Witch Princess: Part 1: Chapter 28
Witch Princess by Verlie
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Chapter 28
 
Dust fell from the ceiling as the basement slightly shook. Gwynna glanced up and cursed; she reached over and snapped the restraints off the princess. Qaylin, and one other student who’d been in the building, looked up, hesitant and confused.
 
“We can’t be here,” Gwynna stated calmly, “there’s a secret exit. Down to the basement, hurry.”
 
Qaylin started to follow her through the door but she turned and hissed at him, “What do you think you’re doing? Grab her.”
 
“Shouldn’t we just leave her with the rest of the kids?” Qaylin asked. Gwynna smacked his ear hard.
 
“We’ll have to kill her, you know. But not here,” Gwynna grinned, keeping some wretched thoughts to herself. “You, kill the rest of them quickly and join us.” 
 
Qaylin was uncertain, but he tossed the princess over his shoulder and followed his instructor all the way down the hall, past the bookcase, and into the dark basement. The other student hesitated as he watched them leave.
 
Gwynna motioned for Qaylin to stay silent and moved across the room. She pushed a desk away and kicked the rug.
 
Amirya coughed, blood splattering out and staining Qaylin. Her eyelashes fluttered and she groaned, fingers twitching.
 
“She shouldn’t be awake yet,” he said, panicked. “Let’s just kill her now, professor; if we get caught with her, it’s worse than…”
 
“Shut up,” Gwynna hissed.
 
Amirya shifted and held her head with one hand as she realized she was over someone’s shoulder. Though dizzy, anger flooded her and with as much strength she could muster, she drew back her leg and kneed the man holding her.
 
Qaylin coughed but did not let go, “This bitch!”
 
He then choked, little wheezing sounds coming out.
 
“I’ll kill you,” Amirya muttered. “I’ll crush your neck. Let go of me.”
 
Qaylin dropped the princess, who landed harshly against the floor.
 
“What are you doing!” Gwynna hissed. She reached toward Amirya, who glared at the woman.
 
The small portion of the basement ceiling caved in loudly. Gwynna cursed and snatched the hair and back of the shirt of Amirya, yanking them to her. Someone had come down with the ceiling though, and her quick actions meant nothing.
 
When Gwynna saw it was just a first year, though strong, she laughed. She laughed so hard a tear came to her eye. She wiped it away, grinning and gleeful, “Oh my, is it just you? That’s it? Honey…”
 
Cinna jumped down next, immediately spotting Amirya and angling to sprint. Finri caught his nape easily and shoved him aside.
 
“Wait,” she commanded. Cinna slunk down, obeying her.
 
Finri took out one of the two short swords on her back. 
 
“Take care of it,” Gwynna laughed.
 
Qaylin took out his whip again, and it buzzed with energy. He dashed forward, but Finri, much too fast for a first year, also dashed. She stood on the other side of the encounter, her blade bloody and Qaylin’s head rolling on the ground. Gwynna, surprised, stepped back and away from the opening in the floor without thinking.
 
Amirya’s eyes followed the rolling head. She thought of the men who died attacking her carriage. Of Raven who died to protect her.
 
HELP THEM. HELP THEM. HELP THEM.
 
The green spirit screamed at her. Amirya’s heart sank.
 
“Well, look at that…” she said. “Murdering a fellow student without a blink of hesitation. That’s too much, child. What? Do you think you’re playing the hero?”
 
Gwynna had a small blade pressed against Amirya’s throat. 
 
“Who knows what happened down here… a first year, drunk on power, kidnapping and killing the princess and the poor student who tried to stop her…” Gwynna began to spiel, unaware of the small, elite army outside the tower.
 
Finri did not entertain her. Her eyes were drawn to Amirya, to the numerous cuts on her face, and the deep gashes on her thigh and arm from a whip. Slowly, her glowing eyes turned back to Gwynna. 
 
“Now,” Gwynna said, still confident.
 
