Queen of Light

According to Rowan, we were going to arrive in Terrassen tomorrow afternoon. Azriel still had not returned when the sun set, and the stars and night sky took its place. Everyone went to bed, all tired from all the talking that we did. Halfway through the conversation I had with Rhysand, Rayen had appeared, extremely grateful that I was alive and well.

I walked into my bedroom, closed the door, and turned on one of the lamps that was hanging from the wall close to my bed. I changed into my nightgown, and didn’t notice the note sitting on my small dresser until I was all ready for bed. I picked up the note. It said:

Meet me in the meeting room on the deck of the ship tonight, once everyone is asleep. 
Rowan

I quietly opened my bedroom door, and stepped into the dark hallway. I could hear someone snoring. Other than that, everything seemed quiet.

Rayen went out to swim in the sea, and find something to eat earlier. I did not expect her to be back anytime soon.

I slowly -- so slowly -- crept up the stairs, and across the deck of the ship to the meeting room. I cracked open the meeting room door, and poked my head inside the room. It was pitch black. “Rowan?” I whispered. I opened the door even more, and stepped inside the room. “Rowan?” I whispered again.

In a blink, the meeting room door shut closed, and candles placed around the perimeter of the meeting room lit. Seated at the head of the table -- feet up on the table, hands folded in his lap -- was a man. He had short, gold hair, and gold eyes. Exactly like Manon’s. He grinned at me.

I started to panic. I whipped towards the door, my wings and muscles both hurting in protest to the fast movement. Two guards guarded the door. They each sneered at me. I faced the man again. I forced my face to be neutral as he stood from his chair and walked towards me, his grin growing with each step he took.

“Such a pretty thing,” he said as he circled me. He touched my hair, and I flinched at the touch.

“Don’t touch me,” I growled at him. His grin only grew in response. “Who are you.”

“Aelin hasn’t told you anything about me?” he purred, still circling me.

“No,” was all I said. I scanned the room, looking for any places to escape.

“There is no way to escape, my darling sweet Aiyana,” he said, reading my mind. He moved closer to me. I stepped back. Once. Twice. Thrice.

I backed up into his guards. He quickly glanced at them, and then nodded. I didn’t have time to move before his guards grabbed my arms and hauled me over to the table. I started thrashing. “Let me go!” I demanded. “What are you doing? Let me go!” My body was hurting with the fast movements I was making. I couldn’t feel my legs. I have to get out I have to get out I have to get out --

More of his guards appeared, and grabbed my legs, lifting me up. My wings were being crushed against me. “Let go of me!” I spat. “Let go!” His guards did nothing. They placed me on the table, instantly tying my wrists and ankles, with metal chains that burned, onto the table. I forced my wings to vanish before the could do anything to them.

The man walked over to me, and pulled up my nightgown, revealing my wrapped torso and bare legs. I bared my teeth at him and growled. “Do. Not. Touch. Me,” I spat in his face. He slowly took off the healing cloth from my torso, and looked at the wound I got from the ilken.

He grinned. “My ilken did quite a nice job of giving you a brutal scar,” he said with wicked delight. My stomach turned. I was going to throw up.

He then walked to the front of the room, his guards moving out of his way. They each watched me, pleasure masking their faces. I sneered at them. The man returned. My heart stopped beating. He walked towards me, polishing a long, pointed knife. He grinned.

At a point I couldn’t remember, I started to cry.

“Don’t cry, sweet Aiyana; this will only last a minute,” he purred.

Rayen Rayen Rayen I called through the bond.

“There is no use in calling your animal-friend, since I sound-proofed this room. I also made it so that you can’t get out, and no one can get in. Bring the stone,” the man said, turning to face one of his guards. He then turned back to me, a small stone, the size of a penny, lying in his palm.

Bile rose in my throat.

“Don’t worry, sweet child,” he said as he leaned over my belly with the knife, and cut. I screamed. The metal on the knife was burning my skin. Blood trickled down my belly and onto the wooden floor. He cut again, but deeper this time. I screeched and sobbed at the same time. He then took the stone, and began to place it inside the wound he made --

The door to the room burst open. Darkness, in great big swirls, moved into the room, forming a barrier around me. The guards -- including the man -- cursed.

I looked at the doorway, and found Azriel standing there, hands balled into fists, feral rage radiating off him.

The man and his guards instantly disappeared. I sobbed in relief as Azriel walked towards me, his barrier now disappearing. He carefully picked me up, and walked out onto the deck of the ship. Apparently, the chains they used to pin me to the table were gone; they must have disappeared with the man and his guards. 

Azriel laid me down on the steps that were on the deck of the ship, close to the very front of the ship. He quickly looked at me and said, “I have to take the stone out. This may hurt.”

I nodded.

He reached down into the wound, and took the stone out. I had to bide down on my lips from screaming in pain. He set the bloody stone on the deck of the ship. “I have to stitch this wound together. I can heal it with some of my magic, but will have to stitch most of it. I will be right back,” he said as he rose. “I am going to get the tools I need --”

They had already appeared on the deck -- I had summoned them.

“Thank you,” was all he said before he got to work. After a period of silence, Azriel asked me, “What was he trying to do to you?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. I silently cried as the images of what the man was trying to do to me flashed through my mind.

“Do you know who he is?”

“No. I will ask Aelin, though. He apparently knew who she was, and who I was.”

“How?”

“I . . . don’t know.” My words started to slur; I was getting tired.

“Sleep, Aiyana,” Azriel softly told me.

And so I did.

Written by Alexa Gantt

Queen of Light

The roaring and crashing of the waves filled the darkness that surrounded me. Covered me. Enveloped me.

I slept, and slept, and slept, falling deeper into the darkness. It whispered to me, calling my name. Aiyana. Aiyana. Aiyana. My soul felt light, empty. Foreign.

A small ball of light formed in the darkness. The light grew, chasing away the darkness that called to me. The light rushed faster and faster towards me, to the point where that was all there was: light. Light to put out the darkness. Light that made me feel heavier. Light that put a weight on my shoulders. Light that shone like a thousand suns.

Darkness, different than the one that wrapped around me earlier, replaced the light. The night sky appeared, stars twinkling in the distance. Light purple, black, dark blue, and dark purple colored the sky. It was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen.

I started to shoot up through the night sky, stars whizzing past me. The crashing of the waves got louder. I started to feel heavy. I could feel a light breeze passing over my face. I could feel my fingers, toes, and body -- each twitching and thrashing. I kept soaring through the night sky. A blinding white light then replaced the night sky. The light roared at me, demanding I hold on. I held.

I started feeling my chest rise and fall, could feel the crisp air entering my lungs, then being expelled out. I could feel my heartbeat, a thunderous beat blocking out the roaring of the waves. I felt my soul enter into my body again with a click.

I gasped with the impact. My eyes fluttered open. My hands were sweaty, bunched up into fists as I grasped the wet sheets I was lying on.

The first thing my eyes registered was the brown, wooden ceiling of my bedroom. Then the bed I was lying on. Then the door that was across from me, open. Then my wings, spread open beside me, wrapped in a white healing cloth. Then the open window to my left. Then the man sleeping in the chair beside my bed. Rowan.

Rowan was slumped in the dark-blue comfy chair beside my bed, sleeping. He had purple crescents under his eyes. His hair was disheveled, sticking up in different directions. He wore the same clothes that he had worn when the ilken attacked. There were dried blood splotches that covered his black fighting leathers, and crusted blood was on the rims of his fingernails.

As I slowly started to sit up, he jolted awake. He stared at me, his face paler than it had been when the ilken had attacked. His face showed such emotion that I blushed. He blinked. Once. Twice. Then, his face crumpled as tears started streaming down his face. He knelt down beside the bed, taking my hand. He placed his forehead on it. He shuddered as he continued to cry. Tears started rolling down my face, too.

“Rowan,” I whispered, looking down at him. “What’s wrong?”

He looked up at me, his face shining with tears. “You’re my --” he said as someone flew into my bedroom with such great force, the walls seemed to groan. I looked at the open doorway, finding Aelin there, her eyes red, breathing hard. Rowan looked up from my hand, and stood up. He was looking at me with sadness in his eyes. He was still holding my hand. I squeezed his hand. He squeezed back.

“Aelin --” I said.

She had already bolted to my side -- opposite the one where Rowan was standing beside me. She sat down onto the bed, careful not to touch my wings, and leaned down towards me. She caressed my cheek. “I thought you were dead,” she cried. “I thought you were dead.” Aelin put her head onto the bed, right beside my wrapped torso.

“It’s okay, Aelin. I’m here -- I’m fine,” I whispered, patting her head. “Rowan, did you have to tell me something?” I turned my head to look at him.

