xii

The knife was knocked out of the air almost as soon as it started flying. People screamed and Yuki seethed. "You really couldn't have done better than that?" Abraxas taunted as Caspian stood from his kneeling position in front of Abraxas.

"He wasn't supposed to transport and stop the damn thing." Perseus said, walking forward as the crowd parted. He untied the mask and flung it to the side.

"You were supposed to stay in the kennel like a good dog." Abraxas replied, walking towards Perseus. Ophelia stood up and took a cautious step forward, but Yuki turned and flicked her wrist, shooting a mixture of ice and snow towards her.

"Would you stay still! I need you captured!"

Ophelia ran to the right, ducking behind chairs, tables, and anything that wasn't alive just in case Yuki decided to do anything that'll result in one of her citizens getting hurt.

Ophelia tried to run out of the ballroom to get to her mother's journal, but Yuki appeared in front of her. "Hi there." She smiled and lunged.

Ophelia ducked underneath her arm and made a dash for the door but Yuki wrapped her fist into her hair and yanked back. Ophelia yelped, causing people to turn towards them. "Nothing to see here!" Yuki hissed out as Ophelia fought against Yuki's grip.

"Let me go, you bitch!" Ophelia yelled, kicking with all her might. Yuki's grip loosened around her hair and she fell backwards.

Ophelia stood up, her hair a mess and her mask lying on the floor. "You made a mistake messing with me." Ophelia glared at her, oblivious to the fact that she had a dark black glow around her.

Perseus even stopped to look at her, eyes wide with wonder. Abraxas' eyes went wide as Ophelia took one more step towards Yuki, who was laying on the ground, wiping at her bloody nose.

"Ophelia! Stop, Darling, stop." Caspian called, standing up. The glowing around her became brighter, her eyes started to turn black. "Ophelia, please. It's not worth it."

Ophelia jerked her head to the side and watched as Caspian slowly made his way towards her.

Whispers rose up. Looks like her mother. Has her mother's powers. Act like her father when provoked. Ophelia ignored them, turning her attention to Yuki once more. She started chanting, words of a language no one has heard in a long time. Shadows whipped through the ballroom towards Ophelia when the chanting stopped and Ophelia went rigid.

Yuki stood up, hand held out in front of her. The temperature seemed to drop 10 degrees. "Yuki! Stand down!" Perseus yelled. "She'll demolish you! Her power's not stable!"

That broke the trance and Ophelia started chanting again, louder. The shadows broke free, flying up to the roof before falling on top of Yuki.

Yuki screamed, and fell. She passed out. Perseus shoved through the crowd and grabbed her, slashing open a rift with a dagger and walked through it.

Ophelia waited until they were gone before her eyes rolled into her head and she fell and the world went dark.

---

"She's going to be alright, Caspian. She has to be." Abraxas and Caspian stood in the throne room, pacing back and forth. Ophelia had been out for about 3 days. "I'm... I'm worried. I shouldn't have left her alone like I did." Casipan rested his left fist on his hip while he ran his right hand through his hair.

"We have to keep a positive mindset." Abraxas pushed, turning to face Caspian. "Has Natalia ever dealt with overexerting her powers?" Caspian asked, at the same time Abraxas started talking.

Abraxas' face pinched in thought. "You know, I'm not sure. We need to check the journal." Abraxas turned and started towards Ophelia's room, Caspian following closely behind him.

"Would you know where she would have it?" Caspian asked as they walked up to her door. Abraxas stopped, hand positioned a few inches away from the handle. "I don't know if she moved it. Or if she hid it."

Abraxas sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"How about this, you check her room, I check on her." Caspian offered. "Good idea." Abraxas said, opening the door and walking in as Caspian turned and ran towards the infirmary.

---

It felt like she was floating. In the deep recesses of mind, she was gliding across the ground, dressed in a flowing black dress. Ophelia looked around before noticing the small pinprick of light in front of her.

Ophelia started towards it, a breezeless air fluttering the skirt of her dress and her hair. There was a soft calling of her name, but she ignored it, still walking towards the pinprick of light.

"Ophelia!" Someone yelled, causing her to jump. Ophelia whirled around, looking for someone who yelled her name. "Right here."

Before her eyes, someone appeared. This woman was unbelievably beautiful. Her dirty blonde hair cascaded in waves around her shoulders. She wore a simple grey silk dress. Her face was what caught her eye.

"Mom?" Ophelia's voice sounded forigen to her, a mix of too nasally and too breathy. The queen smiled and nodded. "You've grown up beautifully." She walked up to her and rested her hands on either side of Ophelia's cheeks.

"I miss you." Ophelia sobbed out. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. Natalia wiped them away before her look became stern.

"You knew you couldn't handle that much power yet you did it anyway! Are you trying to kill yourself?" Natalia asked sternly. Ophelia looked to her feet. "I'm sorry, mama." Ophelia reached up and scratched the side of her nose.

"You can't just do things you know nothing about." Natalia continued, turning and pacing back and forth. "If only I were there to teach you."

Ophelia looked up. "Maybe you can teach me. I have your journal." Natalia perked up and looked over her shoulder. "My journal?" Ophelia nodded. "Someone left it for me."

Natalia shook her head. "That's impossible." Ophelia knit her eyebrows together. "How? I have-" "Ophelia, I destroyed that journal when Perseus was coming to kill me."