Amirya felt the cold metal on her neck pricking her. Anger, but also calmness, pervaded her. She raised her hand and felt Gwynna’s energy flowing throughout the old woman’s body. Like a limb, she told herself. 
 
She coughed slightly and concentrated, tightening her fingers and then throwing her hand away. Gwynna’s hand, like a mirror, flew away from Amirya’s neck. Amirya pushed away from her, but Gwynna’s other arm was still latched around her. 
 
Cinna wanted to dive forward, but Finri was already there. Gwynna looked up to see the girl above her, leg raised toward Gwynna’s head, and locked eyes. The young girl looked like a wild beast with dark, sharp pupils. Gwynna released Amirya to quickly block, creating a small shield with energy. She was pushed back by the ferocity of the kick but regained her balance.
 
“I have to go,” Amirya declared, unsteady on her feet.
 
“Rya -“ Finri said, dead serious.
 
“No time,” Amirya turned and ran to the bookcase, opening it quickly and disappearing. Cinna was nearly on top of her heels, following.
 
“Do you think you’ll have an easy time with an old woman?” Gwynna sneered as she side-stepped in a circle. “My last name used to be Lepidus. I live up to the name.” She stopped when her foot hit Qaylin’s body. She leaned down and grabbed the sword the boy rarely used.
 
Gwynna spun the sword in her hand, “Killing you will be easy. I’ve killed plenty of fucking brats. You, then that pain in the ass brat.”
 
Finri rushed forward again, aggressively bringing her sword down, which Gwynna blocked. Their eyes met again and Finri whispered, “I’ve killed more.”
 
Gwynna grunted. They fought ruthlessly, and though no emotion showed on Finri’s face, she was startled to find Gwynna could keep up with her. Gwynna feinted and though Finri didn’t fall for it, she moved to the side to await a better opening, she had her stepping into the direction of Gwynna’s next attack -  not a sword, but a bottle from inside her robe. She slashed her sword down, smashing the bottle.
 
A caustic liquid splashed everywhere, and Gwynna could not land a hit, but she managed to knock the sword from Finri’s hand. Finri stood still, not making a sound, as smoke spiraled from her skin, acid burns creating a dark pink and purple on her skin.
 
Gwynna laughed, “I’m surprised you’re not screaming, but you won’t be able to…”
 
Finally, the arrogant attitude dripped off of Gwynna. 
 
The acid burns turned black with yellow-orange veins illuminated underneath it. Gwynna stared and tried to make sense of such a reaction. Slowly, the black retreated, leaving perfectly smooth skin.
 
“I’ve been refraining from using fire,” Finri said in a light tone. “It’s an enclosed space, and my princess was here.”
 
She pulled out the second short sword from her back, “But, people still think they can burn me.”
 
“Even with a fire aura, alchemic acid will burn,” Gwynna hissed. It didn’t make sense.
 
Finri darted forward again, swinging her sword down, and though Gwynna blocked, she did not think to block Finri’s other hand. Her fingers were in her abdomen and felt sharp, like there were five knives puncturing her organs. Gwynna gasped, jerking. Finri dug her hand in deeper. Gwynna dropped her sword; her legs trembled, and now she was partially held up by Finri.
 
Finri wrenched her hand out of Gwynna’s body and left her drop to the ground, where the woman grasped the twisted wound. 
 
Gwynna gasped for breath and narrowed her eyes. “I won’t beg,” she hissed.
 
Finri raised her sword, then paused.
 
The professor laughed - an unhinged, thrilled laugh. “What? I thought you’ve killed even more than me? Can’t swing the sword, can you?” 
“Information,” Finri said simply. “They’ll squeeze all the information out of you. It’s what Amirya would want.”
 
Without hesitation, Finri brought her sword down on the woman’s ankle and then the other one. She developed her hand in fire and seared the wounds closed as the woman screamed.
 
“It’s not torture, stop crying,” Finri chastised, annoyed. “It’s to make sure you don’t run away. She wouldn’t want to see this…” 
Finri dragged the woman by her coat and tossed her behind tables at the other end of the basement.
 