He shook his head. “We can talk later,” was his only reply.

I then faced Aelin. “What about you? Are you okay?” I asked her.

She lifted her head and looked me in the eyes. She pulled up her loose white shirt to show me the scar that was left. The scar was deep; it was still red. It took up a third of her torso, and was about a couple of centimeters wide. I gaped at it. “How long did it take for you to heal?”

“Rowan helped with the major healing,” Aelin glanced at Rowan. “I slept for a couple of days. Since I am demi-Fae, I can heal fast, but not as fast as regular Fae.”

“You said you slept for a couple of days,” I slowly said, “so I must have slept . . .” I looked at Rowan for an answer.

“You slept for four days.”

How much did I miss? “Rayen. Is she alright?” I asked, quickly lifting my head off the pillow.

“She’s fine,” Aelin said, putting a hand on my head to put it back on the pillow.

“Azriel?” I asked.

“He’s fine, too,” Rowan responded.

“I need to thank him --”

“Sit down Aiyana,” Aelin said as she put my head back on the pillow -- again.

“Am I allowed to get out of bed?”

“You may, but you just have to be careful,” Rowan answered. He was still holding my hand.

I slowly sat up into a sitting position on my bed. “How far away from Terrassen are we?” I asked while trying to stand up. I failed.

“Let me help you,” Aelin softly said, rising from the bed. I let go of Rowan’s hand. Aelin grabbed both my arms, and helped me climb off the bed. All of my muscles barked with the movement. I felt extremely stiff; I was barely able to walk.

“We will probably arrive there this afternoon,” Rowan said from behind me.

I was able to face him, Aelin helping me move. My wings were extremely heavy; it felt like big, heavy rocks were dangling from them. “Good,” I said as I slowly -- step by step -- walked towards my closet, Aelin holding my arms to help guide me. She opened my closet door, and took out a pair of blue, loose pants and a white shirt.

“Out,” she told Rowan. He was gone in a flash, closing the door.

Aelin helped me undress, and put on the clothes she had picked for me. She put my hair back in a ponytail. She cursed.

“What?” I asked, turning to face her.

“You’re Fae,” she whispered.

“So?”

“So?” she demanded.

I raised my eyebrows in question. “With all my powers and abilities, you didn’t think I was Fae?”

She looked at me for a minute. Then she spoke. “No.”

I laughed. “Wow, Aelin. I thought at least you would be able to tell.”

She stuck her tongue out at me. I returned the gesture.

We both walked through the hallway, and up the stairs that led to the deck of the ship. Aelin helped me the whole way.

Sunlight warmed my wings and body as I walked onto the deck of the ship. Rhysand and his court members were talking to some of my friends. Good, I thought, at least they are talking. The people on the deck turned to face me as they heard Aelin and my footsteps.

Rhysand, his court, and all of my friends looked at me, worried. “I’m okay,” I told them. They all seemed to relax after hearing the words. I scanned the group for Azriel, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Where is Azriel?” I asked Rhysand.

“He went out for a while,” he responded.

“Will he be back soon?”

“Yes, he will.” As I opened my mouth to ask another question, Rhysand added, “You can thank him when he gets back.”

I nodded my thanks. “What did you guys do while I was sleeping?”

“We just got to talk -- nothing special,” Feyre said.

“That sounds nice,” I said. “Did you all get to know each other better?”

My friends and Rhysand’s court each looked at one another.

“Sure,” Cassian replied, shrugging.

I laughed. “Thanks for being sincere, Cassian. We all may need to work on getting to know each other better.” I smiled as everyone grunted in annoyance.

This was going to be a long day.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Light

I looked quizzically at Aelin. “That’s it?”

“No,” was all she told me before she went below deck. Probably to get more weapons.

I scanned the sky, making sure that nothing was going to instantly appear and attack us.

“What’s going on?” Rayen asked as she looked up at me.

“I don’t know,” I murmured, still scanning the sky. “I really don’t know.”

A small movement in the sky caught my eye. I looked at the sun, right where the movement came from. There, a cloud of black started to form. It was moving -- heading straight for us. Panic started to form in my gut. The wave of darkness just got bigger and bigger, and was moving faster and faster.

Aelin, having returned from below deck, ran straight towards the end of the deck, her face as white as fresh snow. “Ilken,” she murmured. She turned to face me, and my friends. “Ilken,” she murmured again.

“How many?” Lorcan asked. He stood in front of Elide, darkness already enveloping them.

Aedion walked to the edge of the deck, and looked out at the ilken. “More than 300,” he said. He faced us, his face paling.

“Shute,” Rowan hissed.

“What do we do?” I asked my friends.

“Fight,” was Lorcan’s only response. Everybody got into position. Lysandra was looking up at the sky. She growled.

The ilken were getting closer. They blocked out most of the sunlight. All you could see for miles and miles were ilken -- each heading for us. Rayen prepared herself beside me.

“Ready?” I asked, looking down at her.

She nodded once. Then, she looked out at the ilken. Her eyes were the fiercest I had ever seen them.

I whipped towards Aelin. “Aelin. I can fly up there and fight them in the air. So can Rayen.”

“No,” she said as she looked at me. “Not in a million years.”

“Yes,” I hissed. “This ship is small, and there isn’t any land nearby. They can easily destroy you --”

“No,” she repeated.

I forced my body to become invisible. I breathed in through my nose, and out of my mouth. “I am going Aelin, no matter --”

“No, Aiyana,” Rowan growled.

But it was too late. I had already shot into the sky. Turn into the biggest winged animal possible, I told Rayen through the bond. 

I already have something in mind, was all she said before she completely blocked me out.

I flew up so I was facing the ilken. They were getting closer. Much closer. I rallied my powers within me.

I summoned water, forming dragons, wyverns, and griffins that were indestructible. They could not be burned. Could not be defeated. Could not be killed. Not by one human being on this earth. Not even Amren.

As the ilken neared and saw the animals I created, their faces started to blanch. I put an invisible shield around myself when the ilken were about ten feet away from me. I ordered my animals to attack. They did as they were told. One after another, ilken screamed as they were drowned. As I froze them, then shattered them to pieces.

I formed invisible hands that had a mind of their own. They choked, crushed, and stabbed the ilken with the knives I had provided them. They tore out the hearts of the ilken, and crushed them. Ilken, like raindrops falling from the sky, fell down into the water, screaming with pain and rage. I burned some as they fell, and others I froze. I summoned two swords, each in both of my hands, and -- still invisible -- I flew straight into the army of ilken. I kept my swords out -- which were also invisible -- and they cut ilken as I flew through. I tore the ilken in half. As their body parts fell to the water, they burned.

I became visible as I swooped down beneath the ilken, and flew straight to the front of the army. I sent an enormous gust of wind at them, sending them flying in different directions. The ilken regained their balance and flew back to the front of the army, sneering. I grinned at them. Ilken continued to fall into the water and burn as my invisible hands, flame, and water animals kept on attacking, having a mind of their own.

Ilken started to advance on me, while others flew straight to the ship. I sent a wave of water to the ones heading for me, which drowned them. As they fell through the air, they froze, and shattered into pieces before they could even scream. More started heading for me.

The ship. Aelin. Rowan. Where was Rayen? Where was --

A roar, so loud it made the sea tremble, sounded. I quickly looked at the ship, and saw an enormous dragon flying over it, shooting flame at the ilken that tried to attack the ship. Some were on the deck, fighting with my friends.

The dragon was marvelous. It was black, and had light blue swirls that crawled up its legs, wings, cheekbones, and tail. It had crystal blue eyes, and a blossom on its forehead. Rayen. I cry of relief escaped me.

I faced the ilken that were charging towards me. I sent flame, water, and ice in their direction. The ilken screamed, and fell down into the water. I sent a wave of wind to the ones that were heading towards me. The wave sent them flying back. Fighting knives instantly replaced the swords in my hands. I threw them. Ilken screamed as the knives pierced their flesh. More and more knives appeared in my hands. I threw them all, one after another. Again. Again. Again. Invisible hands took the knives out of the ilken’s chests, and stabbed them. Again. Again. Again.

The size of the ilken army had decreased in size. But more kept coming. I flew up higher into the sky. Ilken followed me. Just then, a shot of pain seared through my back, and I screamed. At that moment, a dragon roared. Rayen. I looked behind me. An ilken warrior had stabbed her in the back. It was smiling in delight. Rayen tried to get it off, but she couldn’t. In an instant, the ilken froze, and shattered into pieces. I took the knife out of Rayen’s back. She roared again, but this time, in thanks. I faced the ilken that were flying in my direction.

From the ship, I heard a piercing scream, then a cry.

