by Sarah Reeves
The queen was perfect for her husband, Alex thought. She matched him, elegant and confident in a silk wrap dress made in a soft ivory that offset her golden skin perfectly. Straight dark hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and Alex was suddenly girlishly envious that there wasn’t a hair out of place. Dark eyes held Alex in a thoughtful gaze that made her want to squirm and look away, but she forced herself to look back. It felt like her soul was being analyzed, information catalogued and stored for later use. Then a sophisticated smile spread, and she held out her hand across the table. Alex, hoping that her hands weren’t sweaty, did the same, and they shook hands. Hers were firm, and didn’t waver like Alex was sure hers were doing.
“You’re Alexandra,” The queen said it like she already knew, so Alex nodded as they drew their hands back.
“Yes, ma’am.” Alex nearly corrected herself, thinking it should have been Your Majesty, but caught Kieran’s look and tried to relax. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You don’t have to be formal, Alexandra.” The king’s voice was deep and amused. “You look like you’re about to fall out of your seat.” Kieran’s hand squeezed hers again. “I’m Titus, and this is my wife, Caia.”
Alex let out a breath. “I’m sorry. I just get nervous when meeting new people, and being that you’re the king and queen, I’m just a little bit terrified.” She tried for a smile, got one. “I go by Alex most of the time. It really is nice to meet you, Kieran’s told me a lot about you.”
“Hopefully all good things.” The queen levelled a look at her son. “Kieran likes to tell horror stories to his friends about us to scare them before they meet us. They’re practically hyperventilating by the time we say hello.”
“I only sort of made you guys out to be demons.” Alex shot a look at him at his words, but he was grinning crookedly at his mother, and didn’t notice. “I just told her about you and Dad, and what kind of people you are. How I was raised.”
“You were raised like the best!” King Titus reached across and slapped Kieran on the shoulder. “And you turned out better for it. The real question is, where did you come from?” The question was posed to Alex.
“I, uh. I came from Earth. The human realm, I mean.” Alex waited a beat, looking for reactions, but got none. “My dad was Travis Makos. My mother’s name was- is- Adrien.”
“I knew Travis.” The King’s gaze grew fond. “Good man. Good officer. He and I trained together a lot growing up. I’m sure he was a good father.”
Alex smiled a little, remembering. “He was. My dad was good at his job in the human realm too, but he raised me well for the ten years of my life that he was alive. We- my mom and me- loved him a lot.”
Queen Caia leaned forward, her face gentle. “Now when you say your mom, you mean-”
“My adoptive mom, I guess you could call it.” Alex would have thought that the questions they were asking were prying and invasive, but she didn’t feel that from the royalty sitting across from her. “My dad married her not long after I turned four. I don’t really remember life without her, to be honest with you. This is the first time that I’ve been away from her, or my little sister.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Titus's head tilted to the side. “Is she your full blooded sister?”
“No, she’s my half sister. She’s seven.” Alex swallowed hard. “Her name is Teagan.” She cursed herself for starting to get emotional, especially after being in the Realm for a while.
“You miss her.” Kieran said. Alex nodded. She straightened hastily as the waitress came up to the table. The two monarchs ordered their food, and the waitress disappeared with a curtsy. “It’s okay to miss her, Alex. You love her, and your mom.”
“I just don’t know where they are, or if they’re even safe, that’s all. I’ll be okay.” Alex cleared her throat, and looked up at the king and queen. “What’s it like in the realm, outside of training?”
They took the hint, and while their food was delivered and they dug in, Alex learned about how the Realm life was outside the Arena. It turned out Alex only had a taste of what society within the Realms was really like. Earth was very much like the Realms, except without a lot of the technology. None of Alex’s three companions knew anything about smart phones, but owing to the fact that telepathy and teleportation was possible, and sending messages through the elements (Alex needed to figure out how that worked), there was really no need for it. Adults chose their own jobs, and the elite trainees tended to join the military. It seemed like everyone in the Realms was taken care of, financially, physically, mentally. Alex was wondering how humans hadn’t come to use the same methods. She was sure that the Realms had their problems, though. Everyone did.
