The Atonement of a Writer

36. Manipulation

Arielle kept as low as she could, but it was like the Cherufe all over again--she was going to get burnt alive any second.

They were all going to be consumed.

The phoenix had long disappeared after doing its job. Through the haze, Arielle thought she saw a figure dash across in front of her. She didn't know who it was, but she reached out anyway. Help. Her hands grasped nothing but air as the shadow passed her in a blur.

It threw itself on Colette's prone body. Arielle had no time to wonder what it was doing--she crawled, as fast as she could, away from them as unbearable heat, even worse than the fire around her, worse than the lava at the island, emitted as soon as the shadow touched the body.

It was a familiar feeling--the feeling of being one step away from death.

All of a sudden, within the blink of an eye, the fire surrounding them disappeared even quicker than it appeared, leaving nothing but hazy smoke behind. It happened so fast Arielle had to do a double take to confirm it wasn't just her. Her senses were telling her there was something inherently wrong with the way the fire disappeared. It felt forced, like something was swallowing up the mana feeding the flames.

She lifted her head and looked over to the only possible source of this whole mess.

Instead of just one, there were now two bodies laying side by side. An ominous feeling clenched her gut, and Arielle dashed over as fast as she could. Once she laid her eyes on the two bodies, the blood drained from her face, and she choked--on both the smoke and her emotions.

Clovis, who had rushed over as soon as she did, stopped in his tracks as he took in the scene.

That night, Clovis lost two of the people he loved most. Arielle lost her best friend. Killian lost his life knowing the two would live on for him.

Clovis and Arielle would make their way out of the palace to find the rest of the world in flames.

~*~

Lili was hunched in a dark corner next to the window, careful not to be seen by any guards. She gave an exasperated huff. The security here was tighter than the bedroom of the prince. So Colette came prepared, huh.

She'd been crouched here for so long, waiting for Noir's signal. At this rate, she would still be here when dawn came.

Just as she thought that, a black bird flew across the window she was crouched behind at lightning speed. She watched as the bird took off and circled the sky three times before diving for a nearby tree.

That was the signal. Standing up and relieving her cramping legs, she checked to make sure there was no one else nearby before making her way down--all the way down to the wine cellar, not far from the dungeons. She found a random place behind a few barrels of wine, close enough to the door but far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard, and waited.

A few minutes later, she heard the door open and shut, and footsteps echoed in the dusty cellar. A figure appeared out of the shadows, and like her, they were wearing a hood, but it did nothing for their long, shining golden locks.

Colette's fists were clenched in a rare sign of agitation. "What do you want?"

To be honest, Lili was more surprised she wasn't showing more hostility. "And here I was, thinking you'd never come."

Lili took off her hood and smirked at her. Colette responded by pulling down her own and scowling at her. "Dumont. I should have known."

"Didn't you?" Lili asked lightly. "You've been targeting me from the start--even though I've done nothing to you."