I whipped back, so I was facing the ship. Something in my chest cracked as I beheld what happened: an ilken warrior had stabbed Aelin in the chest. Her eyes were wide, and she was sagging.

“AELIN!” Rowan roared.

My blood turned to ice. I was going to kill each and every one of these ilken slowly. Very slowly.
I faced them now, all of my powers building up within me. I was a beast. I was indestructible. I was not going to let them kill any of my friends.

All of my powers wrapped around me; each mixing with the other. Ilken froze, then slowly crept towards me, sneering and grinning. I exploded.

Invisible hands quickly killed the ilken to my right; fire burned the ilken to my left; and water and wind killed the ilken in front of me. I lifted my head up to the sky, and roared. I was going to burst. I did. Flame, water, wind, invisibility, and light -- light -- shot out in every direction. Ilken screamed as they disintegrated.

No ilken were left as I opened my eyes and looked out at the sea. None. I let my invisible shield drop. From behind me, I heard a cry. “Aiyana!” Aedion yelled at me. I faced him. Pain like I had never known shot through my back. Through my wings. I screamed. I whirled, and found two ilken flying behind me, blood on their hands. My blood. They grinned. I tried to lash my power at them as they neared me again, but I couldn’t. My powers were drained. One of the ilken disappeared. Pain zapped through my wings, just as the ilken in front of me dug its pointed claw into my gut. I screeched in pain. I thrashed, trying to lose the grip of both the ilken.

Rayen roared. I could hear the flapping of mighty wings getting closer. Just as Rayen was about twenty feet away from us, the ilken disappeared. Having lost all of my energy, I fell through the sky, heading straight for the water. My vision started to blur. The water was getting closer. Closer. Closer.

It hit me hard, bruising my already torn wings. I screamed in pain at the impact, and water filled my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes started to burn, and my vision started to blacken at the edges. I tried to hold on as I let myself sink farther, and farther into the sea. I tried to hold on. There wasn’t enough energy for me to do so.

Someone crashed into the water, and swam for me. The person grabbed my hand, and pulled me close to them. Their dark, black wings wrapped around me as they shot through the water. We were instantly back in the air, flying straight for the ship. I caught a quick glimpse of the person carrying me before everything went black. Before all I could hear was never-ending silence.

The person was a man that wore beautiful, black fighting leathers. He had short, dark hair, and darkness swirled around him. His face was beautiful -- like an angel’s.

Azriel.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Light

I softly landed on the deck -- which was completely empty -- Rayen right behind me. She flew down to the floor, and shifted into the most beautiful lioness I had ever seen. She still had the crystal blue eyes and the blossom on her forehead, but she had intricate light-blue swirls climbing up each of her four legs. I stared at them.

“What?” she asked, her tail swiftly moving side to side.

“What are those swirls for?”

“The ocean. They show that I came from the ocean -- that I was born there. It was -- and still is -- my home. It is still a part of me.”

“They are beautiful. If you ever want to return to the sea, you may.”

“I want to stay with you,” Rayen said. “I didn’t have any friends, nor family in the sea. Now I have you.”

I knelt on the deck of the ship, right in front of her. I put a hand beneath her chin, and the other I used to pet her head. I bent down and kissed the blossom on her forehead. “Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome, Aiyana. You gave me a new life -- a better one. You gave me a family. I will always thank you for that.”

Pounding steps sounded from the stairs that led below deck. Aelin appeared, dressed in a pair of fighting leather pants and a loose shirt. When she saw me, she let out a cry of relief. She ran towards me and embraced me. “I thought something happened to you,” she said in a trembling voice. “Where were you?” She pulled away from me, far enough so she could look me in the eyes. Her lips were set into a hard line.

“I didn’t go anywhere special. I just flew towards the horizon. I needed some fresh air.”

Just then, she realized that a lioness was standing by my side, watching her with a close eye. “Rayen, this Aelin. Aelin, meet Rayen.”

Rayen smiled.

“How?” Aelin stammered, her face paling.

“It’s a long story,” I said. “I will explain it to you another time. Where is everyone?”

“I have no clue,” Aelin replied, looking around the deck. “This morning, I knocked on every single one of our guests’ doors -- no one answered. They were all gone.” Worry covered her features.

“Where could they have gone?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she murmured, shaking her head.

Rowan walked up from the steps that led below deck, wearing fighting leather pants -- like the ones Aelin wore -- and a loose, white shirt. He looked at me, then Aelin, confusion masking his features. “What’s wrong?” he said as he stopped beside Aelin.

“All of our guests are gone.”

“What?” he demanded.

“They. Are. Gone.” I said, enunciating each word.

He looked at me with the expression, I heard.

Well, I repeated it for you. I smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes. “They must have gone out to fly for a while. Don’t worry Aelin,” he said, taking her hand. “They will probably be back soon.”

“What do you guys think of them?” I asked.

They both turned their heads to look at me. Aelin spoke first. “They seem like nice people. I think I will accept their alliance, but will wait until we get to know them better. Amren is the only one that bothers me; she seems a bit . . . off.”

“I don’t like them very much,” Rowan said. “They seem too sophisticated -- like they know everything. Can you believe they went around asking people on their continent about us?” He shook his head in disapproval and frustration.

“They need someone to help them, Rowan,” I said, looking at him. “Apparently, there wasn’t anyone on their continent to do so, so they did some of their own research.”

Rowan looked out at the sea, his mouth set into a hard line. “That’s the thing I don’t like. He came here knowing every single little detail about us, while we know nothing about him. It’s absurd.”

“It is not absurd, Rowan. You’re just being dramatic. Is he always this dramatic, Aelin?” I looked at her.

She rolled her eyes. She faced him, still looking out at the sea, and crossed her arms. “Rowan, they seem like nice people. I would agree to their alliance right now, if I wanted to, even though I don’t know them.”

“What if we needed help to defeat someone who harmed us? Would we have done the same?” I added.

At this, he turned. “Yes,” he murmured.

“See? They didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Who -- what -- is that?” Rowan blurted, pointing at Rayen.

“I am a who, not a what. In addition, it is not nice to point,” Rayen said to him as a way of greeting.

“Excuse me?” he blurted again, his eyebrows raising. This will be fun.

“I would watch your mouth, Rowan. Rayen is very, very sensitive.” I looked down at her, and winked. She grinned. I returned the smile.

Instantly, Rowan’s face paled. “How?” he whispered, looking at me in complete shock and surprise.

“It’s a long story.” I looked out at the sea, the sun low in the sky. It must be early morning. “Is everyone still sleep --” I abruptly stopped as I saw winged creatures flying towards our ship. They were not our guests. They had webbed feet, were tall, and were a mix between human and creature. “Aelin,” I said, slowly facing her, “what are those creatures flying towards us?”

She stalked to the very edge of the deck, her face paling with each step she took. Rowan walked right beside her, his face pale, too. “Ilken,” he breathed.

Aelin jolted to a bell that was mounted on one of the hulls of the ship, and started ringing it. “Ilken!” she yelled. “Ilken! Ilken!”

At that moment, Aedion, Lysandra -- in snow leopard form -- Elide, Manon, Dorian, Fenrys, Gavriel, and Lorcan came running up the stairs that led below deck, all of them dressed, blades out.

I balked at them. “What are Ilken?” I asked Aelin as I turned to her.

“They are terrible creatures that can rip your throat out in the blink of an eye,” she said as she gathered her weapons.

My gut started to twist. “How do I fight them?”

“With weapons, your bare hands, or your powers,” Rowan answered from behind me. “Where is freaking Rhysand and his crew?” he demanded, looking around. “Are you sure you want to make an alliance with them, Aelin, if they leave on the first morning?” He glared at her.

“That is not the question you should be asking me right now, Rowan,” she angrily said as she stared him down.

The ilken were getting closer. I looked down at Rayen. “Are you ready?” She nodded once in answer. “What animal will you turn into?”

“It’s a surprise,” she whispered. She grinned. Her eyes sparkled with joy and delight.

“Great,” I mumbled. “Just be careful, okay?” She nodded.

I looked at Aelin, and the rest of my friends, who were preparing themselves. “Why are we all getting ready if there are only two of them?” I asked to no one in particular. Nobody answered. Well, then. I will just prepare myself for more to come. My wings flared from behind me, and I rallied my powers together. They thrummed, excited for battle. I pulled them all into my core, and forced them to spread throughout my body and to my fingertips. I was ready.

I looked out at the sky. The ilken were close enough for me to see every single detail of them. They grinned when they saw me, revealing sharp, jagged teeth. Chills ran down my spine. Rayen, who was beside me, still had not changed. She was waiting. For what, I did not know. All of my friends surrounded me, leaving me at the front of the group. We all glared at the ilken as they landed on the very edge of the wall, their claws digging into the wood.

