Page 52 of A World Enough

Camber laughed at the biggest smile on Brogan’s face.

Morrigan paced in the back area of the ship. They were getting nowhere and had made a retreat from Oipra and Abnobian space.

An idea had come to her, but Morrigan hated the thought of it. It’s for Brogan.

Morrigan closed her eyes and shook her head. She let out a big breath and said, “Margot, I have an idea.”

Margot turned around in her chair. “What?”

“There’s someone I can call on who usually has information.”

Thane gave her a pointed look. “What, the Abnobians?”

“No,” Morrigan spat. “Queen Emaris.”

Margot looked at Jhosa. “I understood you didn’t get on.”

“We don’t. But I’m willing to contact her so we can find Brogan and the Map Keeper. She has informants all over the realm.”

“I’m sure she does,” Thane said.

“Look, I didn’t choose to be neutral in the war you had with the Abnobians. If I was on the throne, we wouldn’t have done. So just stop.” Morrigan looked up at Margot. “I’ll use the station at the back.”

“Thank you for doing this. I know it’s hard for you,” Margot said.

She walked to the back of the shuttle. There was a bunk for longer journeys and a small workstation. Morrigan put her head in her hands and rocked back and forth.

The thought of asking her mother a favour churned her up inside. They’d never had a good relationship from as far back as she could remember.

She was brought up by the palace nannies, and only presented to Queen Emaris at nighttime. Her younger brother Balor, on the other hand, was doted on by the queen and often was called for during the day.

The queen would hold council meetings with him on her knee. He was spoiled, and as he grew he became wilder and wilder but still indulged. Their home planet was a matriarchal society, and so the heir was Morrigan.

Balor plotted and tried to get their mother to change the constitution, so he could take her throne. That was one thing her mother couldn’t do for him.

He left their planet and sought power on other worlds, grew darker and darker, until he was lost. Now Morrigan had helped banish him to another plane of existence. She no doubt had further damaged the mother-daughter relationship.

Morrigan’s fingers hovered above the console, trying to delay the inevitable, but her fingers swept over the controls and input the code for her mother’s private secretary.

An older man appeared on screen and said, “Your Royal Highness. How may I help?”

“I want to speak to my mother.”

He lowered his head. “I shall check if she is available.”

After their last conversation, Morrigan wasn’t entirely sure the queen would take her call, but much to her surprise, the queen’s face appeared on screen. Queen Emaris was beautiful and had always been beautiful. But even the long-lived fae queen looked older since the last time Morrigan saw her. She had gorgeous short red hair that had been beautifully styled in a feminine cut, framing her green eyes.

She wore a long flowing white and pale blue gown, giving her an ethereal look. That was all in contrast to Morrigan, who took after her father with her collar-length dark brown hair and blue eyes. She suspected that was the root of their estrangement. The queen didn’t love the daughter who looked like the man that hurt her deeply.

“Hello, Queen Emaris,” Morrigan said.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my long lost sheep. Are you calling to report your brother’s banishment, and your hand in it?”

News travelled quickly. Vetia had one of the best secret services in the realm, making the queen privy to most incendiary information before the rest of the realm knew it.

“He always was banished, Mother, for crimes that were abhorrent. Balor became a monster. You know that. He convinced a witch to help him escape his last dimensional prison, and I had no option than to help protect the Earth and banish him again,” Morrigan said.

Emaris looked up and sighed. “If only I could have had my time again with him. Made sure he didn’t end down this path.”