Cora sat at her desk with an open laptop in front of her. Today was Blood King's Day, it had come much too fast, she was supposed to be fine tuning her plan of attack but somehow ended up on an article about Prince Liam. His eighteenth birthday would have been last week. Cora's blood boiled. How could someone kill an innocent child? Her eyes shifted to the business card on the edge of her desk. She had yet to make a decision about Prince Lyon's offer. She didn't know what she was waiting for, this was the opportunity of a lifetime, but something about it felt wrong.
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She was startled by a knock on her door. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought it might burst. She tightly gripped her sword, afraid of what she might find on the other side, she slowly opened the door to see her father standing on the other side. She dropped her sword and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God it's you!"
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"Who else would it be? The Blood King?" he laughed.
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Cora forced out a laugh.
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He handed her a mug full of apple cider, a traditional Blood King's Day beverage. "I'm here to wish you a happy Blood King's Day."
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She gladly accepted the mug and took a sip. The fresh, tangy flavor warmed her tastebuds.
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"I also wanted to check on you. You've been really out of it lately. I want to make sure you're okay."
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"Why wouldn't I be?" Cora could think of many reasons why she wouldn't be okay, but he didn't know about any of them.
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He picked up the business card off the desk. "I know about your offer."
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"How?" Cora asked bewildered.
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He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card almost identical to the one she had received. "This isn't the first time the royal family has tried something like this. King Lucien tried something very similar sixteen years ago," He stared blankly out the window to ashamed to let his daughter see how weak he was.
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"I'm guessing it didn't go well."
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He gently shut the laptop on her desk unable to bear the sight of the article. "The royal family hired the Ironheart guild as personal security on a diplomatic mission to the outer reaches of Thessionia. My partner and I were put in charge of protecting Prince Liam. Unlike everyone else, we were put on the back of the train, they thought it would be safer there. An assassin snuck aboard and detached our car from the rest of the train leaving us stuck in the middle of nowhere alone. He was a man dressed in all black with bright yellow eyes. His face was completely covered so I couldn't see what he looked like but that didn't make him any less intimidating. He demanded we turn the prince over to him, we refused, which made him furious. He easily took on both of us at the same time. We used every trick in the book, but he was too powerful." He ran his hand down his injured spine. "I fought until I couldn't stand anymore. He took the prince and disappeared into the blackness. A few weeks later Prince Liam was confirmed as dead. My partner vouched for me so my punishment wasn't as severe as it could have been but, we were both discharged from the guild. I failed my mission and now I have to face the guilt and shame every single day." He turned to her. "I want you to take this decision seriously."
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"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" she asked him.
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"You've always seen me as some kind of hero and I was ashamed to tell you the truth."
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"You did everything you could to protect Prince Liam, Dad. You fought until you couldn't stand anymore. You'll always be a hero in my book."
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The two warriors sat in silence for a few minutes.
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Cora checked her watch. "I'm not meeting up with my friends until noon. Why don't you help me with my training?"
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A smile of pure joy spread across his lips. She hadn't seen her father smile like that in a long time. So the pair trained together until they were both worn out.
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Cora went into her room to change out of her sweaty clothes when the book began to glow again. She was so startled she dropped the clothes she was holding. The pages seemed to turn themselves until she reached a page near the end of the book.
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Dear Cora, I have faith today is the day you will defeat the King of Shadows. I know you're probably frightened, but you should know the King of Shadows has no power of his own, his power comes from potions and trickery. He has limited combat abilities, remember that. Your enemy underestimates you, but you are stronger than he will ever be. You have found a very powerful ally in the Blood King, you will be excellent companions to each other. I can't express how desperately I wish I could be here today to help you. Thessionia is falling into chaos, Prince Lyon is dead, but there is another heir to the throne and they will become one of the greatest rulers Thessionia has ever seen. I know you will win this war.
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Cora didn't know how to process her emotions. Prince Lyon was dead? How could this happen? This must be a mistake! She slammed the book shut.
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Laughter filled the crowed streets. Everyone was so excited for the holiday. The sent of warm cider and meat being grilled over an open flame filled her nostrils. The trees were decorated with paper lanterns and bright red ribbons. Several people in the crowd wore brightly colored costumes, some even dressed as the Blood King and let out cartoonishly evil laughs, which almost made her giggle. If only they knew the real Blood King. A wave of sadness crashed over her, she used to love Blood King's Day, but this year she had too much on her mind.
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Was Prince Lyon really dead?
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She was greeted by her friends who were seated seated around a picnic table. Each of them looked distraught. Cora forced a smile and sat beside Ray. Directly across from them sat Scarlet who was looking especially distressed.
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"Are you nervous about tonight?" Cora asked her.
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"No...yes, I mean," She stuttered over her words. "I am nervous but that's not the only thing on my mind,"
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Cora was afraid of what else could possibly happen.