“I see there is a new member of your little group,” the taller one said in a smooth -- but deadly -- voice. It looked at me, and grinned. I watched its every move; so did Rayen.

“What do you want?” Rowan demanded.

The smaller one -- a female -- pinned her stare on him. “Erawan sends a message,” she said.

“What’s the message?” Aedion asked, his face a hard mask of stone.

Both ilken looked at each other, grinned, and faced Rowan and Aelin, both tense and standing side by side. “You will see for yourself very, very, soon,” the female said. In a blink, they flew up into the sky, and vanished.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Light

I don’t know how long it took Rhysand to explain everything to us. Our conversation started around mid-day, and ended when the sun set. Aelin, Rowan, and I gave Rhysand and his court rooms to stay in below deck. When everyone was accommodated, I went onto the deck of the ship, and looked out at the sunset.

The sky was a mix of colors: pinkish-red, light purple, yellow, gold, and orange. The clouds streaked across the sky, looking like colorful strips of cotton candy. The water was beautiful; its surface was gold, causing the water beneath to seem black. It was gorgeous.

I looked up at the sky, and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. I brought my head back down, and looked out at the horizon. The water, and the wind -- flowing gracefully past me -- seemed to call me to them.

Without no one able to reprimand me, I shot up into the sky and flew straight towards the setting sun. The roaring of the waves and the howling of the wind were moving with me as I flew. And flew. And flew. Flew until the ship was gone, and all I could see was the stretching, vast sea.

I dove down towards the water; it twinkled as I flew over it, close enough to see my reflection. I dipped my hand into the water, creating a long ripple on the surface of it. The water was cool, soothing me. Out of nowhere, a dolphin jumped up from the water beneath me, splashing me with water. I shrieked in surprise. The dolphin jumped up from the water again, and this time, it spoke to me. Hi Aiyana! It went back underwater. I could see it swimming beneath me.

Hi sweety. How are you? I spoke to it.

I am fine, thanks. And you?

I am fine, thank you for asking, I answered. When the dolphin jumped up again, I pet its head, and it almost seemed as if it purred in response. Goodbye, darling. What is your name?

I don’t have one, it sadly told me. It went back underwater.

I am going to name you Rayen, which means blossom. I am going to give you the power to shift into any animal you would like. You will also be able to speak to me and other people, and will be able to understand what people are saying, even if they aren’t speaking to you. I am going to put a little blossom on your forehead, so I will know who you are. Do you have a family?

I do not. I just swim wherever the waves of the sea bring me. Rayen was still swimming underwater, beneath me.

Would it be okay with you if I were to make you my pet? I will bind you to me, and you will be invincible. I will treat you with loving care, and will be kind to you. I would never harm you, and I would never tell you to not do something, unless that something is dangerous. I will treat you right. I promise. 

I would love that! she exclaimed. I smiled. I closed my eyes, and formed a bond between us. I repeated the words I had just told her; after I promise, I felt something in my chest tighten. There was a type of weight there. I unbuttoned the first two buttons of my shirt, and saw that on my chest was a blossom, like the one Rayen had.

It’s done, I said. Try and shapeshift; try and change into another animal.

Okay, Rayen worriedly sad.

It will be fine, trust me. There was a flash of light from the water beneath me. A beautiful hawk -- as white as snow -- with crystal blue eyes appeared at my side. On its forehead, a small blossom shimmered in the light. Rayen.

“Rayen?” She was beautiful.

She cawed. “It’s me! It’s me!” She started twirling in the air, full of joy. When she was done, she flew up near my face, and touched her cheek against mine.  “Thank you,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome, Rayen -- beautiful blossom.” I grinned. She smiled at me too.

“I’m free!” she yelled, and swooped up into the sky. I followed her. I stopped in the air, my wings beating behind me. I looked out at the sea. Rayen came up from behind me, and perched on my shoulder. “What is it?” She cocked her head in my direction.

“It’s so beautiful,” I breathed.

She turned her head, and looked out at the sea. She did not speak.

I stayed there -- in the air, looking at the horizon -- for hours, until the sun set, and the sky became dark. Until it was filled with shimmering and twinkling stars, Rayen quietly perched on my shoulder. Until the sun started to rise.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Light

The blond-haired woman with the blood-red lips screamed, “Amren!” She vanished in a flash, and appeared beside Amren, on her knees. Stop, my power told me. Don’t hurt her anymore. I stopped, dropped my shield, and turned off the flames. Amren was still choking, lying soaked on the ground. My wings wrapped around me, shielding me from her and the other strangers.  I walked towards Amren and the blond-haired woman, and Amren growled and bared her teeth at me. In a flash, an invisible wall hit me, causing me to fly backwards and crash onto the deck. I spear of pain shot through my wings as they cushioned my fall. I pulled myself onto my elbows, grunting.

Aelin was already by my side. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I breathed as I stood up, “I’m fine.”

My head started to spin -- I was getting weak. Something in my body was changing, though I couldn’t tell. My face started to twist, and my body started to give out. My powers flickered, then died out. My wings vanished.

“What’s going on?” Aelin demanded as she lightly put her hand on my shoulder. She looked down at my face and paled. Rowan came up beside her, having stopped the fight with the man with the purple eyes and dark hair.

I fell to the floor, and cried out. The most terrible pain I have ever felt seared through my face; I screeched in pain. I started scratching at my face, trying to stop the twisting. I started to cry. I couldn’t feel my face. My hands became wet and gooey. I pulled them down from my face; they were stained with blood. What was happening?

“Aiyana,” Aelin whispered. “Stop pulling at your face. Stop.” Tears of pain silently fell as she beheld what was happening to me.

“What’s happening?” I croaked, my throat already scorched from screaming. Aelin just looked at me, her face as white as bone. “What is happening, Aelin.”

“Aiyana,” she softly replied, trying to keep me calm, “your face is changing. You don’t have blond hair and brown eyes anymore. I have no clue what is going on.” Her tears resumed their falling as I screeched in pain again and thrashed. Aelin put her hands on my arms, gently holding me down to the floor of the deck. “Aiyana,” she quietly cried, “please, Aiyana. Don’t scream.” Everybody on deck surrounded me.

At that moment, images flashed through my mind: my parents; a little boy with silver-white hair and green eyes; a queen with vibrant red hair and obsidian-colored eyes; a ship; a baby girl with short, silver hair and green eyes with a mark on her chest; the mark. My chest. The mark.

I fumbled for the zipper of my fighting suit, trying to see the mark on my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

“Aiyana, what is it?” Aelin asked, her voice a distant echo. I was losing it. I was going to die. I tried to speak, but couldn’t. All I could do was point at my chest.

“Her chest. Where Amren cut her,” I heard someone say in the background. Elide. A small, dark figure appeared at the corner of my vision, and it pulled on the zipper of my fighting suit. I tried to touch the spot where the dark-haired woman cut me, but I couldn’t. My vision was blacking out. I was going to die. The force of whatever was happening to me was too strong; it hit me like a wave, strong and enormous, and knocked me unconscious.

There was silence, and darkness. I started to scream and thrash. Not this. Not again. I heard someone sobbing. In the distance, I could hear voices; I could see a light shining. I reached for it, and held on. I was not going to let this kill me. I pulled, and something on the other side of that light pulled with me. I felt like I was underwater; I started to choke, air gradually filling my lungs. I gasped, and this time, I opened my eyes. I was still on the deck of the ship, and Elide was bending over me, face stained with tears.

“Aiyana?” she whispered, pulling back a strand of my hair. “Are you alright? Can you hear me?”

I slowly nodded. Someone behind me loosed a shuddering breath. I looked down at my chest. There was no mark; just a scar where Amren had cut me. I looked back at Elide. “What happened?” I croaked. I slowly sat up from where I was lying, getting dizzy. Elide grabbed my arm to steady me. “What happened?” I asked again. I slowly rolled up onto my feet, Elide holding my arm the whole time to help me.

I felt strange -- different. I felt stronger, and leaner. I lifted my hands to look at them, and quietly gasped. My fingers were extremely thin and bony, but were long. My skin was white, and there were scars covering every square inch of my hands. I reached for my hair -- it was thin and limp in my hands, and was as short as it was earlier.