 
…
 
The rooms at the back sat empty.
 
Amirya couldn’t form thoughts. The spirits huddled at the entrance to the stairs. She had ran as fast as she could down the hallway and found both rooms empty save for the tubes, but of course. Of course they were down there.
 
She nearly toppled down the stairs as she took as many as she could at a time. 
 
The light orb was still there, allowing soft yellow lights to drape the stones in the cell.
 
The other student, had put all the children into one cell. The ones from the room above were all awake now except for two - the teenager with the black veins that the boy warned her not to touch; he was outside the cell on the ground. The other unconscious child had been thrown into the cell.
 
He had one hand squishing a child’s mouth open, and the other hand held a bottle of liquid. He wielded his knife against the children, but in the end, he wasn’t devoted like Qaylin. He didn’t partake in the experiments directly. He couldn’t bare to thrust the knife, so he opted to have them drink poison instead.
 
It allowed enough time.
 
It was enough.
 
Amirya felt so relieved in the split second that had passed since she laid eyes on the scene, the worry she’d find a pile of dead kids lifting. She reached up as she landed the last stop against the floor and threw her arm with all her power.
 
The child fell to the floor when the hand that was on him was snapped off, but he was unhurt and not dragged with the man. He slammed into the wall, and the kids all leaned away from it, terrified.
 
Amirya’s head pulsated. She grabbed it again but gritted her teeth.
 
Then, she felt a soft, warm touch on her back. She reached out, a metal bar from the doors easily detached itself and curled until it wrapped around the man's hands tightly.
 
The man didn’t move. He had hit his head and wasn’t awake.
 
The spirit left her, and her entire body sagged until she found herself kneeling against the floor. Cinna coddled next to her, bending his head to try and take some of her weight.
 
“Thank you,” she whispered. She looked up. The little pink, orange, purple, and green spirit were all there. She sat back on her legs. “You shouldn’t stay here.”
 
The pink and the purple one started to wisp away, and while the orange faded, he didn’t go. She lifted one hand up and it slowly sunk to her. She caressed it gently and smiled. “It’s okay. It’s okay now, I’ll have them collect the burial site. You should go.”
 
It faded.
 
The green, still as bright as before, lingered. 
 
Hate.
 
Amirya felt tears in her eyes again.
 
Hate. Hate.
 
“Me too,” she said. She clenched her hands against her thighs. “I hate them too. But… why don’t you pass your hate onto me? Leave it all to me.” 
 
She raised her hands, palm up, again, “Can you do that? You helped me. You should rest now. Release your hold on this and return…”
 
Return where?
 
“The worldline,” Amirya muttered. “Be one with the world again. Don’t carry this pain with you. It will follow you wherever you energy goes. Whether that’s to a new being or flowers in a field.”
 
It was overwhelming, but she could feel it. The stream of energy in the world. Spirits existed out of the flow, holding on to some part of their individuality and losing the rest of themselves. In this case, pain and anger hung around.
 
The green spirit rested in her hands. The emotions seeped into her. She closed her eyes and saw this boy’s life. 
 
He had been one of the first. When the orphanages still received oversight and money, he lived in one, but he was happy. He took on all the younger children as though they were real siblings. He had a unique aura, so he wanted to become a warrior and adopt his siblings as he grew up. He was not the only one brought from that orphanage here.
 
Her people. In her kingdom. 
 
A sense of fellowship started from her hands and grew into her bones.
 
She had rejected society, feeling as though it rejected her first. But Corentine and Cassivan - the southern duchy - they were not all of society. No, they were killing it. The society Galien worked so hard to save. That people die, constantly, on the border to protect.
 
The green spirit dissipated.
 
Amirya wrapped her arms around Cinna and sank into him a little. Belatedly, her head turned to face the children who were staring at her in the utmost confusion. The adults, too, in the other cell.
 
“…I don’t suppose you could keep everything you just saw about me a secret?” She tried.
 
