The Queen
These passing weeks, Adler ensured that every request I made regarding the city was instantly fulfilled, effectively bringing order within the once chaotic streets. The riots and gatherings that had been occurring since my children abandoned me had ceased.
The masses now bowed before me on days I patrolled with guards at my side. Curfews were set, and my captain was working diligently to build up our army with young males as we prepared to march to the mortal lands to destroy them entirely.
Citizens learned quickly that their pitiful pleas for the mercy of their sons fell on deaf ears. I stripped away their freedoms, like petals plucked from a shriveling flower, just as Elianna had from the two that I loved most in the world. Not only that, but she also had managed to turn my other two children against me as well.
I wouldn’t let the wyvern-riding rebel bitch steal my kingdom from me, too.
In the dimly lit throne room of the castle, I stood upon the dais, my ebony gown flowing like a river of shadows around the foot of the throne. The room echoed with a sinister silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the newly appointed staff that roamed about the castle, tiptoeing around me as if I would strike them as they passed.
My fingers traced the elaborate armrest of the throne; each touch was imbued with a sense of satisfaction that sent shivers through my icy veins. As my thoughts continued to unfurl, the absence of Callius twisted my heart in agony, and a constant lump in my throat threatened to suffocate me every second of the day without him at my side.
I shoved down the overwhelming anguish, locking it away in the depths of what was left of my soul, and allowed an intense, unyielding rage to take its place.
The doors to the main entrance of the throne room swung open, and Adler stalked through with two females accompanying him. My eyes narrowed in on them beneath furrowed brows.
“Captain, what is the meaning of this?!” I demanded, but no words left him. In fact, his body was rod straight aside from the bending of his knees as his legs carried him toward me. My face twisted into a scowl as I stood from my throne.
“Queen Idina, I presume,” the younger of the two spoke. Her voice threatened to send a shiver down my spine, but I ignored the sensation.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, apologies, Your Highness. How rude of me.” She snapped her fingers, and the tension in Adler’s body instantly eased, earning my curiosity.
“You stupid bitch!” Kellan roared at her, but the female dismissed him with a wave of her hand, sending his body violently flying back into the wall.
My eyes flared, and then my gaze slowly wandered back to the female that approached the dais. I wouldn’t show her an ounce of fear. This wasmykingdom.
“Can I help you ladies with something?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side, ignoring Adler as he pushed himself to his feet and stood at the edge of the room, huffing out in anger.
“Your Majesty,” she said with a sly smile. “We have come to offer our services to aid you in your war against the heir of the realm.”
My gaze widened. “There is no longer an heir to the realm, for my son is dead.”
As she watched me intently, she mimicked my head tilt as her eyes narrowed in curiosity. “You have more than just one child, my queen, but none of those are whom I speak of.”
My jaw ticked. “This kingdom doesn’t recognize any other heir.”
“But it does. The realm always recognizes the blood of atrueValderre.”
My gaze whipped to the guards that remained at the door and then to Kellan. “Seize them!”
Adler hesitantly stormed toward the females that stood before me, and to my surprise, the one who spoke allowed him to place her hands behind her back without a fight.
“I am Azenna, High Witch of The Elora Coven, and I promise you that I am able to break free from any binding you place me in faster than you can blink.”
My jaw throbbed with pain from clenching it tightly as my eyes flickered anxiously between the two of them. “What is it that you seek from me?”
The corners of her lips tilted into a grin. “I want the same as you. To teach those who seek to steal from us that it cannot go unpunished.” When I didn’t respond, she continued. “You see, Your Highness, I serve no one. I am a queen in my own right. In my own species.”
“That is treasonous to say, especially from where you stand, witch.”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “I am looking to form an alliance. I have no interest in your throne; my only desire is to exact vengeance on those who have wronged me. And you and I share a common enemy.”
I cackled. “And what has Elianna Solus done to you, High Witch?”
“Aside from storming into my homelands and attempting to persuade us into aiding her claim to the realm, EliannaValderrehas done nothing.” I snarled at her for correcting my use of her given name. “Her little spiel was rather moving. My desire for revenge stems from the one who accompanies her.”
