Shadow Queen (8 page)

“Ack! Look at this hair!”

“So full of mud! Even her eyes are made of
mud!”

“These damned nomads! Such foul
creatures—”

“—Quick! To the tub before she gets
free!”

Astrid was submerged into a bubbling Hell.
Suds rushed up her nose and stung in her lungs. She gargled curses
at the cluster of wiry blue arms that tore at her clothes and hair.
Hard bristles scraped her naked skin and water poured in from all
directions.

She saw a gap in their assault and dove for
the door. The goblinesses shrieked as they snapped at her heels,
shaking brushes and cakes of soap above their heads.

Astrid grabbed a sapphire-encrusted triton
from the wall and barred the door. The goblinesses pounded on the
delicate wood. It was only a matter of moments before they clawed
their way through.

Frantic, she ripped a red satin table cloth
from a nearby table and tied it around her naked body.
There has
to be somewhere to hide, anywhere.
She went from door to door,
but was met with the resistance of a sturdy lock. After trying
many, finally one gave way. She pushed her way through the door and
shut it tight.

Astrid sat crouched on the other side of the
door with her ear to the wood, waiting for the approaching mob of
angry goblinesses. Her hand reached out behind her, searching for a
weapon. If she couldn’t outrun them maybe she could subdue
them.

“You seem to be missing some clothes.”

She whirled around to see Luka smirking over
her. “You really don’t need to repay me like this,” he said,
pulling up the table cloth to her neck. “I’m not that kind of
elf.”

“You don’t think I’m here for—really?
You
are dense
,” said Astrid, pressing her ear back against the
door.

Luka yanked her from the door’s surface. “Why
else would you be here? Like
that
? Makes sense to me…”

“Do I look like a common whore to you?”

Luka opened his mouth to respond.

“
Don’t answer that—”
Astrid slapped a
hand over his mouth and listened hard. She could hear the
goblinesses growling right outside the door. A sharp knock jarred
her head from the door. Her felt the blood draining from her face
as she scanned the room for a place to hide.

Luka rolled his eyes and pushed her aside. He
reached for the door’s handle and pulled it open. “May I help
you?”

“Yes, my Lord, I was wondering if perchance
you had seen Miss Astrid. She seems to have disappeared and we were
terribly worried, sir, we were.”

Luka stifled a laugh with a stern face. “I’m
sure she’ll turn up eventually. I’ll keep my eyes open for her,
though.”

“Many thanks, my Lord.”

Luka softly closed the door. Astrid could
hear the wrathful growling of the goblinesses through the wood as
they continued their search. Mutters of “mangy elf” and “damn
mud-witch” echoed into the darkened room.

Astrid looked up at Luka, clutching the red
silk tight around her shoulders. “Well I suppose I’m stuck here.
You happen to have any food on you?”

Luka threw his feathered head back and
laughed. “I may have something somewhere hidden in my trousers.
Maybe a bit of bread or some cheese. You’re welcome to look. I may
even have some coin for you. Tell me, how much do common whores
charge these days?”

Astrid felt her gaze harden. “I’m sure you’d
love that, wouldn’t you?” She snatched an empty candlestick from an
ornately carved tabletop and extended it like a sword. “You’ll pay
for that remark.”

“Please do, I’d love see what passes for
Warrior these days,” he said through bouts of laughter.

Astrid cut his mirth short with a blow to the
belly. She could hear the rush of air burst from his lungs. She
ducked beneath his outstretched wing and snuffed the dancing
candles, plunging them into darkness. She slid onto the heavy
canopy of the bed and waited for him to regain his breath.

“Whew! So you want to play dirty, eh?” A red
glow filled the room. She felt the bed heave upward as he lifted it
to look underneath. The ceiling thudded against her skull, sending
her head spinning. The candlestick was knocked from her grasp and
came crashing to the ground.

“Ah, I see you,” he said, ripping through the
canopy.

Astrid spun out of his grasp and swung to the
floor. Once on the ground, she swung a kick beneath Luka’s feet and
sent him toppling into the loose canopy. She sprung upon him, her
fist upraised and a knee at his throat.

