Chapter 159: Resurrection
Prince Conrad was led to Princess Evanna’s private garden the following morning. After his ’lovely’ family breakfast, he received a message that the Princess wished for their last lesson to be outside. The Prince knew that only a named few were allowed entry to her garden. At first, before he started to understand her, he presumed the Princess must have tantrums if anyone entered.
Now, as he walked down the patio steps and onto a path that led through a vibrant garden, did he understand why nobody was allowed entry. The area was peaceful, with the flowers in full bloom and nobody else in sight to whisper and gossip about Evanna. Other than her chambers, this was her safe haven.
The servant who directed him to the garden had already left. He was now walking along the path by himself, holding onto the books by his side. He followed a curve that led to a small courtyard with a few benches and a fountain. This was the spot they were meant to meet, but Evanna was not there; he pulled his golden pocket watch from his navy coat pocket and checked the time.
He was five minutes early, so he placed the books down on the nearest bench and stood waiting for Evanna’s arrival. As he did, Conrad’s eyes snapped to the side where a large tree was in front of the balcony, but what gained his attention was the bird that fell from the sky. Conrad walked in its direction and sighed when he saw the raven lying on its back, dead. He crouched over it and tilted his head to the side.
Conrad wondered how Evanna would react to his powers. Now that he was closer to the balcony, he knew a particular pair of green eyes were watching him from the tree. There was no doubt that the balcony was connected to Evanna’s private quarters, and the quickest route to her garden was by climbing down the tree. That was exactly something he could see her doing. If Evanna went as far as dressing up as a commoner to explore the village outside of the palace, then climbing trees must be a piece of cake.
Conrad redirected his attention to the dead bird on the grass and raised his hand above it, focusing his energy on it, like he’d done on previous occasions. The bird’s chest suddenly expanded, and its wings flapped before it hopped up onto its feet, flicking its head from side to side before squawking and ruffling its feathers and staring at Conrad; its eyes were glazed over. Conrad frowned as his energy started to dwindle, and his head began to throb; he clutched his head, hissing before releasing his hold on the bird.
Evanna gasped and dropped the vast distance down beside him, landing gracefully like a cat. He was hunched over, his knee’s now on the ground as he felt a sharp needle-like pain prick at the side of his head. The bird hopped to the side near him, but Conrad waved his hand dismissively, and the bird flew away.
"Are you okay?" The Princess approached him slowly.
Conrad chuckled through clenched teeth, wincing at the pain in his skull. "What did you see?" He asked instead of answering her. His heart was racing, his head throbbing, and he wanted to crawl back into bed. It had been a while since he used that power. Usually, the animal would flop dead to the ground, but he could feel this disgusting link between him and the raven even while it flew further away. It was a sickening feeling; his body was chilled from bringing it back from the dead.