She felt the Energy of the fallen around her. Their essence twisted at her heart, winding tight like a vine with thorns that dug into her flesh. She gasped in pain as another fell to the ground dead. Her chest constricted. We tried. Right now, she’d rather that the Queens had her. Then, the agony wrapped around her would stop.
This ends now. She fired. Missed.
Rangit turned to her. It won’t work this way, he screamed through the Energy.
It might. She hadn’t thought of this before. It was the best way to get into the castle. To be taken there by the Peacekeepers. And one thing the patterns had told her was that both her and Braklen needed to be in the castle, down in the catacombs for the change to begin.
What better way to get there than to be taken there directly. They didn’t have a plan of how to get inside, she was an Energy Reader, not a soldier. That was what she was doing now. Using her skill with the Energy. Trusting what she knew. The patters were clear.
Triena, no … Rangit collapsed on the ground, hit by a Peacekeeper.
Triena dropped her weapon. It’s over.
Oh no, darling, it’s only beginning. A female’s voice echoed in her mind, followed by sharp laughter.
A trick? Triena went to pick up the particle gun. A sharp pain in her head caused her to collapse on the ground. No.
Chapter 12
Laughter haunted Triena’s dream. Her younger self stood in the catacombs. A memory of the past. She’d been summoned to hear the initiation she needed to complete in order to begin her training in Energy Reading, the proper training, the training that she longed for. Her belly hungered for the skill. But, then she sank to her knees as she was told.
Kill Braklen.
No. She sobbed. No, I won’t.
The twelve Queens smirked. Then you fail. They spoke in unison, their white robes, stained with the blood of the animals and people they had used in readings. Dizziness caught Triena and her vision blurred. The dream changed.
The laughter returned. You already killed him.
No. She was her adult self in the catacombs. A Queen with dark curly hair stood in front of her. You did what I told you to do.
Triena stood disbelieving. It’s not possible. I read the Energy. It was true.
It was saying what I told it to tell you.
Triena froze. I didn’t kill him. She’d been careful, well as careful as she could be with the particle gun. It was set to only stun.
But you can’t be sure, can you? The woman continued to laugh.
You shouldn’t be wearing that. The Queen grabbed at the necklace, but Triena moved backwards. The pendant was hers. She’d taken it from Pernally, but it was more than that. It felt like it belonged to her, something that she’d reclaimed.
The Queen suddenly looked scared. This isn’t possible.
Someone grabbed Triena. Quick.
Triena smelled roses. Mother? But it didn’t feel like her mother. She was pulled her away from the catacombs.
Come back! screamed the Queen. She tried to follow, but whoever was pulling her away sent thick smoke spiraling behind them to slow them down. Come back!
Triena twisted around but couldn’t get free. A cloaked figure turned to face her. Triena gasped. Margory?
The woman held a finger to her lips.
What are you …? continued Triena. Confusion welled inside her, teasing with her memory as she struggled to balance what was real and what wasn’t. What had just happened wasn’t real, but it had happened before. But some of it hadn’t happened, yet. She shook her head. It didn’t quite make sense to her. Memories of the past, and potentials for the future were stitched together out of order.
Don’t go back there. Margory held Triena tight and looked into her essence. Don’t go back there until you are ready for the final fight. You have to wait.
Triena sobbed. I killed him.
No. They are manipulating the Energy. You have to get strong before you go back there. Her form began to fade. I’ve stayed too long. They will come for me now. But, you have some time.
Triena didn’t like the idea of losing someone who had befriended her, who had tried to keep her safe. A true friend, unlike Salene. I need your help.
Don’t waste the time I’ve given you.
Triena reached out to the fading form of Margory. It was too late. She was gone. A hot breeze blasted Triena and she was pushed out from the Field.
~
Triena dry retched. Stomach juices burned in her throat. Her body trembled from the reverse motion. She put her hands on the side of the toilet bowl and pushed herself up, then stumbled back to the bed. A thin, hard mattress caused more aches and pains in her body since she’d been here.
