Rampage, page 28
part #1 of Land of the Elementals Series
Kya thought for a moment, then took a small coin pouch from her waist. She fished out two gleaming golden coins, with a crown stamped on one side and a man’s profile on the other and placed them on the counter.
The elf smiled, taking the two coins and placing them in a small box behind the counter.
“The first class will be tomorrow afternoon at the fourteenth hour. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Can we please have two ounces of chocolate?” Kya asked, pulling a silver coin from her pouch.
“Of course,” the elf said, taking the coin and heading into the back room.
He re-emerged a moment later, holding a cloth napkin containing two dark brown squares. He placed them each into a small paper bag and handed them over, as well as five copper coins, which Kya placed in her pouch.
“Will that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” Kya said, taking the bags.
They left the store and Kya handed one of the bags over.
“Here, enjoy. They have the absolute best chocolate in the city.”
Karria thanked her, and the two of them nibbled slowly on the small squares as they walked.
“Why did they only have one of each sweet on the counter?” Karria asked.
“The ones on the counter are only for display. They make them fresh every day, but it would be a waste to keep changing the display, so they only do it every few weeks,” she answered, taking another small bite from her chocolate square.
“That makes sense,” Karria replied, taking another bite of hers as well.
Kya was right about the chocolate. It was even better than the one that nice elf had given her when they’d come into the city for the first time. Her mood soured a bit as she thought of Sylvester, as he had been with her when she’d gotten the chocolate. The only thing really bothering her was why he’d said those horrible things to her. She’d thought they were friends, especially after all they’d been through.
As they left the city, the sky overhead began to grow darker. And though she wasn’t sure why, Karria felt a small shiver run down her spine. Something wasn’t right.
She looked around nervously but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Instead of this making her relax, it only served to make her more nervous. They walked for a few more minutes, the houses around them growing more lavish and expensive looking. Her shoulders had just begun to relax, thinking she must have been imagining things, when she got that odd feeling again.
This time when she looked back, her heart skipped a beat as she saw a group of girls coming from behind them. Nina was out in front, and walking next to her was a girl that looked remarkably similar to her, only a bit older.
“Damn,” Karria cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth in anticipation of the upcoming confrontation.
She nudged Kya in the side and pointed back.
Turning to look, Kya’s face went pale as she saw who was approaching.
“Eletha,” she muttered, confirming her suspicions.
It looked as though the trouble she’d been expecting had finally found her.
37
“Well, look at what we’ve caught,” Nina said, as the group quickly moved to surround the two of them. “The Princess and the Sow, out for a stroll,” she said, getting laughs from the other girls.
Karria scowled and took a step forward.
“I can’t help but notice that you always need a large group behind you whenever confronting someone. You afraid to do anything yourself, or are you that much of a coward that you need ten to one odds?”
Eletha stepped forward then, holding up a hand to stop Nina’s angry retort, a look of derision on her face.
“So, you’re the one who’s been breaking all of my rules. I don’t appreciate it when people don’t do as they’re told.”
Karria felt a tugging on her sleeve then.
“Come on, Karria. We should leave while we can,” Kya whispered urgently.
Despite the urgency in her friend’s voice, Karria was not about to back down.
“Oh?” she asked, stepping forward as well. “I wasn’t aware that I’ve broken any rules.”
“Is that so?” Eletha asked, her teeth clenching in anger. “There’s a rule in our school that no one talks to or befriends the little bitch hiding behind you. I’m sure my sister made you aware of that rule, and yet you are clearly in violation of that rule right now!”
“Since when do you run the school?” Karria demanded, her voice becoming heated. “And even if you’re delusional enough to think you do, it’s kind of hypocritical to come after me for talking to someone outside of school. Or are you so brain damaged that you think you run the entire city as well?”
Eletha’s went a deep shade of crimson, reminiscent of an angry beet, and took a threatening step forward.
“I think someone needs a lesson taught to them about questioning her betters!”
Karria did not flinch, meeting the older girl’s gaze with a defiant one of her own.
“I don’t see any of my betters around, just an angry, jealous dog who can’t stand the fact that she’s not the hottest girl in school.”
