The Crown's Seduction-Chapter 42: Hope

Doing as she was told, Mineah grabbed onto Alexa and closed her eyes against the howling winds. To her side, the Shadow Knights had already positioned themselves to flank their movements, their instructions to protect her now fully in effect as they prepared themselves to lead the way.

"Alright!" Alexa announced as turned to face the two Shadow Knights. "You two! Lead the way!"

Despite her eyes being closed, Mineah couldn't help but try to shield her eyes from the gusts of wind and rain. The storm was starting to pick up in strength, it seemed, and it was almost to the point that the very rains themselves were loud enough to prevent her from hearing anything else around her.

"Again, hold on tightly," Alexa spoke into her ear. "This is going to feel weird at first."

Mineah nodded, hoping that the older woman felt her do the gesture.

Taking a deep breath, she held on for dear life as she felt her surroundings shift. Alexa's body almost felt like it was slowly passing through her arms despite her holding onto her tightly. Around her, what felt like a soft barrier shielded some of the rain away from her, allowing her to open her eyes once more just as she felt her feet float off the ground.

Barely suppressing a scream, Mineah bit her tongue as she suddenly shot off into the darkness of the hard stormy night. In front of her, she could barely make out the other Shadow Knights that had also turned into mist leading the way. Then again, she was only human, and she could only hope that Alexa was seeing things better than she was currently doing.

"Are you alright, Mineah?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden voice speaking to her from seemingly all around her. She could only assume that it was Alexa trying to speak to her.

"I'm alright," she replied, her arms still trying to hold onto what felt like a cloud of air. "The rain stopped being too hard on me."

"Good. At least I still remember how to do that one trick," Alexa chuckled around her. "Now, let's see if we can get ourselves to safety."

From where she flew, Mineah could simply look around the darkness around her as the storm just never seemed to stop. Beneath them, the waves grew higher as the winds and rain refused to give them any reprieve.

Likewise, the lightning strikes from the clouds above almost threatened to turn her deaf even as it provided a meager source of light for her to see the true cause of this storm.

"Milady! Sirens!"

Mineah felt the mist around her grumble in annoyance as their route suddenly shifted. Squinting her eyes, she indeed saw what looked to be the visage of Sirens serenading the skies. She couldn't make them out due to the darkness, but their song was both beautiful and haunting as they pierced through the howling winds.

"Dammit," Alexa hissed.

"What's wrong?"

"They're all around us," she replied in annoyance. "You might not be able to see them, but we'll have to make this quick. We can't let them see us pass through them."

Mineah simply nodded. She watched as Alexa and the Shadow Knights navigated these treacherous waters.

Holding on tightly, she felt her body sway and move in Alexa's direction, wave after wave of high waters passing them by as the very sea itself suddenly seemed to be fighting them.

"To our left!"

Mineah heard Luis shout from the rain as she turned her head. Sure enough, her eyes widened as a massive wave threatened to swallow both her and Alexa whole.

"What the- Hang on!"

At Alexa's warning, she tightened her questionable grip as she felt her body jerk upwards at a sharp angle. Just barely, she watched as the massive wave passed underneath them, leaving them safe from harm before they continued on their path.

"That was close," Mineah chuckled.

"We're not safe yet, Mineah," Alexa panted. "I'm… That took a lot out of me…"

Alarmed, Mineah was just about to ask if she could help, only for a streak of lightning to suddenly slam right in front of them.

And just as quickly, she felt her grip on Alexa slip as the mist around her dematerialized for a split second.

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"F-Fu- No! Mineah!"

"Aunt Alexa!"

Her hand outstretched, Mineah screamed as she felt herself plummet to the choppy waters below. She didn't know what happened, but the close lightning strike clearly affected Alexa enough for her to lose control of her mist form. She didn't blame her, but she would also like to live through this!

Closing her eyes, she prepared herself to fight for her life against the icy waters. As soon as she felt her body hit the water, she held her breath before doing her best to swim up to the surface of the chaotic waters.

Her lungs burning, Mineah felt the winds hit her face the moment she surfaced. Unfortunately, she had only begun to take a breath when another massive wave threatened to bury her under its grasp.

Her arms flailing against the strong currents, she felt her strength leaving her as her chest tightened from the lack of air. Eventually, her body forced the issue by making her take a water-filled breath, choking her as her consciousness began to leave her.

'N-No… Please…'

Try as she might, however, her arms were too weak to fight against the currents. She couldn't even hear the howling winds above her anymore as she slowly sank into the depths below. All the while, her last thoughts were those of her family and friends.

Gathering what meager strength she had left, Mineah exerted her will against the waters around her. The waves seemed to slow down, allowing her to swim to the surface to catch her breath.

'No, it will not end like this…' she thought to herself. She was someone who would never lose hope that easily…