3 #2
Kathrine huffed. “Branko? The guard from the lab?” Unlike Sevar and Kathrine’s team, the lab guards were low-ranking soldiers, at best. They didn’t put their lives on the line, nor were they trusted with important missions.
All they did, day in and day out, was protect a building wherein the Queen had set up a laboratory to keep up to date with all the technological advances on Earth.
Though they were in hiding, the Queen was determined her reptilians wouldn’t fall behind, and would be as advanced as humans and the other species once the migration took place.
“That’s the one.”
“But… he is repulsive.”
Sevar’s lips twitched. “Just seconds ago, you described him as the sexiest man in at least a few realms .”
“I wasn’t talking about him.”
Sevar lifted his eyebrows. “Really? I’ve seen the way you look at him.”
Kathrine laughed. “You must have seen wrong. I’m in love with someone else.”
“I deeply hope you’re talking about me now.”
“Would you be jealous if I wasn’t?”
The car halted in the middle of the street.
“Very.” Sevar leaned towards Kathrine and kissed her. Despite her exhaustion, her body responded immediately to his touch. Their tongues tangled and Sevar pressed her back against the seat.
“We… should… stop,” Kathrine sighed, feeling an inexplicable shame, as if she had been caught behaving indecently, even though the tinted windows ensured their privacy. Yet, there were too few creatures who used electric cars in Antambazi for someone not to recognise Sevar’s black vehicle.
Not that anyone would dare criticise the improper parking of the Queen’s right-hand man.
Sevar pulled away after a moment, restarting the car, and Kathrine sank back into her seat.
They were now in the central part of the city – the Circle of Arius – with its spacious houses and neat backyards, beautiful fences, and a view of the lower circles.
Not all creatures in their realm could afford to live in the Circle of Arius, and not every creature was allowed to live here, either.
“Let’s buy a house after we get married,” Kathrine said.
Sevar gave her a sideways glance. She knew the idea seemed to come out of the blue, but she had been thinking about it for years. She had been afraid to mention it to Sevar, fearing he would refuse her. Sure enough… “Why would you want to leave the castle?” he asked.
“Don’t you want to have our own place?”
“But we have our own place, my love. In the castle.”
Of course. As if he was glued to the Queen.
“We have a room there,” she corrected, “and it isn’t really ours. Just like everything else in this realm, our room belongs to the Queen.”
Kathrine knew that whether inside or outside the castle, in Antambazi or any other realm, there would be no mercy for her if the Queen discovered what she had done.
Despite the chill settling in her bones at the thought, sometimes she caught herself wondering what would happen if the Queen found out.
Kathrine had nothing. What could she take from her, or do to her, in retaliation?
Then she thought about her work, her team, and the man who meant everything to her.
And she realised she did have much to lose.
Maybe if Sevar had proposed before her betrayal, she might never have committed it.
Maybe.
“My love, let’s take it slow. Besides, if all goes according to plan, we’ll have many other places to choose from for our home,” Sevar said.
But Kathrine didn’t want any other place and Earth held no appeal for her. What she wanted was a simple house to call their own – here, on Antambazi. And the guarantee of a happily ever after, despite her betrayal.
She hid her worries behind a soft smile. “You’re right.”
The electric car stopped at the foot of the Queen’s cliff.
Sevar went around to open Kathrine’s door.
She wrapped herself in her warm coat and remembered the bouquet of annies she had left on the back seat.
Why would she need flowers when Sevar wouldn’t agree to something as simple as moving out of the castle with her?
You judge him without reason.
Sevar was her dream come true. Kathrine had loved him ever since she was a child, even before she understood romantic love.
He was a grown man then, bold and heroic – a rising star amongst the Queen’s Chosen.
The most handsome among the hundred thousand men in the realm.
At twenty-seven, he had cemented his position as their ruler’s right hand.
And Kathrine? She had been an orphaned girl, chosen by her blood and by the Queen to be a soldier.
It had taken many years for Sevar to notice her.
“Come, my love.”
He took her hand, and they faced the Queen’s cliff.
The tall grey walls and towers of the impressive castle seemed to blend with the cliff, extending upwards as a reminder to all citizens that nothing stood closer to the sky than the Queen.
An archway carved into the base of the cliff led to the castle.
