The Stone Queen

by L. E. Bross

  Preparations had taken most of the day and by the time I was led down the stairs to a waiting carriage, the sky had taken on the deep purple haze of dusk. The women climbed in with me and sat across, their black eyed stare on my face the entire ride. When the carriage finally slowed and stopped, my nerves were stretched thin. We exited under a bright full moon.

  As soon as I put foot to Alcarian ground, my confidence receded and doubt filled me. As we walked among the drab gray landscape I could feel the despair pushing against me. My skin prickled with the wrongness of everything. Whoever had decorated the castle for the wedding went overboard on streamers, but they simply hung limp everywhere. There was no breeze to make them dance.

  Someone's idea of a joke had been to find all the statues of the Royal Guard of Alcaria and line them up along the path that I would walk to the altar. I found it completely distasteful, which I'm sure would amuse the instigator even more if they knew.

  I couldn't look at all their faces. Too much pain and terror was frozen there to bear. Kalian stood at the front of the line. I couldn't stop my gaze from flickering over his face, now gray and hard and lifeless.

  Stone benches had been set up in straight lines, though it was hard to imagine there would be enough people to fill them. The ones there for me wouldn’t need the seating. Except for one. I stared at the bench right in front of the altar. The spot where my mother would be sitting soon.

  A hand on my shoulder took me by surprise and when I turned, I found Nephaste there. He stared at me with unhidden hunger. His finger traced over one bare shoulder as he stepped behind me. The heat from his body chased away the chill in the air.

  “You look stunning, Princess. Or should I say, Queen Meri.” He pressed his lips to my neck and I fought back a wave of revulsion. I stepped away from him with little effort. It seemed my ability to resist his magic was stronger on Alcarian soil, even dead as it were.

  “When will this start?” I asked as he moved closer. “When will I see my mother?”

  “She will be here when the ceremony begins. She will see you say the words that bind your Court with mine. She will hear you relinquish the throne and all of Alcaria to me. Then you may take her away.”

  Or not, if anything worked like I hoped. Tonight would determine the fate of Alcaria and all her people.

  “How will it work? The ceremony?”

  “At midnight, when Midsummer's Eve begins, the changes will start. Soon life will breathe into this place, and then we will start.” He moved to kiss my hair, and when I tried to yank away from him, he only laughed. His fingers dug into the soft tissue of my shoulder. “Shortsighted of me not to stipulate any benefits into our agreement. I believe it would have been a night to remember.” The back of his free hand trailed over my cheek. I cringed at the touch. “You are truly a beautiful creature. It would be a night to remember.”

  “I'd rather die,” I spat at him.

  “Are we re-bargaining, my dear?” His eyebrow raised, and a predatory smile filled his face.

  “No! We have a deal and that's it. Now leave me alone. I only agreed to marry you, not keep you company beforehand.” The sharp tang of blood sat on my tongue, an effort to keep from telling him where he could go and how to get there. I wanted to run away as fast as I could and never look back. Instead of being relieved at how close I was, I felt agitated and uneasy.

  When Nephaste turned and walked away, my fingers curled into fists. I knew just how malevolent he really was.

  Fear skittered down my spine.

  This had to work.

  I glanced at the pavilion, the place where this would either end or begin. The stone rails were wound with garlands of bright flowers, blues and reds and yellows, false cheer in this place of loss. The ground was covered in red rose petals and as my feet brushed over them, their delicate scent released into the air until the cloying smell enveloped my senses.

  The granite seemed to whisper to me as I got closer, but I couldn't make out what it said. A dim sound that buzzed on the outskirts of my mind. I turned and went down the pathway that led to the small outbuilding that was empty.

  A vague memory danced along the edge of my mind.

  I sat on a bench there, knowing I’d done it before. I’d hidden there once, though I wasn’t sure why. I inhaled a deep breath and filled my lungs with the air of my home. The buzz of adrenaline raced through my body, sizzling in my fingertips. Magic tickled my blood.

