Queens' Warriors

by Mari Byrne

  Sara had shifted slightly reaching her hand out to stroke it through the blood sliding down Shari’s left hip. Shari had had to bite her cheek to stop the painful hiss from escaping.

  “And just when you think nothing could be worse, the mate still living turns on you. How long do you think highly trained Warriors would survive trying to beat each other to death hourly? Hmmm?” the Queen asked in a falsely pleasant voice. “Especially the most advanced trained Warriors. From my knowledge of the two, I can tell you they would literally tear each other to pieces. Sharp blades hacking at limbs. The mental pain the two could inflict upon each other…” The heavy pause from Queen Sara had the weight of sexual tension strumming through the room.

  Shari lifted her veiled lids in time to see the lust sliding through the other woman’s eyes. It had been all she could do not to vomit on the woman. Swallowing back the rising bile, she quickly dropped her eyes back to the floor she had been staring at.

  Remembering it now still had the power to make her gag. It was all she could do to stifle the urge and focus her mind on finding a way to contact Shan Lin and Vincent. There was no way in hell she would allow Queen Sara to destroy her husbands. To prevent that from happening, apparently, she had to live.

  It took more than one try for her pain-wracked mind to focus as she lay on her side, panting from the effort.

  Standing was painful, but out of necessity, she bore the pain. If there was any way out of this cell, she would find it or go down trying.

  * * * * *

  Shan Lin and Vincent both cursed loudly, simultaneously, and with great effect, if the stares and snickers sounding around them were anything to judge by.

  Both men were wishing the direst actions on their aunt and in the most inventive ways they could conjure. Queen Sara had demanded their presence at her behest for the last time. They would never again be taking orders from the woman.

  The men were making their way to Shari with all possible speed when they met up with Dorian. Exhausted and barely able to speak, Dorian had told Shan Lin and Vincent how Queen Sara’s retainers had come to their home and demanded Shari come to the Palace.

  Knowing he could do nothing to stop it, Dorian had done the only thing he could. He had sent Jolan with her and admonished the young man to follow Shari and make sure nothing happened to her. If something did, he was to send a message to Dorian, who would then find Shan Lin and Vincent, and inform them while Jolan did everything in his power to help Shari escape Sara’s clutches.

  “Why didn’t you see this earlier? We could have prevented it!”

  Even as Vincent spoke the question, he already knew the answer.

  “You know I can’t foretell the future of our lives. I’ve never been able to. Only those around us.”

  Frustrated, Shan Lin did his best to inject a note of calm in his voice he wasn’t feeling.

  “I wouldn’t even have seen this if Turing hadn’t bumped into me. It was a fluke, purely accidental. They all know they shouldn’t touch me if they don’t want to have knowledge of the outcome of their lives. Turing especially. He’s been with us the longest and is always most adamant about not wanting to know what’s going to happen. “

  Shan Lin swallowed visibly. The image of their wife passed out on the floor of the palace. Bloodied, broken, he and Vincent raging in despair and futility at not being able to help their wife. He shuddered in horror.

  “We’re damned lucky it happened period. Just give thanks to Riad it did happen. Now we no longer have to deal with this wild goose chase. Let’s move on.”

  Sighing in frustration, Vincent did his best to stop his feeling of sheer terror from over riding his common sense. Shari would be fine, and they’d get there in time to prevent anything from happening to her.

  “You’re right, and it’s no fault of yours. My apologies, brother mine. It’s just…”

  Seeing the contrition in his brother’s heart, Shan Lin did his best to reassure his brother.

  “I know. It’s only… Queen Sara now has power over the one who has become our life. I feel the same as you.”

  Nodding his agreement, Vincent urged his mount faster, for once not caring what had to be done to insure the safety and well being of their wife.

  “We should never have left her. We should have just taken her with us and to Hellios with what we knew was the right thing.” Vincent railed at his brother as their mounts rode hard toward the castle.