“What is the human Realm like?” Asked Queen Caia. Kieran and his father focused on Alex, who suddenly got the impression that she was a rather fascinating specimen to be examined. Here was an Undari, a unique one, that had been raised among the human race. Alex tried to pick her next words carefully.
“It’s pretty different from here. Technology wise, they have phones and computers and ways to connect with each other that don’t involve the elements. Schools teach math, science, history, and so on. The most physical thing that they do is sports, or gym class. There aren’t any weapons in schools. Well, there shouldn’t be, at least. There are times where criminals bring guns into schools and try to kill people. Most of the time, they succeed. But they don’t teach kids about weapons.” Here Alex paused for a moment.
“Humans are kind,” she continued. “There are those who have given everything to help someone they haven’t even met. Humans are greedy, too. There are those who wouldn’t give a thing to someone struggling right in front of them. The majority of humans are greedy to a point, so when I see one or two that are kind, it makes seeing them that much sweeter. My family, for instance, and my friends. They’re some of the kindest people I know. I’d do anything to keep them safe.”
“Does that not make you kind, too?” Caia asked gently.
Alex considered. “Maybe.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Kieran’s confident voice cut through the mood like a knife. “You’re my Companion, so you have to be awesome. It’s the only thing that explains being paired with someone like me.”
“If being paired with you means that I’m everything you’re not, then you would probably be right.” Alex shot back, earning delighted laughter from Titus and an indulgent smile from Caia.
“Rude!” Kieran laid his hand on his chest. Alex only smiled sweetly. Any further banter, however, was cut off when a panicked-looking young man hurried up to the table. He leaned forward and started speaking rapidly and quietly into the Queen’s ear. The amused look disappeared from her face, and her hand found her husband’s arm. Alex and Kieran exchanged looks. The young man finished speaking, and dashed away again.
“We hate to cut this short, but the King and I need to go.”
“What happened?” Kieran asked.
“We don’t know everything right now. I’ll tell you when we do.” The two adults left, leaving Alex and Kieran watching the restaurant part around them as they did. The couple paid for the four of them, and left. Kieran and Alex looked at each other again. Alex could feel the tension coming off her Companion in waves.
“You’re worried,” said Alex.
“Yep,” answered Kieran.
“We’re going to follow them, aren’t we?”
“Yep.” Kieran gave Alex a small shove, and they both left the restaurant. In the street, they caught sight of the King and Queen as they Shifted and took off into the sky. Alex saw that Kieran had gotten his Form from his father. The enormous Phoenix soared above the crowd that had paused to watch, and was accompanied by what looked like a human, but was entirely made of flame. Alex’s brain had time to think, Human Torch? Before Kieran was taking her hand and pulling her along the street after him. They got out of the crowd, and they both Shifted and flew after Kieran’s parents.
Wh
at do you think happened that made them leave so quickly? Alex watched her Companion as he flew slightly ahead of her. He didn’t look back, but Alex could feel the strain of keeping calm.
I don’t know, came the reply. They usually tell me what’s going on, no matter what’s happened. Part of getting me ready to be King. Them not telling me this time bothers me. The castle came into view in the distance. Horror reverberated through the telepathic link as they caught sight of a plume of smoke coming from the base of it.
Well, whatever it is, we’re about to find out.
Chapter Sixteen
The rest of the flight to the castle was tense and silent. Kieran and Alex landed a short distance away, and Shifted back to humans. They watched as the King and Queen entered the castle, nearly sprinting in their haste to get inside. The doors boomed shut.
“Let’s go around, I want to see where the smoke is coming from.” Kieran led Alex around the base of the castle, following the plume of smoke as it continued to rise into the sky. The acrid smell began to fill Alex’s senses, and she covered her nose with her shirt. It smelled like smoke, of course, but there was something else there, something more sinister that sent a shudder through her.
