Taisiya and placed a hand on
her hip. He whispered in her ear, “Please, Taisiya, don’t make this
worse.”
He may have whispered, but Lahara still heard
every word. She spoke up to him, “Don’t worry, dear, I appreciate
her tenacity. As a matter of fact, I’ll only let you leave on one
condition: I come with you.”
Taisiya narrowed her eyes, “What’s the
catch?”
Lahara’s eyes flickered with life. “No
catch,” she said, “It’s just been so long since I’ve gotten out of
this forest.”
“Am I honestly supposed to believe you will
protect us against your nymph sisters?” Taisiya snarled. Zara
anxiously tightened his grip around her hip.
The nymph shrugged her shoulders. “No.”
“Then why in the world should we let you come
along?” Taisiya growled, bewildered.
Lahara traipsed over to Taisiya and whispered
in her ear. “On our way there, I will teach you how to use the
power of us nymphs to protect yourself against any evildoers. I’m
sure they’ll treat you more nicely if you bring a lost nymph back
to them, as well. Having me come along with you is priceless.”
The nymph brought up many good points.
Taisiya mulled them over. “I don’t want to learn to be like a
nymph, though.”
Lahara rolled her eyes. “That’s the same as
saying you don’t want to overthrow the queen, dearie. In fact…come
with me.” Lahara cracked a finger at Zara’s hand around Taisiya’s
hip and he winced back in pain. The nymph grabbed Taisiya’s hand
and pulled her back into the forest where she had been hiding and
watching them.
Once they were out of Zara’s view, the nymph
pointed up to the sky and as she did so, it became dark all around
them. Taisiya gulped and watched in stunned silence as Lahara paced
in front of her with a glowing ball of light in her hands.
“The boy should not see the powers dark
nymphs use any sooner than he has to,” Lahara explained. The
glowing orb of light in her hands grew bigger, hovering above them.
Lahara bowed before it, and Taisiya lost her focus as the darkness
took over.
Despite it being pitch black, Taisiya could
hear the leaves rustling wildly and felt the wind bring a cold
chill to her skin. The ball of light then faded to black, and with
a weak whimper, Lahara succumbed to her power and fell to the
forest floor.
Taisiya gasped but not at the fallen nymph.
There was now an image of her parents where the light had been
glowing just seconds before. The sound of silence was deafening
until a familiar voice boomed from the image.
“Where is she?!” the voice of Queen Adrasteia
roared, while the image of Taisiya’s parents showed their obvious
distress.
“We don’t know! She told us to wait for her
in the glen, but she never came!” Taisiya’s father whimpered.
Suddenly, Taisiya’s parents disappeared from
view as the queen turned around to speak to one of the guards of
the prison cell. “I am done with them,” she hissed, pausing to
survey the entire cell quickly.
“What, your majesty?” the guard dared to ask.
It was Nathaniel.
“There is evil afoot…” The queen scowled. Her
brow furrowed deep in thought and soon after the picture faded away
and with it, all the darkness in the forest.
Taisiya stood staring at the faded image,
desperate for it to come back. She blinked and came back to reality
when the lifeless form of Lahara began to stir.
The nymph slowly picked herself up, clutching
her head in pain. Her breath was labored as she asked, “Did it
work?”
Taisiya bent down to help her up. “I think
so,” she stammered, “You’re saying I can learn to do that?”
Lahara let out a weak chuckle. “Maybe some
day you will be able to eavesdrop on commoners, yes. I doubt either
of us will ever find the strength in us to invade that terrible
nymph’s mind.”
“How did you do that?” Taisiya asked as
Lahara dusted herself off.
Lahara scratched a few leaves out of her
hair. “I summoned all of the dark energy I could
her hip. He whispered in her ear, “Please, Taisiya, don’t make this
worse.”
He may have whispered, but Lahara still heard
every word. She spoke up to him, “Don’t worry, dear, I appreciate
her tenacity. As a matter of fact, I’ll only let you leave on one
condition: I come with you.”
Taisiya narrowed her eyes, “What’s the
catch?”
Lahara’s eyes flickered with life. “No
catch,” she said, “It’s just been so long since I’ve gotten out of
this forest.”
“Am I honestly supposed to believe you will
protect us against your nymph sisters?” Taisiya snarled. Zara
anxiously tightened his grip around her hip.
The nymph shrugged her shoulders. “No.”
“Then why in the world should we let you come
along?” Taisiya growled, bewildered.
Lahara traipsed over to Taisiya and whispered
in her ear. “On our way there, I will teach you how to use the
power of us nymphs to protect yourself against any evildoers. I’m
sure they’ll treat you more nicely if you bring a lost nymph back
to them, as well. Having me come along with you is priceless.”
The nymph brought up many good points.
Taisiya mulled them over. “I don’t want to learn to be like a
nymph, though.”
Lahara rolled her eyes. “That’s the same as
saying you don’t want to overthrow the queen, dearie. In fact…come
with me.” Lahara cracked a finger at Zara’s hand around Taisiya’s
hip and he winced back in pain. The nymph grabbed Taisiya’s hand
and pulled her back into the forest where she had been hiding and
watching them.
Once they were out of Zara’s view, the nymph
pointed up to the sky and as she did so, it became dark all around
them. Taisiya gulped and watched in stunned silence as Lahara paced
in front of her with a glowing ball of light in her hands.
“The boy should not see the powers dark
nymphs use any sooner than he has to,” Lahara explained. The
glowing orb of light in her hands grew bigger, hovering above them.
Lahara bowed before it, and Taisiya lost her focus as the darkness
took over.
Despite it being pitch black, Taisiya could
hear the leaves rustling wildly and felt the wind bring a cold
chill to her skin. The ball of light then faded to black, and with
a weak whimper, Lahara succumbed to her power and fell to the
forest floor.
Taisiya gasped but not at the fallen nymph.
There was now an image of her parents where the light had been
glowing just seconds before. The sound of silence was deafening
until a familiar voice boomed from the image.
“Where is she?!” the voice of Queen Adrasteia
roared, while the image of Taisiya’s parents showed their obvious
distress.
“We don’t know! She told us to wait for her
in the glen, but she never came!” Taisiya’s father whimpered.
Suddenly, Taisiya’s parents disappeared from
view as the queen turned around to speak to one of the guards of
the prison cell. “I am done with them,” she hissed, pausing to
survey the entire cell quickly.
“What, your majesty?” the guard dared to ask.
It was Nathaniel.
“There is evil afoot…” The queen scowled. Her
brow furrowed deep in thought and soon after the picture faded away
and with it, all the darkness in the forest.
Taisiya stood staring at the faded image,
desperate for it to come back. She blinked and came back to reality
when the lifeless form of Lahara began to stir.
The nymph slowly picked herself up, clutching
her head in pain. Her breath was labored as she asked, “Did it
work?”
Taisiya bent down to help her up. “I think
so,” she stammered, “You’re saying I can learn to do that?”
Lahara let out a weak chuckle. “Maybe some
day you will be able to eavesdrop on commoners, yes. I doubt either
of us will ever find the strength in us to invade that terrible
nymph’s mind.”
“How did you do that?” Taisiya asked as
Lahara dusted herself off.
Lahara scratched a few leaves out of her
hair. “I summoned all of the dark energy I could
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