Flower Queen

by Lilliana Rose

  Where did you get your flying license? The rabbit slid into the wall as the ship tilted sharply to one side. Pain burned through his body.

  “Don’t have one.” Rangit held tight on to one lever as it shuddered.

  Explains things. The rabbit braced himself as the ship righted itself and he scrambled on the slippery floor to find purchase with his paws.

  Rangit was thrown back in the seat as the ship jolted backwards. The rabbit was sent flying back towards the door. He tumbled out of the bridge. Then ship tilted forward, sending them back into the room.

  What the hell is going on? The rabbit was struggling to keep himself from slamming into the wall again. You got the codes.

  “And not a moment too late,” said Rangit as he punched in a series of codes. “Weapons would be helpful right now.”

  We don’t need weapons. We need to just be able to go fast. The rabbit trembled. His body ached all over from the attack. Fresh bruises awakened the old pain.

  “Salvage team is here.”

  Fuck the Queens.

  “My thoughts exactly,” said Rangit. He glanced back over to the rabbit. “Well then let’s hope we can outrun them with this rust bucket.”

  Yes. The rabbit clicked his ears together. Just when things were looking up. Fire up those engines and let’s get the hell out of here. All hope of making it to the castle faded away from the rabbit. Looks like Triena and Braklen are on their own.

  ~ ~ ~

  Triena twisted her hair into a plait. Somewhat rested, she’d showered and found a clean robe, one that didn’t smell so much of Arkina. The sharp citrus small of the Queen caused guilt to twist in her heart.

  A sharp pain punched into her stomach and she doubled over, gasping for air. Wrapping her arms around her belly, she pressed in hard to try and comfort herself but the throbbing continued.

  What’s wrong? She sank onto her knees, curling into a tight ball against the discomfort that clawed at her belly.

  Triena concentrated on her breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She focused on escaping the pain. Maybe they’re trying to contact me again. Bile rose to her mouth and she swallowed hard. As quickly as the sensation came, it left.

  “Fuck the Queens.” Triena rolled over on her side, her body sweating, and her breath tight. Once her breath returned to normal, she sat up, resting her back against the end of the bed, curling her legs into the meditative pose.

  There was only one thing to do, find out what the hell that was about. She had to go into the Energy Field. It’s too risky. But, then so was not knowing what was going on. Something had changed and she had to find out what.

  Please don’t let it be Braklen. Please not him. A shiver ran the length of her spine. It can’t be him. She wished she’d gone down to see him, then she’d know. I shouldn’t have left him alone on the ship. Triena no longer cared about getting caught, she just wanted to make sure that he was safe and not open to attacks by the Queens.

  Triena could imagine what the rabbit would be telling her right now. Concentrate. But, her mind and body ached from the sudden pain that had been inflicted on her, and her aura felt fragmented. Pull it together. She couldn’t go into the Energy Field like this, not when she had to keep her energy print hidden.

  Taking relaxing breaths, she focused her third eye on a tiny flower bud. The small green immature bud began to blush red, then it opened to the world, petals fluttering open as if willing the flower to have wings and fly through the world. The life energy washed over Triena, settling her fragmented aura. Her body remained sore, but she had enough of an anchor within herself to now visit the Field.

  Slowly she began to make the change of state. Along the way she wove herself a large shawl with Arkina’s essence. The brightly coloured shawl was heavy around her etheric form, a burden to move with, but the weight eased the anxiety that vibrated in Triena’s essence. Braklen, where are you?

  Triena wanted to find him in the darkness, feel his essence envelop around hers. She longed to sense him with every part of her energy. Instead she couldn’t find him. She searched slowly because of the weight of the shawl and she had to be careful.

  The Energy around her shimmered, and a scene began to form around her. Her vibrations slowed with disappointment. The walls of the catacombs built up around her. Damp energy floated around her, and the Queens stood in a semi-circle. But, it was different.

  Something was missing. Something had changed. Triena counted the women. Nine. Who managed to kill one of the Queens? Her thought escaped without Triena meaning it to.

  Who do you think? A Queen stepped forward, short in height. She now wore the gold band.

  Triena kept silent. The energy between the women was thick with fear and anger. It wasn’t me. Maybe it had been a Priest?

  Triena held herself in a small, tight sphere.

  Or maybe it was her. The Queen moved out of the circle and stood in front of Triena. She could just make out the woman’s dark eyes through the white veil.

  Triena? She had to say her name. But she is in a cell, unable to do something like this.

  It wasn’t her. The Queen came closer and Triena stepped back automatically.

  It wasn’t me.

  Well, who else would it be? She raised her hands, one held a sickle.

  Any one of you. Triena kept her resolve. The other women moved towards her. Any one of you could’ve done this. Besides, why would I do this now? I’ve got nothing to gain by it.

  You’ve summoned us here, another Queen spoke. Her voice was older and lower in tone.

  I didn’t. Triena looked between the Queens. This was like the nightmare that she had been dreaming, the one where she ended up torn apart in a reading.

  Get us here together, and then take us out all at once, thought the older Queen.

