4

The Power

Prince Faelin watches as his father shocks the power right out of the girl. He watches as she writhes in pain and agony. His father seemed satisfied.

“Um, Father,” Faelin says.

“Yes, son?” His father replies.

“I am very proud of you for achieving this level of power.” He lies.

“Yes, me, too.”

“Father?”

“Yes, son?” Raden says impatiently.

“I think I just heard some of the demon soldiers fighting. You should go check it out.”

“Why don’t you?” Raden says menacingly. He was getting mad.

“It seemed pretty serious. Like a job for a king.” The lies just kept on coming.

“Fine,” Raden shuts the machine down. “Watch the girl.”

“Yes, sir.” This, however, was not a lie.

Faelin waited until his father was out of earshot, then he turned to the girl, who was unconscious.

“Hey. Hey!” Faelin whisper-yelled.

She could not hear.

Faelin thought for a moment. What was her name?

A lightbulb went off in Faelin’s mind.

“Hey, Rosalie!” He says.

“Hm?” Rosalie opens her eyes groggily. “Gah! Get away from me, demon scum!”

He lay a hand on Rosalie’s shoulder to stop her thrashing and flailing around. “Shhhh! Father can’t hear us. I am here to help you. I am going to try to break you out. Just stay still.”

She stopped. “Fine. but if you hurt me, or touch me in any perverted way, I will bite your head off.” Faelin nodded.

Faelin started undoing the straps on Rosalie’s ‘bed’. He accidentally brushed his hand against her’s when he was getting Rosalie’s hand straps. She pulled her hand away the second he was finished.

Oh, shit. Faelin thought. His father was coming back. Faelin looks around the room for an escape. He saw a window that was too high to reach, but he could fly. Rosalie, however… she didn’t know how to  use her powers correctly, yet. He would have to carry her.

Raden was getting closer and closer by the second. They had to hurry.

“Rosalie, come on. I can get us through that window. You can escape.” She nods. “Let’s go.”

Faelin spreads his pitch black bat-like, leathery wings and holds Rosalie by the arms. He starts off of the cement floor, towards the window.

Rosalie speaks up. “Wait! Where is my armor?”

“You’re fine. When dad enhanced your power, you transformed into normal clothing. Later I can teach you how to change armor, but right now, I need to focus on getting you out of here.” 

“Okay.” She says.

Faelin pushes them up with his strong wings. After he has much difficulty bringing them a mere three feet off of the ground, he figures out that carrying another person while flying is harder than he expected. Faelin’s wings ache and quake, but he finally manages to shove Rosalie up through the window before he crashes down to the concrete floor. Raden and his guard reach the lab room.

“Guards! Seize the girl! Take my son to the chamber!” The King howls.

Each of the guards run to Faelin and start to pick him up roughly by his arms and legs. Faelin struggles and struggles until Rosalie is watching, horrified. She feels rage building in her body. Her blood boils in her veins, her heart seems to be beating a mile a minute. Power surges into her busy brain. And her hands.

A totally different person takes over Rosalie’s body. This girl is powerful, brave, strong, and is willing to risk anything to save the boy who helped Raden capture her. But those clearly were not his intentions, right? Otherwise, she wouldn’t be flaming with blue fire from head to toe, tearing the demons off of the Prince of the world that killed her uncle. The same Prince who was helping her out of the dark grasp of Raden. The same Prince who she didn’t know would not be leaving her, because Faelin knew that he had to protect her. “Get off of him.” Rosalie says coldly, then shrieks, “Get off of him!”

Faelin looks up to find that he was not being restricted anymore. Oh, crap. Rosalie was… Really, really frightening. She had giant metal wings coming from her back. Her hair turned red, instead of black, and her eyes were filled with venom. She was attacking the guards like they were small butterflies, unable to rise from the ground. She took out two katanas that looked to Faelin as sharp as butcher’s knives, sharper, even. 

The demon guards surround Rosalie, and for a moment, Faelin thought she was gone. 

But then, a bright blue scythe cut the demons clean in half. Their bodies fall to the ground in black heaps before they turn to dust and blow away. A scathed, bleeding, and unruly Rosalie stands in the middle of the piles of dust. She is breathing heavily and looks feint. A dark cloud overtakes her face and she collapses down to the ground.

“Rosalie!” Faelin screams as he scrambles up from his butt and runs to the girl. “Rosalie! Rosalie! Wake up!”

Raden stands, laughing maniacally. “Ha! The girl has used up all of her power. She could not control it. She will be easy to take energy from.”

“No.”

“What?”

“No!” Faelin launches himself at his father and pins him to the ground. “You. Will. Not. Touch. Her!” Faelin ground out, slamming Raden’s head on the concrete floor in between each word. Raden’s body falls limp.

Faelin gets up and scrambles to Rosalie. “Rosalie! Rosalie, wake up! Please, wake up, come on!” Faelin recalls his CPR training that he was given. He pushes on her upper chest, saying the ABCs in his head while doing it.

A, push. B, push. C, push. D, push. And so on until he reaches Z, and she hasn’t woken yet. He keeps pushing, but she never revives. 

Faelin hears heavy breathing behind him and reluctantly turns around. Raden stands, bleeding and limp. He was fuming, his eyes were darker than usual. Raden was ready to kill his own son for a girl that was dying. An insane grin fills up his face as he pulls out the Demon’s Dagger, the one he used to murder the legendary Lorn Star, five years ago. He never washed the blood off of the blade, so it was dry and brown. A souvenir. Raden stalks toward Faelin, raising the dagger high in the air. 

Faelin hugs Rosalie to his chest and runs to the window. He tries shoving Rosalie through the small opening, but Raden came up behind him and slices his arm with the Demon’s Dagger. Faelin cries out and holds Rosalie’s unconscious body still closer. 

I won’t let him get to her. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I have to keep her safe, Faelin thought fiercely. 

“Just give it to me, Fae, and no one will get hurt.” Raden says assuringly.

“Okay, 1: Do not call me that. Only my friends call me that. 2: News flash: you already hurt me! And, 3: Don’t call her an it!” 

“Oh yeah. Then I guess I’ll just have to finish the job.” Raden says. He pulls his dagger in the air and brings it down. Faelin closes his eyes and shields Rosalie from the dagger coming down on him. 

Suddenly, Raden’s arm stopped midway. A ring of fire surrounds Raden, and starts levitating him in the air, away from the unconscious girl and worried Prince.