A loud scream startled Rose and the others. “Celeste?”, Rose asked. Sprinting up the stairs, she slammed the door open to see Celeste thrashing on the bed, her body glowing blue. “Celeste! What happened? Are you hurt?”, she asked hysterical. Celeste cried on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I broke the barrier. Her storm and fire was too strong. The wind, it was too strong too, I couldn’t, I was so weak…”, she sobbed. “No, you’re not. You held that up for so long. Celeste, we’re ready,” “You mastered your abilities?” “No, there was no time. But I know what to do when it comes, and it’s coming now” Celeste shot up and ran down the stairs, into the kitchen. Rose chased after her. “What are you doing?” Celeste yanked open a drawer filled with vials. She snatched three of them, all different, and swallowed all the liquids. “Celeste?!” “I have to be my strongest. This will definitely help. They enhance my abilities, like a power up”, she said shaking the empty vials. 

“Is it safe?” “I know it is. Nothing I make is dangerous” Amos charged in, grief on his face. “We need to go” “Alright, one minute though” “Celeste, we don’t have a minute”, he shot back and left. Running out of the kitchen, Celeste still continued talking. “Alright, listen carefully. When I’m not there, I can still talk to you. Remember our code? I make the constellations. If I get lost, I’ll lead you. 1 blinking star means south, 2 is north, 3 means follow the stars, they will always lead you in the right way”, Celeste explained speaking fast. “Got it” “Wait, one more thing” They all stay dead still. “This is it. The moment when everything changes. It goes down or we will rise”, Queen Stellina preached. “We are all in the battle together. I wish you all the luck in the galaxy. May the stars hear our prayers for each other”.

They all grouped near the doors, but Queen Stellina pulled Rose aside. “I just wanted to say that I know you’ve got this. I’ll be with you every step of the way” “I know, and I appreciate that”, she said holding her arm. Rose began walking away until four familiar words stopped her in her tracks. “Rose, you will rise,” Rose turned, jaws dropped. “How do you know that?” “Rose, come on. There’s no time to waste”, Amos called. Rose closed her mouth and ran towards her group. “Okay, let’s fight”

They opened the grand doors and faced the storm. Walking out, Celeste slightly tugged Rose’s arm and surrounded her in a protective bubble. Rose smiled in return. “Thank you,” Celeste smiled and looked away. The storm had calmed a bit, but the rain and thunder was still strong. The shattered gems blew in the wind as light as feathers fly. Trees knocked to the ground as easily as a vase being shoved across a table. Rose gulped, gripping her fingers to her bubble. “Hey, you’re fine”, Amos reassured. “For now”, she replied. Rose glanced back at Queen Stellina, fear in her eyes. In return, she nodded as Rose turned forward again.

Queen Stellina closed the doors, tears welling in her eyes, then sliding down her cheeks. She let out a few sobs and fell to her knees. 

“Do we split?”, Mila asked. “No, not right now. When we need to, I’ll signal you. But you and Mare worked together. Got it?”, Amos ordered. “Yeah” Into the forest, faint rumbles came from above, lightning still burned the fallen trees but then the wind became heavy. “It’s picking up again. Stay close”, Celeste instructed. In the distance, shards of gems were crushed. “I heard something”, Rose said, making everyone stop. Another stone was crushed. Shivat growled, trying to sense what was out there. Shivat pattered forward, then suddenly lunged for a bush. “Shivat! What is it?”, Mare asked. Shivat yanked the bush away, revealing a set of prints, identical to her own. 

“Another wolf. Do you think it’s hers?”, Rose stated. “Of course it is. She knows that we have more weapons to use against her”. Crunching was heard all around them, all of them forming into a small group. “Oh no, we’re surrounded!”, Mila squeaked. Rose tried to calm Mare. “No, I don’t think we-”, a black wolf pounced on Amos, making them all scream. Amos yanked out his word, slicing the wolf’s surface, only leaving a small scratch. Shivat jumped the wolf, biting it’s leg. It snarled, tossing Shivat aside, but she didn’t give up. Digging it’s paws into its neck, it howled in pain. The wicked animal cried out and ran away. “Wha- Shivat!”, Celeste screeched. Shivat’s heart was beating fast through her Herkimer chest, her ear chipped. “Oh, poor thing. Are you alright?”, Rose asked, petting her back. Shivat whimpered in response, nuzzling her head in her arm. “We have to keep going”, Mila said, pointing to the sky. Without realizing it, the sky had turned darker than the first, small bits of black hail falling on the trees. 

