by Meg Xuemei X
I expected all of the Protectors, including Halia, to be in that hall. I was in no mood to get into a glaring match with that woman and answer all of her stupid, demanding questions at the beginning of the day. Given what she’d said last time, she might even inquire about my sex life last night.
I did not come to this city to play politics. I don’t give a shit about their games. It amazed me that they didn’t have much down here, yet playing games was still an important part of their lives.
It must have been Halia’s or Travis’s idea to fetch me and demand I join them for breakfast, as if they thought I would take their orders.
“Have my mates eaten?” I asked, running my fingers through my tangled silver hair and darting my eyes around.
I didn’t look like a queen with this haggard appearance. I needed to find a place to clean myself up first.
“Yes, Your Majesty. They ate with Guy and the Alpha Pure warriors,” Josh said. “And then they went to the training field.”
I nodded in approval.
“Have you two eaten?” I asked.
“We’re guarding you, my queen,” Josh said. “We won’t eat before you.”
“I need to refresh myself, Josh,” I said. “And then we’ll eat together where you usually eat.”
“But my queen—” Josh hesitated and traded a panicked look with the other soldier, whose name was Owen.
“That’s an order, soldier,” I said. “In war time, formality should be our least concern. We must be ready for battle at all times.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I wouldn’t eat a more luxurious meal than a soldier normally ate, so each of us had a roll of old bread. And I gave half to Killian. I just couldn’t ask they feed my tiger, considering how little these people had.
I asked about the seven clans and how many fighting men each clan had. I needed to explore the city. I asked for a map for every entrance and exit of the tunnels and their security details.
My next immediate concern was my tiger. It wasn’t safe to leave a hungry predator around the camp.
“Is there anywhere around here my tiger can hunt?” I asked. “All the better if there’s a place like the black forest we visited.”
Owen’s eyes rounded with awe. “You went through Acheron, the land of woe? No one has come out of the black forest before.”
Josh gave his man a hard look. “When you address our queen, call her ‘Your Majesty.’ And don’t speak out of turn.”
Owen dropped his head in shame. I wanted to tell them it was fine, but I also didn’t want to disturb their chain of command and customs I wasn’t familiar with unless their orders were ridiculous.
“Your Prophet saw our coming and prepared refreshments for us in the cave at the edge of the black forest,” I said.
Josh nodded. “It must be our rival team, Omega Power, that cut across Acheron last time.”
“Rival?” I asked.
“We beat them,” Josh said proudly, his chest puffing out. “We found the queen and brought Your Majesty to Nightingale.”
Owen puffed his chest too. “Omega Power can eat dirt, for all I care!”
Josh didn’t scold Owen this time. I bet he agreed with Owen’s opinion.
“In war, we’re united,” I said. “Only the demons eat dirt.”
Josh and Owen snapped to attention. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
I sighed. It would take some getting used to, but the soldiers needed someone like my mates and me, especially my mates, to lead them into the battle. I doubted that the Protectors, except for Jonathan, would lead the soldiers to war or fight at the front.
Killian swallowed his portion of bread and growled at the soldiers in dissatisfaction as if it was their fault he hadn’t been fed properly.
The warriors’ faces paled at my tiger’s threatening sound, yet they didn’t stumble back.
“Killian, behave,” I scolded. “Don’t bare your teeth here.”
The big cat lowered his head and rubbed his neck against my thigh.
“There’s a hunting ground near east Nightingale,” Josh said in a grave voice, “but one would have to cross part of the Shades to the jungle. No one has ever crossed the Shades and returned to tell the tale.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll have to feed my tiger anyway. My mates and I’ll cross the Shades and return with game.”
“You don’t understand, Your Majesty,” Owen blurted out, not noticing Josh darting a stern look at him. “The Shades is like no other place.”
I arched an eyebrow, not understanding his anxious look.
Josh sent Owen another hard look. “The Shades is where the dead dwell.”
