrated the entire room. Elena looked back and froze. This could not be good.
"How did you get in here?" Alakiah knew all too well who this man was. He could feel his stomach sink. This would be the last time he'd ever see these two women again.
"I have my ways. And now, to rid myself of you all once and for all... except for you." Elena held her stomach as he looked at her. He seemed to be contemplating devouring her.
"You will be coming with me." The bright green eyes lit up and screams rung out around the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is it. After this I will be the queen of Antar. Can you imagine?! I did it!" Ava swirled in her white dress in front of the large stand up mirror.
"Yes your Majesty." The maidservant smiled and finished adjusting the back of the gown. The beads and rhinestones shimmered in the daylight. Ava looked again into the mirror. Her reflection was that of royalty. Finally, she'd have what she had always dreamed of. Zan. And a crown. She smiled at herself and caught a moving shadow in the reflection of the glass.
"Leave me. I'd like to be alone for a few minutes."
"Yes Miss."
There was the clicking of her shoes and then the slam of her door. Then a frightening silence.
"I know you're there."
"I have come to pay my respects. And to see what you look like in all your glory." The tall man stepped out from the shadows and she saw his bright green eyes looking at her with a fire she couldn't explain.
"Well, here it is! I made it. I have also banished the three. They will no longer be a problem."
"You're right. They won't." She looked into his eyes unsure of his expression.
"Well, then it was a pleasure doing business with you." She smiled uneasily. There was something evil in his eyes. Something that scared her.
"This deal isn't over." He grabbed her wrist and slammed her body against the mirror shattering the glass into tiny pieces.
"What are you doing?!" She could feel the panic rising in her throat. She wanted to scream.
"You've done your part. Thank you. I could really never have done it without you. Now, I cannot have two queens. I intend for Vilandra to be my one and only. And I do not intend for Zan to remain in power. Which means I have to kill him. And in turn, I have to kill you as well. I'm sorry. It has been quite wonderful though, hasn't it?" He grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. She shed a few tears and her body shook violently.
"Please, just give me a chance, I can help you." He looked into her eyes and a pain beyond what she'd ever experienced took over her head. It expanded and she screamed in pain. He smiled enjoying the sound of her shrill voice. She saw him drop her on the floor in her weakness, bleeding and on the verge of death, and then he walked away. As the door shut, she was faced with the darkness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is everything set?" Zan looked up at Rath, both neatly dressed and pressed and locked eyes.
"Everything is according to plan your Majesty." They communicated with their eyes, every stare, every look meaning one thing.
"Well then, let's begin."
"Your Highness!!!!" The small maidservant came running in to the room.
"What is it Karanacia?"
"It is Miss Ava! Oh my...she is dead your majesty!" Zan looked at Rath suspiciously.
"What?"
"She is dead!" Zan felt his heart panic. He had not heard from Elena. This was going to be a disaster.
"How long?"
"About three more hours."
"I can't do this. I could never love her."
"That is not the point Zan... the point is to distract them enough to get us all out of here safely. Then we can truly be together."
"I don't trust her."
"Neither do I, so you are going to have to be careful."
"I can never say 'I Do' to her Elena. It feels like I'm betraying you."
"As long as you don't mean it, then I know your love is mine. Although I must say, knowing that you'll kiss her has had me firing with jealousy." Elena kissed his lips softly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You come back to me."
"I would dream of nothing else." He kissed her one last time and nodded at Rath to signal their departure. It was about the time to make their way back to Antar. Serena promised to keep Alakiah, Mayala and Elena at her place until they got the signal, but she was also going to keep an eye on the ceremony. Ava was not a person to be trusted and Serena knew that with Kivar, things could get dangerous.
"Please..."
"I'll guard them with my life." She smiled and hugged Zan and then Rath goodbye. They needed to find Vilandra. Their plan was already underway.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have finished the mixture. I will go to find Larek and get access to the Granolith chamber which will hold the ship that will send you all out. It will be ok. I promise you."
"And Vilandra?"
"I had a hair sample that I used. Alakiah, do not worry, it is all done. I shall return shortly." Serena grabbed her bag and rushed out the back door.
"I'm scared." Mayala looked down sadly and Alakiah reached out to hug her.
"You should be." The deep voice penetrated the entire room. Elena looked back and froze. This could not be good.
"How did you get in here?" Alakiah knew all too well who this man was. He could feel his stomach sink. This would be the last time he'd ever see these two women again.
"I have my ways. And now, to rid myself of you all once and for all... except for you." Elena held her stomach as he looked at her. He seemed to be contemplating devouring her.
"You will be coming with me." The bright green eyes lit up and screams rung out around the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This is it. After this I will be the queen of Antar. Can you imagine?! I did it!" Ava swirled in her white dress in front of the large stand up mirror.
"Yes your Majesty." The maidservant smiled and finished adjusting the back of the gown. The beads and rhinestones shimmered in the daylight. Ava looked again into the mirror. Her reflection was that of royalty. Finally, she'd have what she had always dreamed of. Zan. And a crown. She smiled at herself and caught a moving shadow in the reflection of the glass.
"Leave me. I'd like to be alone for a few minutes."
"Yes Miss."
There was the clicking of her shoes and then the slam of her door. Then a frightening silence.
"I know you're there."
"I have come to pay my respects. And to see what you look like in all your glory." The tall man stepped out from the shadows and she saw his bright green eyes looking at her with a fire she couldn't explain.
"Well, here it is! I made it. I have also banished the three. They will no longer be a problem."
"You're right. They won't." She looked into his eyes unsure of his expression.
"Well, then it was a pleasure doing business with you." She smiled uneasily. There was something evil in his eyes. Something that scared her.
"This deal isn't over." He grabbed her wrist and slammed her body against the mirror shattering the glass into tiny pieces.
"What are you doing?!" She could feel the panic rising in her throat. She wanted to scream.
"You've done your part. Thank you. I could really never have done it without you. Now, I cannot have two queens. I intend for Vilandra to be my one and only. And I do not intend for Zan to remain in power. Which means I have to kill him. And in turn, I have to kill you as well. I'm sorry. It has been quite wonderful though, hasn't it?" He grabbed her face and kissed her passionately. She shed a few tears and her body shook violently.
"Please, just give me a chance, I can help you." He looked into her eyes and a pain beyond what she'd ever experienced took over her head. It expanded and she screamed in pain. He smiled enjoying the sound of her shrill voice. She saw him drop her on the floor in her weakness, bleeding and on the verge of death, and then he walked away. As the door shut, she was faced with the darkness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Is everything set?" Zan looked up at Rath, both neatly dressed and pressed and locked eyes.
"Everything is according to plan your Majesty." They communicated with their eyes, every stare, every look meaning one thing.
"Well then, let's begin."
"Your Highness!!!!" The small maidservant came running in to the room.
"What is it Karanacia?"
"It is Miss Ava! Oh my...she is dead your majesty!" Zan looked at Rath suspiciously.
"What?"
"She is dead!" Zan felt his heart panic. He had not heard from Elena. This was going to be a disaster.
