Chapter twenty

Screaming as the ghost girl floats closer to me, I try to leave the second chamber but can't. Something is stopping me from leaving.

Turning around to face the ghost girl, she slowly advances towards me. Backing up to the far side of the wall, she follows me, floating above the ground.

Being pressed against the wall, I have nowhere to go. The ghost girl just keeps advancing towards me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, the ghost girl is right up to my face. I can feel a small whoosh of wind like it's her breath on my face. The only feature you can make out is her bright golden eyes. It looks like they a sparkling even though she is dead.

"What do you want?" Opening one of my eyes slightly, I stare at her. She gives me a feeling of despair and I want to look away so badly, but I just can't.

The girl whispers something, I can't hear it.

.

Alarms go off in my head.

Saying loudly, "What do you want?! Let me go!" She just looks at me and raises her transparent finger. When she touches me, the feeling of despair floods all of my emotions. It's the only thing I feel.

"What're you doing to me? Get off of me." Pressing myself farther against the wall as my vision goes black, I feel myself falling out of consciousness.

"Geoffffooofme." My voice sounds slurred and messy.

Feeling a wisp of breath on my ear, I hear the girl.

"Just watch."

The blackness fades. Opening my eyes and blinking rapidly, my vision comes back. But I am not in the same room as before. I am on a scorched meadow.

Burned flora is everywhere, and you can hear explosions and the clash of swords. Shadows form around me. Those shadows take shape into elves and deers. In the crowd of soldiers, I am in, Emmet is in the front on a giant deer with antlers like tree branches and plain, white, sparkling fur.

Looking around me, I stand on my toes and try to glimpse over the head of the soldiers. Making my way forward to see what we are facing, I look for Charlotte. She is nowhere to be seen.

Getting to the front, I try to talk to Emmet. "Emmet? I am here! Emmet?" Trying to touch him, my hand goes right through him. He isn't real.

Yelling, I run past him, and towards a rock that overlooks the battlefield. Below, elves are fighting. There are all kinds of weapons and different potions being thrown.

Looking over to the ridge on the other side, I see Charlotte sitting on a black horse, her long hair blowing in the wind. Beside her is a transparent figure.

Not believing what I am seeing, I try to make my way through the battlefield to get to her. Passing through all the soldiers, I get to the other side. Making my way up to Charlotte, I try to grab onto her. I knew it wouldn't work, but I still did it.

Charlotte shivers and looks behind her, straight at me.

"Charlotte? What are you doing? Charlotte! You're killing your people!" She frowns and turns back to the battlefield, a grin forming on her face.

The scene fades away, and I wake up on the floor of the same room with the ghost girl standing over me. Opening my eyes slightly, I look up at the ghost girl. Sliding across the floor away from her, I stand up.

"What did you just show me? Where was I?"

"I can't tell you. I can only show you. You must harness your power, Hazel! Don't let her get it." The ghost girl fades away as the center of the star on the floor glows.

Glancing around, I dash to the exit. Behind me, the star's light reaches me and a feeling of euphoria floods me, the feeling of despair long gone.

Running through the tunnel and past the statues and carvings, I head into the tunnel; the light fading behind me.

Seeing the light of my room a way ahead of me, I lean against the dirt tunnel, panting hard. Shadows are moving around in my room, making me frown. Catching my breath, I run to my room.

Within a few minutes, I make it to my room. Emmet and a few guards are inside.

When I burst out of the closet, they all look at me, just standing there. Emmet is the first to get out of shock and he comes to me.

"Where did you come from? I checked the closet myself! I checked Charlottes room too!" Frowning, I push him away from me.

"You didn't see the trap door?" He frowns with me. "What trap door?" Dismissing him, I look around. We can figure that out later,

"Where's Charlotte?" Emmet sighs and dismisses the guards. "We don't know. I think she went to the old king." He walks towards the council room, still talking. "Hazel, Charlotte isn't-"

"I know. I saw the battle." We get to the council room and he frowns at me as I walk past him.

"What do you mean you saw the battle?"

"I mean, I saw it. There was a trapdoor in the closet and it leads to this giant chamber. There was a weird light orb that turned into a ghost girl. She touched my forehead and showed me what I think is the future." Emmet sits down in a big chair.

