The Ivory Queen
Chapter 118

***Aurora***

I gasp for air, my eyes shooting open to find myself laying on a cot in a cell with my ankle chained to the wall. My wounds were no longer spilling b***d and I watch in awe as they begin to heal themselves, a bit of light peeking through the cuts before the wounds closed themselves together, leaving no trace of the horror I experienced. Panting, I raise my head a little to see Karina’s back turned to me as William drags Rosalie out onto the stone table still drenched in my b***d.

Rosalie pleads with William, begging him to let her go, but he was only following orders. Oliver, on the other hand, is no help, his wolf laying calmly on the cool stone ground, watching the events unfold before him.

Directly across from my cell, Celina’s g****s as she becomes alert, her grey eyes darting all about her cell to take in the information.

I no longer sense the little fly and only hope to the Moon and Sun it was bringing help and Chava hadn’t betrayed me. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme lately.

Another scream draws my attention and I turn to see William and Adeline begin to tie Rosalie down, the sword in Karina’s hands aching to take a life.

David stands off to the side, his hands clenched in fists and his face unreadable.

I try thinking of a portal but it seems my powers have yet to return. Ever so quietly, I roll off the cot and inch my way towards the cell door to get a better look.

The witches stare at Rosalie’s bump, cruel grins dancing on their lips. Their mouths move quietly and I realize they’re chanting under their breath. When they finish, Karina raises the sword above her, ready to end the small life that was only beginning.

Suddenly, a blur rushes at Karina before she can strike down her sword and knocks her to the ground.

“No!” David snaps, kicking the hilt of the sword out of the way and pinning Karina beneath him. “You will not hurt my daughter!”

He throws a punch at Karina and she retaliates with a knee to the groin, giving her the opportunity to strike back. They struggle for power, the witches watching in amusement. After a minute however, their patience wanes and Tais’s eyes begin to glow red. David’s body abruptly stiffens, the veins on his neck bulging as he struggles to breath. He drops on all fours, gasping for air. Karina gets to her feet and staggers to the sword. With it firmly in her hand, she stalks back to David, panting as she catches her breath.

Rosalie screams as Karina raises the sword once more and plunges it through his back, the blade slicing clean through his body so that it sticks out from his chest. He sucks in a breath, his eyes following the length of the blade before looking up at his whimpering daughter.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, the last of his strength leaving him as he slumps over to the side.

“Oh goddess!” Adeline cries, rushing to his side. “Oh goddess what did you do!”

“He shouldn’t have done that,” Karina mutters before pulling out the blade for his chest.

B***d quickly pools around him onto the stone floor, a bit of it seeping from his mouth. He coughs a little, choking on his b***d.

“Oh David, David, David,” Tais sighs, strolling over to her two minions. “Look at what you did!” she says, pointing to the b***d staining the floor. “Look at this mess!”

His body trembles as he struggles to take short, ragged breaths. Tais crouches down on her haunches to look him in the eyes.

“All you had to do was cooperate,” she sighs again. “Such a waste.”

“f**k you,” he snarls, spitting b***d on her face.

She smirks, wiping the b***d with the back of her hand before reaching for his neck and choking him.

“I’m going to enjoy making her suffer,” she hisses in his ear, squeezing even harder. “Too bad there’s nothing you can do to save her.”

Black veins start bulging from David’s neck, b***d dripping from his nose. His eyes fill with fear as he takes one last breath before his head hangs, Tais tossing him to the side like a rag doll. She smooths her shirt a little and smiles at Karina.

“Proceed,” she chirps.

Karina returns her smile and walks over to the stone table, Rosalie writhing against her chains and screaming at the top of her lungs.

“No!” She screams. “No! No! Let me go!”

I tug on my own chains, ignoring the burning sensation on my palms as I pull at the chains.

Come on Reyna! Wake up!

Karina once again raises the blade over her head, taking a deep breath as if savoring the moment.

1, 2…

I’m here! Reyna announces, making me sigh in relief.

