by Eden Wolfe
She wouldn't. Every time she'd let the voices reign they left behind immeasurable regret.
She'd seen it in her mother, her mad eyes bulging white as she screamed at herself on the cliff edge. The rain had poured down and Maeva, desperate to do something without knowing what, had listened watched in paralyzed horror as Queen Idia shriveled into a slave to the voices. And then Idia had thrown herself over the cliff edge.
The gnarled knife of rock that shot up through her chest.
Death without dignity. Death without ceremony.
And such was how Maeva's reign began at the age of eighteen.
I was too young. I knew nothing, nothing!
She fought the voices back down again. The risk of the cliff edge loomed, though they were still a safe distance away.
"I hear them too, Mother. But together we are safe. We overpower them."
Maeva's body twitched. She wouldn’t give the voices space to speak out, but still, they battled for her consciousness.
"I see them in you," Ariane came closer, her eyes growing worried. "They are strong in you. But you are with me."
"Yes," Maeva tried to agree but her body twitched in spite of herself.
I will not give in to them. I hear their rumblings, a cry of warning in one while screaming for quick death in the other. They contradict themselves and I will not give them space.
Maeva inhaled deeply, "I can overcome them. I have done it many times before."
"We can use them."
"When I have tried, daughter, they led me astray. They led us all astray, especially in this place.” Maeva leaned toward Ariane. “Do you have the memories within you? Do you see the old Queens die in your memory the way I do?”
“I have the memories, Mother. So many memories that don’t belong to me.”
Maeva at once felt grateful that she was not along in her experience of it. She’d always felt so alone. “Each of Lower Earth’s Queens, each death off this cliff edge, it’s all because of those echoes. That’s all the voices are, Ariane. Echoes. The voices do not speak to us; they are only echoes living in our blood. You cannot place your faith in them."
"I have no faith. But I do listen. They speak of such incredible things. Do you ever take the time to listen to them?"
"Far too often."
"I mean, really listen, to find the truth within them. To weed out the noise and focus in on the one that truly knows the current situation. It is there, I can find it now. It took me time and I had no guidance as a child, no way of interpreting them. I had to find it on my own."
I should have been there. But by my own program, I couldn't. She was to raise herself, find her way rather than be guided. That had been her test.
Suddenly the setting sun was glaring bright and stronger than was known in this season. It slapped at her skin, intensifying in the moment, the heat pulled into the lava rock.
"I wanted you there, Mother, when I was young. I needed you." Ariane's green eyes caught the light. The green of them so crystal, so clear. Eyes that saw so far and so much. Eyes that told Maeva of the pain she had caused.
"I didn't know."
"You say that as though you didn't, but you did. If I had been your beloved Rose, things would have been different.”
Maeva’s heart skipped at the truth in Ariane’s words. “You were the one I chose.”
“To be chosen is not to be loved. You showed your face to me on a regular basis, but in it you gave me no love."
"I loved you."
"You didn't. You couldn't. I understand that now. How could you, when you had four daughters across the land, and only one could be Queen. Of course, you couldn't. I understand now, Mother, but I didn't understand then."
Her eyes are looking down to the very part of my soul I never wanted anyone to see.
Maeva felt a hot tear gathering in her eye.
Ariane’s chin lowered, but the skin of her cheeks softened. "You said you wanted to be a real mother, more than your mother ever was. We have that chance now, perhaps our last chance, to bond as we should have."
"That's all I want, Ariane." She meant it. Ariane was the product of what she created. Perhaps Lucius had designed her, but it was all on Maeva’s demand. The incubation birth, the hardened resolve. Her persistence. Her single-mindedness.
Maeva looked at Ariane.
She is everything I had asked her to be.
“I do love you, my child. You are exactly the Queen I had always hoped you’d become.”
Ariane put her hands on Maeva's shoulders.
"Then let's do it. Dive into the voices with me, Mother. We must conquer their lies, let the truth emerge. We must seek them out. We must cull them. Cull until the single voice is so clear that we have only one choice to make."
She doesn't know their power. We ride a dangerous edge.
"Ariane, we risk failing."
"We will not fail. We are together. We will not fail. I will not have your blood on my hands." Her eyes drove into Maeva, the logic seemed weak but the power of it too great.
Maeva inhaled and pulled her shoulders taller and closed her eyes.
"Yes, Mother, strengthen yourself. Go in, go deep into them, and then allow them to rise up. Listen - "
You are a great fool, Maeva!
And you listen to the beast Queen you created?
How can you dare to call her daughter after everything that's happened?
How can you trust her?
You never knew what was best for your own well-being.
Never knew what was best for Lower Earth.
You're no better than your own mother.
Maeva snapped her eyes open.
"Stay with them, Mother. Don't quit."
The madness of your little game, you are full of delusion.
Worthless.
Lower Earth ought to be rid of you.
Lower Earth would be better without you.
All the trust of the ages, all the wisdom we've had to share.
We, your sisters, your mothers, your friends.