I blinked. “Why are we afraid of the dead?”
“The dead can rise to join the living. The Guardians of the souls of the dead are the undead immortals. They’re wraiths of fire and shadow and shape shifters. They guard the souls and hunt anyone who dares cross their land.”
“They enjoy peeling flesh from the bones of invaders, and they decorate their dominion with the skulls of their victims.”
I bit my lower lip. “I see. But they won’t come out of their land to hunt the invaders, will they?”
“No, the myth says they never leave their land,” Josh said.
“Good,” I said. “Then we’ll go hunting.”
As long as they didn’t follow us into Nightingale.
Their faces turned ashen again.
“We can’t risk you, my queen,” Josh said. He turned to Owen. “Go to the Hollow Hall and bring the meal that was prepared for Queen Calamity. Tell the Protectors that the queen will eat her food in her tent. We’ll give the queen’s portion to the tiger.”
“But,” Josh scratched the top of his head, “the Protectors—”
Josh glared at him. “Will you let our queen risk herself to go hunting? Fine.” He waved a hand. “I’ll go.”
“We’ll still have to hunt shortly, Josh,” I said.
I wasn’t certain how long we could hide in Nightingale.
In the end, my mates and I would have to draw the enemies away from Nightingale. I didn’t see us coming out of the battle alive in the near future.
But we’d bring down as many demons as possible.
“Hoot, hoot,” the black owl called, landing atop the tent, watching me.
No one knew where he’d gone at night, but I guess he needed breakfast too. I offered the crumbs of my bread to the bird, and he dove toward me, took the last piece of bread, and returned to perch on top of the tent.
Killian growled at the owl furiously.
“What did I say about at least trying to be friendly, Killian,” I asked, shooting images into his head.
I want to eat that stupid bird, Killian insisted. He’s the enemy.
I’ll feed you soon, I told the tiger as Josh dashed out to grab some more substantial food for him.
“We’re going to the training field,” I told Owen.
“This way, Your Majesty,” Owen said, leading me across the other tents scattered around the camp.
My heart was filled with sorrow. Max and Ash had told me how my people lived on the surface. The land flowed with honey and milk. The richest land was Ash’s Twilight Realm. Blossoms never faded in the magic realm. And on Max’s home planet in the far galaxy, stars filled the sky above the purple ocean. The sand was pure and sparkling. Even in Atlantis, the greatest mortal kingdom on Earth, the palace floated in the sky, a showcase of ingenious engineering.
If I hadn’t rescued the women, I would have reached the leyline with my mates. By now, I would have brought an army with me. And I could get all the people in Nightingale to settle in Atlantis if they chose to, with a great Earth army backing us.
The opportunity was lost forever because I couldn’t bear to see a relatively smaller group of women enslaved and slaughtered, my brother and friends included. When I saved that small percentage of people, I doomed every one of us.
Ash and Max had warned me about the hard
choices I would constantly face as a future queen. Yet they never demanded I sacrifice a few for the greater good. They were just stuck with me, respecting my decisions and even my mistakes.
What more could a woman ask for from her mates?
I quickened my pace, eager to see them again. I didn’t need the soldier to lead me, as I could easily follow the unseen tug of our mating bond.
The mystic bond washed over me like a ray of sunlight, warm, secure, and pure.
We came to a clearing that had an open wall half-surrounding the field. Weapons, tools, and all sorts of fighting gear hung on the wall. Everything in Nightingale was rudimentary, except for the throne hall and probably the Hollow Hall, where the Protectors dwelled and dined.
They’d been under the ground for centuries, yet they hadn’t built a home here; they lived like nomads. But then, resources were scarce in the entire Underworld. And I was in no position to judge them.
I’d lived in a mud room for two decades, never thinking that I might be able to get out of it. For years, I clung to my brother, hoping both of us survived from one season to the next. Until the day I was tossed into the arena to fight to the death.
