Chapter 16 – Queen Sari

Aurora sat with her back leaned against a large tree. The vines stretched towards the top, shying away from the sunlight. The soft, moss-covered ground made for a comfortable seating spot, and she’d found the perfect angle to throw stones into the water. Waiting was horrible. Every bit of Aurora hummed with excitement whenever she looked at the waterfall. She’d been waiting for Aaron to get back with the rest of the crew. But for every minute the wait got more and more excruciating. She wanted to explore.

She searched the ground for pebbles and twigs, collecting them carefully in her left hand before throwing them into the water. It fascinated her how some of the flat stones would skip over the surface a few times before finally plummet deep into the water. It didn’t hold her attention for long, though.

“Where is he?” she muttered and looked around the perimeter. Nothing had changed since the last time she looked, and she had no way of knowing how long it’d been already. It would have been convenient if she’d been equipped with a watch. Sighing, she decided to go back to throwing things.

She hadn’t told Aaron the truth yet. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to tell him. But she just didn’t feel like this was the right time. Besides, he didn’t exactly qualify to be the most honest person on earth either.

“That’s a human pass time.” The voice startled her.

Aurora jumped to her legs, searching for the source of the voice. Hidden between two bushes, she saw Allegra grinning back at her. “Oh,” Aurora said. “It’s you.”

“Indeed it is. You’re so observant.” Allegra’s voiced was laced with a deep sarcasm. “You realize I could have killed you if I’d been an enemy.”

“Good thing you aren’t then.” Aurora sat back down. “Where are the others?”

Allegra stepped out of the bushes and walked towards the water. “Aaron is talking to Heratrix.”

“Why?” Aurora frowned. “What for?”

“He doesn’t want your owner to come along. And the warriors don’t like the guy.”

Aurora threw a twig into the water. “Any idea how long it’ll take?”

“Nope.” Allegra turned towards her. “You know… We could always go ahead alone.”

“What?”

“I’m just saying… With my knowledge and your powers we could go ahead and make sure it’s safe to go through.” Allegra’s face twisted in a sinister smile. “Unless you’re scared of disobeying your crush.”

“I’m not crushing on Aaron.”

Allegra laughed. “Yet you still knew whom I was referring to right away.”

“It doesn’t take a scientist to figure that one out.” Aurora dusted of her hands in her clothes. “Why do you want to go ahead anyway? You don’t like me.”

She wasn’t rewarded any reply. Instead, Allegra turned to the waterfall. “Suit yourself. I’m going through.” With those words, she started to jump over the slippery stones.

There wasn’t much time for Aurora to act. In a split-second, she jumped to her feet and followed Allegra. After all, she couldn’t just send her in alone. Could she? She had an obligation to the team, and Aaron would understand that she couldn’t stop Allegra. The only thing she could do was to make sure Allegra wasn’t alone.

“Wait up,” she called.

Allegra turned with a smug look. “Figured you’d change your mind. After you, then.” She gestured to the wall of water in front of her, and Aurora jumped from one stone to the next.

“You sure about this?” Aurora asked. She hesitated in front of the waterfall, her eyes fixed on the shining spot behind the water.

“If you’re too scared—“

“I’m not scared.” Aurora couldn’t explain why Allegra made her react like this. Her skin itched, and it wasn’t just because of the random strays of water landing on her arms. No. There was something else entirely too.

“By all means, you can wait for Aaron if you’d like, but who knows how long it’ll take to convince Heratrix?” Allegra tilted her head. “You want to go in there right now, don’t you?”

It was true. Aurora wanted to go there so badly that she found it hard to restrain herself from simply taking the leap. “What do you think is on the other side?” she asked.

“Why don’t you find out?” Allegra stuck the tip of her boot in the water. “If you’re really concerned, I can stay back and tell Aaron where you went.”

“We could both wait for Aaron then.”

“If you’re not going through, then I am.” Allegra placed her arms on her hips, rolling her eyes. “I am not equipped to this kind of idle waiting. For all we know, this could be the only window we have to get through.”

“What do you mean?”