“Do you surrender yet?” She pressed harder on
his throat when he didn’t respond.

“Yes, yes, now get off!”

Astrid laughed with glee as she bounced onto
the bed. Luka untangled himself from the tattered canopy and relit
the candles. His face was clouded and grim.

“Really, now. Don’t take it so hard. I’m sure
you can heal yourself,” said Astrid, sitting upright and propping
herself against an overstuffed pillow.

“It’s not that…” he said, pausing to think
before continuing. “I hadn’t realized how much I missed being
around people. Or the last time I’ve laughed this much.” He picked
up a half-eaten loaf of bread from a nearby platter and tossed it
toward her.

She caught it and tore into its fluffy
interior, chewing it slowly. “Do you still plan on going back?” Her
words were mangled by the mouthful of bread.

Luka smirked and shook his head. “I’m not so
sure now. The longer I’m away, the more I never want to go back.”
He strode to the bed and sat beside her, stretching out his wings
behind him.

Astrid gulped down the hunk of bread. “Then
don’t,” she said, wiping the crumbs from her face. “Sorry, I don’t
mean to be so disgusting. I don’t remember the last time I’ve
eaten.” She felt her face redden from his gaze.

“You’re far from disgusting. I think you’re
beautiful,” he said, his mouth a jumble of words. He reached out
and brushed her damp hair from her face. His hands were warm and
inviting against her skin. She slid closer to that warmth, holding
his gaze in her sight. She hovered above his lips, unsure of the
path laid out before her.

“What happened to you?” She breathed the
words onto his skin.

“Many dark and horrible things. And one
bright, beautiful thing. It’s difficult to explain, I doubt anyone
could understand,” he said, wrapping his great arms around her.

“Try me,” she said. She felt herself sinking
further into his warmth.

“My mother was murdered,” he said, his voice
a soft rumble, “by what our people—
your people—
claim to be
sacred. I was only a child… but the rage that burned inside me
demanded vengeance. I murdered the Phoenix and in her dying breath
she cursed me.
As long as the clan shall live, so shall you.
I was cast out of the village. Abandoned by my people and by my own
father. It was a dark and horrible time…”

Astrid heard his voice catch in his throat.
He turned his gaze away from her, trying to hide the tempest
dwelling within his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, brushing his face
with her fingers. “No one deserves such cruelty. You were only a
child…” She was dumbstruck that her people were capable of such
evil. The thought of being cast out into the desert to be forgotten
filled her with icy dread. She knew she had felt that sense of cold
isolation before.
The day I was found wandering alone in the
desert…

“You aren’t the one who did this. There would
have been nothing you could have done,” he said as he flashed
Astrid a forced smile.

“I hadn’t been found yet,” she said without
thinking. Luka’s eyes shot her a curious glance. “I was found
wandering the desert, maybe ten years ago… has it really been that
long? Ethen was found around the same time. Victims of the same
sandstorm I suppose,” she said. She forced a laugh but it faded
into the painful silence. “Ilsie took us in shortly afterward and
we’ve been in her care ever since.”

“Ilsie?” Luka propped himself up on his
elbow, his feathered eyebrow arched. “
Healer Isilda?
”

Astrid nodded, unsure of his sudden
interest.

“She finally got her wish then,” he said, a
grin spreading across her face.

“Her wish for what?”

“Ilsie had always wanted children. She had
tried for years until her husband never returned from a voyage at
sea. Everyone thought her barren—”

“—
Do not speak ill of Ilsie.
” The
words had escaped Astrid in an instant. Luka’s eyes widened,
surprised by her venom.

“Ilsie is my family.
My aunt
,” Luka
said as he smiled, trying to contain his laughter.

“Oh,” said Astrid. She could feel the heat of
her face reddening. “I’m sorry. Ilsie’s the closest thing I’ve had
to a mother and I’ve heard far too many people speak horribly about
her.”

Luka nodded. “Nice to know the tribe has not
changed much.”

Astrid narrowed her eyes. “So if Ilsie is
your aunt, then Merrick—”

“
Please
don’t say his name.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. Luka turned his face
away again. She could feel him pulling away. “Please, I didn’t mean
to bring up those memories again.”