Without a second to lose, I bring my fists together and pound them to the ground, making the stone floor tremble and creating a crack the splits the prison in two. Karina staggers back a little as the earth screeches while the witches grab onto each other for balance. Vines burst through the crater on the floor and wrap around Karina’s leg, lifting her up in the air and holding her upside down by her ankle.

Celina’s cell fills with ice as she freezes her chains and breaks free from them before teleporting out of the cell and out onto the middle of the mess hall. Taking her cue, my palms burst into a fire so hot, I melt through the silver and break free. Opening a portal out of the cell, I reappear beside Rosalie, getting to work on setting her free.

“Aurora!” She cries in relief. “I knew you would save me.”

“I wouldn’t count your victory just yet,” Ira snickers.

I look up to see her snap her fingers, opening the doors to every cell in the room. The rogue captives pour out of their silver enclosures, eager to carry out their orders. We quickly find ourselves surrounded by sickly wolves with piercing red eyes, each ready to attack.

I work quickly to melt through Rosalie’s chains as Celina takes a protective stance in front of us. A few rogues charge at us and Celina quite literally blows them all away with a powerful gust of wind. The prison walls tremble as the force of the air rushes through, parts of the ceiling threatening to crumble on top of us.

“No more wind,” I snap, growing some vines along the walls to keep the ceiling from caving in.

Celina nods and turns back to the rogues who once again begin to charge. “Ice it is then,” she mutters.

Cool mist forms at the palm her hands as she flings ice crystals at the rogues, sharp icicles piercing their throats and ending their lives. I finish freeing Rosalie from her chains and pull her to my chest.

“Did they hurt you?” I ask looking for wounds and she shakes her head at me before her eyes widen.

“Look out!”

From the corner of my eye, I see Karina rush towards me with sword of insanity in her hands. She must have cut herself free from my vines. I create a force field around us, narrowly avoiding being decapitated by Karina as she swings the sword down on us.

She glares at me in anger as she swings the sword again in hopes of breaking my shield but it’s useless. I imagine a hand on her neck and she begins to gasp for air as I choke her telepathically. Dropping my force field, I concentrate on her neck and squeeze harder until Karina turns reds.

“No más, Karina,” I growl. “No más {No more}”

Celina suddenly screams as a wolf manages to jump on top of her, snapping its nasty teeth at her face while she desperately pushes her arms against him. I drop Karina and turn to my sister, aiming bolts of lightening at the rogues racing towards her. A large icicle forms from Celina’s stomach and impales the rogue through its chest, ending its cruel life instantly.

Completely immersed in my task dealing with the endless stream of rogues, I almost don’t sense Karina rush up behind me. Almost.

I spin on my heel and create a portal beneath her feet, causing her to fall through it. A separate portal opens on the ceiling and she comes tumbling down to the ground, crashing with a thud.

“Oh Luuuunaaaa,” Tais sings, her voice sending chills down my spine.

Tais and Ira cackle behind me, the b***d draining from my face as they release Michael from his chains. He leans on his haunches before charging towards Rosalie, canines ready to tear into her. Rosalie freezes in fear, staring at her brother as he races towards her.

“Michael, no!” I cry out, forcing my legs to move. I feel a jolt of energy burst through me and I move at the speed light. Within the blink of an eye, I have my arms wrapped around Michael’s neck as I pull him back into chokehold.

“Come on baby, stay with me,” I pant, using every ounce of strength I had to keep him from escaping my arms. “Snap out of it, please!”

He responds with a snarl, struggling to break free from my arms. I squeeze a little harder, but he only squirms more violently, making it harder for me to try to heal the spell out of him. His head slams against my own, causing little black spots to blur my vision. My grip on him loosens slightly as I fight to stay awake when Michael twists his neck around and buries his teeth in my side.

The pain is almost instant, my veins feeling as though they’ve been set on fire. I try my best to fight through the pain but it becomes overwhelming and I finally let go of Michael.

Tais giggles excitedly to her sister. “Get the baby. I’ll handle the little Queen.”

Ira grins, reaching over to Rosalie and yanking her up by the hair. Rosalie struggles against her but is no match for Ira’s strength as she drags her back to the stone table.

