Cora stood from her chair fast, the odd beating in her chest shocking her out of her seat.
"I should go!" She said quickly.
Cora was nearly out the door when Maren called after her, "W-wait!"
Cora stopped in her tracks, her hand hovering on the doorknob. Cora glanced over, her face burning with embarrassment.
"That night," Maren began, twiddling her thumbs in her lap. "Did I leave anything behind? I vaguely remember a purple light. Did you see anything…odd?"
Cora's nerves settled, remembering the stone she'd placed beneath her pillow.
Ah, right, she thought.
"There was something," Cora said, her calm expression fake. "But it doesn't glow. It was just a rock. I picked it up off the ground when the Knights dragged you off, but I lost it somewhere in my room."
Maren blinked a few times and then nodded, looking away. Cora couldn't tell what she was thinking, but lying like this, even with every intent of giving it back to her, just felt wrong.
"I'll look for it tonight and give it back when I find it." Cora said, finishing.
Maren's expression brightened instantly.
Cora turned away and made an abrupt exit, attempting to escape the sinking feeling in her stomach, leaving it behind in that room.
Cora went about her day, taking her last day of medical leave before returning to her royal duties which mostly consisted of greeting the royals of Forsyth, and walking the castle. The idea of it sounded exhausting, but such was the life of a Princess.
Still, as Cora meandered around their wing of the castle, thoughts of the mysterious crystal stewed in the back of her mind. To Cora, this was a test. One that would tell her whether her or Maren were meant to be the true rulers of the empire. It became something that would validate her worthiness as a Starblessed.
***
As the sunlight faded beyond the horizon, and moonlight peaked over the mountain range, Cora sat in her bed, her legs pulled close to her chest as she cradled the dull stone in her palm.
I don't understand why it reacted to Maren but the damn thing refuses my call, Cora thought. Perhaps this is just another symbol of my own inability as a Starblessed. Maybe the Goddess, too, thinks that I am unworthy of her power. Maybe all that's left is for me to allow Maren to lead the country. Maybe that was my duty all along. To be her adversary. To sharpen her sword.
Cora crawled beneath the covers, shielding herself within its warmth and protection. She always felt she was unworthy and that is why the Stars sent another to take her place.
But as she let herself drift to sleep, the stone still resting within her grasp, the crystal began to shine a familiar violet color.
***
Cora found herself suddenly awake, her heart pounding in her chest.
She knew this feeling.
Fear.
But she didn't know why this feeling overwhelmed her the way it did. Light beads of sweat fell down her face, the room uncomfortably hot.
As the Ruby Princess, this was not something she'd ever felt before.
The room was stuffy and humid, and wreaked an earthy aroma, like compost, rotting leaves and dirt. While some might think it pleasant, this was utterly overwhelming to Cora's senses.
She blinked several times, her eyes searching the room. It was a library — one she did not recognize. It seemed newly built but its architecture was of an extremely old fashion, and smaller than the ones she was used to.
She wracked her brain for how she'd found herself here. The room was dark, nearly pitch black, and there was a single lantern somewhere in the far corner of the room, flickering somewhere past the endless array of shelves.
Cora knew she had never been here before.
Then, a tap came at her shoulder.
Cora practically jumped out of her skin, but her body betrayed her. She simply turned back, only to come face to face with someone she did not recognize.
It was a boy, not much older than Cora herself.
A man, really, but with features as soft as his, it only felt right to categorize him that way. He was handsome and tall, with natural strawberry blonde hair, similar to her mother's, not her own deep shade of autumn blaze.
"Draven hasn't made the signal yet. I wanted to check in and see how you're doing. You seemed pretty rattled back there," he said, his eyes searching hers with barely restrained yearning behind them.
Cora attempted to roll her eyes, but when she did so, she could not look away. She stopped, realization dawning on her that she did not control this body.
"I know it's just a storybook," she said, her lips moving and parting on their own, in a voice that was unknown to her. "But the content is so…disturbing. I just can't shake this feeling that we're in over our heads."
That's when Cora realized — she wasn't in her body.
This was a memory, and not her own.
Generally, memory stones could be activated with a command of some sort, but they never slid into one's dreams without warning. On top of that, memory stones allow a person to view generalities of a memory, like knowledge or thoughts — not the intimate details of a person's life. Memory stones couldn't give you the power to live a person's life, experiencing every physical sensation, every detail and every spoken word of a moment.
And yet, it was happening.
"This is only the first chapter and yet…" the girl's voice finished. "Whatever horror we are about to face…I don't know if my magic is strong enough."
The boy looked down at her, his large body towering hers as he gazed into her eyes. Cora grimaced internally, wanting so badly to tear herself out of this moment. This man was so obviously interested in whoever this girl was, and though, objectively he was handsome, Cora was filled with a sense of dread and repulsion she'd never felt before.
That being said, Cora had never been in a predicament where a kiss was likely…except with Maren.
