07: The Crimson Queen

Branches Of Sunshire

Chapter 7

The Crimson Queen

Madelyn, Nari, and Juniper stood in the grand entranceway, staring at the redheaded woman opposite Juniper. She had Juniper’s face, towering height, and enormous feet, yet something about her was unmistakably different.

Juniper: “Jacqueline?!”

Juniper staggered backward, struggling to speak. Jacqueline applauded.

Jacqueline: “Bravo, Juniper! Gold star for you!”

She cooed, then sauntered further into the entryway, inspecting the Manor.

Jacqueline: “What have you done to this place?”

She grimaced at the googly eyes stuck on the grandfather clock. Madelyn turned towards Juniper.

Madelyn: “You have a twin sister, Juniper?!”

Jacqueline’s mouth fell open as she slowly turned to face them.

Jacqueline: “She never told you about me? How terribly rude!”

She scoffed at Juniper. Madelyn stared at her in disbelief. She expected Nari to keep secrets, not Juniper.

Nari, meanwhile, studied Juniper. She was usually an open book. Why keep this page from them? Her attention returned to Jacqueline as she took in her appearance. Jacqueline turned towards her with a smirk, flipping her hair.

Jacqueline: “Clearly, she’s threatened by me.”

She chortled, placing a hand to her chest.

Juniper: “What are you doing here, Jacqueline?!”

Juniper stiffened.

Jacqueline: “It’s my birthday, and I’m here for what’s mine!”

She spread her arms out. Juniper folded her arms and glared.

Madelyn: “What exactly do you mean by ‘What’s yours?’”

Juniper stepped towards Jacqueline.

Juniper: “It’s not yours. Get out.”

She spoke firmly, teeth clenched. Jacqueline casually sank into the leather chair, crossing her legs as if she owned the place.

Jacqueline: “Make me.”

She leaned back in the chair and grinned. Then she kicked off her heels and propped her bare feet on the coffee table. Nari’s eyes widened, her gaze lingering on Jacqueline for a moment. Jacqueline noticed and smirked at her. Juniper glared at her sister.

Juniper: “Get your feet off our table!”

She yanked the coffee table away from Jacqueline.

Jacqueline: “Oh my, how rude!”

She lowered her feet, brushing her soles against Juniper’s. Jacqueline’s expression briefly faltered. She glanced up at her sister, then towards Nari. A knowing smile crept across her face.

Jacqueline: “Is something troubling you, dear sister?”

Juniper narrowed her eyes at her sister.

Juniper: “You!”

Jacqueline: “Hmm, no, I’m not the only one bothering you…”

Her eyes flickered towards Nari. Juniper’s expression changed.

Juniper: “Stay out of my life!”

She stepped between Jacqueline and Nari, glaring at her sister.

Jacqueline: “Seems I touched a nerve.”

She grinned and leaned back in her chair.

Juniper closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten.

Juniper: “How did you get out, Jacqueline?!”

She turned her attention back to Jacqueline.

Jacqueline: “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Juniper tensed.

Juniper: “It doesn’t matter! You can’t be here!”

She shook her head and pointed toward the door. Madelyn looked between the twins.

Madelyn: “Juniper, what’s going on? Why are you so upset?”

Jacqueline smiled at Madelyn.

Jacqueline: “Oh, she’s just having one of her temper tantrums!”

She chuckled. Nari glanced towards Juniper.

Nari: “I have never known Juniper to throw tantrums. Perhaps we should hear what Juniper has to say.”

Jacqueline turned to Nari.

Jacqueline: “What? And deprive me of the pleasure of getting to know you?”

She smiled coyly. Juniper glared at her.

Juniper: “You don’t want to get to know her, Nari.”

She stood between them, keeping her attention fixed on Jacqueline.

Juniper: “She murdered our parents!”

Her voice broke as she glared at Jacqueline. Madelyn’s expression dropped. Nari stared at Jacqueline, her earlier curiosity giving way to suspicion.

Jacqueline: “Oh, Juniper, they were hardly innocent themselves!”

Juniper: “They were our parents!”

Her voice cracked as she struggled to hold Jacqueline’s gaze.

Jacqueline: “And they chose YOU! What was I supposed to do? Accept that?”

She scoffed.