“Who… who are you?” One of the girls asked.
 
“Princess Amirya,” a familiar voice from the stairwell said. 
 
Amirya turned to find Finri there. Everyone was quiet.
 
“How long have you been there?”
 
“Does that matter?” Finri retorted. “Don’t y’all wanna get outta here as fast as possible?”
 
Most of the children looked hopeful. The boy that followed her first earlier shot up and asked, “Are they all gone?!”
 
“Yes, the royal guard is here,” Finri responded. 
 
Amirya shakily stood up. Being next to her familiar now, she felt more steady and less dizzy than before.
 
“Do you trust me?” Finri abruptly asked. 
 
“What?” Amirya’s confusion was plain on her face.
 
“Close your eyes, just for minute.” Finri said.
 
Amirya wanted to retort why she should, but she was so exhausted. Though Finri was still mostly an enigma to her, she had been by her side. Amirya closed her eyes. She listened intently, but nothing particular stood out.
 
She did not see Finri write runes in the air and gently blow them to everyone but her nor did she know that the children and two adults would be unable to remember exactly what they witnessed when Amirya came flying down those steps. She would think herself lucky they all stayed silent, wondering how not one of them spoke about it.
 
“Okay,” Finri said.
 
“What did you do?” Amirya glanced at the children, but nothing was any different than before.
 
“Let’s get out of here.” Finri repeated. “Talk later.”
 
…
 
Hale intended to sneak out the back and into the cellar door, because he had never entered the basement through the inside. Two knights went up to search the above floor - and destroy anything that might act as evidence, though his sister was not supposed to keep anything but the live materials in the basement. The other knight followed Cassivan, who headed in the opposite direction as Hale.
 
On Hale’s way to the back, the scuffle below them was heard. As he tried to find the source, it was too late to hide it from Cassivan, who also searched. 
 
After a few minutes, it was the prince who called out, “Here!”
 
There was a hole in the ground, and it was silent. Hale jumped down immediately, ignoring the prince’s ‘hey’.
 
“Brother,” Gwynna sputtered.
 
Hale turned and searched, not immediately seeing where the voice came from. He found the mutilated body of his sister behind a table, her feet seared and a wound in her abdomen leaking. The veins in his neck twisted and his fists clenched.
 
Cassivan jumped down, taking in the wreckage and beheaded body. He made a face. Gwynna shakily pointed to the hallway she could not see from her position.
 
“Go down and be a savior,” he told the prince in a rough voice. Gwynna’s eyes widened and she tried to protest but blood splattered.
“Brother,” she said again.
 
“Who’s there?” Cassivan asked.
 
“Prince!” Hale scolded.
 
Cassivan was uncertain, but at the harsh look from the commander, he went to the bookcase and started down the hallway.
 
“What insane thing did you do?” Hale whispered. “You really are a fucking idiot.”
 
“She came here!” Gywnna barely managed to stutter out. 
 
“And now the whole army is here,” Hale cursed at her. He held his face in his hand, his other one drawing that blade.
 
“What…”
 
“You worked with the Midnight Sins to obtain human material for experiments. You started this secret little lab. Only you. You had no help besides the rotten criminals.”
 
“No…” Tears came to Gwynna’s eyes. “Brother. Save me. I can still…”
 
He cut her neck. He picked up the discarded sword across the basement and positioned it into one of her hands and the blade towards her neck.
 
“You,” he called loudly to the knight looking down the hole. “Grab the others and come here.”
 
When they finally joined him, they did not ask questions.
 
He turned from them, his jaw clenched so hard he nearly cracked teeth.
 
…
 
When Finri and Amirya emerged from around the back of the tower, they found the chaos outside. Students had gathered; they came around the other side of the alchemy building or around the back of the storage rooms so they were not near or interrupting the royal knight guards. The word that the princess was kidnapped on the Academy premises spread fast, and when the two were spotted, people shuffled forward but did not approach.
 