Eletha lunged forward then, a scream of rage escaping her throat. Karria was prepared for this and was about to step back when two of the girls moved from behind her. They grabbed her arms, wrenching them behind he back and holding her in place. She heard a scream and turned to see Kya being held by two other girls in a similar fashion.
Eletha smiled then, a cold bone-chilling smile that had no warmth whatsoever.
“I think that people who break the rules need to be punished, don’t you?” she asked, taking a step forward and cupping Karria’s chin between her fingers.
She knew she was in a bad position, but she couldn’t resist one last jab at the girl. Leaning forward until just Eletha could hear her she whispered, “At least my fiancé didn’t leave me because and I quote ‘had the face of a bulldog and the temperament of an angry hog.’”
Karria had recently found out the real reason Eletha hated Kya so much. She’d pestered her friend for days, saying that her looks weren’t a good enough reason for the way she was treated. Finally, Kya had relented and told her the real reason.
Apparently, Eletha’s long-time boyfriend and fiancé had propositioned for Kya’s hand in marriage once she came of age. Kya had, of course, turned him down, but Eletha had found out. When she asked him what had happened, demanding answers, he told her that he’d never loved her and left. He’d also called her a bunch of unflattering names involving dogs for some reason.
Eletha, of course, blamed Kya for what had happened, and from then on, she had made sure to torment her at every opportunity. Very few people knew this story and Eletha had apparently threatened to kill Kya if she told anyone.
Eletha went pale for a moment, shock written across her face. Then a look of rage contorted her features, her face going from white to red in a matter of seconds.
“I’m going to enjoy this, you bitch!” she screamed and drew her fist back.
Karria’s head was rocked to the side with the force of the blow, and her cheek exploded with pain. Worse, a massive shock went through her entire body as the blow connected and Karria screamed in pain. Her eyes flicked up as Eletha’s fist drew back again, and saw something sparking across it, right before it connected with her face again. Her body locked up as a shock ran through it again, lighting her very nerves on fire.
She tried desperately to reach for her magic, but another blow connected with the side of her skull. With a cry of pain, her concentration was shattered as lightning coursed through her body. Her entire face ached and her nerves were ablaze with pain, but the cruel girl wasn’t done yet. She felt two hands press together on the side of her head and suddenly it felt like her brain was on fire. She screamed and writhed, smoke wafting off her head as Eletha began running an electrical current through her skull.
Karria was sure now that she was dying. Her head was on fire. She’d never felt pain like this in her life.
“Got nothing to say now? Huh, bitch?” Eletha asked, laughing as she shocked Karria’s brain over and over.
“Stop it! You’ll kill her!”
Kya’s voice sounded from beside her. This was followed by a loud smack and a cry of pain.
“Shut up, you damn spoiled Princess! You’ll get your turn soon enough!”
Karria vaguely heard Nina screaming from behind her.
“Now, here’s a lesson for you, you human swine! When I make rules, I expect them to be followed.”
With that, Karria felt a massive pressure in her head as Eletha jolted her brain yet again. She screamed one more time, tasting blood in her mouth. Then everything went black.
Karria swam in an endless sea of black. Someone was shaking her shoulder, but why were they bothering her? Couldn’t they see she was sleeping?
She tried to push the hand away, but they were insistent.
“Leave me alone,” she said weakly, trying to shove the hand away, but found that she couldn’t move her arms.
Why couldn’t she move?
The shaking started again, more insistent and frantic.
“Karria! Wake up!”
Someone was calling her name. It would be rude of her not to answer. Karria’s eyes cracked open, and she winced at the bright light beating down from overhead. She was lying on her back and staring up at the sky.
“Oh, you’re awake! Thank the Almighty!”
She felt someone’s arm wrap around her and groaned in pain.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice rasping out.
The last thing she remembered was Eletha laughing as she did something to her.
“Eletha kept using her magic on you until you passed out. I was sure she would keep on going until she killed you, but the other girls pulled her off. They left soon after.”
Karria sat up slowly. Her head swam and throbbed as she did so. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t keep any coherent thought for long and the world seemed to swim around her.
She looked at Kya. She had a bruise under her left eye and her skirt was torn on one side. Tears stained her cheeks, and Karria could only imagine what they’d done to her.
