by Zoey Ellis
The queen took her on a tour of the palace and the immediate grounds.
Her obvious wealth was plentiful and Oshali was shocked at the finery that went into in the palace decor. The queen explained the purpose of every room in the palace, the history of the building and the context of it in the south.
It seemed as though the queen's family—Oshali's family—was a royal family line that existed as far back as the Dragorai Age.
“We’ve been much loved here in the south for centuries,” the queen said as they strolled through yet another highly decorated hall. “That’s why our family remained in power.”
"So," Oshali began hesitantly, "what happened? Why has everyone died?"
"Various reasons," the queen said. "But if you look at the family tree, you'll see that there was a point when we stopped being able to have multiple children. We went from giving birth to four or five children to only giving birth to one or two. As an Omega, I’m sure you can understand how horrifying that idea is. I think we were poisoned at some point."
"Why?" Oshali asked. "Just because the family is wealthy?"
The queen shook her head. “Not just that. It is rumored we come from a line of mortals who bred with one of the Goddess’ creations. One that no longer exists. During the attack on the dragorai, the Goddess’ other beings did not escape either. Many of our line was killed and we had to find ways to protect ourselves. One of those ways was to ensure that our family always rules the south, another was to ensure that our line does not die out. But due to the poison, by the time you were born, you were the only new female. And you still are.”
“So you don’t have any children?”
The queen shook her head. “No.”
That wasn’t necessarily a surprise. The queen looked like she was in her late twenties yet she had to be much, much older if records about the war were accurate. There were magical incantations that could help with maintaining youth, but the queen looked a little more wholesome than that.
They entered a room with enormous gold-frame paintings on all the walls.
“Did you encounter the dragorai at any point?” the queen asked
Oshali glanced at her. “Yes.”
“Have they ever explained why they kidnapped you?”
Oshali breathed shallowly. Tyomar kidnapped her? “I wasn’t aware they had.”
“I’m sure you haven’t been told the truth,” the queen glowered.
“What is the truth?”
“The dragorai came here and destroyed the palace. It had to be for fun because there was no reason for it. A lot of people were hurt, and many killed, and then we noticed you were missing.”
Oshali tried to keep her expression neutral, but she became acutely aware that she hadn’t ever been told exactly how Tyomar found her. While she didn’t believe everything the queen said, if any part of it was close to being true, Tyomar would have to explain it to her. She didn’t see any reason why a dragorai would want to steal a baby, but there were rumors about dragons eating babies and children back when frequent attacks were happening on dragon-kind. There were no actual witnesses of that, but if Tyomar’s and his brother’s dragons did that kind of thing…. it would make her highly uncomfortable.
They stopped by a large painting, and Oshali noticed it was just an empty frame.
"This was where your portrait would be," the queen said. When Oshali looked around the hall, she realized it was filled with portraits of members of her family.
"Whoa," she breathed.
The queen smiled. "I know it can be overwhelming, but you are part of this, and it's part of you. You will have to get used to this way of living."
Oshali shook her head. "I'm not sure if this way of life is for me."
The queen raised a brow. "It already is, Oshali. I know you are used to living a simpler life, but you can adapt to this lifestyle, if you are willing. It will become easier for you the more you learn and understand about it."
Oshali took a deep breath, thoughts crowding her mind. “It sounds as though you want me to stay here,” she asked tentatively
The queen took a deep breath. “I won’t lie. It has been lonely here and I will enjoy the company, but it is your choice. I don’t see how you can go back to your sanctum now with this information that they’ve been holding from you. How can you trust them? At least that is what I would be asking myself.”
And that was indeed what Oshali was asking herself. The Mheyu guardians had her travel across the Southern Dominion to collect the scroll, and it had nothing to do with what they said it was about. Why would they do that? Was it the wrong scroll?
“Regardless,” the queen said lightly. “Every royal child is owed the legacy of their heritage, if they want it.” She inclined her head. “Of course, if there is somewhere else you belong, you’re much too old to be forced.”
Oshali stared at her. Somewhere else she belonged? She had desperately wanted that to be with Tyomar, but even he couldn’t argue with the problem of his mate. Besides, he left her, and she wasn’t sure the Mheyu guardians were an option now.
“You’re welcome to stay for a few days and learn a little bit more about the palace and your ancestry, if that would be of interest to you?”
Oshali did not outright believe everything this woman said, but her Mheyu curiosity urged her to find out more. Doubt had been cast on Tyomar and the Mheyu, and they were the only people in her life whom she’d ever trusted. She needed more information. Oshali smiled back. “Yes, it would, thank you.”
The next few days, Oshali familiarized herself with the palace and its staff. As much as she wanted to believe that the queen had no agenda, she couldn’t take anything at face value. When she looked around the palace, there was no evidence of any true connection among the staff or the queen—no family, no love, no friendships. Which, Oshali guessed, could be because of the constant bombs that fell on the palace. Strangely, the building didn’t shake or tremble like she would’ve expected it to, but sometimes the destruction would filter into the palace.
