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For seven nights now, Clara had been living a nightmare seven times over. Over and over again, the same night. The night after her coronation. Last night had been the worse some things not happening and some things happening that weren't supposed to. It was all a disaster.
Now Clara knew who was to blame. Roderick Vilton, her Head-of-Defence. It was his lust for the throne of Cannon that kept her locked up in her night after night, living the same night. And Clara knew all this from someone she least expected. Her slave.
After Clara drifted into restless sleep, her slave had crept in, leaving her a note providing all the information. Like how Roderick was doing it.
In Cannon's treasury, there lies a plain rusty wooden box. The key hangs around Clara's neck. In the box there is a secret so deadly, it could kill Cannon off. And that is just what Roderick was doing. He...
Clara thoughts were forgotten when a knock resounded off the door and around the room. She sat up, taking deep breaths to prepare for the ordeal ahead of her. Her slave told her Roderick planned on making her abdicated publicly, giving the reigns to Roderick.
Three guards led Clara down the long corridor to the Defense Office, where presumably Roderick was waiting. Usually Clara had walked down this corridor relishing the moment to give a command and have it obeyed, but now she was being commanded. And she didn't like it one bit.
As the heavy oak doors swung open, Roderick began talking.
"You have been alerted, Your Majesty, of your current situation?" He used the term "Your Majesty" mockingly, as if teasing me that she was no longer Queen.
"Yes. I am...quite aware of my situation. As you should be of your's. You are not in control, and if you are, it will not be for much longer." Clara tried to sound convincing, but her voice came out a deep growl.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you warning me? Well, sorry to break it to you darlin', but it ain't working! And am I supposed to be scared that Cannon will fall when it has survived all these years? Because I can tell you now, it's. Not. Working!" With these last words, he leaned in till Clara could smell what he had for dinner.
"What do you think you're doing! And how did you get the key anyway?" The gaurds now restrained her.
"So you do know what I did? I thought it might take a while. Seven days. Not bad. The Reverser can only dictates what happens as long as you know what's going to happen. Last night you didn't expect the key to be gone, so the Reverser stopped working. Not really though. You don't notice it but, it is still the same night as it was eight days ago. Time is frozen, and until you abdicate, it will remain as such. So it's up to you, darling, to make time right."
"Don't you get it? The Reverser will use up all of Cannon's energy. That's what it runs on. Cannon's energy. Ever wonder why it wasn't used. Very soon Cannon will run out, and never come back on. You are killing Cannon. Is getting me to abdicate worth burning Cannon?"
For a long time he just stared, his face right next to mine. Finally he spoke.
"Release her," he told the guards, "and as for you, my Queen, you will turn it off. And then abdicate. Is that clear?"
When Clara didn't answer, he continued, "Or is destroying Cannon worth being it's queen?" He knew he'd got her, and she knew he knew he had.
"All right! I will turn it off. But we need to move fast."
The treasury was far below the surface, seven hundred stairs down. Stair after stair they climbed, Clara still bound. It was not until they reached the heavily gaurded treasury door that her hands were cut free. "You hear me, my Queen? You will abdicate, or you will die." Roderick whispered in her ear. The gaurds let them through, then shut the oak door behind them.
"Turn it off. NOW!!" He yelled at Clara.
She took a hesitant step forward.
"I..." She began, feeling the words catch in her mouth.
"Come on, my lady." The words were quiet, but menacing. Clara had no choice. She stepped forward, heading down the spiral staircase that led down to the heart of the treasury.
She stopped at the bottom step and turned to face Roderick.
"I want you to know that I am doing this because of Cannon, not you."
"Whatever the reason, you are to do as I ask, yes?"
The heart of the treasury, a place topped with gold and containing one of the only such items in the world, the Reverser. Clara knew something Roderick did not, the Reverser could only be turned off by taking the life of the individual who turned it on.
"Just out of curiosity, who actually turned it on? Like, who flipped the switch?"
"Myself. I did not trust such a job to one of lower rank and wisdom."
Clara turned away, ignoring the growing apprehension she felt gnawing at her. Shuffling toward the box mounted on a pedestal, Clara unhooked the key from around her neck. Inserting it to the rusty lock, she twisted the key and opened the lid that should never be opened.
Glowing green light illuminated the opaque green cube. The Reverser.
For a while she just held she cube in her hand, staring.
"Go on then! You said it yourself, not a moment to lose!"
"Um....well, you see, to turn it off, I need something. Send your gaurds up to my room and your office. I need both copies of History of Cannon. Hurry!" Roderick gave the signal, and off the fled, leaving Clara and Roderick. She was nervous, and her hands shaking so much, she feared she may drop the Reverser.
"What's wrong then? Turn it off!"
"Uh...the books, I need the books."
Roderick went back to grumbling, and Clara went back to worrying. How will I? I mean, I can't very well just plunge a knife through his heart. Or can I....?
The guards weren't back yet, and Clara was confident she had enough time.
"Oh dear. I forgot. I need something else hidden in here." She went of searching for the "thing" she needed, but inside her brain was busy formulating a plan. She stopped just before a wooden chest. The lid creaked as she lifted it up, but inside, a dagger was nestled inside a cloak. She grabbed that and the cloak, concealing the dagger from detection.
"Why do you need a cloak?" He asked when she came back.
"Uh...."
With one deft motion, Roderick snatched the cloak from me, revealing the cold glint of the blade of the dagger.
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To be Continued: Part III
Happy Writing!
Scarlet
The suspense!!! x)
ReplyDeleteHehehe!! I am so not sure how to end it....:)
ReplyDelete