The Mad Queen

Chapter Fifteen

As soon as Visara was born, she was worshipped. When people saw her, they knew that she was the child of a god. Her skin glowed when she was happy. Her eyes would shine with joy. As she grew up, she had visitors from all races come to meet her. She was, after all, the last remaining connection to the gods. Her mother never let the fame get to her daughters head. Instead, she taught Visara kindness and forgiveness. She taught her what was right and wrong.

Visara grew up stunningly beautiful. Not only on the outside but inside too.  By the time she was an adult, she had thousands upon thousands of followers. That, however, was not enough. It wasn't enough to stop the slave trade. It wasn't enough to stop the war between the races. She would spread messages of peace and few would listen. None could come to an agreement and blood continued to be shed.

The leader of the humans grew tired of Visara. His name was Tane and he considered himself the King of the Humans. His people loved him. For he was cruel but his cruelty brought them riches and power. As humans were the only race with no magic of their own, they needed other means to rise to the top. Visara was getting in his way, so he decided to send her a small message. Whilst she was preaching peace in the land of the Lupine, he visited her mother.

Even twenty years after giving birth to Visara, her mother was still incredibly beautiful. So King Tane had his way with her before beating her to death. He hung her body on a post in front of her house with a note on her stomach. Held there by a golden dagger. When news spread to Visara, she rushed home and found her mother. She screamed and ran to her mother's body, gently pulling her down from the post where she had been displayed. As she sobbed, she realised there was a letter. It was written with her mother's blood.

"Let this be a warning to you. There are no gods in our world now, little girl. Your birth alone is hardly enough to be able to stop me. If you cross me again, I will do the same to you and everyone who claims to follow you." She screamed then and she felt rage and pain she had never felt before. Her mother had taught her of forgiveness, but Visara's mother was gone. Not only had the death of Visara's mother caused most of Visara's followers to abandon her, but it had also awoken darkness within her. The wrath of a god. So as Visara screamed she vowed that her mother's murder would not go unpunished. For in her world, painful deaths awaited those who raped and murdered others.

~The  History of the First War of Vivelle. Book One. Chapter Ninety-two, verse Seven.

The crowd continues to roar as my warhorse troats out to me. I manage to gather enough strength to climb onto his back. He knows where to go. He leads me from the arena into a different passage than the one I entered. The sound of the crowd still echoes behind me. Once I am out of sight, I slump down with exhaustion. The pain really hits me and my eyes grow heavy. I feel the horse going up some stairs and then I hear my fathers voice along with my sisters. I try to sit up but I am too weak. 

"Get her off the horse," my father says as I enter the room. I manage to open my eyes. Fallon walks over to me and grabs me roughly, dragging me off the horseback. She whispers harshly in my ear.

"Let's hope your stunt worked," she growls quietly, making it look like she is continuing our little feud. "Because Rayana failed her test." She lets go of me and I slump to the floor. She walks away and I am left to think about what she just said. Rayana failed. That must mean she is badly injured or maybe even dead. No, she can't be dead. I haven't heard the Cannon. Even so, I feel my stomach flutter with fear.

"Very good show Illyana," my father says as I figure out where we are. We are in a small room which looks out over the arena. It is very private though, meaning none of the crowd can see in. I realise that all my sisters would have seen my performance.