Battle of the Elements
Chapter 19 Titania

I leapt on Alex as the men came for Indina. She changed, and they pinned her to the wall, the plan was in motion – I prayed that Alex had as much faith in me as I did in him. She changed, Alex saw her. She looked at me with those ruby-red eyes and I felt a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach.

I slammed my hand to the ground and felt an extreme amount of magic pass through my body as three, giant tree roots launched out of the ground, shattering the tiles. They plunged into the men who were attacking Indina – well, the men were actually just pretending to – and went through their bodies like it was glass. Two tree roots, having taken the men out, circled around Indina, she started to cry as they closed in on her. I needed to drag this out.

She screamed Alex’s name as she reached for him. Alex jumped forward to save her but I waved my arm and the third tree root curled around him and trapped him. I pulled my spare arm back, making the tree root that was in front of Indina do the same, and brought it forward fast. Her blood splattered onto the white tiles as the giant root sank into her pale flesh. I pulled my hand back and sent the tree roots back into the ground – I hadn’t even noticed when I changed into my natural form.

I sat on the white tiled floor, my dress blending in with the tiles. All eyes were on me. I wanted more than just my dress to blend with the floor, I wanted to disappear into the floor just like the roots. But I had blood on my hands now, it wasn’t there physically, but it was there none the less. The last things I saw before the guards surrounded me were these few things: Indina and Alex holding hands as Indina bled to death, Bridgette fighting her way through a crowd of guards with a look of mixed anger and desperation on her face, Dane pulling her back, guards closing in around me. But the thing that stood out most of all, was the look on Alex’s face when he looked at me.

I sat in the prison cell, by the tiny, bard window, trying to sink into the scratchy bits of hay on the floor. No one talked to me as they passed, some would spit into the window, and others would kick dirt and rocks in my face. Only Bridgette would come to the window, in the dead of night, she would talk of ‘everything being ok’ and ‘you can survive this, I’m here for you’ but I didn’t hear most of it. All I could see was Alex’s face as I was hauled away by guards I couldn’t even change out of my natural form, I didn’t have any other clothes to change into so it was either, be in your natural form or be naked and cold.

I heard the sound of keys and footsteps and looked up. Behind the bars was Alex. His hair was scruffy and unwashed, his eyes had giant bags under them. He stood outside my cell just looking at me.

I looked into his eyes. We stayed in silence for a long time before he eventually said in a numb voice, “My father says you have to be punished, executed I mean.”

I clenched my jaw and tried not to cry, “Ok.” My voice was shaking and I hadn’t talked in so long it was barely knowledgeable.

“I said no. I want you to live. I want us to be friends again,” ouch, so we weren’t friends anymore, “you’re going to the labs Titania.”

My eyes widened, I clamed my mouth closed with my hands. That was worse than execution! I wanted to die! Let me die!

I heard him walk away and that was all I saw of him before I left for the labs.