They closed in on the site, and saw flames leaping out of a hole in the walls. Kieran made a small noise in his throat and broke into a run with Alex close behind. The fire wasn’t an ordinary color. Instead, they were the greenish gray color that Alex associated with decay. The underlying smell that Alex had noticed got worse the closer the duo came.
Kieran, still ahead of Alex, was less than ten feet away from the fire when a dark shape erupted from the hole, knocking him backwards with the force it exuded. Alex raced to help him up as the entity loomed above them. It was hard to tell what it was in the gathering darkness (It wasn’t sundown yet, was it?) but something about it was familiar. Smoke came from the limbs of this being, and eyes shone from it’s indistinct figure. Alex was still kneeling next to Kieran when without warning, the shape shot towards them. Later, Alex wouldn’t be proud of her reaction, but at the time she didn’t care. She screamed and ducked, throwing her arms above her head. Then, it was gone. Alex whipped around to try and catch sight of the thing, but didn’t see it. Kieran sat up, and put a hand on Alex’s trembling shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Your arm.”
Alex looked down, and registered the pain at almost the same time as she saw the wound. Burns covered most of her right forearm, smoking and black in places. It looked to Alex like a good prop for a Freddy Krueger movie. The pain from it radiated up into her shoulder, and little bright sparkles swam before her eyes.
“We need to get you to a doctor.” Kieran stood, and took Alex gently by her uninjured hand. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” said Alex. She stumbled over to the hole, still spewing flame, and looked down. What she saw made her momentarily forget about her injury.
The hole was directly over the chamber that Adrien had been sentenced in. The Court was a disaster area, only recognizable by the multitudes of chairs that were scattered everywhere. In the center of the floor, there was an area untouched by the destruction. In that area, rising from the ground like giant grotesque bones, was the opening to a Portal, which was rapidly shrinking in size. Shadows, familiar and sickening to Alex, dissipated slowly until like the Portal, it was gone.
“The Realm of Nightmares.” Kieran’s strained voice sounded next to Alex. “Someone opened it without permission.”
“Kieran! Alex!” The shout made them both turn to see Vera sprinting toward them. She skidded to a halt next to Alex. Her blonde hair was a mess from her running. Alex felt her pulse speed up, but the concern in Vera’s eyes made no room for fear as she took in the state of Alex’s arm. “You need to come with me. The King and Queen will want to see you both. And we need to get you to someone who can heal your arm.” Before Alex could snarl a reply, Vera held up her hand sharply. “I know you hate me. But you need help, and you’ve been summoned. So you’re going to have to suck it up for a minute. Now get on, It’ll be faster that way.” She began to Shift, and Alex forgot her anger for a moment as terror took over. Vera’s Form was monstrous. Glowing canine eyes stared back at her, and red lips pulled back over jagged teeth. Short black fur erupted from her skin, and hulking muscles rippled underneath the new pelt. Vera finished Shifting, and Alex had to hang her head back in order to look at the enormous hellhound that stood where Vera was a second before. Alex had only read about them in stories, seen renditions of them in TV shows like Supernatural (her favorite show), but they were invisible. She quickly came to the conclusion that seeing one in real life was exponentially more horrifying. How was timid little Vera capable of Shifting into a creature like this?
The colossal dog lowered her body until her back was level with Alex’s head. Kieran, who was taller, was able to boost her up onto Vera, then grab Alex’s hand to haul himself up to sit behind her. He wrapped his arms around Alex, carefully avoiding her arm, and grabbed a handful of Vera’s pelt on either side. Vera took off, loping around the side of the castle at a steady pace. The air rushing around them made Alex’s arm burn worse, and she gritted her teeth. The initial aversion to the enormous creature she was now sitting on was almost gone, replaced by an equally violent fear of falling off Vera’s broad back.
They entered the castle, and Kieran helped Alex down so Vera could Shift. Together, they jogged through the halls, in the direction of what Alex assumed was an infirmary of some kind. The inside of the castle was chaotic; Undari were running everywhere, and there was a cacophony of noise. Alex saw several uniformed men like the one that guarded the Cells striding around, barking orders. It appeared that everyone knew now what was happening, and none of them knew what to do about it.