The physical agony on top of the emotional pain burned in her mind as she struggled not to remember what happened on the Petal. Special blend. That’s what I need. Her hand shook as she rested it on her forehead.
The effects of the special blend had worn away, leaving her with the building tension of wanting more. She didn’t care about being addicted. I’ve failed. She closed her eyes against the pristine cell. White walls and white floor, made her eyes hurt.
Then, there was the space sickness. Despite her requests she’d been given no quem tea. Battling against the after effects of drinking the special blend, space sickness, and the shattering realization that she was being taken to the Queens to be ripped apart, her body had reacted and gone into shock.
If the rabbit was here, he’d tell her to bring in the energy of the quem tea. She rolled over onto her side and curled up against thoughts of the rabbit spilling into her mind. She’d no idea if the rabbit was alive, or if Braklen was all right. She’d seen enough of Rangit to believe he hadn’t survived. All for nothing. Even if the rabbit survived, the Queens would use him for a reading.
Her stomach muscles cramped again. Triena fought against the motion. There was nothing left for her to vomit. She was too exhausted to move. They had taken her things, anything that they thought she could use against them.
An electrical sound caused her senses to sharpen. Must be mealtime. Triena rallied herself. This was the only time she had contact with people and the only chance she had to try and change her situation. On the surface she’d given up, but deep within her an ember burned. Keep looking for a chance. There’s got to be an opportunity.
“I need some quem tea.” Triena’s mouth was so dry that her voice barely cracked out. A soldier stood holding a tray. The transparent shield that kept her in the cell shivered as it powered down.
A meaty broth smell wafted into the cell and Triena gripped her stomach. “I’m sure the Queens don’t want me to die before I get there.” She put a hand over her mouth at the smell of food. She held herself stiffen against the contraction in her belly.
“Surely you want to present me healthy.” Her voice sounded weak. She stood up, which was a mistake and she stumbled.
The soldier didn’t come and help her. His face was blank like an unpainted canvas and he told her nothing. He placed the tray on the floor.
“Where’s Braklen?” she asked. The soldier didn’t change his expression.
She took a few steps towards him. This was her chance. It didn’t matter what happened to her now. She had to do something. Triena grabbed his shirt, using the last of her strength, bringing in the Energy to support her. She pushed him with a force that surprised even her. He fell backwards. His stone expression changed to shock.
“You shouldn’t mess with me.” Triena didn’t have much strength left, and the only plan was to get the hell out of the cell. The whiteness pressed down on her in all directions, suffocating her.
The soldier struggled to rise. She stepped out of the cell, went up to him, and lifted the particle gun from his belt. She fired it at him without giving it a second thought. He slumped unconscious or dead.
Triena walked along the corridor looking into the cells. Empty. Empty. She kept going, moving as fast as her weakened body would take her
. There was one person she needed to see. She had to know if Braklen was still alive. Not knowing made the thoughts in her mind fold back on each other and form knots.
“I was wondering when you’d try something like this,” A woman’s voice from behind her caused Triena to stop. A chill went down her back.
“I must admit I had expected you to try to escape much earlier.”
Triena didn’t want to turn around. She edged her foot forward, then paused.
“Don’t think about it.” The woman’s voice was commanding. “Now, you’ve tried to escape, or whatever this is.” The woman’s boots echoed on the floor. Triena’s heart thudded in time with the steps. She held the particle gun by her side, hidden in the folds of her skirt.
One more. One at a time. But she wasn’t sure she could do it. Each time she killed someone, their energy melded with hers. She didn’t want to have this woman’s energy. Pernally’s was enough to endure. Triena wasn’t sure how she was going to disperse the energy of the eleven remaining Queens, assuming one had already replaced Pernally.
The Queen stepped in front of Triena. “This means I get to do something to you.” Her grey hair flowed down to her waist.