  I heard the soft strains of music. Of course Nephaste had found an orchestra. The music filled the air, mixing in with hundreds of voices. I crept closer to the garden and peeked out from behind the cherub fountain. My earlier fear of having no one there was completely unfounded. The benches were crowded with people, dressed in their best. Even the ogres had on ties, which looked ridiculous.

  “It's almost time.”

  The scarred redheaded girl from the party came up behind me. She said her name was Natalie, that she was a faery like me. Nephaste sent her to fetch me. I searched the crowd for a glimpse of my mother, but had not seen her yet and started to doubt Nephaste's word. He couldn't lie, but he was clever. He could think of a way around honesty. He could leave out some crucial detail.

  “Come, we need to go now. It's almost time.” Natalie gently took my arm and led me toward the back of the garden. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the silver balloons tied to the arm of a frozen guard. The girl stared solemnly back at me. We could do this, I promised her. Our future rested on what happened tonight.

  My gaze slid down over the dress. It fit perfectly, but of course it would. Everything there was perfect. Right down to the thousands of tiny white beads sewn over the white silky material in intricate flower patterns. Slits in the back allowed my wings to spread open and frame the picture like I was a majestic butterfly.

  If only I could just fly away.

  Instead, Natalie led me to stand between two gaudy pillars. She peeked around and waved to someone, and the music changed. Then she looked over my shoulder and smiled, then turned and started down the aisle to take her place.

  “You look so beautiful, Mer.” I spun around in shock. “Just as a Light Royal Queen should.”

  “Torin?” My heart leapt with joy. “What are you doing here?”

  “I have the honor of escorting you,” he said barely making eye contact. “At the request of Queen Ariela herself.” A muscle ticked at his jaw but that was it. The ground under my feet tilted and I barely kept from falling. Torin was here to give me away? The music started and he stepped to my side.

  He slid my arm through his and stepped up to the archway. My heart pounded in my ears. He was supposed to be away from here in case things didn't go as I hoped. In case Nephaste decided to take revenge for my betrayal.

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” I hissed under my breath.

  The music changed.

  Torin stepped forward and I was forced to follow.

  We started down the aisle, and all eyes turned to me. My fingers dug into Torin's arm, and his hand clamped down, as if he sensed I was getting ready to run.

  “I understand you think you're protecting your mother and buying your own freedom, but once Nephaste has Alcaria, it's over for all of us,” he whispered from the side of his mouth. “There's no undoing this—once it's his, he'll never let it go. Not until he has destroyed all the light Courts.”

  The garden was littered with statues of all sizes, everyone that had once lived in Alcaria carried out to bear witness to this event. We walked between the Guards and my heart grew heavier. With every step I saw the suffering my people had endured. The scent of roses filled the air and sweetened the agony frozen on their faces.

  If this didn’t work, their blood would be on my hands.

  We had almost reached the thrones where Nephaste stood proud. His eyes shone with greed and victory. I stumbled on the last step and squeezed Torin’s hand. I had to try and if I failed, I needed to know that it wasn’t in vain.

  “Prom
ise me you will get my mother safely away if anything goes wrong,” I whispered just as he handed me over to Nephaste.

  I couldn't look to make sure he heard me because Nephaste had his arm around me, pulling me along the last few steps. Our backs were to the crowd until we stood in front of the officiate, a gnarled old man that resembled a tree more than a person.

  When we finally turned to face each other, I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw her. My mother. She was here after all. Right in the front as Nephaste promised. My heart pounded against my ribs. He had left her unguarded, confident that her broken mind would keep her docile I’m sure.

  She looked so much like the painting, so beautiful, that a tear slipped down my cheek. She looked up at me, and I braced for the smile, the joy at her recognition, but she only stared blankly at me before her gaze returned to her hands. Her casual dismissal hit me, and my gut churned. This wasn't right. She should have seen me, known me. Could she be a troll or some ugly monster, simply glamoured to look like my mother?