Juniper: “You took them from me!”

Her eyes glistened as she wiped them.

Jacqueline: “And you took everything from me!”

She spread her arms, gesturing toward the house.

Jacqueline: “But honestly, Juniper, perhaps you should be more concerned about who you’ve been letting into my mansion.”

She turned to Nari, narrowing her gaze with intrigue.

Jacqueline: “A Sole-Wielder? Now, that’s interesting.”

She smirked. Nari stiffened, realising what she had inadvertently revealed.

Madelyn: “You told her about Ashley?!”

She whipped around to face Nari, disbelief on her face.

Nari: “I didn’t know who I was speaking to!”

She folded her arms across her chest.

Madelyn: “Oh, don’t give me that! You have it out for them!”

Nari straightened.

Nari: “I was protecting us! That’s why I cast the block-shield in the first place!”

Madelyn laughed bitterly.

Madelyn: “Protecting us?! You played us like little chess pieces to get them outta the house! You had no problem leaving me alone with the “scary” cat person all day!”

She threw her arms up in disbelief.

Nari: “I wouldn't have had to do what I did if you hadn’t let them into the manor in the first place!”

Madelyn stepped towards her, gesturing with her hands.

Madelyn: “They’re harmless, and this is their home, too!”

Nari: “You don’t know that!”

Madelyn: “And you don’t know that they’re dangerous! You just decided that before you even bothered to get to know them!”

Nari’s jaw tightened.

Nari: “You don’t know what you’re dealing with!”

Madelyn: “Neither do you! You were so busy worrying about them that you totally overlooked THAT!”

She gestured sharply towards Jacqueline, who was lounging in the chair, filing her nails.

Madelyn: “You went through all this trouble to get them outta the house, and now you’ve let an actual murderer in!”

Jacqueline glanced up from her nails, looking thoroughly entertained.

Nari: “It’s not as though I’m psychic! I wasn’t blessed with that gift! I couldn’t have foreseen this!”

She exhaled sharply.

Nari: “Nor do I possess feet-reading abilities.”

She turned towards Juniper, pausing as something dawned on her.

Nari: “You read them with your feet in the kitchen! You knew Ashley was a Sole-Wielder, and yet you didn’t tell us!”

Juniper: “I didn’t think it mattered! I read their souls, so I knew they weren’t a threat to us!”

Nari: “And you expected me to take your word for it? You can’t possibly know everything about them!”

Juniper: “You didn’t trust my judgment any more than you trusted theirs!”

Nari: “What if you were wrong?!”

Juniper: “Then we deal with that if it happens! We don’t punish them for something they haven’t done!”

Madelyn: “And you had no problem tickling Ashley before you knew they were a Sole-Wielder, Nari!”

She gave a bitter laugh. Nari opened her mouth to respond, but Jacqueline cut in with an amused giggle.

Juniper stepped forward, planting her feet firmly, and pointed at Jacqueline.

Juniper: “But now we have to deal with an actual threat!”

She gestured to Jacqueline, who smirked up at them.

Juniper: “You don’t get to make decisions without me! It’s still MY house, Nari!”

Jacqueline: “Actually, it’s MY house!”

Jacqueline leaned back against the chair, grinning. Juniper whipped around to face her sister when something dawned on her.

Juniper: “Knock it off, Jacqueline!”

Jacqueline innocently batted her eyelashes.

Jacqueline: “Oh, but I’m not doing anything!”

Juniper turned back towards Nari and Madelyn, who had started arguing again.

Juniper: “Stop fighting! You’re giving her what she wants!”

She moved closer, holding out her hands to get their attention, but they were too caught up in their argument to listen. Jacqueline’s smile widened.

Jacqueline settled further into the chair, watching them with a satisfied grin. She summoned her staff from beneath her feet, as if tearing up roots from the ground. Its thin black shaft caught a dark, red gleam. Gold fittings flashed at either end. At its crown, black branches curled around a great crimson orb, their points hooked inward like claws. A smaller red stone glimmered near the base, above a long, narrow point.

A faint crimson haze gathered around her bare feet. It spread across the wooden floorboards, barely visible beneath the others.

Unnoticed by the others, translucent tendrils resembling tree roots stretched across the floor, curling towards Nari and Madelyn’s feet. Juniper stepped between the arguing women, trying to get their attention. Another tendril curled towards the soles of her feet.

