Metal sang as Angus pulled an antique sword from a scabbard. He grinned at Caroline as he lifted it at her sister, whose mouth dropped open.
“Kneel before your queen,” he commanded.
“I will not. What’s the meaning of this?” Emmy barked, putting her hands on her hips, adding a foot stomp for emphasis.
Caroline closed her eyes, banishing any glimmer of a fond memory from her mind, replacing every single one with the feeling of that nudge Emmy gave her into the hallway. Into certain death. She opened them and glanced around, reminding herself of how easy her sister had been living, not giving much thought to what Caroline might be going through.
Then she looked Emmaline right in the eye, gave her the cruelest smile she could muster, and brought her to her knees.
“We’re going to have to find some better options for food,” Angus said.
He and Caroline sat on an open-air balcony, made from the same red striated stone the rest of Roskide was constructed from, at a plain wooden table overlooking the city. The moon was rising, and stars were just coming out. This balcony off the war room was a favorite of her father’s. He could often be found in this exact chair ruminating on the day’s decisions or meeting with Torac. The fact that she sat here with the young man she’d decided would be her commander wasn’t lost on her.
“That will be the next order of business after I take my punishment. I don’t want to be speaking to an audience and the Gods decide to whisk me away during the middle of it.” Caroline gnawed on the chewy cake they’d retrieved from the vault after they’d locked her sister up in the dank prisons which were carved into the side of the mountain. Only the worst prisoners were there and, as she and Angus discovered, they’d all died from thirst or starvation in the weeks they’d been forgotten about. The smell was horrendous, and it was almost inhuman to leave Emmy there.Almost.
So, they found the least putrid smelling section, threw her in, then delivered her fancy bedding and table, suggesting she make herself at home. It had taken all the strength Caroline had not to rip every shred of hair out of Emmy’s head as she grabbed her dirty blonde locks and dragged her inside the cell. When the lock clicked, Caroline didn’t look back.
“How long are you going to leave her there?” Angus asked, sensing her drifting thoughts.
She studied him, but couldn’t sense any judgement in his eyes. To Caroline, it only cemented his loyalty to her.
She shrugged. “Indefinitely? Why? Do you think I should let her out?”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t. But I’m not a queen.” They shared a glance, then a grin. As she built her guard and castle staff, she couldn’t afford to be so informal with them. Somehow, with Angus, with what they’d been through together, the friendship had blossomed. And she supposed she was permitted one friend.
“Why haven’t they summoned you yet?” Angus asked as he tore off a piece of hard cheese and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Oh, I’m sure they’re waiting until I become complacent.” Caroline threw her gaze to the heavens. “Come and get me. Exact your punishments. I’ve earned it,” she called to the sky.
A tingling sensation bit up her calves and swirled around her. “Shit, Angus. They are respondi—”
Angus blinked as his queen dissolved into a fine mist that evaporated with the rays of the sun.
“Seems like someone’s been busy,” Death called down to Caroline as she appeared on the familiar white stones.
She glared up at the Gods, resentment of their power over her already bubbling up. And this was just the beginning. “Let’s get on with it. I have a kingdom to restore.”
“Already bored with us?” Justice shook his head, sighing. They were quiet for a while, appearing to confer between themselves through some sort of mental channel, then Justice motioned to Pain to rise.
Pain approached her without fanfare and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Satisfying, isn’t it?”
Her breath quickened as she braced for what was to come, and she shot a look at the placid Gods still on their benches.They were enjoying this.“Twisted fucks,” she muttered.
“That’s not very nice language for a young queen, daughter,” the God she learned was Life chimed. Its face displayed a subtle grin, but otherwise showed no tension or facial flection at all. Just peace.
Caroline laughed. She wasn’t sure what she was laughing at. Perhaps it was the irony, or Pain’s secret admission. Maybe it was her devolving opinion of the Gods. She didn’t know for sure, but she couldn’t stop herself. She was only a fourteen-year-old girl, and these were eternal beings. She should prostrate herself before them, not laugh in their faces. But she couldn’t control herself. She had seen too much in the last week of her life. Caroline wasn’t the same girl any longer.
Pain smiled so only she could see—as if they shared some sort of secret understanding—and placed its hands on her, cupping her head around her jaw. A cool, pervasive energy passed to her from its silky hands as they squeezed. The total control Pain embodied as it looked down into her eyes was almost a comfort. Caroline braced herself. Before she threw her head back, she caught Death wink as the first wave struck.
She would take this penance gladly, she reminded herself as she gritted her teeth coming down from a crest, the blinding pain ebbing long enough for a thought to slip through. When this was over, she and Angus would get to work rebuilding Everstal into a kingdom so powerful that none could challenge her. There would be no peace treaties or truces made during her reign. She would extract her wrath on Veetula, and its blue-eyed royals would cower before her. There was no price she wouldn’t pay. Caroline would deliver their punishment, and it would make the anguish coursing through her veins feel like a mercy.
Part Two -
The Crimson Reign
Chapter 1
TEN YEARS LATER