And you trust the box-born beast more than us?
We know it, we've seen it all before.
Before this, before Lower Earth, before the Mist, before men turned it all mad.
Maeva's body twisted.
"I'm here, Mother" Ariane's voice whispered in her ear. "Let them rise up."
"They speak truth and lies," Maeva managed to say as words flew across her brain.
"Stay with them, we both dive in, I'm there with you. I listen. Listen, Mother, listen."
You continue to play this game? You gamble more than we knew!
You gamble with the future! You are not worthy to lead!
You are not worthy to live.
Not worthy at all.
Listen, Maeva, you have done such wrong, such damage, it cannot be undone.
You will only continue to ruin the spark of Lower Earth.
"Their words, Ariane..."
You cannot continue. You know you cannot. You knew it long before coming to this place.
And now here you are, the poetic death you deserve. The death of a traitor. How many have been thrown over these cliffs against their will? Why do you think the Queens come here to end their reign with the end of their life?
Maeva's feet pulled her toward the cliff edge though she willed against it. The words confused directions, the voices encouraging and chiding at once.
"What do they say, Mother? I am here. Tell me what they say."
She is no daughter to you.
"They say you are not my daughter."
You are unworthy of her.
"I am unworthy of you."
You have done everything. Your time is through.
"My time - they say..."
Ariane brought her lips to Maeva's ear. "Listen to them, Mother."
Dive.
Dive as the swan into the void.
Release everything.
No healing.
No need even to try.
Let it end.
"Ariane - their words..."
"I hear them too, Mother."
Maeva pulled back to look at Ariane's eyes.
Ariane nodded, "I hear them too. I hear their truth." Ariane pulled her in close, an embrace so full that Maeva could almost dull the call of the voices.
Dive Maeva.
Let her watch you go.
She will lead as she must.
She is you.
You won't die.
You live in her.
"Mother," Ariane whispered. "Listen to them. It's time."
Maeva pulled out of the embrace.
Ariane nodded, her eyes with shards of sunlight and the crashing waves below. "You have done what you had to do. Now you live through me."
Dive, Maeva.
The water and rocks call you.
Join all those who came before.
Dive, Maeva.
Die, Maeva.
"Go, Mother, go. I am here, you do not leave me behind. We will always be together."
Maeva stepped to the cliff edge, the blades of rock below.
"Go, Mother. I am here. You can go at last."
She was falling. She didn't remember jumping. The air pulled at the skin of her face and the rock tore at everything inside her.
She let it.
Maeva watched as the sunset across the water turned black.
34
Irene
Irene heard the fortress door slam shut as the Queen whisked in. From where Irene was standing on the main staircase, she could see the frays in the Queen's dress. Her hair was flying in wisps as though she'd just survived a great storm.
Irene came down the steps, trying to focus her eyes on a sight she'd never seen since Ariane had taken the throne.
She's disheveled? They were to discuss strategy in the cottage. There's no way she's been to the cottage, arriving back in this state. Where's Maeva?
"My chambers. Now." Ariane's voice cracked.
Irene squinted her eyes, trying to think through the possibilities of what could have occurred during what sounded like it was to be a reasonable strategy review between Queen and Former Queen.
From the beginning, it was logical, even if it didn't make sense. Ariane never had time for Maeva's ideas. A 'strategy session' may have sounded reasonable to anyone who didn't know them, but now...
Irene followed behind Ariane who moved so quickly that Irene, despite her longer gait, could hardly keep up.
She walks like her mother. I shouldn't be surprised. That's what comes with a genetic duplicate.
"My Queen - "
"Do not speak until we are in my chambers."
Irene picked up her pace. Ariane threw the door open with such force that the aged wood bounced off the stone wall behind it. Irene tried to slow her heart as she closed it; she didn't want Ariane picking up the sense of panic she felt brewing.
"This cannot wait any longer. I have been desperate to put the steps in motion."
"My Queen. You appear to be in a state. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, this isn't about me. It's about the incubates."
"You discovered a solution during your retreat?"
"During my retreat? What is the matter with you, Irene?"
"With me?"
I cannot get defensive. I know this glare in her eyes. How often I saw it in Maeva. I must ride out the wave of whatever she is saying. She will have it no other way.
"I apologize, my Queen."
Ariane closed her eyes briefly, "Yes, you are right. I am tired. I have spent days thinking this through." She opened her eyes, bright green and sharp, she stared into Irene. "I have prepared these words carefully, so listen. Take note. I expect you to act in most immediate terms."
"Yes, my Queen."
"The incubates under age three are to be gathered. They will be transported up north." Ariane paused.
Irene had been considering the options already. "My Queen, I have already researched some possible locations. They are discreet and far from any neighboring community."
"That's perfect," Ariane's eyes lit up. "We will gather the children and move them in groups while those who accompany them wear protective gear. They will move in caravans. I don't want to use up fuel for this. Instead, horse or donkey-drawn."
"I will begin the procurement process."