Inside the cliff, hewn from the rock, was a staircase with iron railings, from which lanterns hung, swaying slowly.
Small slits in the cliff allowed light to pass through during the day, but at night, the darkness was impenetrable, making passage difficult.
Sight was the weakest of the reptilian senses, which was why the lanterns’ light never faded in the depths of the castle.
Around the staircase, natural crevices in the cliff created shadows that had played tricks on Kathrine before her transformation.
“Miss Daualise. Mr. Vasilevich,” one of the orphans greeted Kathrine and Sevar when they entered the foyer.
She was a nine-year-old girl with legs as thin as sticks and a wide smile, as if she had won the lottery.
Another one of the Queen’s Chosen. The Queen was famous for her charity work.
She adopted children from the suburbs, trained them, and sculpted them into refined creatures – and obedient soldiers.
“I remember you when you were her age,” Sevar said.
Kathrine threw him a sidelong glance. “You noticed me after my breasts grew.”
“That is not at all true, my Kathrine. I remember the little devil who always ruined her braids – a requirement for all the maidens in the castle. It drove the Queen so mad that she made you her favourite. After you, every girl was allowed to wear her hair as she wished.”
“You’ve never told me that…”
“You were skinnier than that girl. And I remember the exact moment your breasts grew.”
Kathrine was tempted to retort, but then the gloomy decorations of the palace unfolded before her eyes, and warmth blossomed in her chest. Although she longed to have her own place with Sevar, the castle would always be her first home.
In the central lobby, her eyes met the ten-foot bronze statue of the Queen. An enormous chandelier illuminated the figure, and arched staircases flanked it on either side.
Carpets the colour of stale blood followed their silent footsteps on the way to the common living room.
The room buzzed with the joyous shouts of young girls and boys engrossed in games on the floor or watching one of the movies originating from Earth on the huge wall screen.
In the far corner of the library, a group of maidens on the verge of immortality chatted quietly.
The Queen stood by the panoramic window at the far end of the room. Elegant as always, she wore a long white dress with her blonde hair casually pulled into a ponytail that reached down to her waist. In front of her was an ironing board, and she held an iron in her hand.
“My darlings! Come, come!”
Kathrine swung her coat across the back of the nearest chair and curtsied. “Your Majesty.”
“Beautiful daughter.” The Queen set aside the iron and embraced Kathrine, planting a kiss on each cheek. “Did your trip to the other realm go well?”
Kathrine shrugged. “It was… educational. Alas, unsuccessful.”
The Queen smiled and returned to her ironing.
She finished with the dress on the board and carefully hung it among the others on a portable rack set aside.
Adjusting the red fabric, she told Kathrine, “Red is the colour of confidence, but also love, passion, sexuality… This one would suit you nicely.”
Kathrine shrugged again. “Thank you, Your Majesty, but I do not wear dresses.”
“My dear, it seems you’ve forgotten that, first and foremost, you are a lady.”
“Our Kathrine has been overworking herself lately,” Sevar interjected.
The Queen’s eyes darted back to Kathrine. “Oh! Why is that, daughter?”
“Because you overload her with work,” Sevar answered in her stead, smiling as if he were treading on thin ice. “Your Majesty.”
The Queen responded with an unusual silence.
She took another dress from the rack – this time turquoise – inspected it with a hint of longing, and placed it on the board.
Ironing with meticulous care, she spoke, “I have some intriguing news. It seems we are not the only ones struggling to locate Elisanda. I’ve heard she hasn’t been seen around the Hospital for quite some time.
I suspect the manticore discovered her involvement in the murders and has dealt with her accordingly. ”
Kathrine’s ears pricked up. Elisanda Grace – the nymph from Mikhail Korovin’s Council – had missed their last two meetings.
Kathrine had suspected that Elisanda might have been playing a double game, reporting information to Korovin as she did to them.
Her disappearance from the Hospital might have been staged to protect her from the reptilians.
“Do you think the manticore killed her?” Sevar asked.
“Oh, I don’t know!” The Queen flipped the dress on the board. “He claims to be some sort of saviour. I imagine it would be beneath him to kill her. Perhaps he has her locked up somewhere.”
