The Mage Queen Book 1: The Princess

Anastacia's heart stopped. Who was that? She stared at the tapestry before her and how the little girl seemed a lot different. Her eyes were the same bright grey color, similar to hers. However, the smile seemed more sinister in comparison to her innocent smile.

"I," she paused. "I never had a sister."

"Maybe she died before you were born?" Rowen shrugged.

Marick shook his head. "If so, why hide it with new fabric dye?"

"I don't know," someone said. "I was hoping you had answers, princess."

At the sound of her voice, Anastacia yelped and Marick and Rowen whirled around with gunblades and thorny vines drawn. By the door, they saw a black-haired girl who looked exactly like Anastacia. She smiled and curtsied to both of them.

"My apologies, where are my manners? I am Princess Anastacia da Sofiene, heiress to the throne of Sofiene," she said. "And you are?"

Anastacia froze. How could that be? Her trembling hand gripped the pendant hanging on her neck. She was wearing the real regalia and could use its powers! That could only mean she was the real princess, right?

"I believe that you have something of Sofiene's." Princess Anastacia extended her hand, smiling. "May I please have it back?"

Rowen shook his head. "How do we know you're not lying?"

Princess Anastacia's expression suddenly turned cold. "Be quiet, peasant."

With a quick slide of her feet, her shadow extended and slammed Rowen against the wall, pinning him. Anastacia gasped and rushed to help the dryad while Marick shot the princess with his gunblades. Shadows shot out and caught the bullets, disintegrating them.

"My, has the palace voice not taught you how to use your words?" She scoffed. "Your governess has failed you, Your Highness."

Anastacia gathered mana into her hand, shining a bright light. The shadows shrieked and shrunk away before dropping Rowen onto the ground. She glanced back at the princess whose shadows clashed against Marick's blades. Her heart stopped at the sight of the princess. If she was the princess then...

Who was she?

Her hands trembled again as she held the Sofienian pendant again. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to gather her mana again. Something fizzled inside her only to die out. Bewildered, Anastacia cupped the pendant only to find that the light died out. The soft humming that it once made was gone. Her heart sank. How could that be?

"The pendant only responds to the princess of Sofiene," Princess Anastacia explained before pinning Marick to the wall with her shadow needles. She turned to Anastacia. "Return back what is mine, Anastacia."

Anastacia shook her head. "Let go of Marick first."

"Why care for an escort?"

"I will not let him die on my account."

"Oh? All the more you are not the real Anastacia."

She frowned. "Is it wrong for me to care for those who helped me?"

"They are expendable. They made the choice to proceed despite the risks," Princess Anastacia replied coolly. "But" — she snapped her fingers, retracting her shadows and dropping the pirate captain on the ground — "if you so insist, return the regalia to me."

Staring into Princess Anastacia's cold eyes dried her throat, forcing her to reply with only a stiff nod. Her trembling hands slowly removed the necklace as she advanced towards Princess Anastacia. The dark smile on the princess' face sent chills down her spine. She didn't know she could smile like that!

"It's like looking into a mirror," Princess Anastacia mused as she snatched the regalia from her. "I can see why Mattias and Silas mistook you for me."

Anastacia froze. Her brothers! "What did you do to them?"

"You care for them?"

"They're my brothers!"

Princess Anastacia's eyes flashed with fury. "They were never your brothers" — she donned the necklace — "For you to have the gall to even assume that they were your brothers, I wonder what lies mother and father told you," she hissed.

Fear paralyzed Anastacia's throat as Rowen stepped up. "Why are you hurting your sister? Are you two not twin sisters?"

Princess Anastacia chortled. "Don't be absurd, Dryad. I have no sister. This pauper" — she pointed at Anastacia — "appeared to be my replacement."

Rowen shook his head. "Parents wouldn't replace their kids!"

"Yet they did with me. But you may as well be right."

Anastacia gasped and staggered away from the shadows that rose from the ground and sharpened into blades. She summoned a white aura around her hand and pulled Rowen close to her. She glanced at Marick who flicked the lock on his gunblade and pointed it to Princess Anastacia.

"Better drop the black magic, lass," he growled. "One wrong move and I'll send ya to Davy Jones' faster than you can blink."

She smirked and glowered at him. "If there's anyone who should die, it's her," she spat. "Impersonation of a member of the royal family is punishable by death."