Triena found it difficult to look at the Queen’s dark eyes. The soulless look sucked at Triena and pulled at her energy in as if feeding. She braced herself. It strengthened the walls around her energy.
“You’ve done more than enough already.” Triena had a vague memory of this Queen from when she was younger. She was one who stopped me. The ember inside of Triena flared.
The Queen laughed. “I’ve only just started. Well, I’m about to start.”
“So am I.” Triena fired the gun at the Queen. The woman was thrown backward with the force. Her face contorted into surprise, then pain, then fear as she realized what was happening. Her body hit the ground with a thud.
“You won’t get away with this.” The Queen tried to sit up. “There are more of us, and we will work together.”
“So, what?” Triena had enough of hearing how strong they were.
“You won’t get off the ship.” The Queen’s face grayed as her energy leaked out from the wound.
“Maybe I don’t need to.” Triena fired again. The Queen’s body jerked, then stilled as the last of her life left.
Knowing what was coming, Triena went up to the Queen’s body. Time to absorb the Queen’s energy. Best not to fight against the process. But, she felt her body contracting against the new energy as it filtered into her aura.
Triena sat next to the Queen’s body and opened herself to the energy. The new energy disrupted Triena’s vertigo. If she fought it, then it would be more painful. Feeling sick from moving through space didn’t help with this process.
I’ve got to keep moving. She didn’t, she couldn’t move. She sat there, next to the dead Queen’s body, breathing slowly in and out, trying not to panic. Somehow, she’d made things worse for herself. Even though there was one less Queen to fight, she was out here exposed. Peacekeepers were going to be coming soon and she couldn’t move. And she’d killed again.
At least I didn’t use the Energy to kill. That thought didn’t help her. Again, she had been forced to take a life and the consequences meant consuming the energy. It was a cost she paid, in order to survive, but it also drained her own energy, weakened her own essence.
The sight of the Queen’s blood caused bile to rise and Triena’s stomach tightened. Her mind began to spiral down towards blackness. She fought against the process. While fresh, she needed to read the Queen’s energy to see if it offered any sort of help.
Let’s see who you are. Triena allowed herself to be submerged in the Queen’s essence as it blended with hers. An image began to form around Triena. She observed the scene. Queen Arkina sat on her bed, alone, meditating with the Energy. The walls gray and gloomy, a brick square pattern enclosed the Queen.
Triena moved closer, to feel what the Queen was looking for. Me. She wants me. Triena recoiled abruptly. The hate from the Queen clawed at Triena and she moved back from the image. She knew she hadn’t been well liked, but the abhorrence that woman had felt towards her caused a chill to weave between their etheric forms.
Triena caught a tendril of red Energy floating past. The ribbon-shaped flow of energy pulled her deeper into the Field and with a sharp tug pulled her into another scene. Eleven Queens stood in a half moon shape in the catacombs of the castle. Robed in white, they glowed against the darkness that surrounded them. Their hands held in a lotus shape in front of their breasts.
White veils hung over their heads, made from transparent material, their individual features were hidden, but Triena could make out enough details to find the Queen she’d just killed. She watched the scene closely, desperate to find some information, any details that would give her an advantage.
“We want her power,” one of the Queens spoke, her voice sharp, high-pitched. A gold, twisted metal band held her veil on her head. The one who governs their meetings. The information flowed from Arkina into Triena’s awareness. I need that gold band.
“And with patience we will get it,” spoke another.
“We need to get to them before they arrive,” said the first Queen. “We can’t let them get here.”
“We could go to them,” said the Queen next to Triena.
Something drew her closer. She felt it. The desire burned in all of the women here, but in this woman in particular. Power. She wanted it, all of it for herself.
“Yes we could, but we don’t know where they are.”
“I can find her,” said Queen Arkina.
Triena shivered.
“I’ll go, too.”
“Me too.”