A few days before a cloud of ember suddenly sprouted in a hallway, blocking off a part of the palace. Oshali had seen it from her balcony and was shocked at how quickly it bloomed; dark grey smoke billowing and capturing everyone in its wake. The very next day the walls began to crack in a section of a corridor, and the servant standing in the middle exploded. Slowly—while she was still alive.
No wonder everyone was terrified and there were no obvious signs of joy. Still, Oshali peppered the servants with questions about the origin of the family and where they resided, but they didn’t know much. When she thought back to the information she had read from the Mheyu, she recalled that there were some notable families in the south that had been historically important, but there was no wealth of information about them. It wasn’t one of the areas of specialty the Mheyu focused on.
It didn’t escape her, however, how strange it was that all the members of her family line were dead, apart from the queen. That fact didn’t seem to be the result of a poison or even assassination, it seemed systematic.
The queen continued to be pleasant as they dined together frequently, even though the food was too colorful and pretty and sweet for Oshali most of the time. She refused the talk about the war or the effect it was having on the palace, calling the king an idiotic waste, who was as greedy as he was pleasing to the eye.
"But I don't understand how you feel safe here," Oshali said. "The attacks are so unexpected and so… brutal. You could get caught in ember or impacted by a bomb. Why do you stay?"
"Because this is my home," the queen said, setting down her goblet of wine. "There are some things that can never be replaced, Oshali. One of them is the feeling of home. Our family has been in this Dominion for decades and whenever we rule, it thrives. When my rule began, this dominion was a civilized, abundant, and affluent place. I refuse to let it descent into savage chaos just because the king is a jealous ass who wants it for himself. I should be able to have the b
enefit of the wisdom and sacrifices my family made."
Oshali stared down, moving the food around her plate so the queen wouldn’t see her expression. "But… you want this at the risk of your life?" she finally asked. “You could be killed by staying here."
The queen shook her head. "I guarantee that that will not happen to either of us. There are certain places in the palace when no bomb and no ember can penetrate. You will never be taken to any area where you would be at risk."
Oshali raised her brows. "So why don't you make the entire palace safe from the attacks? Why do you only focus on certain areas?"
The queen spooned soup into her mouth, savoring the taste before answering. "I find it is better to let the king think that he is succeeding by bombing the palace, and that he may be successful in his attempts one day. It keeps his attention where I want it. And as for the servants who end up getting killed"—she shrugged—"I make sure none of my loyal servants are ever at risk.”
Oshali stared at her for a long moment, a horror blooming in her chest. The queen was willing to allow dangerous ember and bombs into the palace so she could misdirect the king and kill her “disloyal” servants. How could someone be so callous? The queen was more devious in comparison to what she’d read about the king. Her attachment to the south and her home was disturbing, but not nearly as much as if the queen decided Oshali was disloyal or not useful? Would she suddenly find herself in an unprotected area of the palace? It was unsettling to be at the whim of such callousness.
“I can’t pretend to understand what it’s been like for you, Your Majesty,” Oshali began. “But is there any way to broker peace with the king? I’m sure he is unreasonable, but—”
“Oshali.” The queen’s voice turned quietly sharp. She pushed her soup aside and leaned forward. “Have you ever been in love?”
The sudden change in conversation heated Oshali’s cheeks and made her stomach drop at the same time. “Um. Yes.”
“Have you ever given that person power over you and they misused it?”
Oshali’s shoulder dropped an inch. “Yes.”
The queen smiled. “Then you are a tiny fragment closer to understanding why there can never be peace.”
Oshali watched her as she beckoned the servant forward with another plate. “So, instead, you’ll be unhappy forever in battle with him?”
“I never said I was unhappy,” the queen said, a smile gracing her face. “But some betrayals can never be undone.”
The next day, the queen took her to visit her parents’ quarters. Oshali was glad to see that the furnishings remained in keeping with the time period. Of course their room may not have been like this when they were alive, but just thinking they might have looked at the same wall decorating that she was now made her feel a sense of comfort.
“How did they die?” she asked the queen as she walked around the room, examining everything.
“Your mother died from severe depression not long after you were taken.” The queen hesitated. “She was very much looking forward to raising you, as was I. You were a miracle to us.”
A deep sorrow embraced Oshali as she looked at all the trinkets sitting on her mother’s bed table. “And my father?”
The queen’s expression was somber. “Your father went after the dragorai. He was never seen again.”
Oshali gasped. “Why? Why did he assume they had taken me?”
The queen shot her a sharp look. “Come with me.”
Oshali followed the queen to the room next door, and when she entered, her mouth dropped open. A top corner of the room had collapsed, leaving an enormous hole in the ceiling. Debris cluttered the room, and it hadn’t been looked after, but it was clear the room had been a nursery.