Her head wanted to split from everything that was happening. The overwhelming shock of seeing another Anastacia that condemned her caused her mana to fearfully spike up and down. The white aura that protected her hand flickered on and off like a dying firefly as if to mirror her wavering will. Was this what Erkalla wanted to protect her from? Did she know?

"Such a ridiculous idea to replace me with you," Princess Anastacia scoffed at her. "While I am firm, I am not unkind. I shall answer your little questions. You have but three questions. Think them over carefully."

Anastacia gulped. She couldn't tell if the princess was just playing around with her. But she was certain of their power difference. Standing in front of Princess Anastacia made her knees buckle beneath her. All her hairs stood on their ends and her mana felt so dwarfed compared to hers.

"What did you do to have them replace you?" Anastacia's lips quivered as she asked.

Princess Anastacia shrugged. "It was not what I did. But it was more what I was about to do."

She gulped. Dread filled her with the next question. "Where are Mattias and Silas?"

"Safe. Away from you."

Relief filled her at the thought. At least they're safe. "Are you really Princess Anastacia?"

Princess Anastacia's eyes flashed with fury. "I am. My question is — who are you?"

Anastacia shivered at her icy voice. How could she be so apathetic to the people around her? Her grip tightened on Rowen's wrist, causing him to yelp. She gasped, let go, and murmured an apology. However, she felt someone tap the back of her hand. She glanced at Rowen who nodded at her with a sheepish smile.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Anastacia bit her lip. What could she do? Marick may have had Princess Anastacia at gunpoint but her command over the shadow was beyond anything she imagined. She glanced towards the window, noticing the sunset outside. She glanced at the flickering light in her palm then at Rowen.

"Rowen, hold my hand and shield your eyes," Anastacia ordered.

Rowen nodded at her and Marick. Once Anastacia saw Marick acknowledge Rowen's message, she inhaled and exhaled. She closed her eyes and imagined the mana rushing through her veins. Something sparked within her. Again, she thought. Another light sparked brighter in her mind.

When she heard someone snap their fingers, her eyes snapped open, and saw the shadows rushing towards her, Rowen, and Marick. The sharpened shadow needles caused her mana to surge with anxiety as she placed her hand in front.

"LightofDeusletEvilbewarethyshine!" She screamed.

Light flashed from her palm and dispelled the shadows. But the panicked chanting generated a shockwave that shattered the windows and sent both her and Rowen out the window. Her eyes widened as she grabbed a torn portion of the window pane, yelping in pain. She gasped while struggling to keep her grip on Rowen.

"Rowen!" She tried to pull them both up. "Hang on!"

Rowen nodded.

While hanging, she heard loud metal clashes above her. Her heart stopped, realizing Marick wasn't with them. He can't fight her, she panicked. Princess Anastacia was a magoi and her command made up for her lack of physical strength. She gritted her teeth and tried to pull herself up again, gasping in exhaustion and frustration.

"I should have exercised more," she whimpered.

Marick grunted as he defended himself from the shadow blades' onslaught. He parried one aiming for his face before jumping over one that tried to sweep him off his feet. They tried to impale him against the wall but he escaped with a lunge towards Princess Anastacia. He grunted and wove past an incoming shadow blade before slapping down another one to the ground with his gunblade.

"So the stories were true," Princess Anastacia chuckled. "Would you not prefer to be on the winning side, Mr. Hawthorne?"

Marick jumped up to bisect her only for a shadow blade to block his attack. "It's Captain Hawthorne to you, lass. Even Ana knows that."

"My apologies, I didn't know a pirate's authority extended onto land."

"And that's why you can't be the princess. Don't your mother teach you simple etiquette?"

She laughed. "My own mother found me troublesome and a monster."

The shadow blade threw him back, forcing him to duck behind a table. He kicked it down as they pierced the board. Splinters flew past him as he tried to shoot her by mounting his gunblade on the table. Suddenly, everything went silent and the assault stopped. He held his breath. Was it over?

Before he could rise from behind the table, something punched right through it. The impact slammed him against the wall when something grabbed him by his skull. He coughed and tried to turn only to see what held him: a two-faced fleshy golem with a disfigured and large arm with bulging veins. One face had an expression of terror whereas rage contorted the other one. It seemed hunched over with large, glowing pustules threatening to explode mounted on its back. Marick gawked at the creature.

"My, Silas, Mattias, be gentle. He's a guest," Princess Anastacia giggled.

Marick's eye twitched furiously. This thing is her brothers!?

"Now do set him gently. I need to make some calls," she ordered and clenched the pendant tightly with a sinister smile. "My knights are not very patient people."