  Had Nephaste betrayed me, confident I wouldn't know the difference?

  She just sat there, absolute nothingness on her face. Under her breath I heard her humming the same lullaby from yesterday. She sat off in her own world, even among her people. My plan hinged on her. It wasn’t working.

  A voice began reciting the start of the ceremony. Nephaste's face wavered in front of me ,and his fingers tightened around my hands like manacles. My wings opened and spread wide behind me, flapping in panic.

  I couldn't breathe. The air clogged in my throat, not moving in or out. Murmurs raced through the crowd and I looked out into the sea of strange faces. Gruesome and distorted eyes and teeth loomed in my vision.

  And yet the voice continued on.

  “Do you, Merigold Hope K'Alil, Princess of Alcaria, take the Prince of Ularien...”

  Someone in the crowd cried out, and all eyes turned towards my mother. She was looking at me, her eyes clear now, open wide with astonishment. Something magical leapt between us and all of a sudden, the lost memories slammed into my mind. A blinding headache pierced through my mind, and I fell to my knees, clutching my head.

  Everything. I remembered everything now. Image after image barraged my mind. My father… how much I was loved… how devastated my mother was when he died. I saw the night I ran away. My mother, so scared, saying she would come for me. Asking Torin to go with me… to make me forget everything.

  His promise of protection.

  I saw my people as they had been. Full of life and laughter and joy. My home. The home I loved more than anything in the world. Tears streamed down my face and splashed onto the gray stone. The spots where they hit turned murky, like rain washing away a heavy layer of grime.

  My mother started forward, but a troll stepped behind her and wrapped his beefy hand around her arm. She struggled even as Nephaste lifted me to my feet and growled at the officiate to get on with it.

  Guests of the Dark Court watched me. I knew they were waiting for the nod from Nephaste and they would destroy my people. Nephaste shook me and shouted an order to the troll who plucked my mother off her feet and started walking away.

  I pleaded with him to stop, begged Nephaste to release her. I opened my mouth to say the words he wanted when the moon burst from the clouds over our heads, bathing everything in pure white light. A million jolts of electricity sizzled through my body and my back arched, wings straining outward until I thought they would dislodge from my back.

  I screamed in agony.

  Midsummer's Eve.

  Midnight.

  The moon held me captive and seemed to pull my soul out from inside my body.

  Pandemonium broke out around us as the statues began to come to life. Color crept up and over each one until a crowd of confused faeries huddled together. The Royal Guards looked around at the trolls and dark faeries, their hands on their blades.

  “Hold,” Nephaste shouted. He stepped to the edge of the dais and raised his hands. “Alcarians, it is a truly joyous day. The Princess has returned home to become Queen, to unlock the spell that has bound you for these past one thousand years.”

  Murmurings started at the back of the crowd. Hundreds of confused gazes turned to me then gazed warily at Nephaste. Mother’s held children close as orges drooled not feet away.

  “And now you are all to bear witness as she appoints me her successor.”

  The dark fey in attendance growled and stomped their feet into approval and Nephaste smiled at them like they were overly excited children. The Alcarians pulled back into a tighter group and the Guards silently surrounded them, a layer of protection against the beasts so close.

  A child started crying, and a troll licked his lips, saliva slipping down over his chin. I fought the urge to throw up.

  “Come now, gather ’round. We've just gotten to the best part.”

  The monsters slobbered even more. Bile burned the back of my throat. Then Nephaste turned, and everyone went silent, watching me. I stood frozen with fear and indecision.

  My mother had remembered who I was, but somehow, she wasn’t automatically the queen again. My plan had failed. Everyone looked to me, and I stood silent, tongue tied in front of men and beasts.

  I had no idea what to do now.

  Chapter 17

  I stumbled backwards and into a solid warm body. Arms closed around my waist, and I knew it was Torin. When I pressed myself closer to him, his arms tightened and he slipped a blade into my hand. I clutched it like my life depended on it.

  Nephaste must have seen the choice in my eyes the second before I knew it.