  No. That wouldn’t work. I’d die in the process. She sensed their paranoia growing between them, feeding each other.

  Someone killed her.

  And what was she doing? Who was she with? thought Triena, trying to gain some ground. She refused to step back as the Queens crowded around her. Their energy was suffocating, suppressing.

  She’d gone to check on the man. To make sure you hadn’t hurt him, thought the Queen who’d claimed the gold band. And she ended up dead.

  And what of the man? He wasn’t hurt, was he? Have you looked? She betrayed you, not me. You are all fools to be this scared and ready to point the finger, when you haven’t played out your own roles.

  Triena felt the power growing inside her. She wasn’t going to let them bully her.

  The Queen paused. I don’t need to check.

  So you’d kill me? Then check later? How many of us would you kill? You want to be the one, don’t you? The accusation vibrated heavily around them.

  The Queen paused.

  So, kill me then, take me now. Triena’s confidence grew, expanding out and washing over them. But, you’ll have to take out all the others here, because they will turn on you. Especially when you find out you were wrong. It will be clear in the Energy what happened.

  It was you. Doubt clouded her thoughts.

  Triena knew that she had gained the upper hand. How could it be? I wouldn’t show myself here if it was. That would be stupid. She moved closer to the Queen. Did you all vote on who should wear the gold band? Or did she take it?

  She took it, thought one of the older women. All the Queens turned to the one who wore the gold band.

  Just as I thought. I’ll leave you to sort this out. I’ve got an important person to deliver to you tomorrow, and I’d better go and check that she hasn’t done anything to her.

  I haven’t. But the women ignored her. They circled the Queen wearing the gold headband.

  Triena moved backwards, away from the scene. She didn’t wan
t to be here when they tore each other apart. She eased her awareness back into her body and smiled. Braklen, you’re a clever boy after all. It hadn’t taken her long to work out that he’d killed another Queen.

  She stretched her legs out. Her muscles had cramped from sitting in the same position for a long time. She moved her legs and then her arms, slowly, easing the blood back into her muscles.

  Now, more than ever she wanted to see Braklen. I have to see him. I’ve got to make sure. And the glimmer of hope that she’d just seen with the Queens was that they’d begun to turn on each other. That’s going to make things a bit easier for me.

  She stood up and stretched her body. There were two sides to this. The in-house fighting would help her cause, but it also made things much more dangerous, especially as she posed as Arkina. I’m going to have to move quickly.

  Chapter 14

  Triena pulled the hood of the robe over her head, so the cloth hung over her face. She stepped out into the corridor. I have to see him. The meeting with the Queens in the Energy Field had spiked her confidence, but at the same time it’d rattled her. I have to make sure Braklen is being looked after.

  Before moving further, she guided Arkina’s essence back to the surface of her aura and used the woman’s knowledge to direct her through the ship to Braklen’s cell. For added protection, she used the Queen’s energy to help shield her, so that if anyone did see her, they’d think that she was Arkina.

  The Queens knew something was up, but instead of realizing that Arkina was gone, they blamed her for the disruption. Triena could only guess they hadn’t realized Arkina was dead because she held some of the woman’s essence.

  The few Peacekeepers she met stopped and bowed their heads respectfully.

  Triena marched straight into the first-aid room. “Where is he?” Her nose wrinkled from the sterile smell of the room, and she shivered as her senses overloaded with the smell of blood.

  The young nurse jumped up from her chair in the corner and saluted. “What are you doing here?”

  “You shouldn’t be questioning me.” Triena saw two Peacekeepers standing at attention in front of an internal door. “Out of my way.” She moved her hand as if brushing them aside, but they didn’t move. “Move.” They didn’t even flinch as she spat the words at them. They remained standing, broad shoulders nearly touching. There was no way that they’d allow her inside.

  “Captain says no one is to go into the room,” said the nurse.

  “He’s my prisoner,” said Triena, “not the Captain’s.” She’d had enough of captains of ships. All they ever managed to do was get in her way. Her fingers tingled, her heart ached. I’m so close to seeing him. She wanted him to know that she was still alive, that they had a chance now that she wore the robes of the Queens.

  “I can’t,” said the nurse.

  “You can. And you will,” said Triena sharply. “Do you know what I can do to you?”

  The nurse’s eyes widened. She nodded her head and the guards stepped aside. “You’ll find him sleeping.”

  Triena pushed the door open and stood staring at Braklen. He was asleep, deep in a dream from the way his eyes flickered from side to side. “He’s been drugged.”

  “He wasn’t being helpful,” answered the nurse.

  I should imagine he wasn’t. She clasped her hands in front of her belly to stop herself from reaching out to him. Keep trying. It was risky enough that she sent the two simple words to him in his sleep.

  “As you can see, he is well enough,” said a male voice behind her.

  Triena held her breath and turned around to see a uniformed officer. “I have to check. The Queens are counting on me to deliver him intact to them.”

  The Captain stood in the doorway, hands crossed over his chest. He took a step closer to her. “The Queens don’t trust you and have instructed me to keep you away from him and Triena.”

  Triena clenched her jaw tight. “I don’t believe it.”