“The warriors have lived here for years. Wouldn’t they notice a secret portal long before we arrived? If they had, why didn’t they tell us?” Allegra crossed her arms. “If you ask me, I think the portal is meant for you. Otherwise, the warriors would have told us about before.”

It made sense; Aurora knew that much. She didn’t believe in coincidences. Humans used to believe in them, but with the knowledge she had from her previous lives, she knew that there was masterminds behind every coincidence.

The problem was: who was the mastermind behind this? Without further thinking, she plunged herself into the waterfall, aiming for the shimmering spot that called to her.

As her body broke through the water, it felt as if all the air in her lungs were forced out. Her eyes closed, and a deep nausea settled in her throat. This wasn’t like anything she’d ever tried before, and as every inch of her body ached, she wished she’d waited for Aaron.

***

“Is she dead?” a high-pitched voiced asked.

“Should we call the Allmother?” another voice blended into the mix.

The voices didn’t sound familiar to Aurora. And the words didn’t make any sense either. Were they talking about her? She wasn’t dead. At least, she didn’t think she was.

Her body still hurt, and somewhere in the distance, she could hear the remains of a vicious cackle. Allegra hadn’t travelled with her. There was something wrong.

Aurora’s mind worked in fragments, and she struggled to regain consciousness. Her eyes needed to open, and she had to get up to search for answers. Was she in the Sacred Land now? Who did the voices belong to?

“She’s moving,” a third voice said.

Aurora could hear the collective sigh as everyone around her seemed to be afraid and excited at the same time. She forced her eyes open, staring at the unfamiliar faces who looked at her with frowns, pursed lips and curiosity.

“Whoo aaree yoou?” a female asked, dragging out every vowel.

“I’m…” Aurora stopped herself before she said something wrong, and instead she glanced at the crowd. They were all incredibly tanned, with several colors of hair and oversized round eyes.

“Go on… You can talk—we just want to help.”

She took a deep breath, registering that these were Immortalias. However, something was different about them. They seemed familiar in theory, but the feeling was foreign.

“Is this… The Sacred Land?” she asked.

The woman laughed. “We haven’t called it that for ages. Come, I’ll take you to the queen.”

Aurora nodded slowly, allowing the woman to help her to stand. “My name is Aurora,” she said.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Nehru.” The woman gestured to the others. “This is my family.”

“You have a family?” Aurora frowned. Immortalias weren’t able to recreate in family form. They were born to the others human lives. Recycling what already had been given away.

“Of course I do.” Nehru smiled. “We’re all family here.”

Maybe the woman didn’t mean family in the literal sense of the word. Aurora’s legs were shaky, and she used Nehru to support herself as she tried to take in the scenery. At first glance, it looked desolate, but as they started to move Aurora noticed small things that made up a spectacular sight. The ground was covered in dried weeds, which crumbled beneath her feet. In the distance, she could see a concrete wall, and behind it, a magnificent light shined.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“That’s where our queen lives.” Nehru pointed to a large tower. “When the sun shines on the spear, we can hear her sing her song of loss.”

“Loss?”

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Nehru shook her head. “Silly question, I know. I would have recognized you if you were.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think it’s best if you talk to the Queen.”

Aurora nodded and concentrated on her legs instead. As they reached the concrete wall, a large wooden door opened, and Nehru led her inside.

Younger Immortalias ran around inside. It surprised Aurora to see them of this age. She’d never met anyone below the age of twenty with the Immortalia scent. In fact, up until this moment, she thought it was unheard of outside Haw Tech.

Milada was the only Immortalia who’d lived her entire life with the knowledge of her origin. Much different from enslaved Immortalias.

As they walked over a courtyard covered in petals, Aurora contemplated how to act. Should she kneel when she saw the Queen? Or would she be required to fight for her own life? Of course, her guesses were heavily influenced by human ideas of entertainment—she’d seen Lina fawn over television shows of any kind.

They arrived in front of a large gate, and Nehru stopped her. “I can’t go any further. The news of your arrival has been passed to the Queen—you just need to walk through there.”

