Enslaved

Chapter 46

Queen Arabelle smiled at me through the mirror. I was too stunned to do anything but stare. Her eyes shifted towards Raph, who had started to doze off, and her smile widened. She was dressed in royal attire, which further confused me. Her elegant form leaned against the wall as she regarded my son.

"Finally." She chimmed. Her voice was soothing, soft but held a commanding undertone to it; perfect for her stature.

I tilted my head and continued staring, "Am I again visiting the dead?"

She looked at me in amusement, "No child. I am visiting the future."

"You are visiting the future," I echoed her words trying to understand the meaning of them. Suddenly my eyes widened, "it means-"

"I haven't been kidnapped yet." She paused pinning me with her piercing eyes, "Yes. But I will be soon." She smiled sadly.

"Forgive me Your Excellency, for my ignorance." I peeked behind me, and I could see her translucent form.

"There is nothing to apologise for. You are new to all this, I am aware of it." Her eyes held a glint, "I have had my eyes on you for quite sometime now."

"Oh," I could feel the agitation of my predator at the thought of being watched. "Then how it is that I can see you only now?"

"You have unlocked the full potential of your powers now, that's why. You can see me whenever I visit the future and I shall be able to see you when you visit the past."

"I see." I tried to supress the shock, thinking about all those times I visited the cell travelling to the past, the Queen could see me.

Then why didn't she say anything? Wouldn't it had helped her to have someone to talk to?

Observing my inner turmoil, she spoke, "I understand you have lots of questions, don't worry, you will learn everything with time. But you mustn't let anyone know about your powers. No one." She commanded.

I nodded, lowering my eyes. "Understood my Queen."

I saw her feet coming in my line of sight, "I have watched over my son, my husband, my kingdom and you. Needless to say you all have had your lows but I am proud of where you all stand now."

"Thank you, your Excellency."

"Look at me, Epione."

I did as she asked, "I come here asking you for two promises."

"Was is it that I can do for you my Queen?"

She motioned me to stand, "First of all, don't let anyone know about my traversing through time."

She stepped forward and cupped my cheeks, but I couldn't feel her touch, and gave me a soft smile, her eyes held an untold hardness in them, "Promise me to kill him, you will avenge me Epione, you will avenge us all, everyone who suffered because of him."

"But Dorian-" I tried to reason that Dorian should be the one to avenge her but she cut me off.

"No. I get abducted tonight according to my time." I couldn't supress the chills that went down my spine.

"You're pregnant."

"Yes." She whispered.

"How can you go along with it? After knowing everything that's going to happen?"

"Because I have seen the future my child, I also know what will happen after all the suffering and it will be worth it. It was all for this moment and many more such moments to come."

She blinked back tears and stepped away, becoming more transparent with each step,

"Avenge us and while you're at it, destroy that mirror."

"Mirror? Why-"

And just like that, she was gone. I looked around, but found no trace of her.

Turning to my son, I gently tip toed and gathered him in my arms. Sadly, his visit to the dreamland had to be cut short because nothing about breaking out and avenging is silent.

"Wake up baby" I gently shook him.

Raph fluttered his eyes open sleepily; pouting in protest.

"We have to go."

He stared at me with confusion, his eyes taking in our surroundings when they suddenly widened as remembered the events of the past. Looking back at me, he held my shoulders for support and nodded eagerly. Securing him with my left arm, I walked towards the mirror.

"No need of you anymore." Murmuring to myself, I took hold of its one edge and pulled, stumbling a little due to the ease with which it came off. The mate bond was working its magic.

Grinning, I threw the mirror on the metal door, shattering it in million pieces; shielding Raph against the shards of glass that flew in different directions. This had left the metal door ringing. I could hear commotion outside, footsteps came in my direction and stopped against the door. A smirk found its way to my lips when I heard the keys jingling. In a flash I picked a long piece of glass as my makeshift dagger.

The hinges of the door groaned as it was hurriedly opened. The bald man stepped in and visibly paled when he saw me.

"Send alert!" He shouted charging forward; locking the door behind him.

"Heroic, hunter." I tilted my head, "Or foolish, of you to come in alone."

"Won't be the first time I kill a royal." He sneered, pulling out a stake, "I'll stake you like the previous one." He growled, "And I will make that demon child of yours watch as you turn dust."

I let out a hiss as Raph clung to me closer, I could feel his fear.

"Close your eyes and cover your ears." I told him as the hunter and I started circling each other.

"Aren't you worried, your child might get hurt in the fight?"

"He is safest where he is."

With that, I lunged at him. But he was smart, he dodged just in time to save his neck from getting sliced. Wasting no time, I stabbed him in the thigh and started choking him. He choked me back with his left hand and wheezed out,

"What's more painful for mother than her own pain?"

I jabbed him with my shoulder, timely blocking his staked hand that he had aimed at Raph.

"Her son's pain." Regaining my hold on his neck, I kneed him in the stomach and raised him against the wall, then threw him on the broken glass pieces.

He grunted and tried getting up. "What games are you playing?" He asked trying to get hold of a glass piece discreetly but failing.

My shoes made crunching sound as I walked towards him, "None" I blocked his lame attempt to stab me. "I am here to end it all."

Twisting his arm at an unnatural angle, I leaned down and whispered in his right ear, "And for the record, you didn't stake the previous one." He froze at my words, "The Queen didn't let you have that satisfaction, did she? She staked herself." I could see goosebumps running along his neck.

"How-"

I pulled back and faced him with a cold smile, "Do you remember her last words?"

He opened his mouth to say something but I didn't wait. In a flash I had stabbed the glass piece through his heart and let him fall back. His eyes rolled back and mouth hung open in a soundless scream. Searching through his pockets, I found the door key and a silver stake with engraving on it. Taking both of them, I went and stood before the metal door.

Pausing to look down at the tiny figure that clung to me so religious, I sighed. Walking back, I kneeled next to the broken bed and tore the shabby blanket in strips. Pulling back from Raph, I smiled at him to which he returned a hesitant smile of his own. Blocking his view of the dead hunter, I swiftly used the strips to tie him to my front securely. Once I was satisfied, I carried the bed to the front of the door as protection and unlocked it.

As it slowly turned open, deadly silence fell over everything. Each waiting for the other to make a move. Cupping the back of Raph's head, I leaned forward; my hold on the stake tightening.

"Time to fulfil the promise of a good hunt." Raph peered at me innocently, not understanding me, I smiled, "Only this time, I am the predator."