They all wanted to go. None of them trusted the others with the chance to be with Triena.
The Queen with the high-pitched voice clapped her hands, silencing the rest. “We can’t all go. It’s too risky for us to leave. Arkina will go.” She paused. “Alone, since she suggested this plan. That way if it fails, it will only affect her.” The material covering her face billowed gently as she spoke. “Let’s vote.”
Candles flickered around them but there was no warmth from the light. The Queens slowly moved their hands opening their fingers with their answer of yes.
“It’s agreed, then,” spoke the Queen in charge.
“What do we do with the man?” asked Arkina.
“Kill him.”
“Yes, he’s caused us enough problems,” said one of the other Queens.
“We no longer need him. He’s brought her to us as much as he could.”
Arkina bowed her head in acknowledgement. “I’ll leave at once.”
The woman’s desire spiked. Fragments of Arkina’s thoughts fell together and swirled around Triena, passing on the knowledge. She wanted me for her own uses. She wasn’t going to take me back to them.
The image faded as the last of Arkina’s essence blended with Triena. I’ve got to get to Braklen. Triena’s vertigo had settled. A plan began to bloom in her mind. The integration process completed, she sat up on her knees.
New knowledge sank easily in her mind. A fresh strength flowed through her. For the first time, Triena was excited about getting into the castle. Divided, they’d fall, and she itched to divide the Queens.
Bracing herself, she quickly stripped the Queen of her white robe, slipped out of her own vomit-stained, black dress and corset and then clothed herself in Arkina’s garments. They had similar colored hair, and while their facial features were different, she hoped that with the hood up she would pass, and no one would check on Arkina in the cell.
At least not for a while. It’d buy her some time to get into the castle. This was a lot more than what she had to work with previously. It wasn’t easy changing clothes. Sweat beaded on Triena’s face. Arkina’s dead body weight was difficult to move, even though the Queen had been of slight figure.
Triena didn’t bother tying the corset correctly. She just wrapped it
around the woman’s waist and tied it loosely. Then she grabbed Arkina’s bare feet. Stockings were another piece of clothing she didn’t bother to swap. She dragged the Queen’s body back into the cell where Triena had been imprisoned.
She shivered as she stepped back into this space. Puffing, she pulled the body to the far corner, and rolled it on the side, so that Arkina’s back faced the wall. Down here she only had to trick the guards. It was going to be more difficult to pass as Arkina when she was at the castle.
Triena lifted the white hood of the robe and pulled it over her head. She arranged the folds of the robe to hide the blood stains. Bile rose to her mouth. She swallowed hard. There was no other way. The Queens wanted to do much worse to her and she had to toughen up if she was to survive. And be ready. As soon as they find out that Arkina’s gone, they’ll come at me with renewed force.
They weren’t going to be so easy to trick in the Energy, but Triena was going to try. She knew that she had skill enough to mimic Arkina’s energy print and to do something like what the Queens had done to her. But it would drain her essence. The cost will be worth it if I win. She wiped the sweat from her face. Arkina’s loose fitting dress gave Triena a sense of freedom. She placed her boots on the floor and squeezed her feet into the Queen’s black slipper-like shoes.
Now I can find Braklen. If I’m lucky, I might even find the rabbit.
“Don’t move, bitch.”
Triena froze. Fuck the Queens.
“Hands on your head.”
She heard the click of a gun. With a heartbeat, she summoned all her resolve and raised Arkina’s energy to the surface of her aura to help her. Triena turned and glared furiously at the man. “That’s no way to treat your Queen.”
The man paused, looked confused, then blushed as he quickly put away the weapon. “Sorry ma’am.” He hung his head. “I just saw Giert injured on the ground and thought … sorry.”
“Lucky I came when I did. Otherwise the prisoner would’ve escaped.” Triena tried to hide the softness in her voice. She was sorry she’d injured him.
Flower Queen (Flower Readings Book 3) Page 12
