AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I fought with all of my might to keep the envious monster in my stomach at bay.
We sat on the grass and talked until the sun reached the midway point in the sky, at which point Calliope pushed herself up from the grass, dusting off her legs as she searched for her shoes. She held out a hand for Nola, who leapt up from the grass and took it, helping the princess balance as she slipped her feet into her shoes again, a grin on both of their faces.
I stood up, dusting myself off and turning away to give them a minute to say goodbye to each other. Giggling and promises to see each other later were shared between the two girls as I kept my eyes on the clouds rolling overfrom the horizon.
Calliope’s hand on my shoulder made me turn, a small smile on my face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were happy.
“Are you ready to go?” She asked, linking her arm through mine again.
“You really don’t need to escort me, Calliope. Cyrus is just… protective.” I chose my words carefully, but Calliope just laughed, waving her hand at me.
“Oh, please, you don’t have to tell me about that.” She chuckled as we fell into step together, “He is a pain, isn’t he?”
I laughed at the bluntness of her words.
“Just a little bit.” I smiled, my stomach settling and my nerves of being left alone with Cyrus’s sister starting to fade. I had been worried about voicing my annoyances with Cyrus to someone he was close to, but the way Calliope spoke had me relaxing more and more by the second.
We were walking through the forest towards Leo’s house, the trees overhead offering shade from the afternoon sun, and a slight breeze passing through the low hanging leaves was a welcome break to the almost claustrophobic humidity.
“He means well,” Calliope smiled at me, patting myhand, “I think he is just scared of losing anyone else.”
Her tone turned slightly more serious, and I turned my head to look at her. Despite her being younger than me, she was the same height as I was, and with how close we were walking, I could see where the tips of her hair brushed her chin, along faded scars shaped like claws.
I snapped my head back around, hoping that she had not noticed me looking, but when she spoke again, I knew she had caught me.
“I was attacked by a wolf. A year or so after I moved into the castle.” She did not sound sad, but as though she had told this story a hundred times already. “I did not want to be here. I wanted to be at home with my mother… not that she wanted me there, obviously. So, I ran away. I sneaked out in the middle of the night, and I used the ivy to climb over the castle walls. I got all the way to the woods outside Zalas, but I was tired, and I thought I could lie down and take a nap.”
I looked back around at the younger girl, my chest hurting at her story.
“I heard the bushes nearby rustling when I was falling asleep and thought I was dreaming, so I didn’t think to run. Next thing I knew, the wolf was on top of me. It only got one good swipe at me before Cyrus appeared, shooting it with an arrow and tackling it to the ground. He had followed me out of the castle. I didn’t know he was awake, and he had kept his distance, but he wanted to make sure I was safe. He didn’t see the wolf until itwas too late, and by the time he reached it, it had already lunged.”
We stopped to help each other over a fallen log, the path to Leo’s cabin seeming to change every time I walked it. I could have sworn that this tree had not been felled last time I had come this way, but as I held out my hand for Calliope to grab as she climbed over, my mind was distracted by the harsh scars against her tanned skin.
“You are very lucky,” I said softly, letting her link our arms together again as she grinned at me, her feet crunching on the heavy packed dirt.
“I think so.” She nodded, turning us onto the cobblestones that led to Leo’s cabin. “Do you know what magic you wield yet?”
Her change of topic was a clear indication to the end of that conversation, but I still took a second to answer her, my mind whirring.
“No, not yet.” I smiled softly, “I worry it won’t be anything interesting.”
“Nonsense,” Calliope laughed at me again, “You are to be Queen of two kingdoms and were gifted by one of the most powerful wielders. It is bound to be earth shattering.”
I flushed under her words, hoping that she was right; the fear of disappointing people so deep rooted in my blood.
~~~
My head ached as I sat on the floor of Leo’s hut.
He had pushed all his furniture to the sides of the room, leaving space for us both to sit in the middle of his faded rug. Calliope was curled up in an armchair, her nose stuck into a book. She wanted to stay, but had been forbidden from showing off by Leo, so she had settled herself into the chair with a sulking pout on her face.
I had crossed my legs under me, my hands clasped together as I begged my brain to focus on any shred of magic it could conjure.
“You’re thinking about it too much.” Leo said softly from across the floor. I blew out a heavy breath, my chest heaving as I opened my eyes and glared at him. He laughed, “You have gone beetroot red.”
“I’m trying!” I whined, reaching up to rub my temples, “I don’t know how to not think about something.”
“You just do.” Leo shrugged his broad shoulders, a small smile on his face as he watched me. I rolled my eyes at him, throwing a small pillow off the sofa at his head. He caught it easily, setting it down next to himself and laughing.
