7. Eveera
Eveera
No nightmares.
After delivering Percy back to the princeling, the satisfaction of seeing his face lulled me into the first peaceful night in awhile. That was until Axel crashed into my room scaring the shit out of me.
“Can I help you Ax?!”
His hand is pressed to his chest, trying to gather the breath to speak. “So you can barge into my room at night but I can’t barge into yours?” He asks, his face is bright red from running in here. He hobbles over to the hidden door in my wall, slapping his free hand against the stone. “You need to get to Vada.” Axel states, his words coming out winded. W hat was he doing? Running a marathon to get to here? I wonder to myself.
“Vada? What for?”
He pinches his brow together, “outer lands.”
I don’t need anything more than that, I sprint down the hallway struggling to lace up my leathers in the process. “ VADA!” My words tear down the bond.
“Yes?” She replies groggily .
“Wake up sleepy head, I need an aerial view of the outer lands. NOW.” Commands are flying out of my mouth to the staff as soon as I breach the throne room, my beast of a familiar meeting me in the center. “GET THE CEILING OPEN. NOW.” I shout, they scramble towards the levers I have concealed behind the drapes. I don’t waste any time mounting her back and clinging tightly due to her almost vertical take off.
The anticipation rises under my skin, my heart rate matching the steady beat of Vada’s wings, her speed picks up the closer we get to the edge of Oriya. I coil my magic at the surface. For the creatures in range, it’ll obliterate them. For those on the edge, it’ll only pacify, unfortunately.
“The Vellaran’s arrival seems to have disrupted more than just your state of mind. The creatures are restless.” Vada growls. A migraine starts to form in my temple. If they’re restless that means they’re multiplying, simply appearing out of thin air. The threat of Hadar is laughable when I have much worse within my own gates already. My people are vulnerable enough just by living within these borders.
“I need us over the south side of Oriya. The villages over there are likely to have more anyways.” Despite my best efforts, some places get more neglected than others, and the south side of Oriya always seems to take the brunt of that neglect.
“Calm your heart.” She demands.
“OH. I’m sorry. I’ll get right on that—” I start and she cuts me off.
“It’s beating too loudly, and your mind is noisy - distracted. I cannot focus, human.” I roll my eyes. She’s reverted back to calling me ‘human’, an annoying habit of hers when she gets agitated. Sometimes it’s because of me - the other times I think it’s because she’s a curmudgeonly overgrown lizard. “ The Vellaran is also noisy and distracting. I could eat him if you like, then there will be no more distractions. ”
I laugh, “ I fear that would interrupt my plans to help him. ” A growl of disapproval rumbles beneath me as I say the words.
“How very noble of you, human.”
“I can be accommodating from time to time.” I say.
“Mm. I do hope I don’t find you in the same state as you found your parents. It would be most unfortunate for me.” Ouch, I think.
Finally the hills surrounding the south post crest into view. My eyes widening in horror as it does. Why did nobody fucking tell me that half the south post was destroyed? “ Vada I need you to drop me just past the border.”
“Absolutely not.” She bellows .
My head shakes. “No time for arguments. Alert whoever is left at the post that they need to get out. You’ll have to burn out the threats that have already breached the post and village.” She wants to argue with me but I’ve already stood up, preparing to run in a dismount off of her.
OOF! My body rolls awkwardly against the hard ground. They are already in sight, creeping out towards me, their mouths gaping with black sludge. Some of them look nearly human, others look melted. Disgusting things. Cursed things.
“Good morning to you too, fuckers. No offense but you’re kind of causing a problem. And for what? A little bit of hunger? How impatient you all are.” I throw out one of my stars, finding purchase between one’s eyes. Their heads slowly turning to see their fallen… comrade? I don’t know the hierarchy very well, I’ll admit.
I uncoil every tendril of magic and watch as the black magic leaches off my skin. SQUELCH! THWUMP! PLOP! One by one the bodies around me drop into a festering heap.
The smell of smoke filtering into my nostrils is coming from the village. “ Clear?” Vada asks down the bond .
I nod as I turn, waiting for the steady beat of leathery wings to come within ear shot. “ For now. Are the threats that breached the wall and who ripped up my post dealt with?”
“The village will need time to recover.” She replies.