The boy raised his hand, cupping her face affectionately, "I have full faith in you, Elena. You have more power than I've ever seen before. Probably even more so than your mother."
A wide smile spread across Elena's face, warmth and attraction filling her body, quelling the fear and nausea that toiled within her.
Cora whined internally, begging to be thrust from this memory.
"I wish," Elena raised her eyebrows in frustrated nonchalance. "I'll never be as powerful as the famous Nemaine. She reminded me of that fact nearly eeeeveryday…"
The boy's hand wrapped Elena's wrist. "That's because she didn't really know you." He said. "Parents often remember the child they raised. But getting them to acknowledge the adult…" he raised his eyebrows now. "That's a different story."
His words hit Cora like an arrow to the gut. She often felt that way, but never knew how to voice the feeling. She wished for that desperately. For her parents to acknowledge her as a leader. As someone capable.
Elena smirked, "Wise words, Wolf-boy."
Then, a shriek came from beneath the floorboards, angry and guttural.
Their heads snapped toward the back of the room. Elena's nausea grew, the hairs on the back of her neck standing in attention to its cry. She turned her head back, the boys eyes wide with fear as their eyes met, adrenaline coursing through each of them.
Immediately, they jumped into action, running past the shelves, fixing themselves in front of a door. The boy moved in front of her, sword at the ready. It was bright like gleaming silver, almost white in hue, like an actual star. It was longer and thinner than most swords, and embedded within its handle was a Ruby, its color deep and crimson. Cora barely caught a glimpse of it but she recognized that weapon, she just couldn't remember from where.
"READY YOURSELVES!" A man's voice boomed from somewhere beyond the other side of the door.
Nausea toiled deep inside of Elena. Cora prayed this girl wouldn't toss her cookies in the midst of what was surely about to turn into a battle for their lives.
The man's footsteps thundered beyond the door, moving closer and closer with every step. And worse, a sound that made Cora queasy — behind him, thundered a cacophony of footsteps, snarls, growling and shrieks. Whatever was about to pass that threshold, was something Cora had never before seen or learned about.
The Followers of Starlight spoke of shadows that opposed the Stars and the Goddess Ia, but Cora never considered that she may come face to face with one now.
Suddenly, Cora could feel Elena's resolve, and it was like a switch flipped. She closed her eyes, breathing in, listening to the feral sounds beyond the door, anticipating it. Cora could feel the way she called her magic, the way it rose and fell, growing with each breath.
This girl was breaking at the seams with power.
Soon, the sounds beyond the door drowned out, and all she could feel was Elena's power.
It was intoxicating.
Elena lifted her arms, crossing her arms, placing them on either shoulder. She reached within herself, searching. In her mind's eye, there were lights, floating within a dark subspace. She passed them until she reached two lights — one of them green and still, hovering in the darkness as if it were rooted there. Around it, a bright, blue-ish white light circled it, spinning around the green light in random patterns, almost as if it were slithering. The blue light stopped, its attention turning toward her.
Elena opened her eyes, her eyes burning a violet hue, its alluring color reflecting off the boy's sword.
"Echo," Elena called, her voice commanding and ethereal.
Cora could feel something move in Elena's back, responding to her call. It lifted, tearing itself from her flesh that melted away as it materialized. The creature was heavy on her back, its claws gripping her hands, balancing itself on her shoulders.
Suddenly, the door burst open. A man, a few years older, with dark hair and eyes filled with seriousness gripped the doorway and jerked his body to the side, revealing the true horror behind him.
Creatures, not of shadow, but of flesh and bone. They were human, or perhaps once were. Their flesh seemed to be rotting, falling from their bone-thin bodies. Their bellies — round, inflamed and exposed — bounced beneath their shirts, far too small for their stomachs now. Their eyes were bulged, red, and furious. Their mouths hung open, and the smell that came from them was rancid.
Overwhelming fear surged within Cora as these beasts ran them down — more monster than human.
Cora felt the creature lunge from her shoulders.
The boy swung his great sword.
The monsters lunged, passing the threshold, as if in slow motion. Their horrid scent, the angry red in their eyes, and their maimed, disfigured bodies.
"NO!" Cora cried.
And suddenly, it all faded to black.
***
"NO!"
Cora's eyes flashed wide, her body covered in heat and sweat.
She jerked her body, blinking rapidly as her eyes fixed themselves on the darkness that swallowed her.
She could still hear their screeching in her mind, worse than the squeal of a dying pig. Their foul scent still lingered in the air.
"Princess!" Two Knights came bursting through the door of her bedroom.
"NO!" Cora cried, rolling from the bed, onto the floor — her mind still stuck somewhere between there and now.
Her chest rose and fell as she took in her surroundings, her body covered in cold sweat, her damp hair stuck to her neck and shoulders. She swallowed hard, catching a glimpse of the stone that shined its violet color in the palm of her hand.
She stared at it, eyes wide as she found her breath as Knights scoured the room, grasping her by the arms, lifting her to inspect her for wounds.
That was…a dream?