I turned around in place, meeting the shocked stares of all the people on board -- strangers, and my friends and family. My senses had heightened: I could see clearer, hear much better, and I could smell everything. “What is that horrible smell?” I asked. My voice; that had changed, too. It was softer, but seemed older -- far from this world. As I turned around to see where the smell was coming from, I spotted a snow leopard sitting behind me, its face tilted to the side as if to say, sorry. Lysandra. I knelt down so I was face-to-face with Lysandra, and rubbed behind her ears. She purred. Sorry Lysandra, I said into her mind as I smiled. I didn’t mean to. She purred, and replied, It’s okay, and I rose from my crouching position. All the people on the deck were looking quizzically at me.

“What?” I asked them.

“Your face,” Lysandra said as she walked towards me, having changed out of her snow leopard form. She cupped my cheeks. “Beautiful,” she murmured. “You are so beautiful.”

Heat rose in my cheeks.

“You have wings.” Lysandra stepped away from me and turned to my right, facing one of my wings. “May I?”

I nodded once.

At her touch, my wings bristled. “Magnificent -- I have never seen anything like them,” she breathed. She then walked out from behind me, and faced me, looking at me straight in the eyes. They twinkled with something I couldn’t detect. She turned her back to me, and walked to Aedion. He took her hand.

I walked towards Aelin, the clanking of my tall, black boots on the floor of the deck the only sound. “Who are these people?” I whispered in her ear.

She shrugged. “I don’t know,” she whispered back.

“What are we --” I was going to reply as someone cleared their throat from behind me.

I slowly turned around, my brows raised. The man with the dark hair and purple eyes was standing there, arms crossed, his wings held in tight behind him. “It is not polite to whisper,” he said.

I stared at him. “Who are you.” I stalked towards him, stopping a good ten feet away.

“I’m Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court.” He didn’t smile. Instead, he dropped his arms, darkness rippling from his shoulders.

“From where?” I asked.

“The Night Court,” Amren angrily told me. “Get it right, girl.”

My wings flared as I glared at her. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

She laughed wickedly under her breath. “Be careful what you say around me, girl, or you might --”

“Don’t finish that sentence, Amren,” Rhysand interrupted, not even looking at her.

“What do you guys want?” I asked. “Why are you here in the first place?”

“It is a long story. To cut it short, we are here for your help,” Rhysand said.

“Our what?” I demanded.

“To start off,” Amren aggressively said before Rhysand could even open his mouth to answer, “you should stop using the word ‘what’. It is impolite, you winged fool. You are talking to a lord.”

All I did was glare at her. I turned my gaze back to Rhysand, whose focus was on me. “We need your . . . aid for something,” he said, trying to use the words that won’t have me fighting Amren again.

“What something?”

“A war.”

“With who?”

“With one of the courts on our continent -- Prythian.”

“Why?”

“One of its leaders is a very cruel man, who has hurt us in many ways.” His gaze was focused, unflinching.

I considered this. “Why do you need our help?”

“We have heard of you -- of what you,” he looked at my friends behind me, “have been doing on the continent you live on -- Erilea.”

I looked back at Aelin, her face tight with shock. “How?” she asked, walking up beside me.

“People talk,” Rhysand said, his gaze focused on Aelin. “We have heard about what you -- Aelin -- and your mate, Rowan, and crew have done. You, with your fire powers, the ‘Fire-breathing queen’, and Rowan with his ice. We have heard about the battle with Maeve, and many other things.”

Aelin’s face started to pale. “Do you know who we all are?” she softly said.

“Yes,” Rhysand answered. “You have not heard about us, I presume.”

“We have not,” Aelin said.

“If you knew who we were, why did you fight against us earlier?” I asked, curious.

“We did not attack you -- you attacked us.” He looked at Aelin, her face a hard mask of stone. “We heard that you were on a ship in the middle of the sea, returning to your homeland. We all decided to fly out here and find you, which we did. We flew onto the deck of the ship, and you guys attacked.”

Silence fell. “Do you already know what powers we have?” Aelin asked.

“Yes. That is how we came to the agreement that we needed you to fight alongside our armies -- with us,” Rhysand stated.

“Who is us?” I asked him.

He faced the people standing behind him. “Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, Morrigan, Amren, Azriel, Cassian, me, and others living at my home.” His eyes moved to every single person as he said their names. They all stared at us, unblinking.

“You expect us to help you if we haven’t even gotten to know you?” Rowan demanded from beside Aelin. At some point, while we were talking, he must have moved beside her.

Rhysand quickly looked at the golden-haired woman standing on his right -- Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court -- and looked back at us. “Yes,” was all he said.

“Are you --” Rowan demanded as I interrupted him.

“Stop, Rowan.” He glared at me. I looked at Rhysand. “We will think about what you have asked us. First, we will get to know you better. We will take you to our continent, and you will all stay there until we become friends. Once we have told you our choice in helping you or not, you may return to your home. We can then proceed from there. Do you understand?” I looked at each of Rhysand’s court members in the eyes.

“Yes,” Rhysand answered.

“Very well, then,” I said.

“Would you please explain to us how you heard of us in the first place?” Rowan asked. My friends and I all looked at Rhysand, waiting.

Then, he started to explain.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Darkness

“What’s going on?” Amren asked. Everyone looked at me, their faces paling. Even Amren’s.

I fell to the floor, and cried out. Aelin sprinted right to my side. The most terrible pain I have ever felt seared through my face; I screeched in pain. Everyone was watching me, their faces bone white with shock and worry. I started scratching at my face, trying to stop the twisting. I started to cry. I couldn’t feel my face. My hands became wet and gooey. I pulled them down from my face; they were stained with blood. What was happening?

“Aiyana,” Aelin whispered. “Stop pulling at your face. Stop.” Her face became as white as bone.

“What’s happening,” I gritted through clenched teeth. Nobody answered. “What is happening.”

“Aiyana,” Aelin softly said in complete shock, “your face is changing. You don’t have blond hair and brown eyes anymore. I have no clue what is going on.” Tears started running down her face as I screeched in pain again and thrashed. Aelin put her hands on my arms, gently holding me down to the floor of the deck. “Aiyana,” she quietly cried, “please, Aiyana. Don’t scream.” The strangers started surrounding me, pain flashing across their faces.

At that moment, images flashed through my mind: my parents; a little boy with silver-white hair and green eyes; a queen with vibrant red hair and obsidian-colored eyes; a ship; a baby girl with short, silver hair and green eyes with a mark on her chest; the mark. My chest. The mark.

I fumbled for the zipper of my fighting suit, trying to see the mark on my chest. I couldn’t breathe.

“Aiyana, what is it?” Aelin asked, her voice a distant echo. I was losing it. I was going to die. I tried to speak, but couldn’t. All I could do was point at my chest.

“Her chest. Where Amren cut her,” I heard someone say in the background. Elide. A small, dark figure appeared at the corner of my vision, and it pulled on the zipper of my fighting suit. I tried to touch the spot where the dark-haired woman cut me, but I couldn’t. My vision was blacking out. I was going to die. The force of whatever was happening to me was too strong; it hit me like a wave, strong and enormous, and knocked me unconscious.

There was silence, and darkness. I started to scream and thrash. Not this. Not again. I heard someone sobbing. In the distance, I could hear voices; I could see a light shining. I reached for it, and held on. I was not going to let this kill me. I pulled, and something on the other side of that light pulled with me. I felt like I was underwater; I started to choke, air gradually filling my lungs. I gasped, and this time, I opened my eyes. I was still on the deck of the ship, and Elide was bending over me, face stained with tears.

“Aiyana?” she whispered, pulling back a strand of my hair. “Are you alright? Can you hear me?”

I slowly nodded. Someone behind me loosed a shuddering breath. I looked down at my chest. There was no mark; just a scar where Amren had cut me. I looked back at Elide. “What happened?” I croaked. I slowly sat up from where I was lying, getting dizzy. Elide grabbed my arm to steady me. “What happened?” I asked again. I slowly rolled up onto my feet, Elide holding my arm the whole time to help me.

I felt strange -- different. I felt stronger, and leaner. I lifted my hands to look at them, and quietly gasped. My fingers were extremely thin and bony, but were long. My skin was white, and there were scars covering every square inch of my hands. I reached for my hair -- it was thin and limp in my hands, and was as short as it was earlier.

I turned around in place, meeting the shocked stares of all the people on board -- strangers, and my friends and family. My senses had heightened: I could see clearer, hear much better, and I could smell everything. “What is that horrible smell?” I asked. My voice; that had changed, too. It was softer, but seemed older -- far from this world. As I turned around to see where the smell was coming from, I spotted a snow leopard sitting behind me, its face tilted to the side as if to say, sorry. Lysandra. I knelt down so I was face-to-face with Lysandra, and rubbed behind her ears. She purred. Sorry Lysandra, I said into her mind as I smiled. I didn’t mean to. She purred, and replied, It’s okay, and I rose from my crouching position. All the people on the deck were looking quizzically at me.

