Chapter forty five

Amirah stopped dead in her tracks. A wave of dread washed over her, her eyes coincidentally meeting with the queen of Askal's. She gasped, hands moving to cover her mouth. She recovered quickly, finding her composure and wearing it like a mask as the queen spoke:

"Ah, there you are. King Armakan has arrived and requested you meet him in the courtyard, Princess Amirah." Alex and Annalena had both tensed at Marianna's sudden appearance, their own composure cracking into fear for a split second. "Anna, dear~, can you find the others for me? Alex, you can lead Princess Amirah to the courtyard, yes?"

"O-Of course!" Alex compiled all too easily. Annalena agreed with just as much forced enthusiasm.

Amirah looked between them with a flat expression that hid concern and fear, then she spoke, "Shall we get going, then, Alex?"

"Y-Yea, let's," Alex nodded, and the pair set off in one direction while Annalena and Marianna set off each in their own.

Once the other females were far from view, Alex seemed to shake off his unease, grabbing Amirah's wrist and pulling her into a side room off of the large corridor they'd been walking down. When Amirah tried to speak, Alex placed a hand over her mouth, "Shh. Listen. I need to tell you something. It's important."

Amirah furrowed her brows, her reply muffled by his hand. She peeled his hand off, asking, "What are you doing? What is it?"

Alex glanced around, whispering, "You need to get out of here. I-...I don't know what my mother has planned but you need to leave." His eyes landed on the princess, widening.

She looked as if she already knew everything he was about to say. Her golden eyes were suddenly dark and, frankly, terrifying. It reminded Alex of the way Sinbad had looked at him several times when he was around the princess.

Pure hatred.

"A-Amirah...do you...?"

"I recognized Annalena; looks like your plan failed," Amirah pushed past Alex roughly. In one swift motion she pulled her fan from her sash, activating her weapon equip and moving her arm back to point the razor-sharp end at Alex's throat. Looking down her arm at the prince, Amirah snarled, "Well? Anything to say, Al?"

"I-I... A-Amirah, this is a misunderstanding. I-" Alex took several steps backwards until his back pressed up against a wall, Amirah's staff still against his throat as she matched his pace. "I wanted to tell you! I planned on telling you! I-I just... It's not my fault! She's would've killed me!"

"I think she's the least of your worries right now. Antheia!" Amirah stalked even closer to Alex until they were face to face, eyes welling with tears as she activated her djinn equip. "I trusted you, Alex. I..." She scoffed, shaking her head. Stray tears rolled down her cheeks. "I should've expected this, really. I should've listened to Sinbad and Sharrkan... They always suspected you, your country. It all lined up so perfectly; how did I not notice?"

"Amirah, please," Alex tried. "I'm so sorry for everything we did to you. I -we- just did whatever she said. We had no choice. I didn't realize until I met you in Sindria how horrible what we did was. I'm..." Alex trailed off, eyes locking onto someone behind the princess. "A-Amirah, watch out!"

The wall where Alex and Amirah stood exploded into flames, Alex grabbing Amirah and dropping to the ground in the nick of time. Shrill laughter filled the air, and from the smoke that now filled the room came Marianna, a long metal staff in-hand.

"Well, well, well, what's this~?" Marianna strolled towards Alex and Amirah as the pair rose, coughing from the smoke. "Alex, did you really think you'd get away with ratting me out?" She clicked her tongue, "It seems that nothing is going quite as I planned...I suppose it was bound to happen at some point anyway... So, Amirah, what are you going to do about this? Kill me~?"

Amirah readied her staff, "Why are you doing this? What's the point in all of this?"

"My soul purpose is to destroy Sinbad," Marianna confessed with a smirk. "At first, I simply planned on infiltrating his kingdom and possibly having him assassinated, but when you arrived...my plans changed. He cares for you oh-so-deeply; killing you would crush him in the best way possible~"

"But what has Sinbad ever done to you? What makes you harbor such a vengeance towards him?" Amirah pressed, stepping closer to the queen.

"Oh, that's simple," Marianna gracefully raised her staff, aiming it at Amirah, "I simply do! Ramz~!" Black lightning shot from the curved tip of the queen's staff, crackling around the room and following Amirah no matter where she dodged.