"Good, good." Ariane walked to the mirror. "Oh. This is how I look?"
She seemed to be speaking to herself. Irene didn't reply. Ariane tried to smooth the wild wisps of hair that went in every direction, but they sprung back immediately.
"I should have a bath."
"Would you like me to leave?"
"No! Not yet. We must finish. This must begin before anything else." Ariane walked to her bureau, sat down, then stood up immediately and walked to the window.
She is restless, distracted.
"Are you writing this down, Irene?"
"No, my Queen. I have committed it to memory."
"I will write it down.” She ran over to the desk and sat, pulling open a drawer and placing paper on the desk. She stared at it, white and empty for a long moment. She opened another drawer and took out a pen. She wrote furiously in large script, turning page after page as Irene waited, though it wasn't more than a few minutes. Ariane kept her eyes on the pages, "I have it now. Now it cannot be lost. Now it is written."
Irene waited. She didn't dare test the Queen's sanity. She'd seen Maeva in such states many times over the years, but this was the first time Queen Ariane had been taken over by such a manic need. Not that Irene would challenge it.
Ariane stood, leaving the pages on the desk.
"So you will arrange for the transport."
"Yes, I'll make sure the lists are organized, accompanying staff mobilized, provisions for the trip, and accommodations on arrival."
"Accommodations?"
"We will have to mount them quickly, but I am confident the Guard can manage it."
"What will they need accommodations for?"
She's distracted, she's not thinking straight.
"For the children on their arrival. And for the staff. Those who will supervise and perhaps eventually those who will educate them. We will ensure all is in place."
"You've misunderstood, Irene."
Irene's chin involuntarily tilted. She felt she was missing something, or the Queen was, and she couldn't identify the gap.
Ariane's eyes narrowed. "Ah, I see. Yes, the - preparations. Please. Do explain it this way to all who may ask. Use only your most trusted guard to accompany the children. We begin with under three's and then we'll move to all incubates, once we are ready to announce the virus among them."
Whatever I am missing, it is big.
"And what are the accompanying guards to do with the children?"
Ariane pursed her lips. "I believe the most efficient would be to throw them over the cliffs. If it is done at Rainfields we can be sure that no one will find them. Those lands are still in Royal territory."
Irene thought her heart had stopped. Her ears muted and her eyes suddenly had the sensation of sand as she blinked.
I cannot be hearing this correctly. This cannot be -
"Don't look at me like that, Irene. This was because of Maeva. There's no other solution left for us. Only the most trusted of the Guard must go." Ariane walked to the window and looked out for only a second before turning and marching at Irene. "Don't let me down, Irene. Not now, not on this." Irene stared at Ariane, she didn't know what to say. "Don't look at me like that! This was not my doing! I didn't want this! I am doing the best I can, and this is the best I can do for Lower Earth."
"Yes, my Queen." She barely managed to get the words out. Her throat was closing.
"Don't let me down."
"I won't."
"You will report to me on each step of the way."
"Yes, Queen."
"Speak of the place you mentioned. Let that be the people's story. The girls are going to their countryside quarantine. The
y will rejoin when a treatment is found. Dedicated researchers working on-site, whatever. Give me the lines. Make sure Roman is across it."
"Yes," she couldn't command her mouth to say "Queen". How had it come to this? How could Maeva have allowed this to be the conclusion of their strategy planning together? Maeva would have objected to every word falling from Ariane's lips.
But Ariane hadn't said a word about Maeva.
"Please, my Queen, Ariane, where is Maeva?"
"She's dead." Ariane's eyes widened, the whites glowing as Ariane stepped forward and leaned into Irene's face. "Killed herself. Just like her mother."
35
Leadon
"They are improving in assault skills," Priyantha continued, "But generally there is still a problem with stealth operations. It's a mystery to me given that this has been part of our hunting ways for as long as we've all been alive."
Leadon looked up from the most recent training report. "Could it be the pressure?"
"The pressure? Is there more pressure than the hunt?"
"Generally the deer won't kill us if we miss. Perhaps we're trying to solve the wrong problem."
"So it might be psychological?"
"I think it could be."
They both turned their heads towards the sound of a woman running in their direction. Murrani, the lookout, was headed their way at a speed that said her message was important.
She was out of breath when she spoke. "It's the Commandante."
Leadon felt heat flame up the back of her neck.
"What's she doing here?" Priyantha asked the lookout.
"I don't know. Mitam took over the station as soon as I saw her so that I could come tell you. She'll be arriving any moment now."
"Assemble a unit, in case we need support!" Priyantha shouted to Anyook as she already was running in the direction of the gate.
Leadon was only a pace behind her.
That she would come here, after all that's happened, after all we discussed, and after all I made abundantly clear to her - the gall. She must be taught a lesson. She cannot give affront after affront and expect there are no consequences.
Leadon prepared the plan in her mind as she ran. She was out of breath, not from the effort, but from the emotion she fought to contain.
"Are you alright?" Priyantha asked, "You suddenly look unwell."