“It’s not your fault. You have nothing to
apologize for… you’re the only good memory I have,” he said,
drawing her closer to him. “I saw you dying that day. I heard what
you said to Ethen. Seeing you willing to sacrifice yourself for
him—I knew then that there was still good in the world.”

Astrid felt torn. “No, you’re wrong,” she
said. “I’m just as selfish as the rest of the world. I may have
done good things but did it really
help
? Or did it just
cause more harm in the end.” Thoughts of the small, dirty child in
her arms crept into her mind.

“There is light in you,” he said as he
brushed her hair from her brow. “A light I can’t help but be drawn
to.”

His face brushed against her lips. She pulled
him in closer, kissing him hard. They let the world slip away,
casting the constant pounding of thunder from their minds.

***

Ilsie paced around her rattling hut, debating
on whether venturing into the storm to find her children was really
a good idea or not. The violent storm outside tormented her with
each passing minute. She had heard rumors that Ethen had been seen
only hours ago but no trace of him had remained afterward.

Ilsie threw her hands up to her face. She
could no longer take the mindless pacing. She tore through the hut,
grabbing everything of importance and shoved it deep into the
pockets of her thigh-length jacket. Healing herbs, food, bandages—
her mind was frantic with worry that she may forget something that
could mean the difference between life and death.

As she fastened a thick belt around the laden
jacket, a heavy knock pounded on the flimsy door, buckling it
beneath a weighty fist. Ilsie looked up at the door, fearful of
what news awaited her on the other side.

“Ilsie! Open the door!”

Ilsie rushed to the door and undid the rusted
latch. “Have you heard from the children?”

Vintas shook the water from his body, letting
it pool up at his feet. “You need to come with me. The Grand Sage
wants to see you,” he said, avoiding her gaze.

Ilsie’s hands shot to her mouth. She spoke
between gasps. “Are… are they dead?”

“No, not to my knowledge, Ilsie,” he said.
His voice rumbled as deeply as the thunder shaking the world
outside. “I’m sure they’re fine, wherever they are—damn it, they’re
not
children
anymore.”

His words stung at her heart. Having no other
family left of her own, Ethen and Astrid had become her world.
Vintas, always the Warrior, shied away from such notions.

“Come,” he said, “we must go. The Grand Sage
demands it.” He placed a firm, muscular hand on her shoulder and
guided her out of the hut and into the pelting rain.

Though it was a short walk to the Grand
Sage’s home, the raging wind and torrents of rain made the journey
drag on for what seemed like hours. She tried opening her mouth to
protest this ridiculous venture but nearly drowned in the
process.

Vintas shoved her into the spacious hut. She
coughed up the rain from her lungs, gagging on the grit mingling in
the sweet water. “
This better be important
,” she said,
temper flaring.

“I assure you,
sister
, it is—” The
familiar voice crept out from the darkness and sent chills down
Ilsie’s spine. Merrick stepped into the faint candle light, his
pale blue eyes electrified by the small flickering fire. He looked
as if he had not aged since the last time Ilsie saw him. It had
been a brief moment when both the children were still small. He had
come and gone as quickly as the desert breeze. His face was still
smooth with the exception of a narrow, pale scar on his cheek.

“I thought you were dead,” she said, reaching
out to touch his face. He shrank away, his gaze hard. Ilsie
retracted her hand, shocked by his icy presence. “What happened to
you? Where have you been all this time?”

“That’s not why I’m here,” said Merrick, his
gaze lingering on the smoking candles. “It seems there are some
things the Grand Sage requires me to
fix
.”

Ilsie ran her fingers through her damp sandy
curls. “
Luka
—Merrick, you can’t, he’s your son!”

“He’s an abomination!” The Grand Sage stepped
into the light from behind Merrick’s shadow. She cast her hard gaze
over all present, sending their stares crashing to the dusty
ground. “How dare you defend the beast that slaughtered our
Phoenix! You should be ashamed of your family and willing to atone
for all their wicked deeds,” she said, her voice venomous and chill
with hatred. “Merrick has agreed to set right
all
of his
sins, not just his monster son.”