Rakia's POV
"I don't know about this, Rakia." Clifford looked down at the water with an eerie look on his face. "It looks dangerous."
"No, it's not." I pulled off my dress.
"What if something bad happens?" He turned around, eyes widening at the sight of me in just my underwear, then he turned back to the water with a red face.
"Nothing bad will happen," I giggled at his reaction. "Besides I control water, remember?" Stuffing my clothes into a bag, I tossed it at Clifford and he let out a tiny shriek, which made me laugh some more.
"If I die," he spoke in a threatening tone. "It'll be on you."
"You're not going to die, dummy." I swatted his arm. "Now go change."
He shuffled away, cradling
Rakia's POV Two days later. The evening sky was set ablaze with a variety of stars. Some big, some small, each one sparkling in their own special way. It reminded me of how small I was on this planet. I sat alone on the thatched roof of the cottage, replaying today's training sessions over and over in my head. Earlier this afternoon. A group of puppets launched at me with axes and hatchets. Before they could thrust their weapons, I slashed them down with a water tentacle and headed straight for the gong beater they were to protect. Once I hit that thing, I would complete the task for today's training session. Granark stood on the othe
Rakia's POV Richard took the bag full of swiss rolls Lula offered and buried his entire face inside, inhaling the wonderful smell of the pastry. "Aaaahhh," he exhaled. "I'm definitely going to miss your cooking, Lula." "Of course, you will." She gave him a hug. "No one cooks better than me in the entire universe." "You're a hundred percent right about that," Richard chuckled, patting her on the back. I stood at the doorway of the cottage, dreading every moment that led to my impending departure. Time had gone by too fast for my liking. A hand suddenly clamped on my shoulder and I turned to find Granark behind me, dressed in a full robe and hol
Rakia's POV Luca's hooves hit the ground with a rhythmic tempo, that I happily distracted myself with, in order to prevent an emotional breakdown. Granark and I had been riding for almost two hours now, but it felt like an eternity to me. "Let's take a break here!" The old man yelled over his shoulder, slowing down his horse. "We have little ground left to cover. If all goes well, we'll arrive at the boundary before noon." Tugging on my horse's reins, Luca came to a smooth stop at a small creek. He put his lips in the running water as I jumped off him. "Oh, my back hurts like hell!" Granark groaned, taking a seat on a nearby boulder. "Lesson one for aging: Never ride a horse."
Clifford's POV "I can't believe you didn't tell her how you feel!" Richard punched my arm. I ignored the throbbing pain and replied, "It wasn't the right time, Richard." "The right time?" My younger brother shot me an incredulous look. "You do realise that that was our last moment with her, right?" Tightening my grip on the reins, I steered Hero onto a different pathway, trying to widen the gap between me and Richard. I didn't want to give much thought to Rakia's departure, because the more I thought about it, the more it hurt. Richard covered the gap in a few minutes. "Look, I know you think this decision you took is the best. But c'mon Cli
Rakia's POV My head thumped like a base drum and the frequent jostles made it hurt even more, as I lifted my head up. "Auugh..." "Well, it's about time you woke up." My vision wobbled, but after a few seconds of intense blinking, it became stable, granting me a clear view of Granark shackled to wooden boards. My heart jumped in fear. "Wh-where are we?" I tried moving my hands, only to find them bound in some metal contraptions fixed to the wooden walls of a wagon. The reality of everything hit me like a rock. "No, no, no! They kidnapped us?" Granark nodded regretfully. "When I woke up, we were already on the move. I have absolutely no idea where they're taking us." The wagon jostled up and down again on what I guessed
Rakia's POV I didn't know when I fell asleep, but the sound of metal jingles and soft snores pulled me out of dreamland. Blinking a couple of times, my vision finally settled on a sleeping Granark, leaning against the wood and snoring his troubles away. My attention quickly shifted to the doors when I heard scuffles mixed with the same jingling sounds. Metal clinked, followed by a whispered curse, then my eyebrows descended into a frown. Someone was opening the door. Feeling a bit suspicious, I extended my leg and kicked Granark a few times before he jolted awake. "Wh-wha-what's going on?" I nudged my head to the left. "Someone's at the door." Not long after I completed the sentence, w
Rakia's POVGreen and black ribbons of magic parted way as we galloped through the boundary. The pathway Granark had created with his magic was beginning to close up from behind."Rakia!" Clifford appeared on my side, flicking his horse's reins."What's the plan?""Once we emerge from the boundary, follow me," I yelled, loud enough for our companions behind to hear. "I want to find my parents first before anything else."With that, I dug my heels into the sides of my horse. Luca got the message and picked up the pace, pushing Clifford behind us. The magic continued to part and soon green grass came into view. I forced down a lump in my throat. After spending a month here, travelling through the Midlands and being chased by bounty hunters, I was finally returning home, to face the confusi
Rakia's POVWe heard the wagon latch clack open."Ok. The coast is clear." Goon, the tall lanky gardener pulled the wagon doors open.We all jumped onto the cemented ground, happy to be relieved off the cramped wooden vehicle."Where are we?" Richard's gaze flitted around. "I mean which part of the castle are we in?""This is the servants quarters," Goon replied."Where can we find the dungeons, then?" I asked."The dungeons are two floors below us." Goon pointed to an open stairway. "But the guard's quarters is also located on that same floor, so you'll have to be very careful. Now that it's late morning, most of them will be down there slacking off and playing che