She was about to get up when a sharp pain shot through her head. She leaned over with a groan, clutching it tightly, and gritted her teeth. It felt as though someone was shoving hot needles into her skull.
Kya placed a worried hand on hers and her eyes widened.
“Karria, Karria! Look at me!”
She sounded panicked, Karria wasn’t sure why though. She looked at her again, her vision becoming fuzzy.
“What’s wrong?” she tried to ask, but it just came out as an unrecognizable slur.
She tried to speak again, but pain wracked her entire body this time, and she fell to the ground and began shaking violently. A hard slap across her face brought her back to consciousness as her vision began to go dark once again. She looked up in shock to see Kya bring her hand back to slap her again.
What the hell was she doing?
Another slap from Kya woke her up completely.
“Why are you hitting me?” she tried to ask, but once again, all that came out was a bunch of slurred words.
Tears were streaming down Kya’s face as she brought her hand back to slap her a third time when a voice that she vaguely recognized called out.
“What do you think you’re doing, girl?”
Karria heard Kya gasp and say something in a panicked tone. She couldn’t hear what she was saying clearly, though. Blackness began creeping around the edges of her vision, and a warmth seemed to surround her. Her eyes began to close, and she felt oddly peaceful as they did so.
Her peace was shattered when, what felt like an icy wave, washed over her entire body. She jerked awake instantly, gasping as the cold permeated every inch of her body. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, leaving her clear-headed and devoid of any pain.
She blinked a few times, looking up. Professor Palmine was kneeling over her, a look of concentration on her face. Kya was standing behind her, clutching her hands to her chest and looking terrified.
“What happened?” Karria asked.
Why was she lying on the ground? Why was Professor Palmine here? And why was Kya crying?
“You nearly died,” Palmine said plainly. “If I’d been another minute, you would no longer be among the living.”
“What?” Karria exclaimed. “Dead? How?!”
“Calm down, girl. You’re likely to give yourself a heart attack,” the professor grumbled.
“I thought you were going to die!” Kya shouldered her way past the older woman and wrapped Kya in a bone-crushing hug.
“I was so worried! I felt that your thoughts were all funny with my magic, and then you were having trouble speaking. I had to keep hitting you, so you’d stay awake! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! If it wasn’t for me, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Karria rubbed her friend’s back awkwardly as she bawled her eyes out into her shoulder.
“I will need an explanation of what happened here,” Palmine said, standing up with a groan. “For now, go home. I expect that the king and queen will want to hear of this as well.”
Karria nodded as her teacher rose and headed down the street, muttering something about children not knowing how to behave. She held Kya for a few more minutes until she’d calmed down enough to talk again. She stood and helped her friend to her feet.
It was good to see that Professor Palmine had seen fit to heal her as well. Karria smiled, pulling a kerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her friend’s eyes.
“There’s no need to cry anymore,” she said soothingly. “I am quite alright, thanks to Professor Palmine, and it’s not your fault at all for what happened. That girl wouldn’t have been content to leave you alone, even if I hadn’t been here.” A frown creased her face here.
That psycho had nearly killed her, and for what? Talking to Kya? Saying a few words, she didn’t want to hear? This girl was clearly far more dangerous than a mere bully if she were willing to go so far. Someone like that had to be dealt with.
“This girl is clearly a danger. Not just to you and me, but to everyone around. We will be speaking to the king and queen, and you will tell them what she’s been doing to you, as well as what happened today.”
Kya nodded, her lower lip quivering a little as tears threatened to start falling again.
“None of that!” Karria said, “You don’t have to cry anymore. I’m alive, you’re alive, and we’ll get them back for what happened here today!”
Kya nodded again, forcing a smile onto her face.
“It’s about time we get rid of her.”
Karria smiled back and together they headed back towards the palace.
38
Suffice it to say that that night was a busy one. The guards at the gate – upon seeing the state they were in – had immediately escorted the two of them to the king and queen.
After hearing what had happened, and what had been going on at the school, Blyss immediately called for the headmaster and sent guards out to arrest Eletha.
Vartan had come in just a few minutes ago, and now the five of them were sitting around the table in the throne room. Kya was sitting between the king and queen, with Vartan and Karria sitting across them.
