Intuition

Chapter 1- The Kingdom Calls

A/N- This chapter contains a lot of background info, so please bear with me! 🌟  

  Arianna bolted upright from her bed, shaking and tearing at the sheets that were tying her down to the mattress. Gripping her head, she tried to rid her mind of the images in her nightmare. As with past experiences, the visions would linger most of the day until she worked her brain past the levels of human endurance and forced it into submission. The day her mother and sister died would be forever etched in her memory, but she really didn't need a replay while she slept. It was almost as though her mind wanted her to see something, but her heart kept her from examining those visions too closely. Something was different this time, however. The man with the gray beard had never spoken to her before, and she had never heard the woman speak of binding. The stone will find her? What did that mean?

     She sighed and stretched. Too many witches, oracles, and fae had tried to help her find some meaning only to fail time after time, and this small, yet possibly important addition could mean something. She could live without analyzing it, but evidently her subconsciousness could not. Her wolf, Liana, was quiet, but awake, pondering the nightmare as she always did. It wasn't until she felt someone push at her mind that she stopped analyzing the visions from her nightmare.

     "My lady...are you awake?"

     "Desi, how many times do I need to tell you that you don't need to 'my lady' me in a mindlink?"

     "Sorry my...I mean, Arianna. Your father will want to leave for the palace in two hours."

     Arianna sighed. So much for sleeping in. "Of course. I'm up and I'll start getting ready if you want to come upstairs."

     "On my way!"

     Desi was best friend, personal assistant, logistics manager, and many more things all rolled into one amazing package. She kept Arianna organized, on time, and presentable, and even though Arianna could do all of this, Desi knew she'd rather be playing with chemicals and making serums than messing about with schedules and paperwork. Her friend was invaluable to her success and she was so much more than an assistant. Desi was getting nervous about their departure. Her father was adamant about punctuality and Desi, knowing Arianna's proclivity to sleep in on the weekends, knew that she would need to motivate her friend along if they were to be on time.

     Heaving a great sigh that came from the deepest depths of her being, Arianna rolled off her bed and walked across the room to the ensuite bathroom to shower and get ready. It was Tuesday morning and this week they were attending the annual kingdom summit at the royal palace, and then later in the week the Crystal Games and Alpha Challenge would take place. As she showered, she ran through the schedule for the week in her mind. It would be a long two weeks, but worth it in the end.

     First was the celebration of her grandfather's birthday and a celebratory ball. Family and select close friends would gather to celebrate King James 75th birthday with a large, and likely very boisterous family style dinner on Wednesday evening. Thursday, she would spend time in her lab with Vinny and Wren at Crystal Memorial, as well as helping out in the clinic. The celebration ball for her grandfather was Thursday evening, where the royal family would welcome everyone and the night would be full of glittering gowns and dancing. The weekend was mostly free, except for assisting her aunt with the arrivals of the crystal packs on Sunday. The official summit was a state of the kingdom type of event, with the opening Sunday evening. She and her twin brother Alexander would deliver the keynote address, highlighting the travels and outreach they had been doing for the last two years. Pushing aside the small, nervous pang in her chest, she focused on her preparations.