SELENE POV
I ran like I was chased by invisible police dogs across the marble hallway. My throat burned, and my stomach ached with every step. Please be safe. Please. Moonlight slipped through the velvet curtains, illuminating the corridor in silver and shadow. I didn't know where I was going. I just followed the direction I heard Katherine scream, praying desperately that she was still breathing.
Thud.
My feet slipped on the marble floor, and I crashed face first on the hard, smooth floor. Ngh that fucking hurts. I gasped, breathing in shallow pants. My forehead and knees were scraped raw, stinging like hell. Looks like before sunrise I'll be decorated with bruises. At this point I wish I was superman--- with his speed I will be able to cover the whole palace and back.
"No, let me go"
I stopped in my tracks.
That was Kathy's voice.
It came from the left. Without hesitation I made a left turn towards the voice, towards Katherine, my breathing becoming difficult. And there they were… Kathy and Eve kneeling on the floor with a knife pressed to their throats. Do these people have a fetish of cutting someone down by the throat?
The two knights holding them captive raised their sword, ready to cut them down.
Without a second thought I screamed. "No!!'
Swoosh.
Then a crazy thing happened, the knights were thrown backward against the pillar. No one pushed them. Nothing visible at all. But they were thrown like potato sacks and crashed hard onto the floor, it was worse than when the gold statue flung us on the wall.
The other knights whirled toward me, eyes wide in surprise for a moment but not as stunned as me. You mean to tell me that I could do that and I had to beg that bastard to let me go.
I watched the remaining knights advancing cautiously towards me, with swords drawn. My heart thundered in my ears, standing quietly at the far corner was the woman in the drawing mom gave me. She truly existed. She wore a long silk night gown with fur draped on her shoulders,her brown hair tied neatly into a bun. As if sensing my gaze, she tilted her head towards me, her black eyes locking onto mine. Her face was composed, unreadable. Apart from them having the same hair color, they truly don't look alike, her eyes were fierce. Sharper.
I quickly raised up my hands in surrender like how they do in crime movies and stepped forward slowly. "I don't mean any harm," I said softly.
One of the knights took my hand and twisted it to the back. Pain exploded through my shoulder --- I felt like my arm was about to dislocate. He dragged me forward and forced me to kneel before the woman I went through hell to find. I lifted my head, meeting her eyes. She just looked at me calmly. Even with her dressed in nothing but nightwear, she has an imposing presence, it can't be compared to that man but enough to make me quiver. Why am I even thinking about him in this situation?
"You have the insolence to think of something else in my presence" Her voice was calm, but very cold.
Her words jolted me from my thoughts. I turned behind me to clearly check on Eve and Kathy. They were pale and had bruises here and there but they weren't life-threatening, thankfully. The heavy stone stuck in my chest melted away like metal.
"What are you three doing in my palace?" She demanded.
Smack.
A heavy blow landed at the back of my head. My vision blurred and an intense throbbing pulsed in my head.
"The Queen asked you a question," one of the knights standing behind me growled.
I tilted my poor head upwards, I think the blow to my head might had given me a concussion. " I.. I'm looking for someone" I managed shakily.
"Who is it?" She questioned, her tone sharpening dangerously. "That you had to infiltrate the palace?"
"You"
"How dare you talk to the Queen that way" the knight behind me said in anger. I closed my eyes as he raised his hand again_
"Stop" she stepped closer now, her silk gown kissing the marble floor. "Why are you looking for me, child?"
My arm was still locked behind me, the way it was not physically possible. My throat was dry like the desert---I hadn't had a drop of water for hours. "My mom asked me to find… her sister, Mariah Aelyn" I said between cracked voices.
The corridor was still.
Silence swallowed over the space.
She slowly squatted in front of me, her eyes narrowing. "Her sister?". She muttered. "Who is your mother?"
I gazed straight into those tired eyes, possibly worn out by looking at too many documents and palace drama. "Mariam Aelyn"
"What"
The Queen and Knights went still.
"My Queen, she is lying through her teeth," one of the knights quickly said. "The princess went missing 18 years ago and was never found. She_"
The Queen sharply raised her hand like a stop sign, interrupting the knight from continuing. She truly looked at me for the first time. Not from the corner of her eyes anymore. "You mean to tell me your Mariam's daughter? Her voice had dropped to a dangerous whisper. " That is impossible because as far as the world is concerned she is dead. Unless.. you've proof of your claim."
"Yes" I mumbled "yes, I do"
"What?" She said, her gaze piercing through me .
I swallowed, trying to moisten my sore throat. "There's a gold locket on my neck under my shirt that has a picture of my mom" I said, trembling under her intense gaze. " And a drawing of you in my right pocket."
She slipped her elegant fair hand into my shirt, pulling out the gold locket around her neck, something flickered in her eyes for a moment. Her fingers trembled slightly as she opened the locket.
She stared at the small frame. She didn't blink. Nor twitched. She just stared at it. And whispered so low.
"SISTER."