Chapter 23: Chapter 23

It was one week after Lena had threatened Kathy. Kathy waited anxiously for Lena to make her move but nothing happened. Everything was still the same and the shadow magicians still ran Lunae. There was still no news from the wolves but they were still hopeful.

Kathy was in the room she now shared with Hala since Lena took the Queen's room. She was feeling uneasy and didn't know why. This time, she decided to not ignore the feeling like before.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she said to whosoever stood on the other. A maid entered the room and stood by the door. Kathy's face softened as she saw it was that timid maid who always looked scared.

"Queen Lena asks that everyone gathers at the ballroom," the maid told her in a soft voice.

"What must she want now?" Kathy asked more to herself than the maid.

"I don't know," the maid replied.

Kathy grabbed a shawl and went out of the room with the girl trailing behind her. The feeling Kathy had earlier increased as she got closer to the ballroom. Whatever Lena wanted must not be good, not like anything she did was good. Kathy pushed the door open and walked in, ignoring the eyes on her, especially those of the shadow people who eyed her in disdain.

"Brother, what is going?"

She stood near Triton and Miah.

Triton kissed her forehead and said, "I think she wants to announce the takeover ceremony coming up in a week."

Kathy nodded. "And where are mother and father?"

"As usual, Lena is trying to convince them to willingly relinquish the throne before the takeover," he replied with an eye roll.

Just then, Lena walked into the room dressed in her usual black color, wearing a confident smirk on her face. The emotions Lena radiated made Kathy's stomach feel tight. Lena knew something they didn't and Kathy couldn't tell what it was. Times like that made Kathy curse her powers. If only she could read her mind and not only feel emotions, things would be a lot easier.

"It has come to my notice that some of you are being difficult," Lena started saying after sitting down.

No one said anything, not as they could, Lena was now Queen after all.

"If I was being lenient before, not any longer. You will all submit to me before the week runs out and that, I assure you," Lena continued, staring right at Kathy and Triton. It took every ounce of resistance Kathy had in her to stop herself from scoffing out loud. She would rather die than submit to Lena.

Kathy didn't have to voice out her thoughts as a voice said something similar.

"I would rather die," an older male elemental swore, looking straight into Lena's eyes.

Lena was taken aback by his conviction and in one swift movement, his head was rolling on the ground as Lena used her powers to behead him. Gasps of shock filled the room as everyone stared at the now dead man who dropped to the floor.

On instinct, Kathy moved forward but Triton pulled her back.

"Don't," He said to her, his jaw clenched in suppressed anger. "It is of no use."

Kathy turned her eyes away from the gruesome scene. She couldn't believe Lena was capable of killing an innocent man just because he voiced his thoughts. It was purely brutal.

"Would anyone else like to tell me what they think? I would gladly put them out of the misery they are in," Lena spoke in a loud voice but no one replied. Kathy could feel that they wanted to speak but was afraid. She couldn't blame them, no one wanted a similar fate to the man who just died.

"One week, one week until my coronation. We would do this every day until coronation day and each day, I would kill ten people unless a royal submits." Lena had a satisfied smirk on her face. She knew she had them where she wanted them. One royal in exchange for ten innocent people, Lena had backed them into a tight corner.

If all the royals submitted to Lena, no one would be able to contend the throne. Under Lunae law, submission was like relinquishing all rights to the throne.

Now they were truly screwed.

"This is the end, right?" Kathy asked no one in particular. She couldn't take her eyes off the man who lay on the floor. Lena signaled her men to take him away and they did.

"We have one week to think of something, else we are as good as dead," Triton responded with a sigh. Lena was making things more difficult for them. Her minions patrolled the castle, making it difficult for Kathy and her people to even breathe in peace.

"Lena has something else up her sleeves, I can feel it," Kathy said to Triton as Lena walked past her.

"We are stuck in the wall of this castle, what can we do? Fighting our way out would surely mean death," Miah said as they watched every return back to their duty posts.

"Well, we have to start with the enormous list of chores Lena gives. I'll meet with you guys later," Kathy spoke and walked to her room.

Ever since Lena took over, she has been making everyone do chores, including the royals. It was ironic, a Princess doing the dishes and washing clothes. Kathy took a quick bath and got dressed in a knee-length blue dress. It was thick enough to protect her from the cold and not make her feel too hot from the chores. She tied her black hair in a ponytail.

Putting on her shoes, she walked to the Queen's room. She was tasked with cleaning the room. Luckily for her, Lena was not in the room when she got in and she quickly got to work. She was almost done dusting when she felt someone walk in.