I quickly shut my eyes, envisioning a hand mirror, and it suddenly appeared in my hand. I opened my eyes and brought the mirror up to my face. I jumped back in pure shock and surprise. My face had completely changed: my hair was silver and reached my chin, I had sharper cheekbones, my skin was as white as snow, my eyes were of the deepest green, and my lips were thin and rosy pink. I looked young -- maybe twenty -- but I seemed old. Different. I was beautiful. My wings appeared again. I smiled.

Realizing there were guests, I tore my gaze from the mirror and looked at the strangers standing there, watching me, and snapped my fingers. The mirror disappeared. I bent down next to Amren, and gently took her arm. “Are you alright?” I asked her.

“I’m fine,” she said as I helped her rise to her feet. I let her arm go, and looked at the people on deck. They looked at me, their lips parted.

“I am so sorry for hurting her. She is fine -- I healed her,” I said, facing the strangers.

“Thank you,” Amren said as she walked towards me. She smiled; it was genuine, and kind. Thankful.

I smiled back. “You’re welcome.”
The tall man with the short, dark hair was smiling at me. He stepped out, towards me, and looked at me right in the eyes. “I’m Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court. It’s very nice to meet you. You have some great fighting skills,” he said, and winked at me.

I laughed. “Thank you very much, Rhysand. I am Aiyana, the Princess of Doranelle. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“What?” Rowan blurted from behind me. I turned around, and the smile faltered from my face. There was something between us -- a type of bond. My powers rustled as if in answer. Rowan walked towards me, and abruptly froze. His face became white.

“Rowan, what is it?” Aelin asked, worry coating her voice. She walked towards him and took his hand.

“You are my sister,” he breathed. Everyone looked at me. I don’t think anyone was breathing.  “How?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “We should talk about this later. In a place that is more -- private.” I quickly looked over my shoulder at Rhysand and the rest of our guests. “We have guests. Let's get to know them better, accommodate them, and then we can talk.” Rowan loosed a shuddering breath, his face and shoulders relaxing.

“Okay,” he said. Aelin squeezed his hand, and looked up at him. She smiled, and lifted her hand to caress the tattooed portion of his face.

I turned around, just as the golden-haired woman that was standing beside Rhysand walked towards me, smiling. “Hi. I am Feyre, the High Lady of the Night Court. It is nice to meet you.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, too, Feyre,” I said. I walked over to the blond-haired woman with the blood-red lips, and smiled at her. She smiled at me. Her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

“Hello. I am Mor, Rhysand’s first in-command and cousin. Thank you for helping Amren -- Rhys’ second-in-command -- and using your magic on her. She needed the practice.” She winked.

Amren, standing next to Rhysand, smiled. “I most certainly did.”

I laughed. Next, the most beautiful man I had ever seen came up to greet me. He did not smile, and shadows enveloped him and his wings as he moved. His suit was replaced with beautiful fighting leathers -- the same that everyone else wore. He looked me straight in the eyes, and sternly said, “I’m Azriel.” He glared at me, silently promising that he would slowly kill me if I ever so much as touched one of his family members. In the corner of my eye, I could see Mor rolling her eyes.

“I’m Aiyana,” I said as my way of greeting, my face serious. Someone from beside Mor -- the last person of the group with the shoulder-length, dark hair and enormous wings -- walked up behind Azriel.

The man smiled, as if seeming to say, he’s a bit overprotective. “Sorry about Azriel,” he apologized. Azriel quickly glared at him, turned on his heel, and walked back to his family. “I am Cassian, the hottest of all the people of my family-”

Rhysand snorted. “I think we all know who that is,” he purred at Cassian, a challenge shining in his eyes. “Me.” Feyre laughed, and Mor smiled a Rhysand as if to say, sure you are.

Cassian smirked, and gave Rhysand a vulgar gesture.

Rhysand laughed under his breath. “I will get you back for that.”

Cassian smiled, silently promising Rhysand that he will kick his butt. He faced me. “Anyways,” he said, enunciating the word, “I am the leader of all of Rhysand’s armies, and one of the strongest Illyrian warriors. Az is the other.” Cassian looked at Azriel, who was paying close attention to me.

“It is very nice to meet all of you guys. You all seem like very great people.” I looked at each of them and smiled. I turned halfway, facing my family and Rhysand’s. I pointed to each of my friends and family members as I said their names. “This is Aelin, my best and closest friend. She is the Queen of Terrassen, a country in the continent of Erilea, where we live.” Aelin smiled, still holding Rowan’s hand. “This is Rowan; my brother, Aelin’s mate, and the rightful heir to Terrassen’s throne. He use to be the Prince of Doranelle, but then he married Aelin.” I then faced where Aedion was standing, next to Aelin. “This is Aedion, Aelin’s cousin. Next to him is Lysandra, his mate, who is a shapeshifter and Fae.” At that moment, the snow leopard sitting beside Aedion’s feet shifted into Lysandra’s human form.

“Hello,” she softly said.

“Then, there are Lorcan and Elide,” they both waved, “and Manon and Dorian. Elide is a blueblood witch, Manon is the last Crochan Queen, and Dorian is the King of Adarlan. There are also Fenrys and Gavriel, who are both very strong and talented Fae.”

“It is very nice to meet you,” Rhysand gently said.

“So,” I asked, facing Rhysand and his family, “is there a reason why you guys are here?”

“Yes, there is,” Feyre said.

“Why won’t we talk about it over dinner?” I asked, and faced the empty space on the deck to my right. Out of nowhere, a nice table appeared -- already set with fine china -- and food platters appeared on it as well. I walked towards the far right end of the table, and sat down.

The sun was almost down, the stars twinkling in the dark sky. The moon was full, and was high up in the sky, right above our ship. Candles -- already lit -- appeared on the table as everyone sat down, and little lights appeared on the walls of the deck of the ship and on the hulls of the ship as well. I snapped, and everyone’s glasses filled halfway with wine. As everyone got situated, I looked down the table at Rhysand and Feyre. “What is it you guys are here for?” I asked.

“Your help,” Feyre said as she looked straight at me.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Darkness

I awoke when the sun was low in the sky, setting over the horizon. The sky was a mix of colors: pinkish-red, light purple, yellow, gold, and orange. The clouds streaked across the sky, looking like colorful strips of cotton candy. The water was beautiful; its surface was gold, causing the water beneath to seem black.

I groaned, pulling myself up into a sitting position onto my bed. The ceiling creaked, and the sound of rushing footsteps sounded from above. There were shouts, and the sound of blades crashing together clanged through the hallway and into my bedroom. I jolted up from bed, grabbed a couple of fighting knives from my dresser, and ran through the hallway and up the steps that led to the deck of the ship.

I abruptly stopped once I reached the deck; shock and fear paralyzed me. On the deck, there were people fighting; some I recognised, others I did not. I felt my power thrum and pulse within me; it told me that the guests were from a different world. It pulsed again, but harder this time. It seemed to say, aha! I have found you. Let’s fight. Let’s fight. Let’s fight. Something from the strangers was aggravating my powers. What could it be?

 The strangers wore dark fighting gear that seemed to absorb the light from the setting sun. The first people I saw were Rowan and an extremely tall, handsome man with purple eyes, short, dark hair, and enormous wings that protruded from his back, fighting against each other. They were both smiling at one another. Rowan, knife in hand, lunged towards the dark-haired man, cutting his arm. The dark-haired man silently swore, quietly twisting to see the cut on his arm. The dark-haired man turned back towards Rowan, and lept. I quickly turned my head, so I would not have to see the outcome of that fight.

Beside Rowan and the dark-haired man, Aelin was going against a beautiful blond-haired woman with blood-red lips and brown eyes. They each lept towards each other, their faces each a mask of concentration.

Then, there was Lorcan and the most beautiful man I had ever seen fighting. The man had dark, layered hair that covered his ears, hazel eyes, and beautiful wings, similar to the ones the dark-haired man had. His face was a hard mask of stone, he wore a beautiful metal fighting suit that hugged his each and every curve, and had red diamonds on his palms and on his chest -- a total of seven.

Next to them were Aedion and another dark-haired winged man fighting, except this man’s hair reached his shoulders. He also had hazel eyes, beautiful wings, and those red diamonds on his chest and palms -- a total of seven as well.

Elide and Manon were both going against a woman with freckles, crystal-blue eyes, and gold hair. She did not have wings like the others; instead, she had gorgeous black tattoos on her forearms that continued underneath her black fighting leathers.