I desperately try to calm my breaths and glare at the witch as she stares at back at me. Lifting her hands, a red mist forms around her fingers and I feel myself being lifted up in the air.

I struggle against her force as she walks towards me, pulling a silver dagger from her sleeve and pressing it against my bare chest. She inhales my scent and sighs, as if committing this moment to memory.

“So much power,” she whispers. “And it’s wasted on you.”

Close my eyes, concentrating on my energy and willing my strength to work through the pain.

Her cold fingers squeeze my jaw. “Look at me,” she snarls, lifting my face towards hers. “I want to watch the life drain from you eyes as I watched it drain from your father’s.

My eyes burst open in shock, much to her pleasure,

“You f*****g b***h!”

“Oh, did that sting?” She asks, tapping the dagger on my cheek. “Oh well. But before I kill you, I think I’d like your powers.”

“What-?”

“Your gifts are tied to you soul,” she laughs. “All I have to do is take it.”

Before I can respond, she drags the blade across my chest, a little b***d spilling from the wound. Her eyes turn jet black as she slices her own palm and begins her chant.

“The Moon is your heart, the Sun your spirit,

Your vessel of earth, the Air your breath.

Soul leave this body, bring it its death,

Make it scream ’till we no longer hear it

for I am the Witch seeking your might.

Give me your strength to conquer this night.

And I shall bring darkness over the light.”

Tais raises her palm and I watch in horror as the b***d from my wound is sucked into the slice on her hand. It feels as though the life is being drained from my body, my entire entity weakening.

“Aurora!” Celina cries as a couple of rogues pin her to the ground.

Rosalie howls in pain as Karina makes the first incision at the top of her belly.

Goddess … please help me…

The burning intensifies, forcing my eyes closed. I struggle to get air into my lungs when I hear an intense ringing in my ears followed by an all too familiar voice echo from behind Tais.

“Remember who you are fighting for…”

I force my eyes open, his chocolate brown eyes looking back at me.

“Remember who you are fighting for,” Emiliano repeats. “You are the light of the rising sun, Aurora. You are stronger than they are. You always have been so fight !” he urges. “Fight mija. You must fight!”

“Papa…” I whimper to the spirit. “Papa no me dejes. {Don’t leave me}”

“I never left you,” he smiles, his apparition disappearing. “I’m always with you,” his voice echoes. “Always.”

The ringing in my ears ceases and I gasp for air as Tais continues to drain my body. Closing my eyes, I focus on my breathing.

I am the Daughter of the Moon and Sun

Tais laughs in the background, her plan finally being realized.

I am a Reyes and a Altamirano wolf.

I open my eyes, a warmth filling my body.

I am Light.

The warmth grows stronger until my skin begins to glow violet. Tais’s eyes widen in shock and she steps back a few paces, a bit frightened by my glowing appearance. A sudden light bursts from my wound while my b***d turns white as it seeps into her palm. Her face contorts in pain and she screams.

“What is this?” she cries as she releases me from her red mist, stopping my b***d from going into her. She stares at her now glowing hands as the purple light courses through her arms towards her chest.

I am Queen.

I stumble onto my feet, wiping the sweat that had gathered on my forehead. Pushing through the pain I feet lingering in my body from the poison, I raise my arms to her and aim a ray of light to her chest.

“I am the Ivory Queen!” I snarl.

She screams again, clawing at her chest while the light fills every cell in her body. A burst of light explodes from a pile of rogues and Celina emerges, her skin glowing too. Now on her feet, Celina raises her hands, a pink ray racing towards Tais. When she is completely engulfed in it, Tais levitates off the ground, throwing her head back as pink and purple light spills from her gaping mouth and eyes. From the corner of my eye, I can see Ira and Karina stop what they are doing and look up at the witch floating in mid air.

Her skins begins to crack, light peaking through as she wails in agony.

“NO!” she m***s, the light overtaking her body. “NO!”

An explosion of energy radiates from her center, pulsating across the room and sending us all crashing through the air. I collide into a wall, my ears ringing as I try to gather my bearings. Ash begins to fall from the place Tais once existed.