She hoped it was just a maid or someone else as she was not in the mood to deal with Lena. She continued dusting, refusing to look back until she felt breath on her neck and someone touching some locks of her hair.

That was when she turned back quickly and moved away from the person who turned out to be Calypso.

"Your Queen is not here," Kathy said in a flat tone. Anything related to Lena annoyed her, including her minions and especially her second in command.

Calypso only smirked and sniffed the air.

"Seems like you just had a bath, you smell amazing," he told her and she rolled her eyes, wondering where he was going with that.

"If you want something, go get it, and if you don't, please leave. I haven't finished my chores yet."

She couldn't help but be rude to him. Yet he smirked and moved close to her. She moved back.

"Move away," she ordered, her heart beginning to race in fear.

"I am not one of your servants that you order. You are no longer on top of the food chain, fiery Princess." His words made Kathy gulp aloud yet she refused to show fear.

"I doubt your Queen would appreciate you being this close to me. Move away," she told him again.

He was going to move forward but then moved back at the last minute, shaking his head.

"Not yet," he spoke then walked away, leaving Kathy wondering what he meant by that.

As he left, she hurriedly finished cleaning the rest of the room and left the room. Hala was seated on the bed when she came in.

"Hello, mother." She announced her presence, Hala looked up at the sound of her voice.

"Princess, how are you?"

"I am fine, just a little tired."

She could feel pain and frustration coming from Hala. With everything that has happened since the takeover, Kathy could understand why Hala felt that way.

"Mother, you can't keep beating yourself up about this. All we can do is try to do something about it," Kathy told Hala who let out a pained sob.

"I've lost everything, my throne, my people, and my will to live. I promised mother that I'll never let my people suffer but I've broken the promise I made to mother," Hala sobbed, the sound of her voice crushed Kathy's heart. Kathy pulled Hala into her arms.

"I'm sure Grandma knows there was nothing you could do." Kathy tried to console Hala as best as she could.

"You know, I felt him die, Elder Baron. Whenever Lunae loses a citizen, Queen Luna feels it. It felt like someone stabbed my heart repeatedly with a scythe," Hala said with tears running down her eyes.

Kathy couldn't imagine how Hala felt, and she didn't need to as she could feel it. But there and then, Kathy decided that she would free her people or die trying. All she had to do was find a way to get to the wolves. If they weren't coming, she would get them to come one way or another.

A soft snore made her look down, Hala had fallen asleep. Kathy placed her mother down, kissed her forehead, and left the room. She had to find a way out of Lunae. A way that would not alert Lena's guards.

Cynthia. She needed to speak to Cynthia. She moved to the healer's wing as Lena still kept her as the royal healer. She knocked on the door and went into the room. Cynthia was not in but she found something more shocking.

A bowl was found on Cynthia's workbench with a few pieces of moon vine flower along with other flowers. It seemed like Cynthia was liquifying them.

"Luna Princess, you shouldn't be in here," Cynthia spoke from behind her.

"What is all of this?' Kathy asked, not taking her eyes off the deadly plant.

Cynthia sighed. "You are not supposed to be in here."

Kathy thought the worst.

"Are you working for Lena?" She asked with widened eyes.

"No!" Cynthia defended, dread painted her features.

"Then why are you liquifying this? Are you the one supplying Lena?" Kathy raised a brow at Cynthia.

Cynthia sighed again.

"The acting Oracle came to me in a dream and asked me to find an antidote for the moon vine, that a bigger battle is coming. When I woke up, I found pieces of the plant here and started working on them. The downside is, it affects my powers and drains me but I have to continue working on it."

Kathy tried to feel traces of deceit coming from her but couldn't feel any.

"Any progress?" She asked.

Cynthia shook her head sadly.

"No, but I will get something in two days. I just have to keep working on it."

"I want to help," Kathy said. "I can't use my fire element now and I want to do something to help."

"You can help by telling no one. This plant drains our people and I would rather have it draining me than you," Cynthia told her.

"How do I get my powers back?" Kathy asked. "There must be something I can do to be able to use my element again."

"You never lost it. Our powers are a part of us, the fact that it hasn't surfaced doesn't mean it's gone. Your power is stronger than anything I have ever felt and it hasn't reached its full potential yet," Cynthia replied, moving to her work surface.

Kathy nodded then remembered why she looked for Cynthia in the first place.

"Do you know of a path that leads to the Wolfpack? One that is hidden."

Cynthia stared at her for a while before replying.

"That path is yours to find, Princess. I cannot interfere. Remember, see with your mind and not your eyes alone."