The Mad Queen

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Castle

"Fire. There was a fire. It wasn't me. It wasn't? I didn't do it. I didn't? No. I did not. I am sure. Am I sure? Yes, I am sure. I know it. Don't I? I know I saw it. But it was a vision. A vision of the present? It was definitely a vision. Wasn't it?"

~Rambling of the Mad Queen. Her own words when being questioned about the great Fire of the Dulavelle Castle.

Shaelyn stays huddled in her bed, the covers tightly around her. She shakes beneath them and closes her eyes tight. Her breathing is heavy in her ears and her stomach burns with fear. The sheets stick to her sweaty skin.

She can feel it.

The ground. It is shaking around her. She's doing it but she can't stop it. The city will fall if she doesn't stop! How does it stop?

She feels her body shaking and it takes a few moments for her to realise that it is because Rayana is shaking her and it isn't her room about to collapse on her. Once she is aware, all forms of shaking and panic stop.

"Ray?" she asks, her voice dry. Rayana sits on her bed.

"You've been cooped up in here for days," Ray sighs and strokes a sweaty strand of Shae's golden hair behind her ear.

"I'm scared," Shae whispers, leaning into her sister. Rayana nods her head and wraps an arm around Shae. "When I step onto the stone, all my mind can imagine is it shaking. I can feel it crumbling beneath my toes," she gasps. "It is terrifying, Ray. I know that somehow, I am doing it. I kind of want to do it," she carries on. She shakes her head.

"Well," Rayana begins. "We can't just let you be scared of your power," she smiles and takes hold of Shae's hand. "Come on." She slowly puts her foot onto the stone floor. Immediately, she feels a tingling at her feet. Like the ground is ready to shudder and move to her command.

"Ray," she gulps, going to the comfort and safety of her bed.

"Come on, Shae," Rayana encourages, pulling at Shaelyn's hand. They walk through the corridors and into the gardens. Once outside, Shaelyn feels it more and she lets out a groan.

"Ray stop," she gasps, out of breath. Her body begins to shake again as energy pumps through it. Needing to be released. "I can't hold it!" she begins to panic. Her breathing comes out in pants. "I'm going to shake the whole city," she gasps. Rayana laughs.

"You aren't that powerful, yet," she says and sits Shae down. The place she has chosen is far from the entrance into the gardens and tucked away from sight. Inbetween two large bushes with vibrant pink flowers that are closed for the night. "Calm down, Shae," she orders and begins to massage her hands. "Deep breaths. In and out," she instructs and breathes alongside her sister. "That's it. Once you stop panicking, your gift will stop responding," she tells her. After a few moments, Shae's heart rate begins to slow to a normal pace and the shaking of her hands stops.

"Now, we can begin trying to get this sorted," Rayana says. Shaelyn nods her head, listening to her sister. "To start with, let's try and work out how exactly this power of yours came about from the centaur gift," she says.

"The centaur gift," Shae whispers and licks her dry lips. A frown crosses her face. "The ability to track through visions of who recently has moved on the earth," she says, giving the explanation that had been drilled into her. At the same time, she runs her hand along the soil. An image fills her mind of the gardeners cutting away and neatening the bushes around her as they work. Only a second later, she is back in reality. "The ability of complete knowledge on all things growing," she continues as she touches the smooth green leaves of the bush. The information of the plant immediately fills her mind. She smiles and lets go again, looking at her sister. "Their magic has revolved around nature and earth," she says. Rayana nods her head.