  “Kill her!” he yelled at the troll who stood over my mother with a wicked looking blade.

  Before I could react, Torin was there behind the beast, a slim blade slicing across its throat. When it fell, the silence was deafening. Then a roar from Nephaste released the fury of hell on my people.

  In a blink my mother was swallowed up by the mass of bodies coming together. Blades glistened and fell, screams filled the air, and yet I stood rooted to the spot above it all. At the base of the steps, Nephaste drove his blade into the gut of a Guard who screamed in pain, and whose gaze met mine as he fell to the ground. I covered my mouth to keep my own scream inside.

  What had I done?

  Women and children ran towards the trees that had not been there a moment ago, and I saw that it was the Druids, come to offer shelter and safety. Gaps allowed the fleeing people through, then were closed behind them. Trolls whacked at the trunks, chopping away the bark and pulp to gain access.

  An inhuman wail filled the air and one of the majestic trees toppled, crushing several trolls before it lay still on the ground. Steel rang on steel, the smell of blood and acrid smoke filled the air until I could barely breathe.

  Then through everything, I saw her. My mother crouched on the ground, next to an overturned bench. All around her, steel sliced through the air. I didn't think, didn't contemplate whether it was a wise choice or not, I simply leapt into the battle to save her.

  A dark elf lunged at me, and I sliced through his thigh with the blade Torin had given me. The elf screamed in pain and fell, clutching his bleeding leg. I didn't give him another glance, was already at my mothers side.

  “Meri, it is you. My baby girl.” She wept and her hands ran over my face.

  “We have to get out of here. Let me help you to the trees.”

  I wrapped my arms around her like Torin had done to me when we fled from Nephaste's house. She weighed almost nothing, and my feet flitted across the ground with ease, powered by the magic flowing in my veins.

  “Go, you'll be safe in there.” The druids made an opening just big enough for her to slip through.

  “Come with me,” she said, holding out her hand.

  I looked behind me, at the people fighting for their very lives. I was done running away. “I can't.” I took her hand and squeezed and tried not let the tears brimming in her eyes effect me. “But I will be ba
ck for you.”

  A shout sent me back to the edge of the fight, to where Kalian stood, back up against two toppled pillars, surrounded by trolls.

  “Torin.” My scream was lost in the chaos, but then he was there so fast I only caught quick glimpses as he made short work of two of the monsters. I moved to help him when the cold press of steel against my throat made me freeze.

  A familiar scent wafted through the air.

  “Nephaste.” How did my voice sound so calm?

  “Tell them to stop or I will kill you.”

  “Go ahead. My mother is safe now. If I die, the kingdom still won't belong to you. My mother is not an empty shell anymore. She is not whatever you tried to turn her into. She'll take the throne back. It's too late. You lose.” The sleek blade Torin gave me felt alive in my hand. I needed just the right moment. I knew I'd only have one chance.

  “Give me the throne or I will make sure every single Alcarian dies a long and painful death,” he growled into my ear.

  “I wouldn't be so sure. The Royal Guards might have been stone not long ago, but they still move faster and better than your trolls.”

  Around us, bodies littered the ground, turning the earth a murky shade of red-black. Both sides were equally matched. The Guard fought with precision and grace, slicing through trolls and lumbering ogres that outnumbered them three to one. But it was the dark faeries who landed the lethal blows to my Guards—as fast and graceful as the Alcarian warriors, but ten times as vicious.

  The elf blade in my hand pulsed and grew warm. Nephaste thought he had me backed into a corner, but there was one thing he didn't know about me. Growing up where I did gave me something he didn't have. The skills that had kept me alive.

  I slammed my head back, connecting with his jaw at the same second I grabbed his arm and pulled it away. Before he could react, I drove Torin's blade through the flesh of his hand, making him drop his knife. Out of his grasp, I ran towards Torin.

  Nephaste howled in outrage and it pierced even the volume of the fight and raised goose bumps all over my flesh.