-----------

RACHEL

*

"You're taking Coco with you?" Rachel asks her sister whose indigo eyes shine bright on her pale face. Her silver-blonde locks are covered under a sapphire hood. A black belt is wrapped around her dress of the same colour as her cloak, with both of the amethysts daggers hidden underneath her cloak with Coco at her side. The deep scar on her cheek is visible with the hood barely covering it. Caroline had never told her where it came from. Maybe because she was never brave enough to ask.

Caroline raises both of her eyebrows. "Duh! You think I am going to leave her here with a lion outside? No, thank you." Rachel quietly laughs. The stars shimmer brightly outside in the dark. There are only blue flames lit above them on the chandelier, similar to Rachel's room except hers is green. They had been planning for this the whole evening.

"Ok, you got everything?" Rachel confirms. Caroline nods and shows the four cubes of ice she had asked from Perla to' practice' her powers. Rachel notices her keeping a dark green book back on the night table. She takes a glance at it and reads- 'Twisted Tales of Elements'.

"Let's go," her sister urges.

Both of them move out of the room. The hallway is absolutely empty and even a drop of feather could disrupt this silence. Unfortunately, Rachel was going to make much more noise than a feather. She tightly hugs Caroline who affectionately returns the gesture. "Stay safe." Then Rachel lets out the most blood-curdling scream one could think of. "Help! Help! Help!" She shouts as Caroline runs away and disappears down the hall.

Rachel is soon gathered around by her chestnut-eyed handmaiden, Kamini, Perla, and other spirits. "Your Majesty, what happened?" Kamini urgently questions her.

Rachel tries her best to shake as furiously as possible. "I...I saw a purple light outside...It almost blinded me...I...I-" she stops herself as soon as she sees Alyssa walking towards her with her wings of darkness.

"What is wrong, Rachel? Are you fine?" The fairy holds onto Rachel's arm.

She gulps and answers, "I saw...a purple light. I was looking outside the window and...I don't know. I don't know!"

Alyssa looks around her. "Your chamber is on the other side of the Palace. What are you doing here?"

Rachel nervously stutters, "I don't remember. It all happened...so fast. I don't remember anything."

Her friend settles her eyes on the dark blue door near where they are standing. "Rachel, where is Caroline?"

Rachel takes in a deep breath. Hopefully somewhere safe.

-----------

My pale hand is tinted blue as I grip the ice, careful not to crush it. It feels cold yet comfortable. Like a cool shower after a sunny day. Except nothing is sunny about tonight.

I quietly walk towards the backyard, expecting to find some guards standing near the exit. I had let my cat go to the river by herself. She knows the direction better than I do. I make as little noise as possible, barely able to see anything. Suddenly, I hear a crack of a branch.

With a grip on the sapphire hilt of the dagger on my right, I stand beside a white pillar.

"The scent of water is strong here," a soft-spoken male voice states.

Suddenly, a hoarse female voice says, "Let me inspect," I slightly turn my head around to see an orange mist approaching me with a turquoise mist floating behind it.

They look more like a silhouette than a layer of mist. I know that trying to hide from them would take a lot of time and be a big risk. A risk I am not interested in. So what do I do? I take an even bigger risk. I reveal myself to them.

"Who are you?" The hoarse spirit asks.

I take off my hood and stand tall. "Water Queen Caroline of Clan Skye, Lady of Ice, Mistress of Rains, and Empress of the Seas. Do I need a further introduction?"

The turquoise mist immediately floats above its companion and gets close to me. "Your Imperial Majesty, what are you doing at such an hour? Has something gone array?"

I clear my throat. "Actually, yes. My little sister is in extreme danger and I have been trying to find all the Council members. All guards of the Palace have to go upstairs. Do you fill that role?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. The Merindukas are the guards of night. But we have been told to only listen to Lord Samuel's orders." The orange mist replies.

"Well, he would have told you the same thing. I am trying to find him. Besides, I am the Water Queen and the Earth Queen is in danger. Didn't you hear her screams?" After receiving no answer, I add, "it's about Angelica."

Both the mists move like a python, wrapping around each other, and before I know it, they vanish.

After a moment, I walk out of the Palace onto the green grass. I cover myself with the hood and head to the dark sparkling river. The ice still cold in my hand, closely touches my ring. As I look around and start running, I instantly trip over a sharp vine.