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"Dimitri went out last night he couldn't say where, apparently it's 'top secret' we haven't seen him since. He's probably just at a friends house or something." Scarlet said, her voice full of uncertainty.
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Cora looked up at towards the heavens, the dark clouds almost covered the entire sky. A loud crash of thunder sounded in the distance. This was no coincidence.
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"Don't worry, I promise I'll find him." Cora reassured her friend.
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Val stood up. "Now that everyone's here we can explain our plan. If Cora's book is correct then The King of Shadows will attack tonight. We have to be ready for whatever tricks he might have up his sleeves." She held up a small device in her hand. "Zyler and I created these communication devices so we'll be able to keep in touch. Just place them in your ear and we'll be able to communicate over long distances." She pointed to a red button on the side of the device. "Press this button and it will send out a distress signal I've equipped a tracking device so we'll be able to find you. Remember to only press the button in a real emergency." Val scowled at Zyler.
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"Hey! Running out of toilet paper is a really emergency, Val!" Zyler protested.
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Val rolled her eyes. "Scarlet brewed an anti potion that should neutralize his powers when injected."
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Scarlet pulled a syringe full of white liquid out of her pocket. "It is a very difficult potion to make this was all I had time to brew. We'll only have one shot at this. I'm sorry I couldn't do more."
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Zyler squeezed her shoulders. "Are you kidding? I don't know anyone else that can make complex potions. We might actually have a chance at defeating this guy and if the potion doesn't work then you can summon an animal army to stop him."
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She let out a faint chuckle.
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Cora eyes drifted over to Ray, he sat in silence stuffing his face with Doritos. It wasn't unusual for him to be quiet during group meetings but something felt wrong.
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The meeting went on for about an hour. Planning for the attack proved difficult since they had no idea what he was q planning. Cora's tenacity began to dwindle. She questioned if it was even possible to defeat him for good or would he haunt them forever. All she knew was after today things wouldn't be the same. Ray didn't say a single word the entire meeting. As soon as it ended she pulled him aside to speak to him in private. "Do you wanna talk about what's bothering you?"
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"Trust me Coraline, I'm doing perfectly fine," he said as he ate another handful of chips.
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"You're stress eating,"
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"I am not!" He began to protest, but stopped himself. He set down the bag of chips, then pulled her into a warm embrace. "I don't want to fight anymore." He whispered, his voice sounded so broken, like someone who had seen too many battles for someone his age. "I promise I'll always be here support you, but I never want to hurt anyone ever again."
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"I'd never ask you to do something you didn't feel comfortable doing and if you'd rather stand on the sidelines than fight, I'm okay with that." Cora gently rubbed his back, she could feel deep battle scars through his shirt. It never really occurred to her how many times his life must have been in grave danger. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. This could be their last day together. Of course she knew the mission was dangerous, deadly even, but she had been in denial that this could very well be the end. This could be her last chance to tell him how she felt. Her heart sped up at the very thought of declaring her affections, but it was now or never. She took a deep breath. "Please go out with with me?" She squeaked.
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"What?"
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Cora cleared her throat. "I want you to go out on a date with me today." She said with much more confidence this time.
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He stared at her lips for a few moments than kissed her hand. "It would be an honor to go out with you."
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She took him by the hand and pulled him into the middle of the festivities. They spent the afternoon exploring the different stands that had been set up for the celebration. One of them was filled with plastic swords and toy Tibicenas, another sold chains made out of pearls, but by far Cora's favorite stand was the one that sold cotton candy. Once the sun went down the couple sat on a hill away from the crowds but close enough to see the street below.
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"Do you really celebrate the Blood King's death with rainbow explosions?"
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Cora laughed as she took a bite of her cotton candy. "Yes, they're called fireworks."
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"That sounds dangerous."
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"It's what the Blood King would have wanted," Cora joked.
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He raised his eyebrows playfully.
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Cora rested her head on his shoulder. "No matter what happens tonight, I want you to I'm really glad I busted you out of those crystals."
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He lifted her head so their eyes met. "I am too. For the first time in my life I'm happy to be alive and it's all thanks to you."
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She moved in even closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
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"I was wondering...I mean...never mind." He stuttered. In his eyes like there was something he wanted to ask so desperately, but couldn't bring himself to say it.
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"I really want to hear what you were going to ask me."
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"Would it be appropriate for me to kiss you?"
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Without another word Cora's lips crashed into his. Ray sat stunned for a moment before giving in to the sweet taste of her watermelon flavored chapstick. She tangled her fingers into his short black hair. For one moment everything felt perfect.
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No one had predicted there would be a thunderstorm today. There was supposed to be nothing but sunshine and warmth. All the vendors hurried to pack up their things before the rain ruined them. Bright streaks of purple lightning lit up the black horizon. Cora and Ray ran through the streets looking for shelter to keep them dry. Through all the commotion Cora caught sight of someone familiar. Prince Lyon! Cora releases her grip on Ray's hand and followed after him.
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