As I stepped out onto the deck, a tall woman with short, black hair that reached her chin with alert, silver eyes walked towards me. She stared me down the whole way, as if she were the lion and I was her prey. I lifted my chin up higher, and slowly took one of my fighting knives out of my suit pocket, watching the woman the whole time. She slowly stopped a couple of feet away from me, and lunged. I stepped out of the way, her fighting knife whizzing past my face. She stumbled forward, straightened up, and turned back to me, her face a mask of feral rage. I lept out towards her, a growl escaping from my lips. She dodged the swing, but was too slow. I cut her arm with my knife, but she didn’t even pay any attention to the wound. She bared her teeth, and growled at me. She lunged at me again, but this time, I was too slow. Her knife cut across my upper chest, creating a deep wound. I screamed. I fell to my knees, dropped my knife, and looked up at her, baring my teeth. Blood dripped from the wound and fell onto my legs.

I was not going to let her defeat me. My magic burst from my fingertips, and I tipped my head up to the sky. I rose onto my feet, my eyes closed. I smiled, dropped my head, and opened my eyes. I summoned water from the ocean, and had it brought up to the deck. The enormous water droplets twisted and moved, forming into water lions. Two of them appeared by my side, guarding me. The dark-haired woman just smiled. I summoned more water, but this time, turned it into wolves, jaguars, and snow leopards. They all formed a circle around me, and growled. The dark-haired woman just kept on smiling.

My water animals started grabbing the attention of others. The people on the deck paused their fighting and watched.

I brought up more water from the ocean, and this time, I turned it into a wyvern. The wyvern roared, and my smile grew. I ordered the animals to attack her one by one. The lion on my right attacked first, and the dark-haired woman swiftly bent onto her knees to dodge the attack. The lion -- now behind her -- growled, and the dark-haired woman smiled. I sent the lion on my left to attack her, and she faced it, fighting knife in hand. It lept towards her, but she forgot about the lion behind her. The lion from the back attacked at the same time, and this time, it drowned her with water. Water entered her lungs, and she fell onto her knees, choking. The choke turned to a laugh, and when she looked up at me, she was smiling with delight.

She rose to her feet, drenched in water, and her hands started moving in a circular motion in the air. My heart started beating faster. In a flash, both of my lions vanished with a cry of pain. “What did you do to them?” I growled. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

“Magic,” she purred. At that same moment, she snapped her fingers, and my jaguars, wolves, snow leopards, and wyvern vanished into thin air. In the corner of my eye, the man with the shoulder-length hair stopped fighting, and stared worriedly at the dark-haired woman fighting me.

“Amren,” he growled, “watch it.”

All she -- Amren -- did was smile. Her silver eyes twinkled. She was turning into a beast. I quickly put up an invisible shield around me to protect myself from whatever she was trying to do to me. Amren brought up her hands in front of her, and an invisible wave slammed against my shield. Her smile grew. A small bark of pain went through my back as my wings appeared. I heard someone gasp. I smiled. Flame appeared at the base of my shield, surrounding me. The flames grew taller and taller, until they reached my face. I summoned water as I raised my arms from my sides, and a falcon appeared out of nowhere. It soared through the sky, and dumped water on Amren. This cut her off-guard, just enough for me to send an invisible wave towards her. It hit her, and she fell to the ground. She swore under her breath.

Amren rose to her feet, and bared her teeth. I sent another falcon above her, and it landed on her, soaking her with water. She choked as water entered her lungs. I sent another invisible wave towards her, and she fell onto her back on the deck, screaming in pain.

The blond-haired woman with the blood-red lips screamed, “Amren!” She vanished in a flash, and appeared beside Amren, on her knees. Stop, my power told me. Don’t hurt her anymore. I stopped, dropped my shield, and turned off the flames. Amren was still choking, lying soaked on the ground. My wings wrapped around me, shielding me from her and the other strangers.  I walked towards Amren and the blond-haired woman, and stopped when I was right above them. The blond-haired woman looked up at me, worry coating her face. My stomach twisted. I knelt down, and stretched my arms out, so that they were right on top of Amren’s torso.

“This won’t hurt,” I softly said. “I am going to heal you.” I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and willed my power to go through my fingertips and into Amren’s body. Heal, I told it. Heal. When I opened my eyes, Amren and Mor were both looking at me, wide-eyed, shock masking their faces. Everything was silent. No one was breathing. I quickly looked up from Amren, and saw that everyone was staring at me, their faces tight.

When I looked back down at Amren, something in my powers gave out. I was getting weak. Something in my body was changing, though I couldn’t tell. My face started to twist, and my body started to give out. My powers flickered, then died out. My wings vanished.

By Alexa Gantt

Queen of Darkness

My blood started to boil. “FENRYS AND GAVRIEL?” I growled as my voice rose.

“Aiyana, is everything alright?” Aelin questioned.

I started to tremble with rage. My eyes started to burn, and my expression became feral. Just at that moment, Fenrys and Gavriel -- out of nowhere -- appeared in front of me, blocking my view of Aelin and Rowan. Everyone’s faces hardened, preparing themselves to hold me back if something went out of control.

“You,” I spat at Fenrys. “You killed my parents. You killed them while I watched. You made me watch them be tortured by you!” I yelled. The killing calm was taking over. Fenrys and Gavriel blanched. Their faces turned white, and were standing there, paralyzed in shock. Everyone stopped breathing -- no one moved. I started to cry. “You killed them -- innocent people!” I screamed.

“Aiyana --” Aelin started. I cut her off with a glare so feral she stepped back in shock. Fenrys and Gavriel had not yet moved. But then, in a movement so fast they thought I might not detect, pain and regret passed across their face. A minute later, it was gone.

“Aiyana--” Fenrys started as he reached out towards me.

“Don’t touch me!” I screeched. His face became whiter than it was before, and his mouth was set in a hard line. His face started to twist in pain as an invisible hand of mine gripped his wrist where his arm was still out in front of me. An invisible shield formed around me, Gavriel, and Fenrys. I twisted Fenrys’ wrist with the invisible hand, and a sob escaped from him. Tears stained Fenrys’ face, and splattered onto the floor of the deck. I twisted again, and this time, he shrieked in pain.

“Aiyana! What are you doing?” Aelin spat at me in anger. She looked panicked, and her face was drained of color; so were everyone else’s. Everybody stared, shock and horror coating their features. A flash of a memory passed by mind: a woman, with long, silver hair fighting against a man -- Fenrys -- whose face was a hard mask of stone: unmoving. Serious. Untouched. Disgusted. I growled, and started twisting Fenrys’ right ankle. He screamed, and fell to the floor. I was a burning wrath; alive and burning. Another image moved across my mind: my father, silver hair as well, strong, muscled, and tall, being stabbed through the heart by Gavriel, his face unmoving. My father’s mouth formed an O, and his eyes closed, his soul leaving his body. I was never -- never -- going to see him again. I remember what he told me before they attacked: I love you. I will never forget that.

I screamed. At that moment, I sent an invisible wave to Gavriel, pulling his feet out from under him. He fell, and I grabbed his hair with an invisible hand, and pulled it back. My invisible hands wrapped around his throat, and he started choking. I was going to kill him -- both of them. Aedion started yelling in the background, but I couldn’t hear. My ears were roaring with the sound of fire and pure hatred flowing through my veins and body.

Aelin was screaming, “Aiyana! STOP!” over and over again. I looked in her direction, and froze. Everything froze. Aelin held a sword in her right hand, and in her left was a burning ball of flame. Rowan was standing beside her, hands curled into fists. As I turned to face Aedion, he held a sword, and a ghost leopard took Lysandra’s place. Lorcan became a beast; he and Elide were both enveloped in darkness.

“Aelin, I am NOT. If you --” Aelin threw a ball of flame at me, but I was too fast. The ball of flame winked out in a blink, as if it was a candle flame that I just pinched and burnt out. Aelin tried to throw another ball of flame, but it also winked out. Everybody stared; they couldn’t believe it.

“Don’t,” I growled and gritted through clenched teeth. In the blink of an eye, Lorcan was swept off his feet, and started screaming in pain. My invisible hands kept on twisting his wrist, while the others wrapped around his throat. His face was losing its color. Elide started crying and screaming.

“Stop, Aiyana. Please,” Aelin pleaded, her eyes fixing on Elide. “Stop. You’re hurting them.” Her voice was gentle, soothing me. I loosened my grip on everything; Gavriel and Lorcan started panting, and tears ran down their faces. Elide scrambled towards Lorcan, sobbing. She was holding his face, and was wiping the away the tears that stained his face. Aedion bolted to Gavriel, picking him up. Fenrys tried to rise to his feet, but stumbled back down to the deck of the ship. Rowan walked towards Fenrys, watching me the whole time, and scooped him into his arms. Both Rowan and Aedion took Fenrys and Gavriel below deck.

