Abandoned - part 7 (final part)

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part seven (final part) of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!

I glance at the huge doors, wondering how to proceed. The guards watch the crowd, not threateningly, but surely alert. I try to think what Alex would do, but my mind comes up blank. Of course, it makes sense that he should gather the army of all those who can use magic - he at least knows something about how the magic works and the people who have it. Which left me going to see the king. Hence the dithering outside the doors.
I briefly go through what I know in my head. The royal family has little to do with the people, other than collecting taxes. The king takes audiences, but the outcomes are seldom helpful to the petitioners. If I want to get his attention, I may have to go for shock tactics.
I sigh, so not looking forward to this, wishing more than anything that Alex was here.
Just get it over with, I tell myself. I hold my head high and start striding towards the doors. The guards move to stop me, but I ignore them. It's still difficult, reaching for my magic, but in the few days we travelled together before splitting up, Alex taught me the basics.
The guards fly backwards, hitting the walls, probably knocked out, though I don't stay long enough to make sure.
At this, people scatter even as other guards come running. I take care of them as easily as I did the others. By the time I storm into the audience chamber - getting directions from terrified civilians on the way - the room is in an uproar.
"How dare you burst in - "
I cut off the king's angry bellow. "You do know that your kingdom is about to be swallowed by the sea and destroyed, don't you?" I yell.
That shuts everyone up. After all, no one is supposed to know about the Greni. The king shoes everyone out of the room, even the very reluctant guards.
"Come, girl, say what you have to say," he snaps, though his pallor belies his flippant tone.
"Surely you know," I say softly, walking towards him. "Were you planning to enjoy life until it was over, never breathing a word of it to your people? No, you must have some other plan. Going to live in the mountains?"
He flushes red. "Not everyone can be saved. Only a few will fit on the floating peaks. It is the only way to preserve the human race. If too many tried, they would sink."
I've never heard of the floating peaks, but the name gives me idea enough. So he is going to live on some levitating mountain while the rest of us die, is he?
"The Greni are prepared to negotiate," I say. "Allow them back onto this land - their land - and they may not kill us all."
He shakes his head dismissively. "The Greni are not bound by our laws. You would invite anarchy to our kingdom, girl."
I open my mouth in outrage. So he'd rather the whole kingdom die than sacrifice his precious power? Before I can get so much as one word out, though, something hard collides with my head. The pain shoots out from the spot, almost knocking me from my feet. My eyes meet the king's, and he is smiling in triumph. Even as my knees start to collapse, I reach once more for my magic, sending a lethal sword of fire shooting forwards... I don't see if it hits its mark. The fire, and everything else, is swallowed in the blackness that covers my vision.

The world shifts. Hazy light comes and retreats, never the same, never bright enough to see nor dark enough to sleep. I am vaguely aware that they must be drugging me to suppress my magic, but that knowledge isn't enough to help me break free.
I try futilely to push those around me away, to reject whatever potions they are shoving down my throat, but whatever they are giving me, it leaves no strength in my body. As the haze continues to shift, only one hope keeps me going: I am not alone. Alex will surely be here soon.

When the haze brightens, it doesn't seem to be anything different. I wait for it to get darker again. When it doesn't, I squint, wondering what new trick this is.
"Cara?"
I try to say something, but my mouth doesn't want to do my bidding. All that comes out is a faint sort of moan.
A pair of arms wraps around my shoulders, lifting me. "It's ok," Alex whispers. "We did it. It's going to be fine, Cara."
As he carries me away from the hard, cold stone on which I have been resting for as long as I can remember, my blurry vision takes in something I never expected to see. Greni - a whole group of them - standing near us, talking to the people who are all around.
"We won?" I whisper, my throat as dry as sand paper.
Alex leans down and kisses my forehead. "We won," he whispers.

Two months later
Alex swings our hands together as we walk through the garden. Though it has been a month since the negotiations ended and the Greni moved back onto the land with us, it's still strange to see them here. I wave at Renii, the Greni who now lives next door to us. We've become good friends even in the short time we've known each other.
We don't stop for conversation, though. Alex and I keep walking, towards our new home. Many people wanted Alex to take control of the army of magic users he raised and rule the kingdom. Many wanted me to - as the one who finally killed the mad king, some almost worshipped me.
Neither of us ever wanted to rule, though. Alex handed over the reins to Jonathan, by far the best person for the job, and the two of us went home. It wasn't long before Alex and I decided to move in together. My father wasn't pleased, but he'll get used to the idea in the end.
Just before we reach the threshold, Alex scoops me up in his arms. I giggle as I am lifted into the air. When he looks at me, his gaze is full of love and confidence. "We'll never have abandon our home again," he says, pushing the door open with his foot.
I lean up to kiss him as I am carried into my new home. "Never."