  “New instructions came just half an hour ago.” He took her by the elbow and guided her to the door. Triena resisted, but he was much stronger and simply pushed her forward. “I’m going to have to ask you to stay in your room.”

  “You can’t keep me as a prisoner. I’m a Queen.” Triena silently cursed the women for being so untrusting of each other.

  “That appears to be debatable considering the instructions they’ve given me.” He guided her down the corridor forcefully, letting her know not to mess with him.

  Triena swallowed hard. That’s it. They know who I really am. Fear smoked around in her aura. At least I know Braklen is alive, somewhat well treated, and that he is going to stay alive. Her foot caught in the hem of the robe and she stumbled.

  The Captain pulled her up roughly. “No need to make a scene.”

  “You’re the one making the scene and a serious mistake. You’re meant to protect the Queens.”

  “I’m doing the work of the Queens.”

  “When we arrive, you’ll be severely reprimanded. You’ll regret not protecting me.”

  He opened the door to Arkina’s room and pushed Triena inside. “Consider this me protecting you then.” He glared at her. “If anyone is going to be reprimanded it will be you, not me.”

  The door clicked locked. “No!” Triena rushed up and hit the door with her fists. “You can’t do this.”

  Fuck the Queens. This wasn’t much better than being in a cell. She wasn’t even so sure anymore if they knew that she was Triena or not. Fuck the Queens. She kicked the door. Pain shot up her foot, through her leg and she hopped up and down.

  “I guess this is somewhat better than a cell,” she said to herself, limping over to the bed. Trust me to take the identity of a Queen who is considered a traitor. She massaged her foot, easing the tension. Oh well, they do like a good war, so I will give them a bloody good war.

  ~ ~ ~

  Braklen’s vision blurred. The nurse came towards him. “No.” His voice barely audible. The Queen he’d killed stood next to his bed. Screams echoed in his mind, but it wasn’t from this woman. Someone else had been here. His drug-fogged mind couldn’t remember who. The memory had the edge to it that whoever had been here was important. It meant something. He couldn’t remember what the hell that was.

  His body burned with fever. His mind was a boiling pot of fragmented memories and thoughts. He slept, and woke sweaty. “You’re not real.”

  “I’m very real, sweetheart.” The woman’s voice was woody, and hard, providing no warmth.

  He blinked his eyes. The Queen’s form changed. The nurse, the young thing who wouldn’t listen to him, injected fluid into the tube attached to the top of his left hand. For a moment, his fragmented memory stopped swirling and the pieces fell together.

  “Don’t give me that stuff.” His wrist ached as the liquid flowed into his vein. “I don’t need it.”

  “Yes, you do,” answered the nurse matter-of-factly.

  It was the tone Margory used with him when he’d been in trouble as a boy. The tone that hinted he’d done something wrong and worse would happen if he didn’t do what he was told. He tried to sit up, but the straps around his arms stopped him.

  His mind cleared a little, enough for him to know that he hadn’t done anything wrong. In a few minutes, his thoughts would break apart, shatter like a broken window and then swirl around in his mind until he lost consciousness. “Don’t you have a cell for me?”

  The nurse pursed her thin lips together, pulled out the needle and looked at him with her dark eyes. “This is your cell.”

  That’s what I’m worried about. His head dropped back on the pillow as if he’d given up. The nurse walked away, her steps silent. The only noise was his breath, and then a scratching sound as she wrote notes on a piece of paper.

  He’d ne
ver been tied up like this, or handled like a criminal. He jerked up his arms and pulled hard. The nurse looked at him, worry in her eyes, then smiled, confident he wasn’t going to escape. The straps held firm.

  All those years fighting for them, for the Queens to stay in power wasted, tossed away all because of a woman. Not just any woman, one he loved, and one that threatened to stop them.

  Braklen inhaled deeply, to stop himself from thinking about his current situation. A floral scent eased his frustration. She’s been here. He breathed in slowly, cherishing the smell. It gave him hope. Maybe I could kill another Queen in the Field? His mind drifted aimlessly. Despite the drugs they’d given him, he couldn’t seem to find his way to the Energy Field.

  Whoever kicked him out and saved him from the box, had built a wall to the entrance to the Field. He stood there in his etheric form, looking up at the aged bricks. He pounded on the wall, but it didn’t budge. This sort of trickery reeked of the rabbit. They want me in the Field, then they don’t. I’m just a puppet to them, to the Queens, to everyone.

  He returned to his body. All because of Triena. His thoughts began to break. I love her. Through the cracks, a jumble of whispers filtered to him. Inaudible words made mesmerizing sounds that spoke a deeper meaning.

  That’s right if I didn’t love her, then I wouldn’t be in this mess. I’d be free. Something played at the boundaries of his mind. Sounds came to him, bringing a part of himself back to the surface, a part they’d made within him. Something was speaking to him. The drugs hadn’t taken full effect. Not yet.

  I love her. He kept the thought close to him, wrapping it around his mind, then buried it deep so no one could see his true feelings towards Triena. The chatter became louder as it wrapped around him, the tune lulling his memory. He pulled himself away from the noise, trying desperately to close his ears.