  “And you know what would have happened if we did. The Queen would have taken her anyway.” Shan Lin shouted back.

  They were less than half a mile from Aranak and would gain the town soon. Their ride through the streets would undoubtedly cause speculation and possibly panic, but neither brother cared. Let the whole damned town know what their Queen had finally done. The depths to which she would stoop to keep a throne that no longer belonged to her.

  Within sight of the city, the brothers, along with five other riders from the Queen’s Guard who had ridden into the small village along the coast with them, pulled up their horses and stopped.

  “There it is. You know what must be done. At all cost, the Queen must be driven from power so the True Queen can assume the throne.” Shan Lin spoke with a certainty the others around him never doubted. This hadn’t been the first time Shan Lin had seen the outcome of something the others had no notion was happening. There were very few who questioned the man anymore when he told them of events soon to take place.

  Quietly, the men watched as Vincent turned to them and stared each one in the eyes. “The Queen’s Most Vicious Warrior” now stared back at them. The look in his eyes was one few ever saw up close and lived to tell about it.

  “Not one of you needs to accompany us. You are free to do as you see fit. I’ll not ask anyone to go against what they believe is right. If I hadn’t seen what I did and known that Shan Lin has never been wrong, I’d be questioning this move myself.” Pausing again to let them take in his words, Vincent turned to look at the structure that towered over the modern city.

  “But know; if you stay, you’ll have to hunt us both, and if you go with us, you’ll be hunted too. The decision has to be your own.”

  Vincent turned to Shan Lin, and both men nodded once in unison then kicked their mounts into action never looking behind them.

  * * * * *

  Shari’s body shook and her head reeled with pain, but she never stopped pulling at the boards she’d found in the side of the wall, all the while thanking all those Hollywood producers for having secret passages hidden in the walls of castles in their movies.

  She had been desperate when she began to knock on the walls of the cell. There was no way out of the room short of producing a key, or blowing the door off. Since she had no explosives, key, or lock picks, this was the only other thing she could think of.

  She had begun by pounding a fist every few inches against the wall and making her way around the room. Positive she was grasping at straws, she had been stunned when one area had suddenly rung with a hollow sound. Scraping her hands and nails bloody, she had used every bit of the last of her strength to get this far.

  Now she could feel the board finally giving way, and at the sound of a snap, she gave out an exhausted yelp of joy.

  Panting and drawing breath from her effort, she closed her eyes momentarily before finally opening them to peer through the opening she had revealed. But the more she looked, the less she understood what she was actually seeing.

  Just on the other side of the broken plank she had struggled with was a square opening sealed shut with concrete. Closing her eyes once more in disbelief, she brought her hands to her eyes and rubbed them. She had to be hallucinating due to all the pain she was in.

  Opening them once more, she knew at last there was no escape out of the room.

  Dropping down the wall suddenly in defeat as her weakened legs gave way, Shari put her head in her hands and became resigned to what was about to happen.

  Sitting there, she could on
ly thank her divine maker for the chance he had given her to meet two of the most loving, giving, and strongest Warriors it had been her pleasure to know.

  She was so lost in thought it took her a few moments to realize she was no longer alone. Taking her hands away from her face and looking upward toward the door expecting the Queen to be there gloating about what was to come, she barely registered it was a friend.

  “My Lady? It’s Jolan. Please, My Lady, you must get up and come to me. I cannot enter the room or I will be discovered. There are sensors in the room.” The words were whispered, but urgent as well as apologetic.

  Unbelievably, someone had come to help her. At least she hoped it was the case. She had to believe he wasn’t here to take her to her own version of Hell.

  She opened her mouth to answer when Jolan put his finger to his lips in the universal sign for silence. Painfully, and with the last of her strength, Shari used both hands against the floor and the wall to brace herself and slowly, very slowly rose to her feet all the while screaming to her body to cooperate.

  She gained her feet and began to talk to herself to get them to move.