"That doesn't make-" The council doors slam open, and the queen comes stomping in.

"It makes total sense. Now listen to me closely, okay?" Emmet looks annoyed but still nods along with me.

"The old king's army is coming. But the old king is supposed to be dead. His army in the undead, Emmet."

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Sitting down in my chair, I respond to Hazel. "That doesn't make-" The council doors slam open and in comes my mother. My lips go into a straight line at being interrupted again.

"It makes total sense. Now listen to me closely, okay?" Nodding along with Hazel, we listen to my mother.

"The old king's army is coming. But the old king is supposed to be dead. His army in the undead, Emmet."

Sitting there, staring at her. My eyes blink rapidly before I lean back in the seat and clasp my hands.

"What? Their dead?" The queen nods and walks over to Hazel, who looks frightened.

"You are our only hope, Hazel. Harness your power for all of the god's sake!" Getting up, I walk over to Hazell and pull her away. "She doesn't know-how. Hazel did it once at the battle a few days ago, but she doesn't know how." The queen growls and walks out, yelling back at us, "We'll figure it out!" My mother walks out of the room, the council doors slamming behind her, and the guards she brought with her. Hazel looks over to me, a frown on her face.

"What is she talking about?"

Shaking my head, I walk up to Hazel. "No one knows for sure, okay? I have a battle to plan. You can stay if you want." Walking away from her, I call the council together with an alarm that sounds throughout the castle.

"EMERGENCY COUNCIL MEETING." Within a few minutes, all of my council members are sitting in there seats with me in the front.

"Council, we need to figure out how to defeat the undead from the South and the living from the East." The council nods and Geritly raises her hand. Nodding to her, she stands up and clears her throat.

"We don't have enough armies to split up. We would have to advance in one big mass. Group A facing the undead and group B facing the living." Bouncing my head back in forth, I wave my hand and she sits back down.

"Anyone else?" The council members look around at each other before staring at me. "No? Well, that is just great. Make sure the villagers are in the safe house and the castle has the catapults and archers at the ready. A war is coming and we need to win it."

Standing up, I glance around expecting to see Hazel still standing there. Hazel isn't standing there. Walking out of the council room as the members get everything ready, I look around for Hazel. Not seeing her, I turn the corner to see Artanis walking to me, a confused expression on his face.

"Emmet? Where is Charlotte? What happened" Rushing to him, I forget about Hazel. Grabbing his solders, I hug him. "You're okay." Pushing him away from me, I drag him to the medical bay. "I'll fill you in on everything later. Okay?"

"Emmet, Hazel, she can't-"

There's a giant explosion outside, hitting the castle. Me and Artanis look at each other. We run outside.

There is a giant flaming ball that destroyed half of the villages in the distance.

"The battle is coming."

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The king looks up at me. "You can get the Pheonix powers?" Nodding, I move my finger across his solder and to his other ear, moving my head down to whisper in it.

"I just need an army." His finger goes up to his chin, scratching at it.

"The Pheonix powers, huh?" He stands up and yells ina loud, bellowing voice, "GUARDS! GET THE ARMY READY!" Grinning, I follow him as he walks over to the balcony overlooking the burned village.

"Get me the Pheonix powers, Charlotte." Leaning against the railing, I respond.

"I will don't worry." Walking away from him, I go down to where the stabes are, grabbing the blackest deer they have. Pointing at a dead soldier, I yell at him.

"Get me some armor! Make it crimson and black." The soldier glares at me before walking over to a small hut. After a few seconds, he comes out with a full body of armor set that is crimson and black. The grin on my face goes wider as I put it on.

"This battle will be the end of everything." Getting on my deer, the king comes out of the castle, wearing armor himself.

"You're luky I believe you, Charlotte."

"I know. Now, shall we head out?" The army comes out of the courtyard to my left. There are potions, weapons, and catapults.

The king raises his hand and pushes it down and we start off to the central kingdom.

Taking only at least twenty minutes to get there, we see the East coming from the left of us, giant brutes, and a large army of elves.

The east getting to the walls of the outer castle, they take the first hit, firing a flaming ball of fire. Once it hits, the village starts to go up in flames.

As the soldiers go into the meadow below the rock formation m and the king are standing on, I say to myself, "Emmet has no chance of winning."