Aelin started walking towards me, sadness covering her features. When she was about a foot away from me, I collapsed to the ground. My exhaustion, anger, fury, and sadness had taken over. I started to cry. I knew that I had done something wrong -- I knew it; but I had to do it. I couldn’t just leave my parents’ killers there, standing before me. Aelin knelt down, and lifted my chin with shaking fingers. She looked at me straight in the eyes, as if she could understand how I was feeling. Aelin pulled me close to her, and embraced me. She caressed my hair, whispering, “It’s all right, Aiyana. It’s okay. You are here with me now. You are safe.”

Even though she was the one saying those words, I didn’t believe them. I was living just an ordinary day in my own home when Fenrys and Gavriel attacked. I pulled back from Aelin, looked her in the eyes, and whispered, “I am sorry. I am so sorry.” I tear rolled down my cheek and splattered against my dark clothes. Aelin reached her hand up to wipe the tear away. I let her. I had been living in pain and fear for so long. “Aelin, I think I am going to take a nap. I’m exhausted.”

“That’s fine, Aiyana.” She rose up from where she was kneeling in front of me, and reached out a hand. I grabbed it. She helped pull me up from the floor of the deck, and faced me, a faint smile pulling at her lips. “Just try not to kill Fenrys and Gavriel in your sleep; we don’t need any more injuries.”

I smiled, and laughed under my breath, wiping away another tear that escaped. “Okay. I won’t; I promise.” I let go of her hand, and walked to the steps that led below deck. I walked down the narrow hallway, and into my bedroom. I silently closed my bedroom door with a Click! and fell onto my bed. I closed my eyes, breathing in the cool, crisp air coming from the ocean outside my window. I let the sound of the roaring waves against the ship fill my ears, and imagined the waves taking away some of the stress from me, like the way they pull sand into the water once they crash onto the beach. Sleep took over faster than I thought.

By Alexa Gantt

Metallic - Ch. 3

     Esther
     I walked into the safe house. After dumping the poor hybrid girl's body into a part of the sewer that was unused I had pointed my gun a Rey blindfolded her, pugged up her ears, tied her hands, and forced her to walk over to this safe house. She hadn't resisted at all. My brother's friends would deal with her.
    I pulled Rey in behind me and shut the heavy wooden door, turning all of the locks. The safe house was located under a bridge. It was in an ideal location-the middle of New Boston. The downside was that the safehouse was always dark and musty. There could be no windows due to the fact we couldn't be discovered. We were in another gang's territory, enemy ground.
    I dragged Rey across the room with me, drawing her away from the door, putting space between her and escape. The room consisted only of a single chair and a bed. There was another door opposite the front entrance that led to a spare bedroom. I led Rey to the bed and sat her down tying her legs to the bedposts using some of the spare rope that I had.
   "I'll get out of here," Rey whispered, her teeth chattering. I had removed her jacket on the way here. It had too much blood on it for her to have worn it all the way here without getting noticed. But I didn't care if she was cold.
     She might as well get hypothermia for all I care, I thought. I checked the knots on the ropes that held Rey in place and walked into the spare bedroom. The guard that was supposed to be guarding the safehouse was asleep on the bed, huddled around a bottle. I reached into my pockets and pulled out a small flask of water. I walked over to the sleeping guard and placed my left hand underneath his chin. I noticed his robotic leg. You could see it gleaming from the little space in between his pant leg and shoe. He stirred slightly. I dumped the contents of the flask onto his head. He woke up, flailing his body, but my grip on him was strong - I had let my nails slide into him, forcing him to stay in place.
    He stopped moving as soon as he saw who I was.
    Caught red-handed, I thought.
    "Ms. Brathe, I..." he mumbled, fear apparent on his wet face. I slipped my hand back from its place. Blood started pouring out of his cheeks.
     "Get up!" I spat. "I have brought a prisoner with me, take her to my brother." The guard quickly stood up and ran to the other room, blood dripping onto the floor. I moved the bottle from the bed onto the floor. Sleep was calling me. But with sleep came dreams. And long lost memories.
_________________________________________________________

     "Now, daughter," my father said. "Pay attention, you will be doing this one day too. But remember, it is not because we enjoy this. Why do we do it?"
     "To uphold an image father," I had answered. We were in the cells that were located in the basement. Infront of us, in a dark and damp cell, was a filthy looking man tied to a chair. One of my father's men walked up to the man, a whip clutched in his hand. 
     A hand touched my shoulder. 
     "Esther, you cannot see this." It was my mother. 
     "Leave her be, Bella," my father whispered, brushing my mother's hand off of my shoulder. My mother had brown hair in contrast to my blonde hair. But while my hair came from my father, my eyes came from my mother. They were blue like hers. 
     "Robert!" my mother yelled. "No! She is too young! Only seven." My father kept silent and snapped his fingers. The gang member started whipping the prisoner. With every hit, the prisoner shuddered but never spoke or screamed. My mother picked me up and threw me over her shoulder. My father didn't even move. 
    "Mom!" I had screamed in protest, pounding my fists against her shoulder. I had thought that I had ought to see that. But the truth was my father had been slowly turning me into him. A man whose only purpose in life was to hurt. 
_________________________________________________________
 
    I woke up in a cold sweat. My father had stepped down as the gang leader and my brother had become the leader by the time I was ten. I realized just how much of a monster he had been when I was fifteen. It was when I had stayed up late in my room reading. My father had thought I had been asleep. I heard the noises. He had been hurting my mother. Beating her, whipping her. By that time she had become 'sick' and we wouldn't see her sometimes for several days. She was dead by the next spring. My brother and I had known all along what had happened. But I was the only one who had vowed vengeance, and had gotten it.
By Marizo Bheh

Metallic Chapter 2

    Rey

I looked around the dark alley carefully. One could never be too cautious in New Boston. Things could get ugly very quickly. That was why this morning I had chosen plain gray baggy clothes so I could blend in with the crowd. I heard a shuffle behind me and quickly turned around, placing my hands on my concealed weapons.

A little girl around 8 or 9 was walking towards me, her hands begging for money.

“Please miss,” she said. I lurched forward and clasped her arm, balking at how skinny it was. Her face was covered in ash and mud, but her clothes were barely dirty. I pulled her with me down the alley. She was barely protesting.

“I know you’re a fake, so tell me what temple do you belong to?” I asked her snarling. She bared her teeth, started howling and pushing against me. I shoved her to the ground. A small grunt escaped her lips. I pulled out my gun and aimed it at her face. She froze.

“Oh, look at you. Not so high and mighty anymore are you?” I cooed.

“She will find you. The avenger will find you,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

“Well if she is going to find me, I might as well know who she is, mutant.” I spat.

“I’m not gonna tell ya,” she promised. I shot her in the leg. She howled in pain.

“Oh, are you going to tell me now?” The girl shook her head, tears rolling down her face. She mumbled something and then quickly brought her hand to her mouth.

“Looks like I kept my promise, eh?” she muttered, and the light went out of her eyes.

Esther

I looked at what was going on in the alley. A woman in gray had just shot a poor hybrid girl. A few moments passed and then the woman picked up the girl and slung her over her shoulder. I approached the woman and the girl.

The woman stopped. I pointed my gun at her back.

“Who are you?” I asked. I had to get the girl out of here, if she was still alive. Blood was dripping off the hybrid girl’s leg and onto the woman’s baggy gray clothes. The woman was about, medium height and slim. She looked familiar. Too familiar.

I walked around the woman and stood in front of her, my gun still trained at her head. I gasped. This woman had blonde hair that was partially hidden under her clothes, brown eyes and thin lips. This woman was Mary. Mary too looked shocked at seeing me.

“Esther it is not as it seems,” Mary pleaded.

“Who are you, Mary? Is your name even Mary?” I questioned her.

“Please just let me first get rid of this body, and I’ll talk to you,” she pleaded. I had been too late then.

“What’s your name?”

“Rey”

“So you lied.”

“You lied too I’ll assume.”

“I never lied, Mary.” Rey flinched at me calling her Mary.

“How are you even involved in this Esther?”

“I’m the one asking questions here Rey.” I let my claws slip out of my left hand and walked closer to her. I passed my gun from my left hand to my right hand.

“Who are you, Esther?” Rey asked me. I disarmed her. At least Rey was smart enough not to move. I slipped her weapons into my empty hidden pockets and grabbed her with my left hand from her chin. My razor sharp nails dug into her soft skin causing blood to drip down Rey’s slender neck.

“I am your enemy, Rey,” I whispered in her ear. “Maybe once your friend, but you have betrayed my trust. I hope it was worth it.”