Chapter 7

Reyna listened as Serena narrated the events of the previous night and only gave brief replies when required. Seven cities, including the one near them, had been affected by her darkness and even up to now they still hadn't figured out what could have caused it. Reyna didn't trust the lady enough to reveal about her escape and the Magi, the less they knew about her the better for everyone.

Serena herself didn't seem to understand what had happened and Reyna couldn't help in anyway, all she could remember was bumping her head and waking up in the fancy room. She couldn't speak a word about Izzy or the fact that she could control dark energy because she didn't trust the lady. The little she knew about Reyna the better.

Speaking of Izzy, how was Reyna expected to find her mother and how could her mother be tied up with the Magi and the Prince of hell? It was true that most details about her life outside the camp had been forgotten but she couldn't remember her mother ever speaking about the Magi. Then again coming from a person who didn't even remember what her mother looked like or where she used to live that wasn't saying much. Most of Reyna's memories about her mother were fuzzy and unclear, but she remembered her mother's smooth voice and if she struggled she could hear her laugh as it caught the wind.

Reyna also remembered how her mother had the smell of berries crushed in ice. She wasn't sure if that was even a scent but when she thought of her mother the first thing she remembered was the mixed scent of ice and berries. If she was to start looking, Reyna had to go back to where her old house had been and search through the remains for clues. One of the things that held her back was that her old house was the first place the Magi would look for her.

She had been a child when she had been captured and that was the only place she knew from her life before. Reyna had been in the Magi long enough to know how they thought, going back to her childhood home was walking into a trap and she couldn't risk it. News about the mysterious black outs should have already reached their ears as little happened in the world that they didn't know about.

Fortunately they had no reason to tie it to her unless the master had revealed the truth about her powers. Her trainer was the only other person who knew about them and he was trapped in the camp. The next time she saw Izzy, she would ask her if that meant he wasn't allowed to leave the place.

Just thinking of her trainer made Reyna taste the bile that shot to her throat threatening to choke her. It was a good thing that Serena was too occupied with what she was doing to see the struggle she was going through. It all made sense now, only a prince of hell could be heartless enough to...

No she couldn't allow her thoughts to go down that road.

"That must be the food I requested," Serena said to Reyna before addressing the person at the door, "come in."

Reyna hadn't heard a knock. Maybe she had been too deep in her thoughts to hear. She deserved a thorough punishment for letting her guard down. Instead of the butler who had worn a suit, a man in jeans and a white T-shirt entered with a tray of food in his hands. With his back towards them he moved to the opposite side to place the tray on the table there.

From what she observed, Reyna could tell the man had elegant features. His shoulder length hair that was the blue color of the sky on cloudless night obscured his face from her, so she couldn't tell the color of his eyes. Her scrutiny was cut shot by the electric tingles that surged through her skin. Her pulse was a bit fast and her energy was out of sorts. Her control on her powers was slipping and it took all her mental focus just to keep it in check. What could have possibly triggered this kind of reaction?

When the man turned around she got a clear of his face and when her eyes looked with his, she froze. A familiar pair of ghostly white eyes stared at her and her control flew out the window. Her body was moving before she could think clearly and her brain's last command came through before she finally saw red.

"Finish it."

____________________

A voice was calling her from a far, she ignored it. The muffled voice became more and more insistent until she finally felt as if she was submerged underwater.

"Reyna calm down, its not what you think it is."

It was Izzy. What was she talking about?

"Reyna focus on my voice, I know you can't see me right now but I promise to come to you when they leave. Please let go of him Reyna, it's not what it seems."

"Then what is it?" Reyna couldn't think of any other possible explanation for his cold eyes other than the one she already knew. He was a prince of Hell, he needed to die. She had seen the havoc one of them could cause and she couldn't let another one live.

"He is here to help, I promise and he is not a prince of Hell. I told you I would never put you in any danger, so please believe me. All the answers I am not able to give, you can get from him." Izzy's voice began to fade slowly until it was no more than a buzz in the distance and the feeling of breaking through a viscose barrier gripped her again before letting go suddenly.

The dark spots that clouded Reyna's vision parted and she was able to finally see the scene in front of her. A soft coaxing voice came from behind her but she wasn't paying attention. All her senses were flooded with the man who was currently under her. Their eyes were locked in a battle of sort and none of them dared to look away. Reyna's hands were at his throat and judging from the amount of pressure she had been applying he wouldn't have lasted very long. She ease the pressure by just a bit, enough to prevent crushing his windpipe but one wrong move and it was all over.

As she watched, small dark specks started to swirl in his eyes. Tiny at first but in seconds they had covered the white irises which turned into an obsidian black that Reyna now associated with Izzy. What exactly was she dealing with here?

"I think I can feel one of my ribs breaking, so please if you don't mind can you get off my chest?"

His voice was a bit deep but smooth and sophisticated. It caught Reyna off guard and without her knowledge, her grip slipped allowing the man to reverse their positions. She ended up with her hands locked above her head and his firm grip on them didn't move no matter how hard she struggled.

"Serena, why is your friend trying to kill me?"he addressed the other woman who was shocked at the turn of events. His worst mistake was taking his eyes of Reyna. Unfortunately for him, he had left her legs unsecured. After executing a complicated move that involved a lot of upper body strength to twist her legs and kick him on the side, she was free. Her only advantage was the element of surprise, otherwise with his bodyweight, he wouldn't have barged if he had been prepared. All those practice sessions with her slave driver of a trainer were finally coming in handy.

Reyna put some distance between them and took the time to examine the situation. The man's eyes were dark, almost as if she had imagined the ghostly shade all on her own. She knew she hadn't, knew she couldn't have made a mistake on something as dire as this. Izzy had asked her to listen and that was what she intended to do but if this turned out to be a set up, she wouldn't hesitate again. It wasn't a coincidence that they were the ones who found her, the whole thing was just too suspicious.

"Reyna, this is Miran, Miran meet Reyna." Serena had overcome the initial fright and her nature dictated that she observe proper manners. Though the two looked as if they would rather fight than shake hands.

"I don't think I have ever met a lady with such skill in a one-on-one fight, it is an honor to be in the presence of a true warrior." Miran went on further to bow as a show of respect.

No one had ever shown any respect towards Reyna and therefore she was out of her depth. She knew her features remained indifferent and none of the turmoil she was battling inside actually showed up on her face. She was not used to how normal people reacted and until she could find out more about them, it was better to just stick to what she knew.