A New Journey (Part 9)

This shocking part will reveal Clara’s relationship with Valerie, and Valerie’s history. Enjoy!

Clara sat on the bench in the Forest Fairies’ waiting room and sulked. She was supposed to see Valerie today. As she waited, Clara thought about what Momo had told her: how shadow magic sucks moonlight out of other sources, leaving them powerless. It was so evil. Finally, the door opened. It was Kate. Again.

“Clara,” Kate said, sternly. “You may see Valerie now.”

“Uh, thank you, ma’am,” Clara stammered. She quickly got up and rushed into Valerie’s room. Actually, room doesn’t cover it. Try palace. It was a magnificent area, with gold-coated walls and a ceiling. The furniture was also beautiful. There was a grand bed that hung from the ceiling. Floating steps allowed you to walk up there, but since Valerie was a fairy, she probably didn’t need them. Around the room were several diamond bookshelves. They were all crammed with books about magic, spells, and sorcery. And in the middle, there was a throne also made of diamonds, sitting in front of a fireplace. Valerie was sitting there. She got up and turned around.

Clara backed away. She had barely ever seen Valerie. Valerie had piercing green eyes, beautiful blonde hair, and a long, elegant dress. She wore a gold crown on her head, which had an emerald in the middle. She wore black high-heeled boots which were studded in turquoise. As she strolled toward Clara, her boots clicked on the shiny floor.

“Clara,” Valerie said. Her voice was somewhat nice and beautiful, but a little evil at the same time. “I have lots to discuss with you.” She pointed to a chair nearby her throne. “Sit, will you?”

Clara did as Valerie told her to. She checked to make sure she looked good. She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the Queen of the Forest Fairies. 

“Uh, thank you so much for letting me talk to you, ma’am,” said Clara, adding a fake smile on her face.

“Yes, well,” Valerie sighed, “I needed to speak to you, anyway. About… your choices that you have made in the past few weeks.”

“Your majesty, I am so sorry about me trying to become the queen of–“

“Clara, as long as you have learned from your mistake, that is good. But it was still foolish of you. Jack has now gotten absolute power over Magicia.” 

“I know, ma’am, it was a bad thing to do. Please forgive me.”

“I forgive you. But, Clara, now I will have to deal with the trouble you caused. Your eighteenth birthday is only in a few hours. And I… I have so much to tell you.”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

“Remember that I used to teach you? And when I told you that you would be my heir? It’s time we talk about that. I would’ve spoken to you earlier, but with Jack and… Ah, never mind. Anyways, you’re connected to a type magi–“

“Crystal magic. I know.” Clara stopped herself. “Sorry for interrupting, my queen.”

Valerie sighed and slowly shook her head. “It’s fine. But who told you that?”

“I have a friend. A wolf. Her name’s Momo, and she’s connected to mist magic.”

Valerie shook her head again, but this time, in disgust. “Mist mages, they think they know everything. But they lack power! Well, whatever, your friend was correct. Yes, Clara, like me, you are connected to the most powerful source of magic. The other fairies–besides my sisters, Kate and Diana–are connected to moonlight. Now, Clara, would you like to know a secret?”

“Uh, sure.”

“I… I am not as good as you think. I have made so many mistakes in my life, including… when my husband… well, you get it. I don’t want you to be like me. I want you to be a better queen and a better mage.”

“But I barely know any magic!”

Valerie chuckled. “Do you remember the lessons I taught you when you were younger?” Valerie took a book out of a shelf. “The Official Guide to Magic and Crystals,” she read. “Take this, Clara. Perform the spell on page eight. I believe you already have the crystal you need–the Black Crystal.”

Clara reluctantly flipped to that page. After reading a bit, she brought out her crystal. “Ekal eht laever,” she chanted. The crystal faintly glowed. Then, an image of the Magicia lake showed up in front of her. “Can I keep this book?”

Valerie nodded. “Go ahead,” she said. “But I’d recommend you memorize the spells. If you’re in battle, the enemy wouldn’t give you enough time to whip out your book and do a quick search, would they?”

Clara laughed. “In my dreams, they would,” she said. “But how am I supposed to memorize before becoming queen?”

“There’s a–” Valerie hesitated. “Ah, I thought I could use a shadow magic spell on you to help with that. But it may not be good for someone connected to a natural source. I know this because I’ve experienced it myself.”

“With your husband?”

Valerie smiled softly. “He was a king who ruled a large kingdom. That kingdom was destroyed by a dragon. I tried to use shadow magic to heal the kingdom, but… it didn’t turn out so well. It did almost nothing but destruction. My husband became very angry. Ever since then, he has always wanted to get revenge on me. Don’t be like me, Clara. Never use shadow magic.”

“I won’t. Besides, I have Crystal magic, the most powerful source of magic in the universe.”

Valerie pursed her lips and sighed. “No… it’s the most powerful natural source in the universe. I’m afraid that ultimate shadow magic can be stronger than Crystal magic.”

“But barely anyone knows how to actually use ultimate shadow magic.”

“Correct.”

The clock chimed. Valerie spun around. It was midnight, Clara’s eighteenth birthday.

Valerie glanced at Clara she knelt and put her hands on Clara’s shoulders. 

“My time is done,” Valerie said, smiling. “Be a good queen, my dear daughter.” 

“Daughter?” Clara yelled. “I’m your daughter?”

Valerie kissed Clara’s forehead, and with a flash of light, she was gone.