“Run to her”, Amos said. They all took off, running for the darkness. “Defeat her. Run for it” “Who said that?”, Rose asked confused. “No one spoke”, Mare responded. Celeste leaned into Rose’s ear. “I did”. Rose stared at her bewildered. “How? You went in my head?”, she said still running. “Yeah. but doesn’t that sound familiar?”, she asked mischievously. “Hey! Talking makes you lose your breath”, Amos said panting. They ran the rest of the way, then came to a halt. The trees were bare, bushes of thorns covered the ground, scratching at their legs. Small scratching noises cam from aside them. “Uh, what’s that?”, Celeste asked. Shivat kept walking without realizing her legs were being scratched against the thorns. Amos turned around and picked her up. She whimpered, realizing it was her. “Sorry. We need to stay quiet”, he said, clarifying the reason for what he did. 

Crack! They all flinched and stopped. “Electricity?”, Mare asked. The thunderclaps returned in time to greet them into her dark fortress. Amos led everyone to the side. “Alright. We act now. Mila, Mare, stay a good distance behind. Shivat and Celeste, you stay right behind us. Rose, unfortunately, you go in first. While she sees you, we do our part, okay? Sorry, but if she sees you, she'll go for it not thinking you're not alone.” Rose took a few breaths, then walked down the thorny path. Staring at the twisted castle gave her chills down her spine. Pulling the thorny gates open, she pricked herself, making her hand bleed. “Blood spills already”, she told herself. Lightning struck besides Rose making her trip over something. She turned and screamed. A deceased rabbit laid on the grass, it’s fur gray and black, thorns cradling it. 

Tugging the heavy thorny doors, she winced at how dark it was, but heard footsteps shuffling. Walking blindly into the dark, she bumped her foot on a small table. Flicking her hand, she brought an orb of light to the room. "Alright, I'm here. It's what you wanted, so come out.", Rose called through the darkness, cutting the eerie silence. "I said I'm here!" 

"I heard you the first time, little Rose.", a dark scratchy voice replied. Rose's light flickered from fear. "What do you want with me?" The footsteps grew closer. "What you and your selfish queen stole from me." Thunder rolled outside, then a flash of light revealed an edgy, feminine silhouette.

“We never took anything from you”. “Oh, really dear? She hasn’t told you the truth of it. Poor Rose. Going to sit on the throne, and the way to earn it, a bag of lies”, she chuckled wickedly. Rose’s light sputtered, shivers running all over her body. “Why?” A bone chilling crack was heard next to her left ear. “You don’t know what you just walked into!”, she whispered, her sharp fingernails digging in her shoulder. 

“You coward! Too afraid to show your face. How does that make a queen?”, Rose shot at her. The skies outside brightened, but still gray and hailing. Rose’s eyes widened and gasped. Queen Spina stepped out of her shadow. Her wicked features revealed. Her sharp jawline, her narrowed eyes, the perfect eyebrows, tall, slender, her hair in a tall beehive, crowned with dead roses. “Oh! You scared of me? I will comfort you.  I’ll give you a nice, warm, hug”, she teased, holding fire in her hands. Rose stopped breathing but mustered up a sphere of golden light. Walking eerily slow, Queen Spina’s fire rose up to her arms. “I really didn’t want to fight with you, to hurt you, but I’m afraid you haven’t given me a choice. This is your doing”. “Oh, you are afraid! But your ‘lovely’ queen decided our fate. I’ll kill anyone when needed, even you!”, she spat, her last word like it was poison.

Balling up more power, Rose fumed with anger, throwing it a her. The malicious queen threw her fire, crashing with Rose’s, the light dissipated in the air. Queen Spina sarcastically pouted. “No. You’re so weak. You? The prophet? Oh my evil stars, there really isn’t a challenge”, she mocked laughing. Rose felt nauseated. “You make me sick!”, she said her, face curling in disgust. Queen Spina stood there, staring blankly into her eyes. Catching her breath she didn’t realize she was holding back, her hands fell to her sides. Then, as planned, Amos jumped out of a dark corner, digging his sword into the queen’s spine. “You didn’t think this through that well, huh?”, he shot. “No, I didn’t”, she whispered. She turned and faced him, sighing. She gave her sweetest smile, then latched her hand of the sword, letting it catch fire. Amos screamed in pain, the fire burning his hand. “Amos!”, Rose screamed. The queen laughed. “This is FUN! You are amusing, my little rose!” 

“YOU EVIL -”, Rose was knocked to the ground, her head given a hard smack to the cold floor. Staring into a pair of red glowing eyes and fiery hair falling into her face, Rose fought with all her strength, but the girl was too solid to get passed. “Well played, Fiama!”, Queen Spina called, clapping. Fiama growled like an animal, lifting Rose off the floor. She dug her nails into her arms, making her bleed. “STOP! Please..”, Rose begged. Queen Spina swiveled to her. “A queen doesn’t beg. Alright then, bye bye Rose!”, she said happily. Throwing her red power at her, Rose closed her eyes to embrace the pain. 

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