Vera guided them through a set of double doors, and into a long room lined with beds on either side. Most of the beds were occupied, leading Alex to believe that the Courts weren’t empty at the time of the explosion. Some of the rooms’ occupants were writhing in pain, burns covering most of the skin exposed by severe burns. Others were still and silent in their beds. Alex looked away.
“We’ll get to her in a minute, we’re pretty busy over here!” A dark haired man called from across the room. He was hurrying from one patient to another, wheeling a metal cart stocked with medical supplies. “Don’t let him bleed out,” he ordered one of the orderlies. “Get a tourniquet on that leg.” He pointed at another patient, who had bandages wrapped around a disproportionately bulging abdomen. “And get them to surgery, or we’re going to lose them.” The next patient he tended to was one of the dangerously still ones, but as he worked, they began to move, letting out grunts of pain and trying to push the doctor away. “Just a minute, guy, you gotta be still for just a minute. I promise it’ll feel better when I’m done.” He finished applying the salve, wrapped and taped gauze in place, and moved to another bed.
“We should let him work, I don’t need to be here. There are people way worse off than I am right now.” Alex tried to turn and leave, but Vera held her in place.
“You don’t want to let that burn fester. That wasn’t normal fire that burned you.”
“No shit, it wasn’t normal fire. Normal fire wouldn’t have done anything,” Alex snapped.
“Alex, calm down. She’s trying to help.” Kieran’s hand was firm on his Companion’s shoulder. Alex nearly shrugged it off. “You need to be seen anyway. That wound is only going to get worse.” He guided her over to an empty bed, made her sit. “Let’s just wait here until someone is free, okay?”
“Fine.” And for about another thirty minutes, they watched the doctors bustle around, tending to patients. Kieran left to speak with some of the wounded Undari. Some patients went to a different room, some were gently covered in sheets, and Alex watched the orderlies say a small prayer over them before turning to the next patient. It hadn’t occurred to Alex before then that there was religion here. She watched them with a strange feeling in her c
hest. It felt weird to her to watch these people (her people?) go through an attack like this. Never before had she felt so separated from a group. She thought she should do something, so she stood and walked over to a woman who was sobbing next to one of the covered beds.
The woman looked up as Alex approached. Tears ran from eyes that gazed at Alex numbly. “Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Alex,” answered Alex. “Were you close to them?”
“My son,” said the woman, fresh tears falling from her eyes. “He was a guard in the Courts when the explosion went off.” She had a hand on the sheet, gripping it tightly. “They told me he didn’t suffer, that his death was immediate.”
Alex sat next to her. She didn’t quite know what to do, now that she had gotten over there. There wasn’t anything she could say to help this woman, so she placed a hand over the woman’s, and sat there with her quietly. That seemed to be enough, and the woman continued to cry softly. After a time, the doctor came up on Alex’s other side.
“If you’re ready, I can help you with that arm,” he said. Alex let out a small hiss as her arm gave a throb. In sitting with the woman, she hadn’t really paid attention to herself. The burn had turned darker, and was forming little pus filled blisters. It reminded Alex of photos she’d seen of people with gangrene. She wrinkled her nose up at the doctor.
“It looks really gross,” she said.
He let out a startled laugh. “That’s what you take away from this? Not the pain, or the fact that it’s gotten worse, but that it looks gross.”
“I mean yeah, it hurts, but I didn’t expect it to look like zombie flesh.” Alex turned to the woman next to her, who had looked up and was watching them. “I gotta go. I, uh, I’m sorry for your loss. I hope things get easier for you.” She stood for another second, feeling awkward again. “Goodbye.” She left with the doctor.
“It was nice of you to sit with her. Do you know her?”
“No, I don’t. I just felt awful, sitting there and not doing anything. My Companion was doing the same thing I was, but I don’t see him now.” She looked around, confirmed her statement. “Maybe he went to find his parents.”
