AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Queen Ambrose
Immortality and death go hand in hand. For someone to live the lives of several, several must be stripped of theirs. Ambrose had killed plenty of people in the past year. Innocent or not, it did not matter.Had it been enough?
The queen tried to recall all of their faces. Most she couldn’t remember at all, a few were fuzzy in her memory. Had she been so frivolous with life?
A good person would regret everything she’d done up to his point. A good person wouldn’t have even killed in the first place. A queen could only be resolute in her decisions, unwavering against herself and the doubts that were fed into the back of her mind by council or family. If a queen doubted herself, the people would doubt her a million times over.
Ambrose had to accept her decision. So she hardly flinched as the blade was shoved through her chest, piercing her heart. She gasped minutely at the pain, unable to take a breath without her body shaking with agony.
This was worse than anything she’d ever felt before. Death was as terrible as everyone else feared.
Glass shattered, scattering into a thousand little pieces. Time was passing in flashes, here one moment then gone the next. When had she stumbled backward? When had she fallen to her knees? How had she let go of her staff?
A worthy person’s spirit would be sent to the heavens with the gods. Someone with as much blood on their hands as her…they’d be sent to only one god, the god of the underworld, the god without a name. Their soul to be tortured for the rest of eternity.
Blood trickled out over her bottom lip. Her dress was tacky with it, clinging to her skin and forever staining. Every blink she took was slower, her eyelids heavier, until it was impossible to open them again. At least her body had gone numb.
Even with her eyes closed, she could see the roar of fire on the other side. Death had come for her and she couldn’t take her decision back.
A haunting voice laughed somewhere in the back of her head. The cackle so near the sound of crackling embers it was almost impossible to make out. What it whispered to her though, could never be forgotten, forever imprinted on her soul.
You chose wrong.
Ace
Chilly fall dawn rose up over the brick house tucked away just past the sleeping town of Saylor. Bright morning sunlight cut across Ace’s face, pulling her from a dream about a woman with wild hair riding against the wind that she wouldn’t remember. With a groan, she threw her arm over her eyes, the frilly lace sleeve scratchy against her cheeks and the slender bridge of her nose. The smell of sweets and freshly baked bread wafted up to her residence on the second floor.
She wondered to herself what the occasion was as Ishaan, the bakery owner, mainly baked savory breads and only the rarest of events would cause him to branch out into the more delicate desserts. Inhaling slowly, she grabbed the blanket and tugged it up over her shoulders. Only when her fingers didn’t slip through thin holy material did she remember that she wasn’t in her borrowed apartment.
Her lips curved down as the week’s events flooded her memory. She’d almost kissed Shelby… and then she’d lost him. She’d met a Fae king. He’d told her she was some sort of angel, a theory she was apt to reject. She killed Queen Farah. She’d killed her sister, her own flesh and fucking blood. She’d gotten Shelby back. She’d…
Ace released a long sigh. She’d made adealwith the Fae king. Ace had shaken his hand and given her word. He’d help her in any way she needed to kill the queens and in exchange he would give her a crown which would allow the warlocks in Pasia to be freed. It also meant she had to marry Rehan. Something cracked in her chest a little more.
Fluffy bedding and excessive pillows created a nest around her, providing the smallest amount of comfort to a dread she was sure could never be fully eased. There was a crinkle in her nose when she started to scold herself. How did she let herself feel so much so quickly?
“You idiot,” Ace whispered to herself, smacking her palm against her forehead as she sat herself up in the bed. “You’re so—”
A woman sat on the floor, kneeling at the foot of the bed. Her head was bowed, thin wrinkled fingers clasped under her nose. She didn’t move even as Ace kicked out of the blankets, scurrying up against the wooden headboard. The grooves of the intricately carved floral design pressed through the thin fabric of her gown into her back.
“Who are you?” Ace asked.
A rumble of laughter came from somewhere in the hall, and Ace’s attention bounced between the closed door to the strange woman. She couldn’t be sure but it soundedmocking.
Ah, a true follower of the gods, Greshta sighed happily.
Do take it easy on the woman, would you, Ace?Sylik said with a similar inflection.
The woman lifted her face, lines creasing at her eyes and around her gentle smile. “Sweet angel, I am Posy. I am here to serve you.” She bowed her head again. “I am blessed by your presence in this home. I am blessed to be a servant at your feet.”
“You…” Ace swallowed. “You work here? You work for Rehan?”
“Yes, my angel.” Posy’s cheeks warmed with a blush as their eyes met for a moment before she bashfully lowered them again.
“Please don’t call me that. Just Ace is fine.” Cold air washed over her legs as she threw the blankets fully off. A couple of throw pillows tumbled to the floor at her feet, a nervous shout already rising up her throat.
“Shelby! Rehan!” she called skirting the edge of the room to keep distance between her and the stranger. The drawers to the wardrobe rattled behind her before she sprinted off toward the door. Wind caught at her thin nightgown, blowing it against her legs.
“Please don’t be afraid, Miss Angel!” Posy’s voice followed behind her.
