Page 3 of Oath of Revenge
Fisica pointed her own golden nail at the bowl of fire, her hands and body now back to her normal, youthful, immortal self. Reluctantly, she said, “Watch.”
The queen worked quickly at her vanity, tossing ingredients into a bowl. Then she sank to the floor and hovered her hand over the king’s dead chest. The look of horror on Bella’s face sent a twist of pain to Fisica’s heart. She should’ve protected the girl better, blessed her with more magic, taught her more spells.
Fisica took a deep breath and watched as her heart broke all over again. Pain at failing the dear girl, frustration that she had to keep her identity a secret, and apprehension at telling her sisters of this whole mess made the hair on her arms stand up with barely contained magic.
Her foot bounced as they watched, and she fed her magic into the spell.
The king’s shirt ripped open even as the queen cried and shook her head, tears pouring down her face as her mouth formed the spell to remove his heart. Still shaking her head, she stood, blood dripping from her hands, and put the heart into a bowl. She ground it with the pestle and added it to the potion.
In silence, they watched as she drank the potion, tears streaming down her face.
Honifery sighed. “Oh, dear.”
Fisica simply nodded and held onto her magic, her lips pursed as the queen’s body shook. She didn’t want to watch this again, but she forced herself to stay in the moment. Poor Bella had survived it; watching was the least Fisica could do for failing her.
Energy and magic swirled under Bella’s skin, making it ripple and move like a cat beneath a blanket. The queen’s soundless scream sent a shiver up her spine, and her heart ached for her dear apprentice.
Her sisters would not be happy about this next part or Fisica’s role in it. A pulse of magic shot from Bella’s body, covering the room in an inky blackness.
“That’s the curse that has infected thousands,” Fisica said softly.
Another pulse of golden magic flashed in the room, then the queen’s body shifted and morphed into a red-scaled horned monster. A row of horns spiked back from her temples and went down her back, growing bigger and bursting from her dress.
Honifery sat forward with a frown. “What is—“
“Dragon scales,” Fisica interrupted. She had to explain, hopefully make them understand why she’d interfered. “Her human body couldn’t handle the drakin king’s magic. This was the only way she would’ve survived.”
“Did you cast the spell?” Honifery’s brows rose in surprise.
Fisica nodded as the queen in the fire image tried to scratch her back. Her hands shifted into claws as she held her head, digging into her skin and drawing blood before scales covered enough to protect her from herself.
Fisica’s stomach twisted along with Bella’s movements as she tried to escape her own body. She slammed into the vanity and the mirror wobbled. Fisica winced.
The light reflecting off the mirror caught the queen’s dilated, reptilian eye, and she turned to it with a snarl. She grabbed both edges and threw it to the ground.
It shattered, and a burst of magic slammed out, throwing the queen against the vanity. She hit her head on the corner and sank to the ground.
But her spirit held onto the vanity, shaking and heaving. A black curl of smoke shot from the busted mirror on the floor to the drakin queen’s body, and it began convulsing.
The pale blue spirit of the queen hovered over her body with a confused frown, even as the king’s body turned to ash. Her eyes never left the convulsing body on the floor. It stilled, and Bella just stood there panting. Slowly, the drakin lumbered to its knees.
The queen’s blue-tinted spirit backed up, yellow skirts swishing. Fisica waved her hand again to hear the sound, infusing double the magic into the spell. She simply hadn’t been able to stomach hearing the screams again, but this they needed to hear.
“What—what is this?” Bella asked softly.
Her body stood, breathing rapidly and expelling smoke through an elongated snout. Black, beady eyes stared at Bella’s spirit, then it threw its head back and laughed.
Fisica wasn’t the only one at the table who winced at the grating sound. It was eerily similar to their uncle’s and sent a shiver of fear up her spine.
A gravelly, deep voice boomed, making even the table vibrate with its projection. “This is magic. I’m finally free from that cursed mirror, and for that, I thank you.”
The queen’s body glanced at the pile of ash and waved its hand. It coalesced into a pile. From the ashes grew a tiny, green plant shoot.
Then the drakin twisted a wrist and whispered ancient words that made Honifery and Druexxa gasp. A golden strand lifted from Bella’s spirit and dipped down to the rose, merging with it until the green bud glowed.
When it faded to normal, the drakin queen grinned, too many sharp predator teeth exposed. “Consider this a thank you present. You may remain here in this precious castle of yours until that rose dies. Then you’ll go to the Deep with the others.”
Bella’s spirit lurched, her arms swinging wide as she somehow lost balance. It should’ve been impossible as a spirit, but it was a big transition. One that Bella never should’ve gone through, if Fisica had done her job right.