I sigh. “ They always do…we really ought to trade places when doing damage control.”
Her skin ripples underneath me as we lift off into the sky. “ I’m sure I left someone alive .” She argues.
“Let’s go home.” The words come out dejected and defeated . I nestle into my spot against her scales with the intent to close my eyes. I hope the wind will pull me to sleep, but the moment my eyes go dark, I see those fucking red eyes and I know that sleep won’t come. These creatures plague my mind as much as they do my lands.
What the hell am I going to do, while helping Vellar?
Vada banks hard then angles us downwards as she makes her final descent home. “ Hold on. ” She snaps. “ It would be most inconvenient for you to fall off now and become splatter on the stones.”
“You wouldn’t let me become splatter anyways. If you did, you wouldn’t have anyone to annoy any longer.”
Rocks kick up towards her hind legs, no matter how smooth her landings are, the ground still shakes every time. Ezra is already waiting for me. Both arms folded as he leans against the archway. His face has two emotions fighting for control. Impatience on the one hand and concern on the other.
I shouldn’t have let him sleep next to me so often, I think. It’s led to expectations and “I missed you’s”.
I hike my leg over and slide down Vada’s forearm giving her a pat on her thick neck before she lifts off again.
“Eve—”
My hand is up cutting off whatever sentiment or argument he had planned. “Don’t start Ezra, I’m fine. The situation is…handled.”
He tucks his chin down in deference. “Of course, Your Highness.” We walk side by side into the castle and alone only for so long before I am apprehended by Felix and the prince.
“Taken care of?” Felix asks.
I nod, pushing my way through the wall in front of me. “Taken care of.”
“Dinner in fifteen, Eveera.” Felix shouts at my back. Already? The events of the day it would seem have swept away the hours. The answer I give him is a half-assed thumbs up, stepping into a side passageway as I do so to get to my room faster.
Fifteen , I say to myself. Fifteen uninterrupted minutes. Fifteen moments of quiet before I am bombarded yet again with pleasantries, questions, and visiting. I’d say the sooner I get them out of my court the better, but unfortunately I’ll be going with them. I shouldn’t have agreed. But the opportunity for something better forced me to do so. The opportunity for my own plans to come to fruition.
The fates had already decided, I had to say yes.
No one was in my room thank the gods, when I closed the passageway door behind me. My bed has never looked so inviting, it’s the biggest thing in the room taking up the most space. I may not have wanted to upgrade where I slept when I became queen but I did want to upgrade what I slept in. I shuck my leathers off, tying my hair into a loose bun on top of my head, and rifle through my drawers to look for something less constricting to slip on .
Much to my happiness I find an old ratty t-shirt of Axel’s to throw on. I practically throw my body into the bed with plans to bury myself underneath the covers and—
“OOF!” THUD!
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” I shout, tossing the covers back again to reveal not just Axel but Axel, Max, and “Orem are you on the ground?” I shout.
Three very groggy guards are all in my bed. Well one is now on the floor. “Yeah…that really hurt.” He groans as he picks himself back up.
“Oh I’m sorry. Next time I’ll check for my guards in my bed, before crawling into it. Because asleep in their charge’s room is the obvious place my ‘protectors’ would be!” I shriek.
Axel props himself up on his elbows, looking me up and down. “Is that my shirt?”
I look down, “is this your— that is not relevant! The three of you,” I point to my door. “OUT!” Each of them scrambling to their feet, protests spilling from their mouths.
I hold the door open for them with a scowl plastered on my face. “Next time the three of you want to have a slumber party, do not do it in my room or my bed.”
Axel holds up his finger, “you know next time you break into my room to avoid sleeping next to Ezra, I’ll remember this.” He turns on his heel, “fuck.”
Ezra and Armond are conveniently standing in the center of my hall, the former’s face stricken. “Ha. Well, I don’t know which I should be more upset about. The fact that three of my soldiers are napping, that they’re napping in their queen’s room, or that you avoid sleeping next to me… ”
“I had fifteen minutes…” I mutter, “just fifteen.” The door closes behind me, leaving the five of them out in the hallway. These men are getting too comfortable both with and around me. When my clock hits that dreaded fifteen minute mark I groan, and throw on a dress for dinner.