Raven and the Prime Minister Vonne, along with his oldest son Winn, spoke to the king in hushed voices away from the rest of the knights, papers passing between their hands. Fayetta and Solomon successfully pushed their brother into ‘discovering’ hidden documents among the administration, and Raven presented his documents as some turned in by Finri and Felicity, alerting them to the illegal actions of Jodem Rowley, and others found at the scene of the crime.
 
The children from below were behind the two girls. The ones who could walk hid behind them as much as possible, still struggling to adjust their eyes to the light. 
 
At first, Cassivan did not want to touch any of them, saying he’d support his wounded sister. Amirya quickly refuted and Hale instructed to come out carrying one. He picked up the child that had not yet received many wounds since they were the cleanest and came out with the group. The three knights stayed behind, carrying out various orders Hale gave under his breath before more knights came to investigate the scene.
 
Raven spotted them first, and when his attention diverted from Galien and Vonne, they also turned their heads. Galien handed the papers in his hand off silently and approached.
 
“Amirya,” he called, one hand reaching out for her.
 
“It’s not my fault,” she denied immediately. 
 
Galien paused; his eyes flickered to Finri and then to the children behind them.
 
“I have a rough idea of what’s going on,” Galien muttered.
 
“Sire,” Hale interrupted, stepping forward. “The situation inside is contained-”
 
“Go to the temple and request they come to aid the children,” Galien ordered coldly. “Call the vice commander here.”
 
Galien calmly ordered the vice commander to mobilize all available knights and immediately arrest and search the houses of all the people listed in the documents as well as the businesses. Each group of knights were to take an administrator, of any level, to document the proceedings. 
 
Hale nearly argued - since his position meant he should lead such an operation - but he slinked away sullenly at Galien’s look. Galien informed them to request help from his sister’s house; since she already left for the duchy in the north, they were to alert Valerian to call on the family’s knights in the capital to assist. 
 
A healer was ordered to aid his daughter immediately; another alchemy professor, to their discomfort, showed up with healing potions and assisted with the wounds he could treat on the princess and the children. 
 
A commotion rose from the line of students. A girl burst through the front; she shoved people out of the way and ignored their curses, running at top speed towards them. It was Faedi, and Jyn lingered behind her, hesitant to approach an area filled with knights and nobility. 
 
“Wait,” Amirya called when a knight stepped in front of them, ready to stop the girl. “Let her pass.”
 
Faedi ran past them, skidded to a halt on her knees, and wrapped her arms around the small boy who had matching black ears. Amirya relaxed some at the small happiness that Faedi’s brother was still among the living left her with that much less strength.
 
“Are you relieved?” Finri whispered.
 
It was more than that. For the first time, in either of her lives, she had done something worthwhile. Something that truly made a difference to people. Something good. Amirya had never cared about what was good or bad, only concerned with her own life and what affected it. 
 
She started this journey only to credit for the deed and raise her reputation - for the sake of her survival and revenge. Somewhere along the way, her motivations had changed.
 
“Strangely, I feel more confused than ever,” Amirya whispered back.
 
She was still angry. She desired to still take revenge on Cassivan, Hale, and Corentine, to kill the ‘Demon Queen’ who killed her, to stop all the bad things that had happened around her. But, it wasn’t just her who suffered. All the citizens would suffer if Corentine had her way, if Cassivan and Hale took charge of the kingdom. And the ‘Demon Queen’ - an armistice was not enough. They needed to vanquish all of those creatures from this world to truly save Aurelius. A kingdom that belonged to the name Aurelius that she bore.
 
She no longer wanted to save only herself.
 
Once Galien finished his commands, he mounted his horse once more and brought it up to the two girls. Finri frowned, her hand around the princess’s waist momentarily tightening, but she assisted in lifting Amirya up onto the horse to ride back to the palace with her father.
 
“You’ll be rewarded for this,” he said casually. Cinna followed them, several of the knights quickly took formation around the king to escort him back. Yanafir and Sephine on two of the horses as well.
 
Finri’s frown deepened. 
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