Dead Seeds

“Mère!” I stood in the doorway to my mother’s room staring in horror at the sight before me. Blood covered the vanity mirror and marble floor like a speckled painting that was all too real for me to process. My mother’s body lay motionless in a pool of her own blood. I didn’t move. I didn’t go to her. I was frozen with shock. My mother, the queen of our empire wasn’t moving.

I took a shaking step towards her fallen form before I caught the door frame with my hands. I wanted to go to her, but couldn’t muster the courage to step through the crimson lake surrounding her. The stagnant air felt like pudding in my lungs as I heaved in one panicked breath at a time.

Voices emerged from the hallway behind me forcing my head to reel. My father could help; he had a solution for everything. Spinning on my heel I headed for my père’s office. My father was the king of our lands. Maybe he could make her stand in that pool of drying blood.

Running down the halls I stumbled over the hems of my dress, but quickly gathered them up in my arms and ran as fast as my small legs could carry me. I was only twelve and already my world was crashing down on me.

“Père, mère est blessè…” My words caught in my throat as I turned the corner into my father’s office. Five bodies littered the floor, all of them wearing the armor of my father’s personal guards. Letting the fabric of my dress fall from my arms I looked into the room searching for my father’s body. Slowly I entered the room weaving around the pools of blood so I wouldn’t dirty my dress.

“Père?” I asked softly. My voice was ragged from my lack of breath. I drifted around the room until the door leading to my father’s private library came into view. If he wasn’t here, he must be in there. Stepping over the last dead body I forgot about my dress as I let my shoes squish into the blood soaked carpet rug and focused only on the partially open door. My father usually left it closed when he was in there for his own privacy. He had always said it was just to make me knock in our special code. 1, 3, 1, 1…

“Père?” I asked again. I didn’t get an answer, but I kept walking until I could press my palms to the small edge of the door. I lightly pressed my palm too the door and cracked it open a bit further. At first I only saw a man that was very familiar to my eyes. My betrothed stood looking down at the ground. I almost called out too him but stopped when I saw what he was looking at. I gasped loudly and quickly covered my mouth. On the floor lay my father’s battered and bloody body, his own sword rammed through his mouth and into the floor beyond creating an image that soaked through my mind like water to a sponge.

“Renée?” My eyes lifted to my betrothed’s shocked face. I shook my head in denial. There was no way he would kill my father, there was no reason, we would be wed soon…

I found my self suddenly running on air through the halls. I didn’t have much control of my inherited powers yet, but this was easy to do. I had been practicing for the past month so I could literally fly through the halls towards my sister’s room. I didn’t know what to think, but I knew I had to keep my sister safe. She was my only family besides my parents. I didn’t have any aunts or uncles.

I let my feet touch the wooden floors as I slowed to a stop in front of the closed doors leading to my sister’s room. I took a deep breath and pressed the doors open praying that no one had found my sister. As I glanced in I saw that the room was empty except for a large crib sitting next to the far wall. I quickly went to the crib and smiled sadly down at the baby sleeping with her blankets twisted around her feet.

“Tout petit,” I slowly lifted the sleeping child from her crib and held her against my chest. “Nous Devoir laisser.”

“Renée,” I whirled around to stare at the man in the door way. It was my betrothed. I backed towards the window while covering my sister’s head with her silk blanket, protecting her small form from the eyes of a murderer.

“Don’t come any closer.” My English wasn’t very clear. I had started learning how to speak English three years ago, but my words were thick with my French accent.

“Renée let me explain.” I shook my head. I didn’t want an explanation I wanted to see my mother and father standing where he was. I wanted to see them smile and tell me everything was going to be okay. Instead I had him to look at and curse.

“No, I know what you did. I saw you…” Fresh tears slid down my cheeks as my throat closed up. I tensed my body and summoned my powers from within me. He took a few steps closer but stopped when he sensed what I was about to do.

“Renée, stop this.” I shook my head as the glass from the window shattered inwards spraying razor sharp pieces of glass into the room. I ignored the searing pain that emerged from my arms and neck as I turned and jumped out the window. I fell like a hawk from the window, a controlled fall that ended with a burst of wind that allowed me to land on the stone path below as lightly as a feather. I glanced up at the window I had just fallen from and saw the scarlet head of my betrothed looking down at me. I sent him my best glare and turned towards the court yard. I didn’t look back again as I took off towards the gates that stood guarding the portals to other lands.

I heard voices shouting all around me as I flew past the people in the courtyard. There was a battle ensuing inside the castle walls. I didn’t know who was who but I could assume it was my people versus my betrothed’s. As I came upon the gates I summoned all the power I could and burst through the rot iron gates. I came to a screeching stop on my small wooden soled shoes as the massive portals loomed over me.

I glanced back at the gates that stood half way ripped off their hinges and crooked. They would know I came this way. They wouldn’t know what portal I took but they would find me eventually. I knew my betrothed, he wouldn’t give up. He never did. I didn’t like him at first, but after a week with him his determination he had wooed me. It was a down fall and a positive side.

I looked back to the portals and started to walk past them. Each portal went to a different kingdom. Fire, water, sand, earth and the others were all allies of our nation. We only had one enemy, but they never bothered us so we left them alone. I couldn’t go there, the tattoo like markings that covered my arms and shoulders would instantly give me away to be a Royal of the Air Empire. I needed somewhere safe from everyone in this world. Some where I could take care of my sister. As I came to the last of the portals I stared up at the last one with curious eyes. I had never been told of this one.

“Mortal Realm.” I sounded out the words, rolling them over my tongue. I had never been taught of this place which meant not many people knew about this place. I wasn’t sure if it was forbidden or just not talked about, but it seemed just as good as any place to go. I stepped up to the platform in front of the portal and held out the hand that was not holding my sister to my shoulder. “Render actif.”

The portal flared to life and a film of light that was pulsing an iridescent blue covered the space between the stone ring’s inner edges. I glanced back down the isle of portals. To my surprise my betrothed stood at the base of the platform looking up at me with pleading eyes. I stared at him in horror.

“De quelle façon…” My words were cut off when he stared to climb the stairs leading up to where I stood. I started towards the portal keeping the space between us equal, watching him over my shoulder as I moved. I was much smaller than him and knew I couldn’t get away if he got a hold of me.

I paused in my steps and turned to face him once I was almost touching the portal’s film.

“Good bye my love,” The words fell from my mouth in an awkward sound as I stepped back and let myself be engulfed by the overwhelming power stored in the portal. Just as my body passed through the film a whisper passed my lips, “Désactiver.”