The End

Abandoned - part 6

Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog :) This is part six of a little story I'm writing. For anyone who is new here, I would recommend you start at part one and work your way through. Happy reading!

I glance at Alex and I can see he's thinking the same thing as me: surely they aren't trying to kill us? If they wanted to, there are much quicker and easier ways. Still, I can't help dragging my feet a little as the Greni lead us deeper into the sea. It's up to my waist, now.
"Um, you do realise we don't have gills, right?" I say, trying to control the tremor in my voice.
"We will sustain you until your souls are tested," the male Greni says - I still don't know his name. "If you pass, we will escort you safely back to the surface. If you fail... then you will die in our underwater cities, rising only to go to the next world."
"What exactly do we need to - " Alex's question is cut off as he inhales a mouthful of water; it's up to our necks now, and rising fast as we move forward. I expect him to start choking, but to my surprise, he doesn't. As my head, too, dips beneath the waves, the Greni's hand in mine seems to become warmer and stronger. I try to hold my breath for as long as I can, but eventually I can't do it any more.
The Greni wasn't lying, though; I find the water swishing in and out of my lungs evenly, though I can feel no gills on my neck. It's almost like being above ground, except colder. I clutch the Greni's hand tighter, terrified of being trapped down here when my ability to breathe underwater is taken away.
Alex glances at me through the dark water, looking scared but determined.
Time seems to move differently down here. The Greni swim, but Alex and I don't seem to need to do anything other than keep our hold on our guide. As we get deeper, it gets colder. I wonder if the Greni have ever had humans down here before; I wonder if they know that we need warmth to survive.
It seems to take forever, but finally we reach what appears to be our destination. The Greni don't lead us to the underwater buildings, though, but to a cave set a little off to the side. The two others with us drift off, leaving Alex and me with the male holding our hands. He glides into the cave, propelling himself with only his feet, pulling us along in his wake.
"Here you will be tested," he says, and I am surprised that he is still understandable underwater; when Alex tries to ask a question, all that comes out is bubbles. Somehow, though, the Greni seems to understand.
"You do not do anything; the sacred cave will do the testing. You only need to survive it."
Before either of us can make noises of alarm, everything goes black.
I can't feel anything, not the cold water, nor the Greni's hand on mine. I can't see a thing; though it was dark in the cave to start with, at least there were a few shadows and glimpses of light. Then I feel something... the closest I've ever felt was when I had a terrible headache - as though some raging beast was in my head trying to get out. I try to scream, but I can't seem to locate my body. Images flash before my mind's eye and some of them look familiar - like memories - but it is too fast to tell for sure. I'm not sure if it lasts for seconds or hours before I can't take it any more and I fade into unconsciousness.

I wake up wet and shivering and colder than I've ever been in my life. Turning my head to the side - with great effort - I see Alex lying next to me, looking almost blue with cold.
"Alex?" I force myself up onto one elbow and shake his shoulder. "Can you hear me?"
"Cara?" He is shaking as he sits up, but definitely alive.
"We passed, then," I say. "Unless this is death."
We glance around at the familiar beach and Alex shakes his head slightly. Though neither of us knows what death looks like, we are both pretty sure this isn't it. I try to force myself up further, but Alex isn't even moving, his eyes closed.
"Alex, we need to - "
I stop abruptly as the most wonderful feeling swoops through me: warmth. I am suddenly dry and cosy as though I've just climbed out of bed. I stare at Alex, who is grinning at me. "Magic can be useful, you know," he says.
"You'll have to teach me how to do that," I mutter, standing and giving him a hand up.
"I guess that means we're to find a way to get the king to negotiate with the Greni," Alex says, staring towards the sea. "It won't be easy..."
My mind flicks back to the conversation we had before entering the water. "We'll have to move fast; if we don't, they may get impatient and abandon the idea of negotiations altogether. We don't need the kingdom swallowed while we're still working."
Alex is looking at me with a strange expression.
"What?" I ask.
He doesn't answer.
"What?" I ask again. "Spit it out, Alex."
Someone needs to go to the king," he say slowly. "He needs to be told of the situation and given a change to negotiate. If he refuses, though... we'll need an army; an army of people who can use magic to force him to step down. We don't have time to do both things together. We're going to need to split up."
I stare at him as the facts sink in. Somehow, I can't quite get myself to breathe.

To be continued