Amirah countered the lightning with barely-visible soundwaves she shot from her staff, though she was appalled to see it had no effect. Cursing under her breath, Amriah ducked behind a marble pillar as the lightning dissipated. What do I do? Sound magic like that has no effect on lightning it seems...

From elsewhere in the room, Marianna laughed. Amirah closed her eyes to focus on the sound of the queen's movements, resting her head and back against the pillar. She heard Marianna's heels clacking on the tile floor, soon followed by the shuffling of Alex crawling away from her. "Oh, Alex~. I suppose I should have expected this turn of events, but I was trying to have a little more faith in you..."

Marianna reached a hand out to Alex, lifting him up off the ground by his neck. Amirah peered around the pillar, her eyes meeting with Alex's pleading gaze as he struggled in his mother's grip. Amirah had half a mind to rescue him, but became side-tracked as a loud crash in the distance shook the room.

Amirah's gaze hardened and darted to the door, her thoughts instantly shifting to Zaahira's safety.

She was supposed to be with Ja'far, Sharrkan, and Cayden. Taking a tour. Was Cayden in on Marianna's plans? Or was it Annalena, who had left to fetch them, that had attacked? Was it even their group under attack at all? Amirah's thoughts ran rampant.

The tremor had caught Marianna's attention as well, her grip on Alex faltering for a moment. She scowled, her fair features crinkling. "What does he think he's doing?!"

Dropping Alex roughly to the tile floor, Marianna turned to Amirah's hiding spot, "Let's settle this quickly, girl."

Amirah exited her shelter behind the pillar, staff at the ready, "What's going on out there, Queen Marianna?" Her tone was laced in anger, her golden eyes narrowed at the Askalian royalties.

Alex had one hand rubbing his bright red neck, the other supporting himself on the cold, cracked, floor. The floor quaked again, only adding to the prince's shakiness. Seeing Amirah's cold look only made him more nervous. He'd never seen her so angry and conflicted before, and he had no idea what to do. This is bad...

"That's none of your concern," Marianna answered simply, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Oh, I think it is," Amirah spoke callously, stalking towards the queen.

Marianna smirked, reading her staff again. "What are you going to do, girl? You're not the type to really hurt someone~."

"You know nothing about me."

"Quite the contrary, actually~," Marianna deflected the sound waves Amirah attempted to shoot at her with ease.

Amirah growled, her voice low, "You better not harm a single hair on Zaahira or my brother's head, Queen Marianna. I swear if I see you harmed them, I'll..." Magoi pulsed from the princess' staff as her knuckles turned white from gripping it.

"You'll what, hmm-?" Marianna cut off with a choked gasp. Her free hand moved to her throat as she fought for air. "W-What is this?" Marianna caught sight of Amirah's staff, her eyes widening, "This...is what your metal vessel does...?" Her words were strangled and weak, barely coherent as she willed her lungs to work.

Alex watched in terror as his mother struggled to breathe, looking between her and Amirah. "A-Amirah...-"

He cut off as the princess locked eyes with his, the air seeming to be sucked from his lungs.

This caused Amirah to recoil, surprised at her own powers. Her anger faded for a moment, replaced with fear. In that same moment, the magic slowing the Askalian royalties' breathing dissipated, leaving the pair on their knees with heaving breaths.

Marianna took little time to recover, gripping her staff in her left hand and depending on it to stand. Once she got her footing, she cast another spell, launching herself at Amirah.

"Damn it," Amirah cursed under her breath, whirling around to block whatever the queen had planned with her staff and extra arms. As she turned, the spell Marianna casted took effect, blinding the princess for several seconds.

Marianna's staff collided with Amirah's, causing the princess to slide backwards a few feet. She stumbled some, shaking her head to get rid of the bright light blinding her eyes.

Using her spare arms, Amirah pushed against the queen's weight. Part of the curved top of Marianna's staff had caught on Amirah's, preventing the sharp tip from edging any closer to the princess' neck, despite how hard she pressed.

They fought for several more seconds, their struggles achieving nothing but tiring the females out.

My attack earlier wears me out...I can't do it more than once more. I need something stronger... Amirah thought, eyes darting around the room.