I find myself tangled in the vines. I hadn't seen them while I was practicing with Alyssa and Ingozi. Their thorns sting my toes like a needle puncturing a piece of white parchment. Soon, I realise that the vines are twisting themselves around my leg, turning it a shivering blue. Another thing I notice is that the blood oozing out of my toes is also the same colour.

I know shaking my leg out of them would do nothing and could do even more harm. So, I take out one of my daggers and start sawing the vines. They seem to tighten themselves even more. But with two simple strikes, I manage to cut them with and in the process, cut a deep gash on my foot.

I free myself from them and run as fast as I can with the amethyst dagger in my hand. With blue blood dripping down my ankle, I bear the pain with a small whimper and finally see a bobbing furry ginger face. I reach the river, dragging my foot on the red grass, and instantly put it in the cool water.

A wave of relief washes over it. But then I hear a loud ringing from the Palace.

I quickly put the dagger back in the sheath and divide the pieces of ice with two each in my hands. I close my eyes and imagine the painting of the Land of Lights I had seen in the book. I step into the middle of the river, my body totally submerged in the calming waters. Yet the fiery land still glowing inside my head.

I feel a paw under my palm as I start to feel the heat against my face. The water becoming warm and then hot while the scarlet and the yellow trees are glimmering on the shore of the river. I am thankful for the freezing ice sticking to my hands. The cold is relaxing compared to the palpable heat burning my skin. My body starts to feel numb... And then finally, I open my eyes.

-----------

PHOEBE

*

She ignores the screams behind her. She ignores the glowing red sky above her. She ignores the thick black smoke hovering around her. The rings on her mocha skin shimmer at the sheer presence of the dragons. The phoenix feathers on her arrows are brighter than ever.

They range from the grimiest black to the bloodiest scarlet to the most stunning yellow. Their wings wide open and their dark claws digging into the sharp blades of grass. Then before Phoebe knows it, one of them releases a ball of fire towards her.

Phoebe doesn't move an inch. Her whole body is set on flames and yet, she feels calm and free. The red fire wraps itself around her like a warm blanket in the middle of the cabins. The flames slowly die out. She stands still unaffected.

"What? You surprised?" She mocks the scarlet beast who instantly lifts itself from the ground and lets out a searing screech. The whole area erupts into chaos.

Phoebe fumbles around trying to find the one she wants. "C'mon, any of you sit still! I wanna take a proper look at you."

Suddenly, she notices a black dragon sitting atop the cave. Its amber scales on both the body and the wings glow like lines of glitter in the night. It looks down upon the smaller orange dragons fighting amongst each other and lets out a waft of black intertwined with amber from its large nostrils, chasing away the tiny creatures. Finally, its amber eyes lock in with Phoebe's.

She runs to the edge of the cave, avoiding the other beasts, being lapped up in different shades of fire. While running, she manages to unstrap her quiver and starts climbing up the cave.

She struggles to find a grip on the rocky top and strains a muscle while stretching her hand as far as she could. But then she feels a sudden stab in all of her fingers. She looks up to find those very amber eyes staring down at her.

The quiver in her other hand falls down the rocks, leaving her dangling with only the claws pierced in her fingers holding up. The dragon almost spreads its wings wide when Phoebe stabs an arrow on its neck, its halting screech deafening her.

Phoebe holds onto the arrow and rotates to seat herself upon its back as it takes off. Despite the arrow in its neck, the dragon has no difficulty in spreading its gigantic wings. Finally, both of them are in the air.

The whole world becomes silent as it flies. As she flies. Amber flames surround her and her rings are set aflame in each colour. She feels as bright and powerful as the sun itself, claiming the sky under her control. Her brown hands graze over the tough skin of the dragon and she slowly pulls out the arrow, which doesn't seem to bother her. Phoebe realises that her dragon is a female as she caresses her amber scales, feeling the warmth under her hands.

Both leave behind all the screams and screeches and fly towards the red clouds. Both are amber beasts cloaked in fire.

*

All the Elemental Queens have now their creatures with them. What will happen to their journey with pegasuses, whales, wolves, lions, and dragons under their control? Can Caroline reach her sister in time? What happened to her in the river? How will Angelica react to Phoebe's dragon? And are the sisters ready to face the lady that controls the magic of Manelysse? Find out in the next chapter.

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