The headmaster was outraged at what had been going on behind his back and had immediately sent a messenger with a letter of expulsion for Nina. Unfortunately, it appeared that Eletha had gotten a warning and had managed to escape before the guards had shown up.
“We have our military scouring the city as we speak,” Blyss said with barely contained rage.
“To think,” Vartan said, anger in his voice as well. “That all of this was going on without my knowledge. I will step down as headmaster immediately for this affront, Your Highness. I am not worthy of the position.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Headmaster,” Alvine said. “After all, everyone was keeping it a secret, so if anyone is to blame for this atrocity, it is us.”
Karria was about to object, when she was cut off by Blyss.
“You are absolutely correct, my husband. As Kya’s surrogate parents, we should have noticed that something was wrong. We were too busy with our own affairs to give her our full attention. Rest assured, we will be rectifying our mistake.”
She hugged Kya tightly to her side, kissing the top of her head.
“Mother, please don’t do that in front of everyone,” Kya said, as she flushed red with embarrassment.
Karria had noticed that she’d been calling the king and queen ‘mother’ and ‘father’ since she’d come in. Kya had immediately burst into tears once more, once she’d seen them, and Karria was surprised at the amount of affection the king and queen showed her.
“I will do whatever I please!” the queen said, kissing her on the cheek and hugging her even tighter.
There was a knock on the door, and an elf dressed in armor with two stripes on his shoulder came in a saluted.
“Reporting in, Your Majesties,” the elf said with a bow.
“What have you found, Captain?” Alvine asked, leaning forward in his chair a bit.
“We have been unable to find the runaway in the city. We must, therefore, surmise that she has escaped into the forest.”
“I want that sister of hers brought in for questioning,” Alvine said. “Perhaps she will know where that devil of a girl has run off to.”
“And be careful when you do find her,” Vartan put in. “She’s been classified as a Destructor class Mage and is currently at Tier 4. She’s extremely dangerous, especially if she’s gone rogue.”
The guard nodded to the headmaster, then to the king.
“We’ll keep that in mind and keep you updated regularly.”
The elf captain then bowed at the waist and left the room.
Vartan stood up then, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I will go back to the school now. I will need to speak with the professors to make sure something like this will never happen again. If you will excuse me. Your Majesties,” he bowed to each of them, then swept from the room.
The elf smiled, taking the two coins and placing them in a small box behind the counter.
“The first class will be tomorrow afternoon at the fourteenth hour. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Can we please have two ounces of chocolate?” Kya asked, pulling a silver coin from her pouch.
“Of course,” the elf said, taking the coin and heading into the back room.
He re-emerged a moment later, holding a cloth napkin containing two dark brown squares. He placed them each into a small paper bag and handed them over, as well as five copper coins, which Kya placed in her pouch.
“Will that be all?”
“Yes, thank you,” Kya said, taking the bags.
They left the store and Kya handed one of the bags over.
“Here, enjoy. They have the absolute best chocolate in the city.”
Karria thanked her, and the two of them nibbled slowly on the small squares as they walked.
“Why did they only have one of each sweet on the counter?” Karria asked.
“The ones on the counter are only for display. They make them fresh every day, but it would be a waste to keep changing the display, so they only do it every few weeks,” she answered, taking another small bite from her chocolate square.
“That makes sense,” Karria replied, taking another bite of hers as well.
Kya was right about the chocolate. It was even better than the one that nice elf had given her when they’d come into the city for the first time. Her mood soured a bit as she thought of Sylvester, as he had been with her when she’d gotten the chocolate. The only thing really bothering her was why he’d said those horrible things to her. She’d thought they were friends, especially after all they’d been through.
As they left the city, the sky overhead began to grow darker. And though she wasn’t sure why, Karria felt a small shiver run down her spine. Something wasn’t right.
She looked around nervously but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Instead of this making her relax, it only served to make her more nervous. They walked for a few more minutes, the houses around them growing more lavish and expensive looking. Her shoulders had just begun to relax, thinking she must have been imagining things, when she got that odd feeling again.
This time when she looked back, her heart skipped a beat as she saw a group of girls coming from behind them. Nina was out in front, and walking next to her was a girl that looked remarkably similar to her, only a bit older.
“Damn,” Karria cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth in anticipation of the upcoming confrontation.
She nudged Kya in the side and pointed back.