A faint glow appeared within the tree roots, travelling along the tendrils from the three women to Jacqueline. She relaxed against the chair, closing her eyes with a blissful smile, as though she were receiving the most wonderful massage.

~

Meanwhile, outside the Manor, Ashley rounded the corner, still trying to make sense of the commotion coming from inside.

Ashley: “Blake?”

Blake stood by the iron gates, staring through the bars towards the house, looking irritated.

Ashley: “What are you doing?”

Blake glanced over his shoulder.

Blake: “Trying to get in, obviously!”

Ashley approached him, noticing the dark smudges across his palms.

Ashley: “What’s all over your hands?”

Blake looked down and brushed his hands on his jeans, leaving faint black streaks.

Blake: “Nothing… just dirt.”

A chorus of yelling came from inside the house. Ashley turned towards the window.

Ashley: “What’s going on?”

Blake stepped closer, peering inside.

Blake: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

~

Back inside the Manor, the argument had grown even more heated. Madelyn and Nari’s voices grew louder, but their movements grew sluggish. Juniper glanced down at her feet, a sharp sting pricking her. Then she noticed translucent roots across the floor, their tendrils extending from beneath Jacqueline’s feet toward Nari and Madelyn.

Juniper: “STOP! She's feeding off our energy!”

She snapped. Jacqueline merely hummed and smirked.

Juniper: “She's turning us against each other so that she can drain our energy! She’s been using our argument against us!”

She warned them. Madelyn and Nari stopped to turn to Jacqueline.

Jacqueline: “Oh, don’t stop on my account!”

She waved her hand.

Madelyn: “God fucking dammit!”

She glared at Jacqueline, furious with herself for being used as a pawn in someone else’s game again.

Nari: “You manipulative bitch–”

She bared her teeth at Jacqueline.

Jacqueline: “Careful, girls, you’ll exhaust yourselves.”

She took Nari’s black feathered fan from the desk and fanned herself. Nari glared at her.

Nari: “Give me back my fan, and get out!”

She reached for her staff, but struggled to summon it from the shadows. Nari froze.

Juniper weakly summoned her staff from below her feet and raised it to cast a spell, but Jacqueline cut her off.

Jacqueline: “Don’t even think about it!”

She tapped her staff against the wooden floorboards. The ground cracked, and wild roots burst upward, coiling around their legs, waists, and arms.

Madelyn: “Oh, come on, you’ve gotta be kidding me!”

She huffed and writhed against the roots tightening around her wrists. Nari’s eyes widened with terror.

Juniper: “JACQUELINE! STAY AWAY FROM THEM!”

She struggled against the roots. Jacqueline glanced towards her.

Jacqueline: “What, so I can’t hang out with your friends? Jealous much?”

Jacqueline finally rose from the chair, admiring her handiwork with a satisfied grin. As she approached Nari, she trailed the feathered fan beneath her chin. Nari swallowed hard.

Jacqueline: “I just want to have a little fun before I kick you out!”

She flicked the fan across Nari’s feet.

Nari: “NOHOHOHO! DOHOHON’T YOU DARE!”

She twisted against the roots, desperately trying to wrench her feet away. Her usual composure had completely deserted her. She was used to calling the shots, not having someone else decide what happened to her.

Jacqueline: “What’s wrong, darling? You seemed rather fond of tickling Ashley!”

She teased Nari, tickling her with her feathered fan.

Nari: “HAHAHHAHAHAHA, I HAHAHAHAHTE YOU!”

She glared furiously at Jacqueline, who smirked at her.

Madelyn: “HEY! CUT THAT OUT!”

Jacqueline glanced over her shoulder, amused. Nari panted, struggling for breath.

Jacqueline: “Oh, would you like some fun, too?”

She taunted her, waving the fan towards her. Madelyn’s eyes widened at the soft feathers.

Madelyn: “FUCK OFF!”

She writhed against the roots, trying to break free.

Jacqueline: “How uncouth!”

She scoffed and trailed the fan across Madelyn’s feet. Madelyn gasped and threw her head back.

Madelyn: “NOHOHOHOHO! YOU BITCH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

She rasped and thrashed amongst the root bonds.