Only when my own survival was threatened on every level did I wake up from a stupor.
How easily poverty and despair could crush one’s spirit and keep one down.
But that had changed.
The soldiers were in high spirits now, believing they finally had a fighting chance, though I wasn’t sure about that.
The enemy was too great, in numbers, strength, skills, and experience. And it would take a miracle for my mates to forge our soldiers into steel in just a few days.
The warriors in the field parried diligently under the instructions of Ash and Max. Guy joined the training while also barking orders alongside my mates. For the first time, Ash and Max didn’t banter or act aggressively toward each other. They worked as one unit to train the soldiers and show them how to properly use the angelblades.
My mates were my rocks.
When panic, guilt, and desolation nearly crippled me, they encouraged me to keep going by training our soldiers. They wouldn’t accept defeat. They treated a dark day just like any other day.
I fought back tears.
At my mates’ proximity, the icons on my forearm flared, and mating heat coursed in my bloodstream. Ash and Max snapped their heads toward me at the same time. No matter how disciplined they were, they could never ignore their mate.
A smile ghosted my lips, and my heart lightened, full of longing for them. My mates grinned at me, hunger and heat in their eyes too. But it wasn’t the place to keep gazing at and eye-fucking each other, especially when all the warriors had noticed my arrival and dropped to one knee as one.
“Your Majesty!” they greeted with reverence.
“Let’s drop this formality during wartime,” I said, waving for them to get up.
I carried Dreamkiss and wore fighting gear. I needed my mates to train me with swords. As for my magic, I’d have to practice on my own, because the only one who could teach me was on the other side of the veil. And I didn’t want him anywhere near me after what he’d done.
I needed my mates to watch my back, not to stab me in the back.
“We’ll rehearse battle formations tomorrow,” Max said. “Two teams—Alpha Pure and Omega Power—will fight with Prince Ash, me, and your queen at the front line.”
I scanned a group of warriors I hadn’t met before. So they were Guy’s rival team.
“It’s an honor, Consort Max, Consort Ash, and Queen Calamity,” a big warrior with a neat beard answered and bowed at me. “Omega Power won’t let you down.”
Suddenly, gasps spread among the soldiers, and tension permeated the air.
I turned my head.
The Protectors strode in our direction, their guards trailing behind.
Raven and Willow walked at the front. From their expressions, I guessed the Protectors might have argued among themselves during the breakfast that I didn’t join.
Halia lagged behind them. She had short legs and was older. And behind her were the other four Protectors.
Josh hovered between the Protectors and their guards, restraining himself from springing in front of the Protectors. Laws and rules were harsh in any place in the Underworld. Josh definitely wouldn’t want to be punished for violating the protocols.
He lifted a pound of raw meat near his face for me to see that he had something for my tiger. I blinked. And Killian, who hadn’t learned what restraint or discipline was, sprang toward Josh.
All he cared about was a good meal at the moment. He reached Josh in less than a second, almost knocking over Travis on the way.
Travis gave a yelp and called for guards, and Halia cursed my tiger, calling him a dumb, nasty beast. I wasn’t pleased with the woman calling my tiger names, and my eyes burned with fury.
My fingers twitched at my sides, faint lightning sparkling on my fingertips. After a night’s sleep, though restless, my magic well was gradually refilling.
I’d knock anyone out if they dared to lay a finger on Killian.
Willow looked over her shoulder. “Don’t touch Queen Calamity’s tiger if you want to keep your hands. Beware of the queen’s wrath.”
“Now even her pet is a VIP?” Halia hissed.
Josh immediately tossed the raw meat into the air near Killian, not wanting to feed the tiger from his hand. Killian leapt swiftly and caught the meat with his open jaw. He then swept his furious, predatory gaze all around and growled, warning everyone not to go near his food as he swaggered to an empty spot, crouched, and started eating.
I still needed to take my tiger to hunt.