Turning to look, Kya’s face went pale as she saw who was approaching.
“Eletha,” she muttered, confirming her suspicions.
It looked as though the trouble she’d been expecting had finally found her.
37
“Well, look at what we’ve caught,” Nina said, as the group quickly moved to surround the two of them. “The Princess and the Sow, out for a stroll,” she said, getting laughs from the other girls.
Karria scowled and took a step forward.
“I can’t help but notice that you always need a large group behind you whenever confronting someone. You afraid to do anything yourself, or are you that much of a coward that you need ten to one odds?”
Eletha stepped forward then, holding up a hand to stop Nina’s angry retort, a look of derision on her face.
“So, you’re the one who’s been breaking all of my rules. I don’t appreciate it when people don’t do as they’re told.”
Karria felt a tugging on her sleeve then.
“Come on, Karria. We should leave while we can,” Kya whispered urgently.
Despite the urgency in her friend’s voice, Karria was not about to back down.
“Oh?” she asked, stepping forward as well. “I wasn’t aware that I’ve broken any rules.”
“Is that so?” Eletha asked, her teeth clenching in anger. “There’s a rule in our school that no one talks to or befriends the little bitch hiding behind you. I’m sure my sister made you aware of that rule, and yet you are clearly in violation of that rule right now!”
“Since when do you run the school?” Karria demanded, her voice becoming heated. “And even if you’re delusional enough to think you do, it’s kind of hypocritical to come after me for talking to someone outside of school. Or are you so brain damaged that you think you run the entire city as well?”
Eletha’s went a deep shade of crimson, reminiscent of an angry beet, and took a threatening step forward.
“I think someone needs a lesson taught to them about questioning her betters!”
Karria did not flinch, meeting the older girl’s gaze with a defiant one of her own.
“I don’t see any of my betters around, just an angry, jealous dog who can’t stand the fact that she’s not the hottest girl in school.”
Eletha lunged forward then, a scream of rage escaping her throat. Karria was prepared for this and was about to step back when two of the girls moved from behind her. They grabbed her arms, wrenching them behind he back and holding her in place. She heard a scream and turned to see Kya being held by two other girls in a similar fashion.
Eletha smiled then, a cold bone-chilling smile that had no warmth whatsoever.
“I think that people who break the rules need to be punished, don’t you?” she asked, taking a step forward and cupping Karria’s chin between her fingers.
She knew she was in a bad position, but she couldn’t resist one last jab at the girl. Leaning forward until just Eletha could hear her she whispered, “At least my fiancé didn’t leave me because and I quote ‘had the face of a bulldog and the temperament of an angry hog.’”
Karria had recently found out the real reason Eletha hated Kya so much. She’d pestered her friend for days, saying that her looks weren’t a good enough reason for the way she was treated. Finally, Kya had relented and told her the real reason.
Apparently, Eletha’s long-time boyfriend and fiancé had propositioned for Kya’s hand in marriage once she came of age. Kya had, of course, turned him down, but Eletha had found out. When she asked him what had happened, demanding answers, he told her that he’d never loved her and left. He’d also called her a bunch of unflattering names involving dogs for some reason.
Eletha, of course, blamed Kya for what had happened, and from then on, she had made sure to torment her at every opportunity. Very few people knew this story and Eletha had apparently threatened to kill Kya if she told anyone.
Eletha went pale for a moment, shock written across her face. Then a look of rage contorted her features, her face going from white to red in a matter of seconds.
“I’m going to enjoy this, you bitch!” she screamed and drew her fist back.
Karria’s head was rocked to the side with the force of the blow, and her cheek exploded with pain. Worse, a massive shock went through her entire body as the blow connected and Karria screamed in pain. Her eyes flicked up as Eletha’s fist drew back again, and saw something sparking across it, right before it connected with her face again. Her body locked up as a shock ran through it again, lighting her very nerves on fire.
She tried desperately to reach for her magic, but another blow connected with the side of her skull. With a cry of pain, her concentration was shattered as lightning coursed through her body. Her entire face ached and her nerves were ablaze with pain, but the cruel girl wasn’t done yet. She felt two hands press together on the side of her head and suddenly it felt like her brain was on fire. She screamed and writhed, smoke wafting off her head as Eletha began running an electrical current through her skull.