She’s gone, Reyna pants with joy. She’s finally gone!

“TAIS!!” Ira screams, looking around frantically before narrowing her eyes at me. “What did you do?”

She takes the sword from Karina’s hands and points it a me, rage in every breath she heaves. Every cell in my body aches as the witches poison from Oliver’s bite courses through my veins and my wounds continue to bleed. I was exhausted, unsure if I had any energy left to fight, but I could not give up. Not yet anyways.

Using the wall as leverage, I push myself on my feet, preparing to fight when we hear an army of foot steps come racing down the corridor. Mia, Chava, Carter, Evan and Javier emerge from the hall and I almost cry with joy as I see Gwen and Valentina arrive close behind them.

They immediately jump into action, taking down the rogues that rush to attack them. Michael races towards Rosalie, Carter leaping to her rescue. He stands in front of his alpha, ready to defend his mate and unborn child from her own brother. Carter is the first to attack and they roll around, struggling for dominance. Evan joins in on the fight, ramming into Oliver’s side and tackling him. Together Carter and Evan pin him to the ground while Gwen rushes to evaluate his wolf.

Meanwhile, Karina and Valentina face off once more in their wolf forms, eager to tear into each other. William, finally free from Tais’ spell, looks around in confusion, holding his head between his hands.

“Goddess, what happened?” He asks no one in particular.

Mia rushes to him, leading him to a cell to calm him down.

I focus my attention back on Ira who screams in frustration as she watches her plan crumble to pieces.

“It’s over, Ira,” I pant, covering the wound on my chest. “You lose.”

“No,” she laughs, stomping her foot hard against the stone floor. “No, I’m not finished with you.”

She charges at me with the sword and despite my brain screaming at me to move, my legs wobble helplessly, struggling to keep my weight up. When she’s a few feet away from me, she stops suddenly, her arms spreading out wide and her head falling back as she gasps in pain. From behind her, I realize Celina is keeping her trapped in place, finally able to activate her telekinetic powers. The sword in Ira’s falls to the ground with a crash and roar of agony ripples through her chest, making the stone walls quake and shiver.

I concentrate on the sword and watch it flies towards me. Its hilt is cool against my bloody hand and I slowly limp towards Ira.

Pressing the blade to her neck, I think about the revelation Tais made several weeks ago.

“The honor of killing your mother goes to my sister. Queen Sofia went quick, though, don’t worry. She didn’t suffer too much. Decapitation is a very efficient way to kill.”

“You killed my mother,” I whimper. “You took her from me.”

She struggles through her pain and forces a laugh. “Your mother was weak-“

I strike her on face as tears flood my eyes and grab at her throat. “My mother was stronger than you’ll ever be,” I whisper in her ear.

“You think this is over?” she chokes as I tighten my grip on her windpipe. “Oh sweetie, your nightmare has only just begun. Killing me won’t stop what’s coming for you. You’ll never have peace. Even in death, I’ll keep tak-“

Without hesitation, I bury the sword in her abdomen, her eyes widening in shock and her breath hitching.

“You took my mother. You helped take my father. You took my dad… and you took my mate,” I growl, digging the blade deeper into her tender flesh so that a river of b***d pours out of her wound. “But you are done taking from me.”

“This isn’t over!” She chuckles as I pull the blade from her body and raise it over my head

“It is for you,” I whisper, swinging the blade down on her neck.

Her body hits the stone floor while her head rolls to the base of table, a wicked smile still stretched across her lips.

I stare at the bloody sword, disgusted by the wars it carried on its blade and toss it to the side. My body finally gives in to my exhaustion and I collapse on my knees, staring at the body in front on me.

“Ha,” I chuckle as tears spill down my cheeks, finally able to breathe again.

I lean on my hands and laugh even harder.

It was over. It was finally over.

All around me, rogues cease their fighting, finally freed from whatever spell Tais and Ira’s had cast on them. They look around in confusion, probably wondering where they were and how they got there.

Suddenly a commotion arises.