⁰⁰² | To the Choosing We Go

🎧 Slow Down by Jessica Baio

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My thoughts died the second I heard a key moving in the door, and I instantly forced my body to get up from where I had sat down with my back and arms pressing on the ash spikes, which is extremely harmful for us Fae, and it can even be deadly if you're a bit weaker. Just like Rose, the 14-year-old girl who defended me as soon as I arrived here, she was sent here after being beaten by Lisa, and she was never seen again. I feel sick with grief every time I remember her. It was my fault.

"Davina," Mrs. Tanya Hamilton, the old sadistic bitch who works with Mr. Fletcher, called me, and when she saw the blood and the bruises in me, a sickening satisfied grin curled her lips, "time to go."

My throat was so dried given how long it's been since I drank water, that I was unable to speak a word or make a sound, if I did I'm sure it would bleed. So, I just nodded, and making sure to look worse than I am, I dragged myself out of the torture claustrophobic room, and my entire body flinched and nearly recoiled when I was hit by daylight. Daylight makes me sick, I'm not a daylight type of Fae, I'm what most call a night-breed.

"The warden is already here to summon all the kids for WIA, so you won't be able to bath, eat, drink, or get some healing potion, ain't that unfortunate?" She grinned viciously.

I said nothing as she covered me with a coat, given how I'm almost naked, unable to speak, and just walked with her, urging the moment I'll be able to take those damn anti-magic shackles off me. And when I do, I will murder Lisa Thalassa, for all she did to me, for Rose, and I'll enjoy it.

In silent we walked from the attic, down the stairs, and then to the living room, my feet bleeding and every muscle of my body aching. "The leftover is here," Mr. Fletcher hissed, as if he did not intend on letting them know about me. "Is this creature what you wanted?"

The WIA warden's eyes widened in horror when he saw me, "It is prohibited to hide faes in the age cut for the Choosing, Mr. Fletcher. And no matter what you did to this kid, she is a Fae and she is in the cut age. You should not have hidden her from me," he hissed at Mr. Fletcher.

Hah, I cannot believe he had the audacity to try hiding me.

"What is your chosen name?" He asked me.

Our chosen name is how we go by, because telling our given birth name to anyone is just dangerous, given how much power they could hold over us with that. My chosen name is Davina, but my real name is Ravenna. With my fingers, I draw my name in the air, then pointed to my throat.

"Davina?" I nodded. "Are you mute?" I denied and he frowned. "Is your voice gone momentarily?" I nodded again and he walked to me, then, with no disgust like I imagined first, he held me up and took me in his arms like I weighted nothing, which is close to the truth in the moment. "You are wounded, I'll take you like this so you won't die in our way there, because of the orphanage's director's irresponsibility," he hissed, side glaring Mr. Fletcher who turned ashen pale.

"That is against,"

He cut him, "A fae who didn't even make the cut for WIA should learn how to stay the fuck shut, and how to understand authority. I am the authority in here, Thomas Fletcher, not you. You are nothing."

Oh, if the fury in his eyes didn't give me utmost joy.

"How old are you, Davina? 14?" Ouch. I showed him two fingers twice and he frowned. "You are 22?" A nod. "You look… this bastard," he cursed under his breath. "All of you kids on the age cut, the director and his right hand, come forth. Anybody else, stay here," he growled angered. Then he turned his amber eyes to me, "I'm River," he said into my mind, I froze.

He's using telekinesis, that type of magic is rare, and I've only seen it in a particular family, a family that used to be a Dukedom under the late usurped Imperial family, one that's now the 5th Royal family that rules the Empire. The Lendorr, which can only means, he's one of them. The last I remember, they had three sons, one that was 2 years older than me, and the twins that are my age. This one must be the oldest, hence, the heir.

That makes him 24 years old, all the wardens in WIA are the kids from the last year, the seniors, they are the wardens who represent WIA out of the academy grounds, but when in it they are leaders. If he's a warden, he is a senior this year. Sure, he was 9 years old when his parents actively participated from the usurpation of the Empire, but it doesn't take away the blame from his bloodline, even less erases how he must be enjoying all the privileges from the usurpation that made him a Crowned Royal Prince.

Keeping my thoughts far away from his reach, thankful for all the rigorous mental training I went through a long time ago to keep people like him away from my mind, by creating a strong mental shield that I can keep it up even with the shackles on; I pressed my lips together, "I'm Davina," I replied in my mind and he blinked, as if surprised.

"This year, we won't be teleporting through magic," he spoke to everyone as we began to leave the orphanage, "we'll be going on something better." Then he took three steps forward and stopped, "Beliel," River all but shouted to something in front of us.

Then, what was invisible became visible, and out of nowhere there was a huge demonic dragon in front of us, its scales green like emerald, but its eyes were black and there were spirals on them. Those simpletons may not know what's in front of them, but I know, and that's a demonic being. And the sight of it made me flinch, not scared, but furious.

How did they manage to get demonic dragons with them, when they failed to gain immortality and hence direct contact with the demons whom they sacrificed the Imperial family to? How? How is this possible?

"We'll ride a dragon," River exclaimed with an amused grin.

"The legends were true?" The kids beamed.

In fact, everyone beamed, except me. I didn't beam at all. There's not a cell in my body that's happy with what is in front of me. How did they get into contact with them? The demons only got to them initially to get the blood of the Imperial family back, their lives, because they were interested in them, and only them.

Are those fuckers working with the demons now?

To my horror, the dragon's eyes paused on mine, not on any of the others, not on River's, but on mine, and I swear there was a ghost of a grin on his huge and full of sharp teeth mouth. And to make it worse, the damn beast lowered its body and its head as if greeting me.

"Hah, so you're finally being a good girl," River scoffed. "Wasn't time, you're finally understanding who I am, Seir."

She's not understanding who you are, idiot. She's understanding who I am. You're not who her kind wants, I am.

But so what? The demons can't get to me. They can't kill me now.

Not after I stole the immortality potion they got from sacrificing my family to them. I'm the last Imperial standing, and they can't even kill me, because their spell turned against them, and now I am eternal.