and passed it to the next priest on his right, who followed suit. The passing and drinking of the chalice continued around the entire circle, and when they’d all had a sip, the head priest slowly walked around the altar and poured droplets of the red liquid on the stone floor. It was then that I realized it wasn’t wine at all, for it was far too thick and bright red. Is that…human blood? Oh gosh ! My stomach clenched again, and I thought I might fill the bottom of my bubble with vomit.
When the high priest kissed the goblet and lifted it with both hands toward the ceiling, shouting some strange gibberish, a ring of fire immediately blazed around the altar, but not a hair on Victor’s head was singed.
A priest dipped the dagger into a bowl of serum, and my heart sank. They’re gonna poison us! I remember how horrible it felt when Victor was poisoned, and I couldn’t allow it to happen again. There has to be a way out of this nightmare!
As if he’d overheard my desperate thoughts, Ethano shot me an evil, triumphant smile. Lifting his arms high into the air, he thrust the poisoned dagger straight into Victor’s heart.
My world came to a crashing halt. My stomach lurched, and I screamed bloody murder. Terror and grief struck through me like a lightning bolt, and I couldn’t breathe. I blinked, hoping I’d wake up and realize it was all a bad dream, but I knew it wasn’t. “No!” I screamed so loudly that every face stopped their chanting to stare at me. I pounded on the invisible bubble that was holding me . If I break free, Ethano’s a dead man! I vowed.
Black shadows flitted around the room, and the candles were blown out by a mighty gust of wind. Darkness enveloped the room, until I couldn’t see a thing.
“ Liz!”
“ What’s going on?” she asked.
Suddenly, a beam of brilliant light shot up from the altar and encompassed my sister; a second later, another grabbed me. The brilliant, blazing energy bounced all around me, brighter than a hundred suns. I covered my eyes as I struggled to breath, as if something—some unseen, volatile force—was sucking the life out of me. It literally felt like an elephant was sitting on top of me, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on. I was slowly being crushed to death, and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to look at Liz, but I couldn’t. “Liz!” I screamed in my head.
Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. I sucked in a big, giant lungful of air. A burning sensation flooded my body as sharp jabs of tiny pins and needles prickled my skin.
“ What happened?” Ethano roared.
The priest slammed a book shut, and his lips pressed into a grim line. “The connection was broken.”
“ But why?” Ethano demanded to know. “We’ve spent months preparing for this ceremony. It was all perfect. I personally made sure! The queen and princess are connected by blood, and we have…” He didn’t finish his thought, but I knew he was about to say king.
We were caught up in some ancient ceremony, and they needed our blood. Everything was a blur as the cruel reality hit me. I couldn’t think straight as tears streamed down my face. I watched the priests rush around the altar while others flipped desperately through the pages of the book. Something had gone terribly wrong, but I had no idea what.
My world crashed down around me, and thoughts flooded my mind. I remembered the first time I had laid eyes on Victor in the forest. I remembered those blazing blue eyes, his dark hair fluttering in the wind. I remembered our first kiss that nearly took my breath, how we danced at the festival, laughing as we spun each other around. I could almost feel the wind blowing though my hair, racing through the forest on a unicorn. I especially remembered him making love to me by the waterfall, under the stars.
I was an emotional volcano, and I had exploded. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the bittersweet memories rolled across my head. Our
When the high priest kissed the goblet and lifted it with both hands toward the ceiling, shouting some strange gibberish, a ring of fire immediately blazed around the altar, but not a hair on Victor’s head was singed.
A priest dipped the dagger into a bowl of serum, and my heart sank. They’re gonna poison us! I remember how horrible it felt when Victor was poisoned, and I couldn’t allow it to happen again. There has to be a way out of this nightmare!
As if he’d overheard my desperate thoughts, Ethano shot me an evil, triumphant smile. Lifting his arms high into the air, he thrust the poisoned dagger straight into Victor’s heart.
My world came to a crashing halt. My stomach lurched, and I screamed bloody murder. Terror and grief struck through me like a lightning bolt, and I couldn’t breathe. I blinked, hoping I’d wake up and realize it was all a bad dream, but I knew it wasn’t. “No!” I screamed so loudly that every face stopped their chanting to stare at me. I pounded on the invisible bubble that was holding me . If I break free, Ethano’s a dead man! I vowed.
Black shadows flitted around the room, and the candles were blown out by a mighty gust of wind. Darkness enveloped the room, until I couldn’t see a thing.
“ Liz!”
“ What’s going on?” she asked.
Suddenly, a beam of brilliant light shot up from the altar and encompassed my sister; a second later, another grabbed me. The brilliant, blazing energy bounced all around me, brighter than a hundred suns. I covered my eyes as I struggled to breath, as if something—some unseen, volatile force—was sucking the life out of me. It literally felt like an elephant was sitting on top of me, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on. I was slowly being crushed to death, and there was nothing I could do about it. I tried to look at Liz, but I couldn’t. “Liz!” I screamed in my head.
Then, as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. I sucked in a big, giant lungful of air. A burning sensation flooded my body as sharp jabs of tiny pins and needles prickled my skin.
“ What happened?” Ethano roared.
The priest slammed a book shut, and his lips pressed into a grim line. “The connection was broken.”
“ But why?” Ethano demanded to know. “We’ve spent months preparing for this ceremony. It was all perfect. I personally made sure! The queen and princess are connected by blood, and we have…” He didn’t finish his thought, but I knew he was about to say king.
We were caught up in some ancient ceremony, and they needed our blood. Everything was a blur as the cruel reality hit me. I couldn’t think straight as tears streamed down my face. I watched the priests rush around the altar while others flipped desperately through the pages of the book. Something had gone terribly wrong, but I had no idea what.
My world crashed down around me, and thoughts flooded my mind. I remembered the first time I had laid eyes on Victor in the forest. I remembered those blazing blue eyes, his dark hair fluttering in the wind. I remembered our first kiss that nearly took my breath, how we danced at the festival, laughing as we spun each other around. I could almost feel the wind blowing though my hair, racing through the forest on a unicorn. I especially remembered him making love to me by the waterfall, under the stars.
I was an emotional volcano, and I had exploded. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the bittersweet memories rolled across my head. Our
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