"Don't take your eyes off your enemy, girl~" Marianna scolded, shifting her weight and unhooking her staff from Amirah's. "It breaks your focus~"

Marianna's staff slid from Amirah's, the tip piercing Amirah's lower right arm as the princess moved her staff and upper arm away. The staff stabbed through Amirah's palm and into the wall behind her, pinning her in place. Marianna laughed as Amirah screamed in pain, while Alex cringed from where he watched the fight take place.

Panting, Amirah kicked the queen -who had lowered her guards- away. Swinging her staff towards Marianna's, she molded her staff's shaft into a chain that wrapped around Marianna's. With slight reluctance, Amirah yanked her staff back the other way, ripping Marianna's staff from her palm and sending it flying across the room.

Wild-eyed, Marianna recovered from the kick and searched for her staff, its location given away by a metallic clunk that happened to be near Alex.

"Alexandros, my staff! Now!" The queen roared, scaring the prince half to death.

"No!" Amirah panicked as Alex fumbled with his limbs across the floor, attempting to reach the staff. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Alex grab the staff, messily tossing it across the room to Marianna.

Without really thinking, Amirah switched the hand her staff was in, swinging the chain end at the airborne staff. To everyone's surprise -even her own,- she caught it, pulling it back towards her where it crashed into the wall.

Directing her attention to Marianna, Amirah raised her staff, "Give up, Queen Marianna. There's nothing else you can do."

"Or so you think, girl," Marianna managed to smirk, though she was clutching her stomach. She waited a few moments to catch her breath before she ran at Amirah once again, stealthily drawing a dagger from one of her long dress sleeves as she charged.

Amirah dodged the queen with moderate effort, snatching Marianna's staff from the ground with her bleeding right had as she went. The queen's attacks were becoming sloppy, making them easier to avoid.

But Marianna reacted frantically. She turned and stabbed randomly in Amirah's direction, managing to catch the princess' side. With a huff of surprise in herself and a victorious smirk, Marianna grabbed her staff as Amirah dropped it to retreat several feet away.

Shaking her head, Amirah held her left side with her already wounded right arm. She could hear the blood pumping her in ears almost louder than her own thoughts as she struggled with a plan. She looked to Marianna, the slight movement making her vision blur for a moment until her eyes widened.

Marianna held her staff with both hands in front of her, eyes closed as she looked to the ceiling. She was speaking, chanting something under her breath. A quick sideways look to Alex confirmed to Amirah that whatever the spell was, it wasn't good.

Damn... What do I do?!

"The power your Extreme Magic holds would be very useful in the future. I wanted to ask if you would lend me that power, Amirah."

"No..." Amirah spoke to herself. I said I would never use it again.

Yet Sinbad's words still echoed in her mind:

"If it means protecting my people, I'm willing to use any dirty trick I must."

I can't. I...

The ground quaked once again, as if on cue.

Zaahira's in trouble.

Amirah squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth as she made up her mind. Alright, Antheia, work with me, please... Raising her staff, she chanted:

"Spirit of Wisdom and Persistence, thou who wields the power to make great kings-"

Marianna halted her own chanting immediately, eyes snapping to Amirah, "No! I won't let you!" She glared over to Alex, not wanting to break the spell she'd begun to cast, "Stop her! That's an order!"

Alex looked to Amirah, their eyes meeting. She narrowed her eyes as Alex gave her a small nod. Looking back to Marianna, Amirah continued, the eight pointed star behind her glowing steadily:

"...bring forth the power to seize the body and judge the Earth's mind! Ánthos Reflecteus!!"

"No!!" Marianna rushed forward, letting her spell fail as she attempted to reach out to Amirah. She froze mid-action, her eyes widening like saucers. This is her Extreme Magic?! I was not warned of this...!

Amirah moved one arm, making Marianna cast her staff aside. "Tell me, Queen Marianna. Who do you work for?"

"I'm not telling you anything," The queen spat, struggling in vain against the magic.

Stone-faced, Amirah tried again, "There's no way you did this all on your own; you must have help somewhere. Where?"

Al-Thamen.

~

Author's Note-

I realized I never gave Amirah's Extreme Magic a name, so I did. Ánthos is just the word Antheia's name is derived from. From my little research it means 'blossom' in Greek. Reflecteus was just randomly generated from a website and I chose it cause it sounded like 'reflect' lololol

I'm so sorry updates are slow but I hope the fact that this chapter is longer and kinda action-packed makes up for it~