“If that’s the case, would the nymph remain silent?” Kathrine said, about to remark that the nymph had probably not been discreet for a long time, but then the Queen’s eyes flicked to her with a broad, unsettling grin.
“Unlikely. Once a traitor, always a traitor.”
Kathrine’s insides twisted. There was no way the Queen didn’t know – she must have suspected. A wave of dread washed over her while she fought to maintain her composure. “Does this not trouble you, Your Majesty?”
“Not in the least.” The Queen shrugged, her smile widening. “It was amusing to toy with them, but I believe it’s time to introduce ourselves properly. Besides, as I mentioned, I’ve caught wind of some intriguing developments at our favourite hospital. The human girl, Amelia, is the new Oracle.”
Sevar’s eyes flashed with realisation. “Then all this time, we were right to chase her.”
“If only you had managed to capture her first.” The Queen shook her head. “Perhaps you have a chance to fix this little hiccup.”
Kathrine and Sevar exchanged a tense look.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty?” he asked.
“It’s time for the Oracle to come home.”
Kathrine crossed her arms. The Hospital for Immortal Creatures was one of the few buildings they couldn’t break into at this stage. Korovin wouldn’t risk Amelia’s safety by taking her out. “The manticore was hovering around her before, and now he surely protects her as if his life depended on it.”
The Queen raised her eyebrows. “It was reported to me that the new Oracle left the Hospital on her own. She’s not with the manticore.”
“How do you know this, if the nymph is no longer providing us with updates?” Sevar’s question mirrored Kathrine’s own.
“Sweet children! Did you really believe the nymph was my sole informant?”
“If not just her… Then who else?” Sevar asked, his voice firm but tinged with curiosity.
The Queen’s smile was cryptic. “I would like to keep that secret for now. But I will tell you where you can find the girl.”
Sevar cleared his throat. “If she is the Oracle, won’t she have a vision and realise we’re coming for her?”
The Queen deliberated, her eyes cold. “It’s not entirely impossible, but it is highly improbable.”
Kathrine pursed her lips. Clearly, the much-needed break she had hoped for was not forthcoming. “When do we leave?” At least she had managed to keep her disappointment out of her voice. She was an obedient soldier, after all.
The Queen’s gaze turned frosty. “You’re not going anywhere, Kathrine. This time, Sevar will go alone.”
A shiver of dread ran down Kathrine’s spine. “Only Sevar?”
“You heard me right.”
Kathrine’s face fell, for the Queen’s decision was like a sharp blow. She wanted a break, but being sidelined for such an important task was crushing. It weighed down like a personal failure, a stark reminder of her inadequacies.
“Take some time for yourself, my beautiful daughter,” the Queen said with a dismissive wave.
“It’s not right to work without pause. Look what happened to David and Ikon.
They worked so hard that they began making mistakes.
That’s why I reassigned them to a new task – much less engaging, with a minimal margin for error. ”
Kathrine’s brow creased while she processed this.
David and Ikon were among the Queen’s most trusted subjects.
Unfortunately, they had made a mess during their mission to coordinate the delivery of a message to the Hospital for Immortal Creatures using a witch portal.
Not only had they allowed themselves to be outsmarted by the vampire they had hired, but in their effort to fix their mistake, they had exposed their secondary form.
“What do you mean, Your Majesty? Have they been demoted?” Sevar asked.
“I don’t know if they see it as a demotion .” The Queen’s tone was almost gleeful. She patted her chin and returned the turquoise dress to the rack. “I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to voice it.” She ran her hand slowly along the length of the clothes rack. “But they do make a splendid hanger.”
Kathrine’s eyes fixed on the horizontal bar between the two massive parallel ivory-coloured columns. No, not ivory-coloured…
Bones.
As if from afar, the Queen’s voice reached her. “Now I will discuss the details with your betrothed, and then he is all yours.”
Kathrine glanced at Sevar. His face was ashen.
“Go, daughter!” The Queen’s tone was final, dismissing Kathrine.
“Your Majesty.” Kathrine bowed deeply and started for the door, her mind racing.
“Kathrine,” the Queen called, her tone almost casual. Kathrine’s heart skipped a beat. She’d almost reached the door. She turned, her face a mask of composure despite the fear that gripped her. “Clothes are meant to be worn. Dresses are meant to be taken off.”