Karria was sure now that she was dying. Her head was on fire. She’d never felt pain like this in her life.
“Got nothing to say now? Huh, bitch?” Eletha asked, laughing as she shocked Karria’s brain over and over.
“Stop it! You’ll kill her!”
Kya’s voice sounded from beside her. This was followed by a loud smack and a cry of pain.
“Shut up, you damn spoiled Princess! You’ll get your turn soon enough!”
Karria vaguely heard Nina screaming from behind her.
“Now, here’s a lesson for you, you human swine! When I make rules, I expect them to be followed.”
With that, Karria felt a massive pressure in her head as Eletha jolted her brain yet again. She screamed one more time, tasting blood in her mouth. Then everything went black.
Karria swam in an endless sea of black. Someone was shaking her shoulder, but why were they bothering her? Couldn’t they see she was sleeping?
She tried to push the hand away, but they were insistent.
“Leave me alone,” she said weakly, trying to shove the hand away, but found that she couldn’t move her arms.
Why couldn’t she move?
The shaking started again, more insistent and frantic.
“Karria! Wake up!”
Someone was calling her name. It would be rude of her not to answer. Karria’s eyes cracked open, and she winced at the bright light beating down from overhead. She was lying on her back and staring up at the sky.
“Oh, you’re awake! Thank the Almighty!”
She felt someone’s arm wrap around her and groaned in pain.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice rasping out.
The last thing she remembered was Eletha laughing as she did something to her.
“Eletha kept using her magic on you until you passed out. I was sure she would keep on going until she killed you, but the other girls pulled her off. They left soon after.”
Karria sat up slowly. Her head swam and throbbed as she did so. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t keep any coherent thought for long and the world seemed to swim around her.
She looked at Kya. She had a bruise under her left eye and her skirt was torn on one side. Tears stained her cheeks, and Karria could only imagine what they’d done to her.
She was about to get up when a sharp pain shot through her head. She leaned over with a groan, clutching it tightly, and gritted her teeth. It felt as though someone was shoving hot needles into her skull.
Kya placed a worried hand on hers and her eyes widened.
“Karria, Karria! Look at me!”
She sounded panicked, Karria wasn’t sure why though. She looked at her again, her vision becoming fuzzy.
“What’s wrong?” she tried to ask, but it just came out as an unrecognizable slur.
She tried to speak again, but pain wracked her entire body this time, and she fell to the ground and began shaking violently. A hard slap across her face brought her back to consciousness as her vision began to go dark once again. She looked up in shock to see Kya bring her hand back to slap her again.
What the hell was she doing?
Another slap from Kya woke her up completely.
“Why are you hitting me?” she tried to ask, but once again, all that came out was a bunch of slurred words.
Tears were streaming down Kya’s face as she brought her hand back to slap her a third time when a voice that she vaguely recognized called out.
“What do you think you’re doing, girl?”
Karria heard Kya gasp and say something in a panicked tone. She couldn’t hear what she was saying clearly, though. Blackness began creeping around the edges of her vision, and a warmth seemed to surround her. Her eyes began to close, and she felt oddly peaceful as they did so.
Her peace was shattered when, what felt like an icy wave, washed over her entire body. She jerked awake instantly, gasping as the cold permeated every inch of her body. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, leaving her clear-headed and devoid of any pain.
She blinked a few times, looking up. Professor Palmine was kneeling over her, a look of concentration on her face. Kya was standing behind her, clutching her hands to her chest and looking terrified.
“What happened?” Karria asked.
Why was she lying on the ground? Why was Professor Palmine here? And why was Kya crying?
“You nearly died,” Palmine said plainly. “If I’d been another minute, you would no longer be among the living.”
“What?” Karria exclaimed. “Dead? How?!”
“Calm down, girl. You’re likely to give yourself a heart attack,” the professor grumbled.
“I thought you were going to die!” Kya shouldered her way past the older woman and wrapped Kya in a bone-crushing hug.
“I was so worried! I felt that your thoughts were all funny with my magic, and then you were having trouble speaking. I had to keep hitting you, so you’d stay awake! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! If it wasn’t for me, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Karria rubbed her friend’s back awkwardly as she bawled her eyes out into her shoulder.