  Just a few more steps, then you’ll get help and it will be easier. Promise.

  Looking down, she ordered her injured leg to take a step and found the measly piece of cloth she’d used to staunch the flowing blood had barely slowed the tide. Her head reeled from the blood loss, but she ignored it as best she could.

  Finally, after what seemed like hours but was actually only as few seconds, she both felt and watched her legs move. She sent encouragement to herself as if she was urging on an exhausted marathon runner.

  That’s it. You can do it! Go little feet, go!

  Before she knew it, she was at the doorway and through it. As soon as she had cleared the doorway, she felt Jolan’s arms come around her.

  “We have to hurry. I’m so sorry, but we have to move fast. Even as small as you are, I can’t carry you through the halls. There would be too much talk and we don’t want any help from those inside.”

  “Wha…what-t-t do you me-e-ean?” Shari stammered the question through the throbbing in her face.

  “What? I’m sorry, I can’t understand you.” Jolan barely stopped as Shari tried her best to use a mouth that felt as if someone had shot it full of Novocain, then took away the pain killing sensation, leaving an inability use it.

  “Wh-why can’t you-u-u hep’ me?” She said carefully as she continued to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

  “Oh, because if I was to carry you, we’d be headed the other way, toward the healer. Since you’re still on your feet, the inhabitants of the castle will assume you’ve been told if you can walk, you can leave. It’s the normal procedure of the Queen’s.”

  Shari thought about nodding her head to signal she’d heard him, but her leg chose that moment to buckle. The only thing keeping her upright was Jolan, who continued to hold onto her.

  “Keep going, My Lady. Lean on me as much as possible, but keep going.”

  Even through her pain, Shari knew she had only minutes, if not seconds, and she was going to pass out. But she kept going with one single litany running through her head.

  I’mgoingtokillher. I’mgoingtokillher. I’mgoingtokillher. I’mgoingtokillher…

  Just then, a man holding linens and two women holding pails of water rounded the corner about ten feet in front of them. Behind them, Shari actually saw sunlight and knew she was going to make it. Even if it was just to the front door. She would get out of this place.

  She didn’t know how much farther she would have to go next, but she at least would make it out the door. After that, she would worry about getting off the grounds of the castle.

  No sooner had the thought entered her mind than the three people she had just seen coming toward her were startled by a loud commotion behind them.

  The pails the women had been holding flew out of their hands to land on the cement floor. The water sloshed out of the buckets and ran across the cement toward Shari and Jolan as a sound like alarm bells came up from the stone floor. The linen held by the man flew into the air and spread itself out in an arc of white as if a curtain had suddenly come down on a stage.

  The screams of startlement sounded unusually loud to Shari, but she was beyond caring. Her body chose then to make its demands known. Even as she fell toward oblivion, she could have sworn she saw through the sheets her Warriors, looks of vengeful wraith, coming up from Hell itself to slay her demon.

  * * * * *

  Shan Lin and Vincent burst through the double doors of the entrance to the castle’s prison and vowed they’d tear the place down to find Shari if they had to. Swords in one hand, laser guns in the other, both had come loaded for a battle.

  Hearing stifled yelps and the sounds of steel against the floor, both sprinted toward the sound. Rounding the corner, they saw a bed linen fly through the air obscuring their sight of the corridor they needed to go down. Swinging out with his blade, Vincent quickly sliced the sheet as if it was air. Then looked beyond it to the two figures, who seemed to be making their way towards them.

  “Jolan!” The exclamation sounded from behind him. Shan Lin had spotted the pair too.

  Running toward the two, Shan Lin and Vincent looked to the figure, who was at the moment, sliding down Jolan’s side. Immediately, both men let out a bellow of pain and rage the inhabitants of the castle would later swear had come from the ruling demons of Burnhad itself.

  Both men dropped to their knees as soon as they reached Jolan and Shari. Vincent, having gotten there first, threw his weapons to the side and picked Shari up, cradling her to his chest.