“This is where you were,” the queen said. She pointed to the hole in the ceiling. “The dragon crashed through there, and reached through with its foot and grabbed you. Your father was in here when it happened; he saw it with his own eyes. There was no assumptions made, Oshali. A dragorai dragon attacked the palace and took you.”
Oshali stood staring at the destruction, her heart pounding in her chest, disbelief threading through every muscle. “Did he have a rider? Was one of the alphas on top of him?”
“When are they not?” the queen responded wryly. “From this angle your father said he couldn’t see whether anyone was riding on the dragon or not, but I very much doubt that any of their dragons traveled this far south without their riders. That, or it was trained to do it.”
Oshali closed her eyes and brought her trembling hands to her lips. No one could train a dragon to do that, especially not a dragorai-dragon. This was a nightmare. Tyomar could not have known, or could not have been involved in this. She refused to believe it, and yet his insistence that she didn’t go on this trip seemed to have a different context now. Had he been trying to hide this? Is this what he disappeared just before they were about to get the scroll?
“Don’t worry, it was a long time ago, Oshali,” the queen said. Her voice was nearer, and when Oshali opened her eyes, the queen stood next to her and held one of her hands. “It was a very traumatic time, and it turned many of the people against the dragorai. They’ve hardly been seen here since.”
Oshali nodded numbly.
“And even if they did return, they wouldn’t be able to get close to the palace.”
Oshali glanced at her, slowly releasing their grip. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve been experimenting with ember and its uses.”
“I thought ember was the remnants of used-up magic?” Oshali asked.
“Yes,” the queen said. “But it does have specific qualities of its own that are useful.”
Oshali shook her head. “That’s too dangerous.”
“If it helps to protect the palace, nothing is too dangerous,” the queen said sharply. “And that’s exactly what ember does.”
Oshali said nothing. The queen was clearly very driven about her own personal goals and there was nothing Oshali could say to persuade her from that. Obviously she had suffered devastating events in her life, and she’d found ways to cope; however, Oshali did not see any benefit in what she was doing to the people—of both Dominions. The queen was self-absorbed and allowing her bitterness to destroy this precious land.
“This is why you need to stay, Oshali,” the queen said. “You need to carry on their line and our family’s legacy.”
Oshali clenched her hands together. “I'm not sure what to do. I never I was never told anything about my family, and I never expected to know. I’m not sure if I want a royal life.”
The queen laughed quietly. "I can guarantee you that nobody born into royalty wants it," she said. "Yes, there are benefits that are great, but the pressure is crushing."
“So why do you remain queen? Oshali asked. "If it's that bad, you could step down?"
“And abandoned our heritage?” The queen shook her head. "No. Besides, I don't know how to be anything other than a queen."
As the days went on, Oshali thought frequently about Tyomar, but it was with a resigned disappointment. What the queen had shown her had colored everything she thought she knew about him. Even if she wanted to question him, he was still gone—without a word. Maybe he knew it wasn’t a wise idea, considering the queen’s opinion of him and his dragon. Once she left the palace, she wasn’t sure where she would head, but there was no requirement for her to go back to the Mheyu sanctum now, unless she wanted an explanation. And that was the only way Tyomar would be able to find her.
After a week of being at the palace, Oshali was ready to turn the queen down on her invitation to stay. She packed her travel pouch with some trinkets from her parents’ room and the scroll before going to see the queen. As she made her way to the queen’s throne room, one of the queen’s warriors darted past her and muttered, “Run. She’s not happy.”
Oshali frowned, looking up at the warrior, but she was already hurrying ahead and Oshali couldn’t see her face. Her hair was short, cut li
ke a male’s but with the feminine style. Before Oshali could call out, she disappeared.
Oshali stilled in the corridor. That was strange, but it didn’t mean she shouldn’t pay attention to it. Turning on her heel, she headed back to her guest room to make sure she had everything, but as she arrived a group of the queen’s warriors were there to greet her.
The queen’s army consisted of three different factions of warriors. The most violent and elite she named the Wardens; an all-female force of destruction dressed in red and black leather. Agile and powerful, these warriors were proficient in defending against magic, which made them a problem for the king when they infiltrated his land.
Oshali decided not to try to fight the twelve of them. When they told her the queen requested her presence, she followed to see what possible reason the queen could have for putting the guards on her.
But they didn’t take her to the queen.
They took her to a cell.
9
“What is the meaning of this?” Oshali demanded when the queen finally visited her cell.
The queen’s expression was so dark, it was as if Oshali was looking at a different person. “I should be asking you that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Are you aligned with the dragorai?”
Oshali opened her mouth but then close it again, unsure what to say. She couldn’t lie, and yet she wouldn’t say she was aligned with them.
The queen let out a harsh curse. “How can you be aligned with them when they took you and destroyed your parents?”
“I was not aware until I came here,” Oshali said.
“You told me you were raised by the Mheyu. How in all seven hells has the dragorai gotten their claws into you?”
Oshali’s mouth tightened. “You don’t have to put me in a cell to ask me your questions, your Majesty.”