“I will need an explanation of what happened here,” Palmine said, standing up with a groan. “For now, go home. I expect that the king and queen will want to hear of this as well.”
Karria nodded as her teacher rose and headed down the street, muttering something about children not knowing how to behave. She held Kya for a few more minutes until she’d calmed down enough to talk again. She stood and helped her friend to her feet.
It was good to see that Professor Palmine had seen fit to heal her as well. Karria smiled, pulling a kerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her friend’s eyes.
“There’s no need to cry anymore,” she said soothingly. “I am quite alright, thanks to Professor Palmine, and it’s not your fault at all for what happened. That girl wouldn’t have been content to leave you alone, even if I hadn’t been here.” A frown creased her face here.
That psycho had nearly killed her, and for what? Talking to Kya? Saying a few words, she didn’t want to hear? This girl was clearly far more dangerous than a mere bully if she were willing to go so far. Someone like that had to be dealt with.
“This girl is clearly a danger. Not just to you and me, but to everyone around. We will be speaking to the king and queen, and you will tell them what she’s been doing to you, as well as what happened today.”
Kya nodded, her lower lip quivering a little as tears threatened to start falling again.
“None of that!” Karria said, “You don’t have to cry anymore. I’m alive, you’re alive, and we’ll get them back for what happened here today!”
Kya nodded again, forcing a smile onto her face.
“It’s about time we get rid of her.”
Karria smiled back and together they headed back towards the palace.
38
Suffice it to say that that night was a busy one. The guards at the gate – upon seeing the state they were in – had immediately escorted the two of them to the king and queen.
After hearing what had happened, and what had been going on at the school, Blyss immediately called for the headmaster and sent guards out to arrest Eletha.
Vartan had come in just a few minutes ago, and now the five of them were sitting around the table in the throne room. Kya was sitting between the king and queen, with Vartan and Karria sitting across them.
The headmaster was outraged at what had been going on behind his back and had immediately sent a messenger with a letter of expulsion for Nina. Unfortunately, it appeared that Eletha had gotten a warning and had managed to escape before the guards had shown up.
“We have our military scouring the city as we speak,” Blyss said with barely contained rage.
“To think,” Vartan said, anger in his voice as well. “That all of this was going on without my knowledge. I will step down as headmaster immediately for this affront, Your Highness. I am not worthy of the position.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary, Headmaster,” Alvine said. “After all, everyone was keeping it a secret, so if anyone is to blame for this atrocity, it is us.”
Karria was about to object, when she was cut off by Blyss.
“You are absolutely correct, my husband. As Kya’s surrogate parents, we should have noticed that something was wrong. We were too busy with our own affairs to give her our full attention. Rest assured, we will be rectifying our mistake.”
She hugged Kya tightly to her side, kissing the top of her head.
“Mother, please don’t do that in front of everyone,” Kya said, as she flushed red with embarrassment.
Karria had noticed that she’d been calling the king and queen ‘mother’ and ‘father’ since she’d come in. Kya had immediately burst into tears once more, once she’d seen them, and Karria was surprised at the amount of affection the king and queen showed her.
“I will do whatever I please!” the queen said, kissing her on the cheek and hugging her even tighter.
There was a knock on the door, and an elf dressed in armor with two stripes on his shoulder came in a saluted.
“Reporting in, Your Majesties,” the elf said with a bow.
“What have you found, Captain?” Alvine asked, leaning forward in his chair a bit.
“We have been unable to find the runaway in the city. We must, therefore, surmise that she has escaped into the forest.”
“I want that sister of hers brought in for questioning,” Alvine said. “Perhaps she will know where that devil of a girl has run off to.”
“And be careful when you do find her,” Vartan put in. “She’s been classified as a Destructor class Mage and is currently at Tier 4. She’s extremely dangerous, especially if she’s gone rogue.”
The guard nodded to the headmaster, then to the king.
“We’ll keep that in mind and keep you updated regularly.”
The elf captain then bowed at the waist and left the room.
Vartan stood up then, shaking his head in disbelief.
“I will go back to the school now. I will need to speak with the professors to make sure something like this will never happen again. If you will excuse me. Your Majesties,” he bowed to each of them, then swept from the room.
