Chapter 18 The Kingdom’s Due #2
“This is the last one,” Lark chimed as she and the guard, whose eye she recalled blackening, laid a trunk at Queen Frost’s feet. The woman’s gorgeous face appeared to have been carved in ice—passive and cold.
Lark smiled at her regardless. “That was quite the adventure. Captain Moreau will tell you about it, but we got what you asked for.” She posed with her foot on a smaller box and stretched out an ungloved hand. “The antibiotics you promised?”
She found Frost even more striking than the first time they’d met—her shiny, platinum hair spilling around mint green-clad shoulders, her ample curves pressing against the fabric.
And those intense blue eyes, so filled with mystery and royal command.
Lark thought even the mad warg would have turned tail and fled if they’d been exposed to the queen’s presence.
But was she a woman of her word, or merely a power-wielding fraud?
“Thank you, Ms. Sutter, for upholding your end of our bargain.” Her voice held a captivating quality under its austere sheen, bidding Lark to fantasize about the woman beneath the crown. That would have to wait. Save Tommy first.
Lark smiled bashfully, shrugging one shoulder. She was suddenly aware of her dirty clothes and rank body odor, having come straight from the field. When Queen Frost didn’t move to place something in her hand, she lowered it, confusion blanketing her expression.
“I received a letter by pigeon from Saltmarsh Reach early this morning,” she stated, void of emotion. “I regret to inform you that your friend Tommy passed away last evening. Your grandmother did everything possible to save him, but—”
“No!” Lark staggered forward. The black-eyed guard stepped between her and the queen. “You, no, that can’t be.” Horror and shock cut through her like a razor.
“I’m very sorry, Lark.” If there was a hint of genuine remorse in the queen, Lark was too devastated to notice.
Frost signaled the guard to step aside.
Lark’s hands curled into fists. Tears fell. Her cheeks reddened. Then she jabbed a finger toward Frost. “You! You could have prevented this! If you’d given me the antibiotics instead of sending me on this mission, Tommy would be alive—and you’d still have your precious cargo.”
When she lunged, the guard grabbed her arm, grip tight. Lark could have easily tossed him off. After the fights she’d just been in, he was to her like a toddler. She didn’t.
“I understand your anger and grief,” Frost began. Lark cut her off, glaring as if to drive a hole clear through her.
“How can you? I saw the statue. I know your brother and father died, but this is different. You couldn’t have saved them. But I could have saved Tommy—should have. I made a promise!” Tommy was gone. Milena’s heart, crushed. Gramma helpless. Failed. I failed.
With renewed fire, her stare bore into Queen Frost. “You made a promise. You tricked me into romping through a radiated forest to get all this for you when you could have just given me the medicine first. Tommy’s death is on you! How many others?”
“Shall I remove her?” the guard asked warily. Based on their previous encounter, he must know he was a bug Lark could squash.
“That isn’t necessary,” the queen said. “Ms. Sutter has a right to her grief. Lark.” Her gaze shifted to Lark.
“You don’t get to call me that,” she blasted, eyes stinging with hot tears. “I hate you! You’re no better than Irons or Calder or LeCun or any of the others. Liars, all—heartless, cruel despots!”
Frost stiffened. “Fine. Think what you like. So, you couldn’t save one friend’s life. Look at this.”
The queen strode forward and flung open the trunk Lark had just brought in.
“Morphine, penicillin, epinephrine, methyldopa, vaccines for tetanus, influenza, and cancer. Antiseptics, soothing ointments, pain relievers, syringes, anesthetics, and surgical packs. What you and the team recovered will save hundreds of lives throughout the kingdom. Tell me what you need, and I’ll ensure it gets to Saltmarsh Reach, New Charleston, and the other coastal towns. ”
“Yeah, right,” Lark muttered, brows narrowed. She knuckled away a tear. “I don’t trust you as far as I could throw you.”
“Fine. Take what you want and go.” Lark locked onto the queen’s gaze, probing it for sincerity.
It was too late for Tommy, but others could benefit from the medicines and supplies.
Wound treatments, vaccines, malaria drugs, and antivenom were always in demand.
She glanced at the open trunk stuffed with pre-war medical wonders.
“Or you could stay on with VERT, the Verdancian Elite Recon Team. Lieutenant Navarro’s note praised your performance, and Captain Moreau asked for you himself.”
The audacity of this woman! Fury surged through Lark, her scowl deepening. She couldn’t possibly think she’d want to serve such a snake of a queen. Before she could object, Frost continued.
“You can go home angry and bitter, cursing me for the rest of your life, or you could make a real difference. VERT can execute recon missions, accomplish surgical strikes on enemies, conduct sabotage, gather intelligence, explore unknown areas, perform escort missions, and, most importantly, carry out salvage operations too risky for civilians. Look around you. This isn’t just a pile of boxes—it represents countless lives saved, and not just for the military.
Because of what you and the team accomplished, the government can once again offer medical supplies to the public.
Suppose one of our research scientists is kidnapped by the Core Cult?
You’d be called in to rescue them. The Iron Realm starts building a bridge to carry troops across the Mother River?
You blow it up. Your skills are wasted living an ordinary life in the swamp, Ms. Sutter.
You might hate me, but I suspect you love Verdancia.
I think deep down you’ve always longed to do something of significance, something that truly matters on a grand scale. Serve. Protect. Save lives.”
Queen Frost paused a beat, giving Lark a moment to consider.
How does she know? Am I that transparent?
But Gramma and Leif. Bryn. My friends and neighbors.
Milena. Lark’s muscles unclenched as a deep breath shuddered through her, easing the torrent of emotions.
She knew Milena would never look at her with the same desire she felt for her friend.
Gramma had warned her about falling for a straight woman.
It never works out the way you hope. She was right.
But if Lark stayed, who would hunt, watch out for Gramma and Bryn? Leif is a young man now, she thought. It’s time he starts taking responsibility.
The guard released her arm, slowly stepping back. Lark leveled a searing gaze on Queen Frost. “I don’t like you, and I don’t trust you. But Luke and the team? They’re all right. I can save lives, you say, protect the kingdom?”
She nodded. “Just like your father, only in a different way. You wouldn’t be a soldier on the wall, Ms. Sutter—you’d be part of an elite team, breaching the unknown, collecting valuable artifacts, and rescuing citizens in trouble.
You have your free will,” she stated. “Take your spoils and go home or stay with your team—make a difference.”
If I have free will, why do I feel like a pawn on a chessboard with someone else’s fingers moving the pieces? It could be a colossal mistake, but it was better than facing Milena’s anguish and her failure to uphold her vow.
“OK. I’ll stay.”