Jacqueline: “Ooh, someone’s ticklish!”

She moved the fan between the roots to Madelyn’s exposed tummy.

Madelyn: “HAHAHAHAH EHEEHEHEAHAH FUCK OFF! HYEHEHEHEHE eheheheeeheHEHEHEEHHEHEEH!”

She thrashed against the roots, her protests dissolving into laughter and growing weaker.

Jacqueline: “Stop wriggling! You’ll wear yourself out, silly fat girl!”

Juniper: “STOP IT, JACQUELINE!”

She snapped, struggling against her restraints. Jacqueline paused and glanced towards her.

Jacqueline: “What’s your problem, Juniper? I’m just having a little fun!”

She shrugged.

Juniper: “This isn’t a game!”

She snapped, looking at Madelyn and Nari, hunched over and drained.

Jacqueline: “It is when you’re winning.”

She grinned, leisurely fanning herself with Nari’s fan.

Juniper: “You’re a monster!”

She hissed and struggled against her restraints.

Jacqueline: “A monster? You’re so cruel!”

She scoffed, placing a hand to her chest and feigning offence.

Nari noticed Dalnim perched atop the grandfather clock. She glanced towards the gate outside the window and gritted her teeth. The Sole-Wielder had never tried to attack or humiliate her, nor had their common folk brother. They had argued‌‌, but that was all. The Sole-Wielder had even made pancakes. Jacqueline, on the other hand, had attacked her, restrained her, and humiliated her.

Nari: “Dalnim!”

She whispered to her. The raven turned her head towards Nari.

Nari: “I need you to do something for me!”

She caught Dalnim’s eye and silently communicated with her, keeping her attention on Jacqueline as she continued arguing with Juniper.

~

Outside the gate, Ashley and Blake paced. Dalnim flew out of the manor and swooped down to them.

Ashley: “Dalnim? What are you doing here?”

The raven cawed, fluttered toward the gate, and landed on the iron railing. She glanced back at them, then flew toward the Manor.

Ashley: “I think she wants us to follow her, Blake!”

Dalnim circled back, cawing impatiently. Blake arched an eyebrow, and they followed Dalnim to the gate.

Blake hesitated at the gate. Dalnim flew back and forth overhead. Ashley glanced up at her and slowly reached for the gate.

Blake: “Wait, Ashley!”

Ashley grasped the iron bars, but nothing happened. Their face lit up as they stepped through the gate.

Ashley: “Oh my stars! The block-shield’s gone!”

Blake stepped into the gate beside them, his mouth falling open.

Blake: “Well, I’ll be damned.”

They exchanged surprised glances.

Ashley: “How?”

They looked up as Dalnim flew overhead.

Blake: “Nari must’ve broken it…”

His gaze shifted towards the Manor.

Ashley: “Really?!”

They gasped.

Blake: “Who else could have done it?”

He glanced down at his hands. Dalnim tugged at their sleeves, signaling for them to follow her inside. Blake and Ashley exchanged a glance, then followed.

~

Blake and Ashley stepped into the manor and stopped abruptly at the sight before them. A mass of tree roots had twisted and distorted the living room. It looked as though a forest had taken over the room.

Blake: “What the fuck is this?!”

Among the tangled roots stood Nari and Madelyn, alongside what looked like two Junipers. One stood in a crimson dress, her back to them, while the other wore a white dress and was tangled in the roots.

Ashley: “Juniper?! What are you doing?!”

They gasped. Jacqueline turned around, a smug smile curling on her lips. Despite her familiar face, something about her was unmistakably different.

Jacqueline: “Don’t confuse me with the cheap imitation!”

She scoffed at Juniper.

Jacqueline: “I am Jacqueline Osennikova. The crimson queen of your dreams.”

She proudly placed a hand to her chest.

Blake: “Not my dreams.”

He rolled his eyes. Jacqueline turned her attention to Blake.

Jacqueline: “So, which one of you is the Sole-Wielder?”

Blake stepped in front of Ashley immediately. Jacqueline’s eyes followed his movement, and a knowing smile spread across her face.

Jacqueline: “So you’re Ashley!”

She smiled at Ashley, drinking them in with intrigue. Ashley stepped back.

Ashley: “What's going on?!”

