Page 61 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
I knew I needed to check in on the others if I was going to try and save everyone … but I still hesitated activating my skill again so soon. At least with Henrietta or Julia I would become someone I could stomach.
After taking a mana potion to replenish my reserves, I selected another Chosen.
“Chloe! No!” I cried out.
A trap enchantment had activated on the dais, opening a pitch-black hole under Chloe as she was consumed by the Void. I reached to grab her, but my hand met a pink shield instead. The adorable tendrils of my love’s shadow magic reached up to meet my hand, pressing from inside as both of us took damage from the touch.
“I love you.” Chloe smiled at me as her legs sank into the darkness. “Always.”
I screamed and activated [Solar Fist], striking the shield. It shuddered under the weight of my attack. I tried to strike a second time, but the Void had taken most of my hand.
“Stand back, Julia.” Mother was engulfed in fire, but ignored the flames as she directed her magic toward the dome. The pink bubble shattered—but it was too late.
Chloe was gone, consumed by the Void, never to be resurrected.
A burst of light erupted from me, my senses reeling from the sheer pressure that built in my chest and exploded outward. Screams. The sound of running. A window shattered overhead, showering the hall in broken glass that cut flesh, but no pain reached me.
“Julia!” Through the glare, I saw Julian yelling my name. He was sword to sword with an elven dignitary. Mother was no longer on fire, as Sir Pram had cast ice magic to frost the terrain. One wall of the sanctuary was covered in vines.
Their Royal Highness walked out of a billowing cloud of wolfsbane, unharmed, in time to catch an arrow from the direction of the oath registry table. Rowen stumbled, white foam at their mouth from the poison …
It took me a while to get to sleep through the sobbing.
“Gerda!” Henrietta found me at breakfast still ruminating over my own plans to save the day. The Dark Lady sat down beside me in the palace dining hall, still in her regular attire despite the wedding only a few hours away. I’d only just watched her scenario an hour before, so seeing her in person made for a strange sense of settling reality—especially since her scenario was just as awful and heart-wrenching as the other two.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.” I stuffed a small summer tomato into my mouth and bit down. I’d chosen a classic breakfast with scrambled floofpoofeggs, thick-cut flying pork bacon, a slice of golden sourdough, and some fresh baby tomatoes.
“Enough of that! I heard you broke your promise and left the guardhouse early …” Henrietta’s eyes were full of worry. “What if something had happened to you?”
“Somethingdidhappen to me,” I told her. “A shadow user tried to attach to me right under the guards’ noses! I didn’t know what else to do, so I took your advice and portaled to my bridge. It took a bit, but Ididmake it back to my rooms safely.”
The best falsehoods weren’t falsehoods at all.
Henrietta grabbed my green arm and squeezed gently. “I’m happy you’re safe, evenifyou had to walk back and wait outside for the Arc. Maybetryto lie low today?”
I showed her the piece of paper I’d been perusing. “Then how am I supposed to win myself an elevator?”
“Ha!” Henrietta let go and picked up a fork to tackle her own breakfast. She had a stack of waffles with markleberry jam in the first layer, strawberries and whipped unigoat cream in the second, and the top had more whipped cream and a light drizzle of strawberry syrup. “You could surprise people by rising up from below the bridge in style! It would bespectacular.”
“And slow,” I argued, taking a bite of my eggs and enjoying the fluffy soft taste. “They’d be long gone by the time I exited onto the bridge.”
“True.” Henrietta’s nose crinkled in thought.
“IfI won …” I paused for effect. “I could giveyouthe elevator.”
Henrietta laughed. “Keith would be beside himself with excitement to take it apart and find out how it works, and see if he could make one.”
“He would,” I said, then changed the subject. “What are your plans for today?”
“I’ll help Keith get ready and run any errands that need running before the ceremony.” She sighed. “I wish Chloe and Julia didn’t have all this added stress for their special day.”
I nodded; it was unfortunate.
“How about you?” Henrietta turned her eyes my way.
“I’m probably going to go straight to the hall, search for traps, and wait around with the rest of the party guests. Mingle a bit. And then use the ladies’ room before the rush,” I told her.
Again, technicallynotlying.