  Shan Lin, dropped down beside them, took them both in his arms and surrounded them, one side of his body in contact with each.

  I know, I know. We must go. Both brothers pathed to each other.

  Getting to their feet, Vincent made a move to gather his weapons, but found them in the hands of Jolan instead.

  “My Lord Princes’, we’ve got to go. She wasn’t far behind me when I left to find your wife. We’ve got to go, now!”

  Both brothers knew he was right, and the Warrior in each demanded they get her to a secure place first. But the men, the husbands, in them both wanted to do nothing more then find the person or people responsible for this atrocity.

  Yes. But first, our wife needs us.

  The brothers looked to one another in agreement, then jumped into battle mode with Shari between them when they heard the horrified gasps from behind them.

  Turning as one unit, Shari still cradled in Vincent’s arms and clutched tightly to his massive chest, the brothers faced the soldiers who had followed them. Body radiating barely suppressed anger, Shan Lin stepped aside to allow the other guards to see Shari’s appearance in Vincent’s arms.

  Battered and bloody, face swollen, cuts and bruises visible on nearly every part of her body, clothing in tattered rags, Shari lay as if dead.

  “Look! Take a good look!” The shout, from so close and filled with such venomous anger, nearly pushed the soldiers who stared back a step.

  Shan Lin, pointing toward his badly abused wife, looked at the soldiers, then at the inhabitants who had dared to come investigate.

  “Look at what your Queen has done!” Shan Lin’s shouts brought even more people at a run. Even those who normally stayed hidden, hoping not to incur the wrath of Her Highness, came out at the shout of the Queen’s most honored guards.

  “She did this. The freching bitch did this to our wife! To those who were once the royal heirs! Do you believe now? Can you finally see what she is capable of? Can you not open those terrified eyes and realize she is no longer our sovereign who rules with a gentle, but iron hand. It is a fist of steel to whoever opposes her reign, even though her reign is over! Look at our wife!”

  * * * * *

  The inhabitants listened to the Warrior as he bellowed to all who would listen. They heard the grief in his shouting, as well as f
elt it. The two most loyal and victorious heroes of the Realm stood in front of the people of Aranak and did everything they could to convince those same people their Queen had finally gone too far.

  Soon, Shan Lin stopped speaking as Vincent came up beside his brother and both men began to walk down the hallway toward the doors. Vincent carrying their wife in his arms, her body either unconscious or dead, her arms dragging down at Vincent’s side.

  Before they gained the outside door they passed a myriad of closed doors. Jolan was the one, however, who discovered the door hadn’t been closed all the way, and something inside happened to catch at the corner of his eye, enough to stop him.

  Even in their haste, Shan Lin knew the room had to be investigated.

  Vincent. Hold one moment.

  Shan Lin and Jolan cautiously approached the door. Grabbing the short pryt lance at his side, Shan Lin powered up the lethal weapon even as he handed a second one to Jolan, before the two advanced. Putting his outstretched hand against the not completely closed door, Shan Lin stood to the left as Jolan took up a position on the right. When Shan Lin caught Jolan’s eyes, he gave a hard nod once then gave a cautious shove to the door.

  The sight, which greeted them inside the room, confirmed Shan Lin’s suspicions of what happened to Candice. She lay impaled onto the wall, her body nearly unrecognizable to what he saw in his memory. Her face however was nearly untouched.

  He heard Jolan’s horrified gasp and turned to find a look of horror on the young man’s face.

  “Did you know her?” Shan Lin asked quietly.

  The young man shook his head then contradicted himself.

  “She helped me out of here a few months ago. She was a trusted friend, if a brief one.”

  Shan Lin silently closed the door blocking Jolan’s view of what remained of the man’s friend. They made their way back to his brother and wife quickly. It hadn’t taken very long to check the room, but since there was nothing to be done for the poor woman now, it was his duty to see to his wife’s welfare.