“Queen Calamity, I was wondering where you were,” Raven said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her full lips. “And here you are—with our soldiers, like the warrior queen you are. But we were hoping you’d join us in the Hollow Hall.”
I nodded at her and everyone behind her. “Morning, Lady Raven and Lady Willow. Hello, Protectors. Sorry that I couldn’t join you. The day is short, and I eat lightly.”
Halia pointed her finger at me. “What are your males doing with my soldiers?”
I turned my back on her and focused on the soldiers, not bothering to answer.
“Nothing and no one should stop you from training,” I ordered the warriors. “Distraction will only get you killed on the battlefield. Wear your discipline with your swords, soldiers.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” the warriors answered as one and parried even more fiercely than before.
The sound of steel crossing steel filled the training field. But I noticed that my mates didn’t allow the warriors to use the angelblades to practice. I nodded in understanding. One nick on a soldier’s skin and he’d be infected. We didn’t have enough serum to counter the infection.
Ignoring everyone outside the field, Ash and Max walked among the soldiers, adjusting their poses, critiquing an individual’s technique, and showing them better and more effective moves.
But I knew my mates also kept their attention on me and the Protectors. They were so good at multitasking that no one else knew that they never let me out of their sight.
The soldiers hung onto every word from Max’s and Ash’s mouths and no longer paid us any mind as they focused solely on training and parrying.
“Shouldn’t the soldiers bow to their Protectors?” Halia demanded.
“The soldiers are doing their duties,” I said. “It isn’t in their job description to be your servant or satisfy your every stupid whim. Making such an unreasonable demand only proves you aren’t fit to be a Protector. A Protector isn’t someone to rule without sound reason. A Protector serves and protects his or her people and always acts in their best interest.”
Willow applauded, and a few guards behind the Protectors followed suit but stopped clapping their hands at Halia’s venomous glare.
“How dare you lecture me, girl?” Halia hissed at me.
&nb
sp; She was either too power hungry or stupid, living into her sixties in isolation and enjoying her uncontested power.
“Act like a true Protector and you won’t get lectured,” I said.
“As we already discussed, Protector Halia,” Raven said, “you will respect our queen or you’ll be stripped of your title.”
“I didn’t agree to her being the queen.” Halia thinned her lips and punched her fist into the air. “I never did. I inherited this title from my ancestors, just as you did. This is the one unyielding tradition among the seven clans. You can’t oust me.”
“Tradition also established the proper use of a voting system,” Willow said. “Four of us voted for Queen Calamity to be Queen of Nightingale, Queen of the Underworld, and Queen of Atlantis of the Upper Realm, where she is the princess and heir. She sacrificed her life of safety, luxury, and privilege and lived as a slave so she would know our suffering, and she came to save and lead us.”
I blinked. Wow, the four Protectors with their Prophet had nominated me as Queen of Atlantis before the Atlantis people had even met their lost princess, and while my Mom and Dad still held the throne.
The four of them probably thought they could decide the future and affairs of the world among themselves, I thought in amusement.
“You don’t count, Willow,” Halia said. “You were but the emperor’s whore. You brought disgrace to us all. You should be stripped of your title. You should be grateful that we even allowed you to return.”
I narrowed my eyes and raised my hand to strike her, no matter the consequence. I knew what Willow had done for her people. But Raven beat me to it, since she was next to Halia. She slapped the older woman. Halia stared back at Raven, shell-shocked, then her hand flew to cover the red mark left by the Prophet.
“Call her a whore again and I’ll end you. I dare you,” Raven growled, her face beet-red with fury. “Without Lady Willow and the many selfless, brave women with her and their sacrifice, we wouldn’t have Nightingale. The demons would have been in our city a long time ago, and you wouldn’t be seated on your throne sipping fucking fine tea for sixty years, you old bitch.”
I liked these fierce women.
I strode to Willow, placing my hand gently on her trembling shoulder.