Aurora nodded.. As if something was screaming at her to get away, she had to force every step towards the wooden doors. Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and pushed herself to move through the doors. Her heart raced as she saw the first glint of an old-fashioned courtroom. Aurora was about to turn around and flee, but the doors closed behind her before she could make a move.

Inside, it was somewhat chilly. Goose bumps travelled over her skin, but Aurora couldn’t tell if it were from the cold, or if it was because the room had a creepy gloom over it. With long maroon drapes from wall to wall, it didn’t let much light in. Only a few candles were placed around a long deep red carpet. Hesitating slightly, she walked forwards.

“Hello?” she called. “I come in peace.”

She didn’t know why she said that. It was something the humans seemed fond of when they arrived at strange places without knowing the inhabitants.

“Sister!” a younger female ran out, her movements a yellow blur to Aurora. Velvet clad arms wrapped around her neck, and Aurora stumbled a few steps back. What was happening?

She tried to get out of the embrace. “I’m sorry—“

“You’re not my sister,” the girl said and jerked away.

“I didn’t say I was,” Aurora tried to argue.

“Who are you? And where’s my sister?”

“I think you must have misunderstood. My name is Auro—“

“I don’t care.” The girl—she couldn’t be more than in her late teens—stepped further away. “What did you do to her?”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.” Aurora made sure to keep her hands still.

“You’re lying.”

Aurora was getting tired of her own ignorance. She wanted answers. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m Queen Sari of Hellich—this country—as a replacement for the rightful heir who left years ago.” The girl sat down. “I really thought she’d come back.”

Despite the confusion, Aurora couldn’t help but to feel for Sari. “I’m sorry.”

Sari covered her face in her yellow gown and kneeled on the ground. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”

“Don’t say that. I’m sure—“

“I can smell her essence on you. But you’re not her.” Sari looked up, her eyes filled with tears. “So please tell me who you are before I ask the crowd to kill you.”

“My name is Aurora, I’ve arrived with a team of scientists from Haw Tech. It’s my understanding that you had a similar visit years ago.”

“Yes, with my sister along. Why isn’t she with you now? And why do you smell of her?”

“I honestly don’t know who your sister is, but I’ll—“

Aurora stopped speaking as she saw Sari pull out a silver dagger. The girl held it out in front of her as a weapon and slowly moved closer to Aurora.

“Oh,” she said. “You know who she is; I can hear it in your mind. In fact, you spend a lot of time thinking about her.”

Aurora frowned. She hadn’t been thinking of anyone. Slowly, she raised her hands, ready to battle her way out of there if she needed to. The long drapes that covered the walls would be easy to burn. In fact, she could probably use the candles if she needed them.

“Sari, I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

“In that case, you won’t mind me reading your memories—do you?” Sari took another step, stopping right in front Aurora.

The dagger was situated right in front of her stomach, and Aurora would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. Sari raised her hands slowly, long blood colored fingers protruding from her yellow gown. As Aurora gulped, she saw the golden color of Sari’s eyes change, and in its place, a shining white formed.

Saris hand caressed Aurora’s cheek before finally settling on Aurora’s forehead.

Aurora gasped as each life passed before her eyes in flash. Thousands of years pushed together in a few moments of time. Her head started to ache, and a high-pitched scream resounded in the hall. It took another moment before she realized that it was two screams—hers and Sari’s.

This was killing her, and she had to act in order to stop Sari.

“Push….” Sari’s voice echoed inside her head. “Me…”

Mustering up all the strength she had, Aurora placed her hands on Sari’s shoulders. She groaned as her whole body started to shake with the oncoming pain of her own memories. Gritting her teeth, she finally managed to summon both of her powers, and together they made a wall behind Sari and herself. The force behind the wall caused both of them to plummet backwards, away from each other.

The collision with the floor was a mild poke compared to the agonizing pain she’d just experienced. Panting heavily, she attempted to sit up, her eyes finding Sari who was looking at her with wide eyes.

“My sister is dead,” Sari whispered.

And this time Aurora knew who Sari was talking about. She knew because left in her mind was only the memories of one person: Shani Reed.

A/N: Please vote.