CHAPTER 500: AN IMPOSTER

The entire night, Abrielle had been watching Evelyn; she was curious why it seemed she was the only one who saw her. Once she noticed the hermit witch slipping out of the room she gave Evelyn a hint to follow her.

She was still cautious, knowing this might be a trap to lure her out. Zoltana’s intentions were unclear, and her showing up at the Luminaria place was indeed suspicious.

What had happened to Zoltana after the night of the festival she got kidnapped.

Zoltana was fast, she knew she was being followed. Abrielle could not stall for Evelyn. She grabbed the excess of her skirt and ran after Zoltana down the endless hallways of the palace.

Oddly there were no guards. Something in her told her to turn back, but a gut feeling told her that if she turned back, she would regret it.

Her footsteps echoed through the halls. Zoltana took several turns, and soon the walls started to become more unfamiliar. Zoltana walked towards a door which led to a tower. Why was she so familiar with the castle walls?

Abrielle stopped at the open door, before stepping into the tower she tore a piece of her dress to use as a marker.

The tower was dark, with a few torches and pools of moonlight streaming in through the window illuminating the space

After climbing an endless spiral of stairs Abrielle finally arrived at the exit. She was huffing for air. Her dress felt too tight for her

The door was unlocked, Abrielle pushed it open, and the wind came blowing through, obstructing her view. She had to use her hand to shield her eyes before stepping out.

"I didn’t expect you would come out." Abrielle heard the chilling voice. Her eyes darted around before falling on Zoltana’s back.

Abrielle’s heart skipped a beat, her breath turning slow. She was standing on the roof. She clenched her fist and braced herself. "Why did you lure me here?" Abrielle asked.

Zoltana turned around, and she smirked at Abrielle. "I have to speak to you privately" She calmly said. The princess’s eyes narrowed on the hermit witch before her. She looked exactly like Zoltana.

"How did you get here? What happened to your sister?" Abrielle asked Zoltana. Her eyes were watching her sharply.

Zoltana’s face was soft, worry flickering across it, "It is a long story. This isn’t the time for pleasantries, there is something urgent I have to tell you." Zoltana answered. The wind blew across her silver hair, and her grey eyes sparkled under the moonlight.

Abrielle relaxed then started walking forward. "How did you escape from death bite? I was worried sick." The princess stopped walking, genuine concern written on her face.

Zoltana’s gaze flickered. "I was sold to a noble and brought to Heliosa." Her tone seemed very genuine.

"Along with your sister." Abrielle iterated. Zoltana nodded in affirmation. Abrielle’s jaw clenched, she kicked off her shoes and in a swift movement, backed away before conjuring a fireball at Zoltana.

Zoltana wasn’t expecting the attack and could only avoid it with a slim chance by using a barrier. "Why are you attacking?" Zoltana blurted confused.

Abrielle sneered, "Enough of the pretence. Who are you?" She asked, then conjured a protective ring of fire.

Zoltana’s face fell, then turned into a scowl. "How did you know?" Her eyes turned cold, and attack runes formed around her

"You might look and talk like Zoltana but you know nothing about her. Zoltana doesn’t have a sister, and most importantly, she fights with blades."

Sabrina was Zoltana’s aunt, and Zoltana was a member of the Drizari clan. They didn’t have combat spells and relied on poison and curses to fight. This was an imposter, Abrielle suspected from when she appeared at the ball

Zoltana won’t be able to appear in such a place unless someone else is behind it.

"So that’s what gave me away. That’s fine anyway." The imposter chimed, and the air turned heated. The runes around her glowed, Abrielle knew she was about to release an attack.

She also prepared for a strong attack, but before either she or Zoltana could attack, a large flame Phoenix shot out from the door behind her, attacking Zoltana. Zoltana could not evade it and pushed back, her back slamming against the wall.

She gritted her teeth, some fabrics of her clothes were burnt.

Abrielle’s eyes went wide, surprised by the attack, and the door then burst open. Evelyn and Elias ran out ready for action. They immediately ran in front of Abrielle to shield her.

Evelyn glanced above her shoulder. "I hope you aren’t hurt, Your Highness." She chimed before her eyes went back to ’ Zoltana ’ who had managed to get back on her feet. She spat a mouthful of, her face turned livid.

Abrielle was puzzled; that attack from earlier was clearly not Evelyn’s or Elias’s. She didn’t have the luxury of time to think about it because Zoltana had risen to the sky, she was expertly manipulating wind with her runes. Her spells reminded Abrielle of Calista when she attacked them on the river while pretending to be Sarah.

"Your number doesn’t matter." She sneered then smiled.

"You will all die one way or the other tonight." The impostor coldly said. Evelyn’s grip tightened on her dagger, and she moved closer to Abrielle, letting Elias take the lead since she wasn’t skilled in long-range attack.

"This will be a long fight." Evelyn also recognised the difference in their strengths; they were clearly outmatched, with only Elias having the slightest chance. Abrielle’s eyes turned sharp, ready to attack.

Zoltana hissed, then raised her hand. The first attack came at them. Elias was able to fend it off with all his strength.

Abrielle and Evelyn switched to support to take advantage of the distraction.

That’s when a fleeting figure came running past them. He stepped on a wall using it as a foothold to propel himself using his flames.

He knocked out the imposter from the sky. His moves were fast and calculated leaving Abrielle and everyone stunned.

The imposter crashed against a wall falling straight into it. Aurelius landed on his feet, his sword blazed in flames.

"Step back, Abrielle. She is way stronger than you." He warned her before rushing forward to attack once more. Aurelius had cast a protective spell on Abrielle which triggered earlier releasing the Phoenix flames

Once he sensed she was in danger he rushed to the scene. Aurelius was instantly faced with his perfect manipulation of flames.

Elias was impressed by Aurelius’ strength; the crown prince of Heliosa was almost on the same level as Lucian and Cedric.

"Protect the princess. I will give the prince a helping hand." He instructed Evelyn, then charged into the battle.

Abrielle stood watching in awe, Aurelius was truly strong. In front of him, her abilities seemed like a joke. She stared in admiration, and a bitter taste reached her mouth. She was the one still being protected. How long will it take before she is strong enough, at least to Elias’ level?

The imposter was strong, but before Aurelius, who was charged with pure murderous intent, and Elias, the battle was deemed to end in her loss.

She fell at their hands, almost burnt to a crisp. Her back was against the wall, her body covered with burns. The battle didn’t take long to finish.

"Who are you?" Aurelius asked, his blue eyes filled with murderous intent..

"Either you take off the spell or I cut your head to break the spell." Aurelius threatened with his sword pointed at her neck. Deadly and calculative that was the reason he stood above his siblings.

The imposter smiled. She knew Aurelius well enough. This was her end, she glanced at the night sky. She had failed her mission twice, why was it so hard to kill one little princess?

"My only regret..." she coughed, then grinned. "...was not personally killing you when I had the chance." She chuckled in delight like she lost her nuts.

Aurelius snapped hearing her taunt. She gripped her neck, almost knocking her unconscious. The air from her lungs was knocked out. She struggled to breathe, and her body lost strength.

The spell broke and the illusion fell revealing the one behind the fake face.