They knitted their brows at the three sleepy women bound by tree roots rising from the floor.

Juniper: “Don’t give her a reaction and don’t let her feet touch you!”

She warned them. Jacqueline shot her a glare.

Nari: “Don’t just stand there! Set her roots on fire or something!”

She commanded. Blake froze.

Ashley: “W-what?! I can’t do that! Sole-Wielders don’t cast fire!”

They cupped a hand over their mouth. Blake turned to Ashley. Then he turned to Jacqueline.

Blake: “Okay, crimson cunt, time for you to go.”

He stepped towards Jacqueline, gesturing towards the doorway. Jacqueline laughed.

Jacqueline: “I think not!”

Jacqueline leaned towards him, brushing the soles of her feet against his. Her playful expression faltered. She withdrew her foot and studied him with sudden suspicion. Her fingers tightened around her staff.

Jacqueline: “Well, now. You’re an interesting one, aren’t you?”

Her gaze sharpened. Before Blake could react, she raised her staff, and thick tree roots shot up from the floorboards, coiling around his limbs and pinning his arms to his sides.

Blake: “WHAT THE FUCK?!”

He rasped, struggling against the bindings, desperately trying to move. Panic surged through him. It was happening again. Just like with Makayla, his body wouldn’t respond, except this time he was fully aware. He couldn’t move or do anything.

His gaze snapped to Ashley. They were alone with Jacqueline, and he couldn’t get to them. He’d always felt responsible for protecting them, but now he was completely helpless.

Blake: “ASHLEY!”

His voice cracked as he struggled against the roots again.

Ashley: “BLAKE!”

Jacqueline’s tendrils rooted toward their feet, feeding on the fear and tension radiating from both of them. Ashley summoned their staff with a flicker of bright light.

Ashley: “Stay back and let them go!”

A warm gust swept through the room, stirring Jacqueline’s hair and dress. Jacqueline blinked and burst into laughter.

Jacqueline: “Aww, how sweet of you to warm the place up for me. It was rather cold here.”

She chuckled, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

Jacqueline: “You look like a frightened little kitten! How cute!”

She taunted them, stepping closer. Ashley tightened their grip on their staff and backed up against the wall.

Jacqueline: “Did you really think a warm room would stop me?”

Jacqueline stepped closer, her roots creeping further across the floor as she fed off Ashley’s fear and helplessness. Ashley suddenly felt weak, their knees faltering as their energy drained.

Blake: “ASHLEY! GET OUT OF HERE!”

He called out between increasingly laboured breaths, his strength fading as Jacqueline drained him. Ashley looked back at Jacqueline. Their hands trembled around their staff.

Jacqueline: “What’s wrong? Run out of tricks?”

Ashley squeezed their eyes shut, and for a moment, everything went still. Then a brilliant white light erupted from their staff, flooding the room.

Jacqueline recoiled, throwing an arm against her face. Her staff slipped from her grasp, and the roots binding everyone loosened as her concentration broke. One by one, they all collapsed to the floor.

Nari, Madelyn, and Juniper shielded their eyes, while Blake looked on in shock. Ashley lowered their staff and stared down at their hands in disbelief. What did I just do?! How did I do that?! Ashley pondered.

As the brightness faded, Juniper blinked rapidly and spotted Jacqueline sprawled across the floor. She hastily summoned her staff from beneath her feet and thrust it towards her. Roots burst through the floorboards, winding around Jacqueline and pinning her down.

Jacqueline stared at her bonds, then back at Juniper.

Jacqueline: “Oh, come on! This is so unfair!”

She pouted. Juniper stood over her, arms folded.

Juniper: “Get out, Jacqueline!”

She pointed to the door.

Jacqueline: “How exactly am I supposed to do that when you’ve bound me to the floor, stupid?”

She scoffed.

Jacqueline: “I’m not going anywhere.”

She smirked.

Madelyn: “Oh yes, you are!”

Madelyn strode towards the vase on the windowsill and dumped its contents over Jacqueline’s face. Jacqueline recoiled, sputtering. With a wave of her staff, Madelyn twisted the daisies into a long chain that wrapped around Jacqueline like a Christmas ham.

Jacqueline: “Daisy chains?! Seriously?!”

