AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You still haven’t told me your name,” a familiar voice said from behind her.
Aura startled and whirled around to find the same girl from her past dreams holding a basket of red roses. Her dress was wet and clung to her, the same way it had in that first dream. The girl smiled, her sapphire eyes sparkling, and Aura took a moment to answer. “I’m Aura. Do you remember yours yet?”
The girl’s face fell as she shook her head. “No. My memories drift in and out of my head. That’s what it feels like anyway. As soon as I pluck one, it vanishes. I remember dying, the water swallowing me whole.” She pressed her hand to her stomach, tears beading her lashes. “The both of us.”
Aura’s chest tightened at the thought of this young, sweet girl and her child dying together. “So you drowned? I suppose that explains why your dress is wet. Do you remember how?” Aura thought about her last dream, the water filling the room, but she didn’t think it could’ve happened that way. Not without a sorcerer’s spell…
“I don’t, but it was this lake. I don’t know where you could find it when you wake though.” The girl pointed toward the water, her expression serene.
Besides the small pond on the palace grounds, she couldn’t leave to search for it anyhow. “Before, you were writing a letter to a beloved, then later you said Rush’s name. Is he the one you were writing to?”
“Rush,” the girl whispered, her brow furrowing as if the name was both familiar and not. “There is pain when I think of that name. There is pain when I died. Too much pain. I don’t want you to have this pain either.” Tears filled the girl’s eyes and before Aura could ask anything else, the girl vanished into thin air.
Above Aura, the blue sky darkened to slate and lightning cracked. Her breathing increased, and she took a hesitant step back as the lake turned obsidian. A sound like a heartbeat thrummed, coming from the sky in between the cracks of lightning. Behind her, a bright flash of light struck the ground and she jumped.
“Wake up, Aura,” she hissed at herself. “Wake upnow!”
The lake rippled and a shadow rose from the water. Her eyes widened when she realized it was the water itself. Long fingers curled on a massive hand as an arm reached toward her.
Aura spun, darting toward the trees, but not fast enough. Velvety digits grasped her ankle and yanked her backward as she screamed. The hand pulled her across the grass while she dug her fingers into the dirt. But nothing prevented her from being pulled into the lake’s freezing depths.
The crushing pain struck her finger and Aura jolted forward, drinking in the air. She kicked her legs to get the watery hand off her, but she was no longer beneath the lake. The obsidian ceiling of her room stared down at her, welcoming her back to this nightmare.
What was the reason for these dreams? The girl there? Rush had already told her she wasn’t going to die from the spell, but he was certainly doingsomething. Aura couldn’t ask just anyone about the girl since they all aligned with Rush. She was supposed to meet Marion in the kitchen to help make another pie, so maybe she could get some sort of answer from her if she asked the right questions.
Morning light spilled through the window, so she tossed on one of the simple, clean dresses in the wardrobe before padding toward the kitchens. Since Rush was back at the palace, the guards no longer trailed her from room to room. Marion stood behind the granite counter, specks of white flour dotting her face and hands.
“You two take these into town,” Marion said, handing two female servants each a basket filled with pastries.
“Of course,” they both chirped and left the kitchens.
“You’re late. I didn’t think you’d make it in time before I started on the pie crust,” Marion chimed. “Add the flour, sugar, and butter to the bowl.”
Even though she didn’t like cooking any more than she had before coming to the palace, Aura wiped her palms on her dress and did as instructed while Marion explained the necessary steps. As she mixed the ingredients for the crust, Aura’s gaze flicked to the woman in indecision. She didn’t know how long Marion had worked at the palace or if she would even know anything about the dream girl. But this was the moment to try anyhow. “You’ve been here a long time, I’m assuming. What were the other royals like before they passed away?”
Marion smiled sadly. “They were lovely. King Rufus was jovial, Queen Muriel full of laughs, and Princess Constance was incredibly kind.” She pinched her lips together, wiping away a few tears. “Anyway, the king and queen only took pleasure in one another and ensured the court didn’t fall back into darkness.”
“What about Rush? Has he ever had a beloved? Someone meant to be his queen?”
Marion giggled, eyeing her as though she wished Aura might stand a chance. “One could only hope. Oh! Let’s get the fruit ready for the pie.”
Aura knew asking anything else would be suspicious since she’d never shown interest in Rush before, so she focused on the pie. When Marion turned the other way to place the dessert in the oven, Aura snatched a smaller knife and slid it up her sleeve.
“I better go, but I’ll come back tomorrow morning.” Aura kept her tone even as she backed out of the kitchens so she could hide the knife in her room. Marion might be nice enough, but she would still tell the king that Aura had snuck a knife up her sleeve.
Marion furrowed her brow. “Are you not going to try your own baking?”
“Save me a slice for tomorrow,” Aura said, keeping her tone even. She then walked at a brisk pace through the hallways.
As she reached the stairs, Rush stepped down from the last one.Damn it. She twitched, grasping the sleeve of her dress so the knife didn’t slip out.
Aura forced a smile. “Hello, Your Majesty.”
Rush studied her for a long time, his muscular body taking up the entire width of the stairs because of the angle he was standing. “If you’re going to sneak a weapon into your possession, at least steal something better than a dulled kitchen knife.”
“I didn’t steal anything,” Aura bit back as beads of perspiration dotted her brow.
Rush grabbed her arm and rolled up her sleeve, then took out the knife, his callused fingers brushing her flesh. “I don’t recall gifting this to you, kitten. But I do recall instructing you that you’re not allowed to handle weapons while you’re here.”
