Chapter Twenty-Three

Gripping the bow in both hands once again, she summoned another arrow to place into it. Lifting it to aim at the rattled Princess this time, she barked.

“GET THIS DESPONDENT NYMPH ATTENDANT FROM MY SIGHT! IF YOU HAVE TO DRAG HER AGAINST THE GROUND LIKE A CRIMINAL, SHE RIGHTLY BESTOWED UPON HERSELF, SO BE IT!”

Resisting their rough pull, Sea was resulted to being dragged across the ground like a slave. Her once beautiful dress had become a mess, the stones and small twigs tearing through the soft fabric, and it soon became smudged all over with dirt.

Alas, her image was unimportant, and she did not dwell on that fact because she was far too inconsolable and desperate at the moment.

She continued to bawl and fight their tight hold by grabbing onto the ground, her nails breaking from the force. Instantly she began to bleed, for it had pierced her flesh, but she did not feel the pain. Glaring at her spiteful sister, whose face had scrunched with further disgust, she averted her blurry eyes to look at the Princess.

She smiled despite her discomfort.

The fight slowly left her eyes as her energetic movements to escape had seized. Still gazing at the nervous Princess, she grabbed a fistful of soil in her hands before the warriors had roughly pulled her onto her feet.

With another smile in the Princess's direction, she sent the soil in the Warriors' eyes without hesitation. Abruptly they removed their arms from around her shoulders to remove the discomfort from their eyes with wails of pain.

Using this opportunity to her advantage, she formed a ball of crystalized water in her hands. She sent it in Oshio’s direction, who quickly evaded it because of her fast reflex.

Because of this sudden distraction, she had released the arrow, and it missed its mark by two inches.

The glimmering arrow, before it disappeared, had gone straight into the ground near a frightened Diana’s feet.

“SEA, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!”

Snarling her name with pure hatred and irritation, Oshio was rigid with fury.

“Run, Princess! Run!”

Screaming with conviction, she quickly intercepted the grabby hands of the same Warriors. That was because their eyes were still bloodshot and aching. She had most appreciatively blinded them for life.

With speed and determination, she ran and threw herself into her sister that caused both of them to fall hard onto the ground.

Wrestling between them soon occurred.

Troubled by the fervent admonition and scene, Angelique placed a hand on her chest. Biting her lip to prevent the sob wedged in her throat from escaping, she hesitated, for Sea’s action was not right.

Like General Caspian, Commander Li, and Ocean, Angelique was reluctant to allow Sea to risk her life on the line for her safety.

She needed to do and think of something fast.

On the other hand, Oshio was winning the struggle against Sea.

Swiftly, Oshio kicked her in the stomach after bashing her head onto her chin since Sea had her face down on the ground. Sea's grip slightly slackened from the assault, but she remained reluctant. The pain had knocked the breath right out of her lungs, but she ignored it as best as she could.

Her main goal was to take her sister's weapon.

It was visible, but as her hands had lightly gripped around it, Oshio had growled before summoning sharp water whips to intercept her conniving acts.

Quickly, Sea dodged the slice by jumping a safe distance from her. Her breathing was chaotic while blood dripped down her mouth from where her teeth had punctured her skin from her sister's earlier head smack. She was unmatched against her sister. The wounds visible an indication of such, but she was doing this to stall time.

"So, you want to take away my bow?"

Oshio snared with a scary grin, but Sea evilly smirked as she lifted the bow in front of her.

"Do you mean this bow?"

She had taken it when her sister had head-butted her.

She glanced down at the object she was holding, and it had turned out to be condensed ice shaped into her bow. It fell through her fingers as it quickly melted. That technique was Maker. It allowed someone to create anything they desired. It was a difficult technique to learn. An apprentice Water Nymph would have been unable to do so, but Sea had surprised her.

Oshio narrowed her eyes, for Sea had fooled her.

"SEA! GIVE ME BACK MY BOW!"

Barking, she was enraged, but Sea had deflected her anger by showing the action of breaking the bow on her knees. Oshio wavered. Her heart spiked in her chest.

Sensing the Princess's eyes on her, Sea barked, without turning in her direction.

“Run, Princess! There is no time for hesitation! Forget about me! LEAVE!”

Gripping the bow tighter in her hands, she gazed into her sister’s panicky and shocked eyes with a wicked smile spreading across her lips.

Every single person, who had made an adamant move to stop her, had paused in their steps, for the most precious Royal Object of the Water Nymph Kingdom was now in her hands.

"Any wrong move from any one of you, and I will destroy it!"

She growled, and it was not a bluff.

What she threatened was suicide, but it was detrimental. Pulling the bow towards her chest, she swallowed. Feeling salty tears falling from her eyes to trail down her chin, Sea slowly raised the bow into the air.

“Are you not going to beg for it, elder sister?”

Taunting words, as she looked down upon her mighty and elegant sister, Sea ignored the far-away cry of the Princess, as she formed a shield around herself to prevent any unnecessary interruption.

“Do not be stupid, Sea! WHATEVER THAT IS IN YOUR NAIVE MIND, PLEASE DISPEL IT! DO NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID, YOU HEAR ME? DO NOT, SEA!”

Closing her eyes while ignoring her elder sister's vigilant warning, Sea only had a few seconds before the neutralizing technique she left on her elder sister's body would vanish.

Slowly, she performed the technique that not even her elder sister or an experienced apprentice could do. Sweat erupted on her forehead, her heart rate increased, and her breathing became raspy, but she continued.

That dangerous and deadly technique was Shatter—an appropriate name because it destroyed something into nothingness. She slowly reopened her eyes to see that her sister had fallen onto her knees, her eyes pleading.

"Please do not do this, Sea. I will give you anything, even the title as Crown Princess."

It was a perfect position that she had always wanted her to be: a groveling mess at her feet. It was an unbecoming sight to see her elder sister beg for something once in her life.

“If only Ocean were here to see you beg, elder sister.”

Emotionlessly whispering, Sea began to shine a brilliant blue.

Turning in the Princess direction, she smiled, before the bow as well as she had disintegrated.

“NO!”

Screaming, Oshio gripped the soft dirt in her hands.

Bending her head over her trembling hands, for only a small heap of blue dust occupied the area, Sea once stood; she was livid. Banging her hands against the ground, she suddenly barked, her tearful eyes turning in Angelique’s direction. She was blaming her for her plights.

“YOU SLY DOGS TRYING ACROBATS; DO NOT LET THE PRINCESS ESCAPE! KILL HER IF YOU MUST!”

“Queen Oshio, have you gone mad?! We are not to kill the Princess!”

Glaring in Rolando’s frantic direction, Oshio’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“DO YOU THINK I CARE IF SHE LIVES OR DIE?! MY PLANS SHOULD SUCCEED NO MATTER WHAT COURSE OR ACTION WE TAKE! NOW SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND COMMAND YOUR DOGS TO GET HER!”

A dark smile, Rolando shouted.

“YOU HEARD THE QUEEN BOYS. GET HER!”

With saliva dripping down their jaws, the Lycans became exceedingly excited.

Allowing the root bridge to relapse, Angelique quickly turned Diana around to begin running once again, for the beasts that had managed to survive the falling bridge had jumped onto the ground, and their mad pursue resumed.

They were burning with anticipation. The murderous commands had awakened new resolve of hunting her down.

With tears pricking her eyes, Angelique gazed down at her abdomen.

“I will protect you, no matter what happens.”

Riding hard and fast towards the Sprites Kingdom with the beasts hot on her tail, her heart ached for the two new friends she had lost.