She bared her teeth, struggling against her restraints. Juniper tapped her staff against the floor, pulling the roots into the floorboards and leaving Jacqueline securely bound by Madelyn’s daisy chains.

Blake steadied his breathing for a moment and turned to Ashley.

Blake: “Ashley, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

He placed his hand on their shoulder.

Ashley: “What are you sorry for, Blake?”

They knitted their eyebrows, studying him with concern. Blake’s expression hardened as his gaze shifted to Jacqueline.

Blake: “YOU!”

Before anyone could react, he stormed towards her, bent down, and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Jacqueline: “EXCUSE ME?! PUT ME DOWN!”

She wriggled indignantly against her restraints, but Blake ignored her protests and carried her outside as if he were carrying a grenade.

Jacqueline: “How dare you!”

She hissed and glared at him.

Blake: “How dare YOU! Get the FUCK out of here!”

He carried her through the gate and dumped her onto the pavement, slamming it shut behind him.

Jacqueline struggled to her feet and let out a mocking laugh.

Jacqueline: “You think this gate will stop me?”

Nari approached, raised her Polaroid camera, and snapped a photo of Jacqueline, still bound in daisy chains, her face like a week of wet weather.

Jacqueline: “How dare you take unflattering photos of me?!”

She snapped at Nari. Without answering, Nari waved her staff over the photograph, bound it with a black ribbon, and placed it in the box of water. The water froze around it, sealing the photograph in ice.

Jacqueline: “What are you doing?! GIVE ME THAT PHOTO!”

She glared at Nari before finally wrenching herself free of the daisy chains. She reached for the iron bars, but the moment her skin made contact, an icy force hurled her backward onto the pavement.

Nari: “Yes, this gate certainly is enough to stop you.”

She smirked, leisurely fanning herself with her feathered fan.

Jacqueline: “HOW DARE YOU! THIS IS MY MANOR!”

She summoned her staff and unleashed a burst of roots against the gate, attempting to penetrate it, but the spell rebounded, throwing her backward once more.

Jacqueline: “LET ME IN, YOU PEASANTS!"

She screeched like a banshee. Juniper approached, surveying her sister. Jacqueline glared at her.

Jacqueline: “YOU BITCH!”

She rasped, charging at the gate again. The icy barrier repelled her, sending her flying backward once more. Juniper shook her head.

Juniper: “Leave her to her tantrum.”

She turned and headed back inside. Nari and Blake followed, leaving a screaming Jacqueline outside their gate.

~

Back inside, they inspected the destruction Jacqueline had left behind. Masses of tree roots twisted around the furniture, leaving several pieces broken. Juniper shook her head, taking in the wreckage.

Madelyn: “Well, that was an eventful day!”

She flopped onto the sofa, limp with exhaustion. Nari stood by the window, watching Jacqueline screaming outside.

Juniper: “Is everyone alright?”

Blake stood beside Ashley, rubbing his wrists where Jacqueline’s roots had restrained him. Ashley glanced between them.

Ashley: “Are you okay, Juniper?”

They placed their hand on her shoulder. Juniper pursed her lips, glancing towards the window before slowly shaking her head.

Juniper: “...I’m just glad no one got hurt.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. Ashley gently pulled her into a hug.

Madelyn: “What was that light, Ashley?!”

Ashley pulled away slightly and looked down at the Sole-Wielder tattoos on their thumbs.

Ashley: “I don’t know… I didn’t know I could do that.”

Blake glanced at Ashley, wondering the same thing. Nari turned from the window, looking between Ashley and Blake, her expression difficult to read.

Nari: “Well, thank you for your help. Both of you.”

Her tone was unusually sincere.

Ashley: “Of course! I’m glad you’re okay!”

They smiled.

Blake: “I didn’t do it for you.”

He folded his arms and glanced down at Ashley.

Nari’s expression tightened. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the photographs of Ashley and Blake she’d used to cast the block-shield against them. She studied them briefly, then tore them in half. Ashley’s eyes widened.

Nari: “Don’t make me regret this. If you prove to be dangerous, I will destroy you.”

She turned and sauntered towards the basement stairs.

Juniper watched her go, then turned toward the window. Outside, Jacqueline was still shouting at the gate. Juniper sighed, shook her head, and walked away.