Felix, the princeling, and Mousy are already seated when I march my way up to my seat, plucking a goblet off the tray of the closest staff member while I do so. The weight of stares fall on me as the drink slides down my throat and into my stomach. “What?!” I snap.
Felix returns to the paperwork next to him, “you still smell like dragon Eveera.” His nose scrunching as he turns the page.
“Well, that’s because you gave me fifteen minutes to be here after a day-long trip on Vada and Ax, O, and M all decided to occupy my room for their own leisurely endeavors. So excuse me for not smelling like fucking roses Felix, dear.” My hand flags over another staff member who hands me a second goblet. My eyes peer over the rim, while Mousy looks like he might throw up, the Prince is holding back a smile.
“A-hem well, I won’t ask for you to explain that.” Felix remarks.
“I’m guessing that’s my cue to be diplomatic then?” He doesn’t acknowledge my comment so I turn my attention to our guests. “So, are the terms suitable for you, princeling?”
“We found no issues to note.” Polite answer while he cuts into the food in front of him, he’s the picture of propriety, while I manhandle a roll.
Things settle into an uncomfortable quiet with only the sounds of chewing present. Oy here we go. “Since, I am playing the part of the diplomatic queen, I should ask if you have any questions.”
“Questions?” Mousy squeaks.
I huff out a sigh. “Yes, questions. ”
The prince angles his body towards me, dabbing the corners of his mouth lightly with a napkin. “What had you and your dragon in such a rush earlier?” Wrong question. I should have clarified, I didn’t even know he’d seen me fly off.
I narrow my eyes. “Nothing.” “Not up for discussion.” Felix and I both answer at the same time. “Just village issues.” My answer is curt giving up very little.
“Village issues?” The disbelief is plain on his face and to my chagrin he presses on. “Village issues require a dragon?”
My lips thin, the smile tight. “I like a show of force. Keeps them in line.” I say, pushing my plate back and rising to my feet. “Well, I’m just stuffed. Tomorrow, same time as this morning. You’ll be meeting the army you came here for.”
Armond and Axel are both at my doors, waiting for me after dinner. “What? No sleepover this time?” I mock.
“What? Wearing your own clothes this time?” He mimics, but his voice has some hardness in it. From what I know, he is from the south side villages with family still there and each time the outer lands press in it throws him on edge. It’s probably why he chose to avoid his job and sleep while I was gone.
I think back on Vada’s words suggesting that she must have left someone alive. Regret of not making her burn out the woods instead of the village fills my stomach, like lead. Hopefully there were no Vada related Mecham family casualties tonight, the voice inside my head comments.
I lean into him, “you can go check on Vernilla if you need to. Use Armond, you’ll get there quicker. Maybe she’ll be better today, there could be cakes!” He stiffens at her name, the soft reminder of how she used to be not helping.
Years ago when he first became my guard, his mother used to send him to the castle with blood orange cakes. I’ll admit I had a bit of an affinity for them, and demanded I meet the woman responsible. He was hesitant at first and only kept refusing me, because I allowed him to. But finally, my more petulant teenage side won out and I stopped taking no for an answer. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what his hesitancy around me meeting her was.
She was a Sight, it’s a rare Wield that takes more than it gives.
The cakes were a hyper fixation for her that kept her lucidity at the forefront of consciousness. But then the cakes stopped coming and Axel stopped visiting her as much. When that happened I moved her closer into Oriya. The affects of Sight have left both her and Axel vulnerable and the threat of the outer lands has only made things worse for him.
His stance softens again and his fingers curl around mine. “Thank you, E. But no. I’ll stay here.” His eyes betray him. I know it kills him to see her decline and that he’s avoiding her. His anger is both at her and their Wield. Unfortunately for me I already know that his worst nightmare will come to life when he loses her from this plane.
I give his hand a squeeze. “Armond, call for James to be posted outside my passageway door. I don’t want any visitors tonight.”
Once securely in my room my body sinks to the floor.
What will they do while I am gone? Will Vada be enough? The worry crawls into my subconscious, burying itself there. There’s only one answer that I can come up with. She’ll have to be. And the cost of gaining my help will have to be worth leaving them behind. I think. Too bad the prince didn’t ask what the price was — his kingdom’s king and queen for my help in winning him this war. I hope he’s not as close to his parents as I was mine.