Yantra

by Kristin Swanberg

didn’t consider Preta family and doubted that she ever would.

  The group reached the treehouse, while Maddox and Miyuki danced away, talking quietly. Astrid and Stella lead the group in and sent the men to the kitchen to round up some more mead, fruit, cheese, and the tarts her mother made that morning. Astrid knocked on her mother’s door but received no answer. The door was locked and there wasn’t a sound despite the pounding on the door. Shinji came down the stairs and pulled a small knife from his pocket, unlocking the door with one deft motion. The girls opened the door and saw the queen lying in bed.

  As Astrid walked into her mother’s chamber, she noticed an unsettling stillness enveloping the room. The light was very dim and there was only a light fragrance of honey from the Queen’s tea. It had been raining all morning and all the birds and little forest animals seemed quieter than usual. As they got closer they noticed her skin was ghostly white and her breathing was very shallow. Astrid sat close to the Queen’s bed and watched her mother’s labored breath in disbelief.

  She’d just seen her Queen Lisette a few hours ago looking healthy as ever. She must have eaten something bad or come down with a fever. Her mother would snap back from it; she was still young and strong.

  “I don’t want you to worry, child. Everything is going to be fine. I’m going to see your father soon. He’s waiting for me.” The Queen’s words were as soft as a rose petal and it took all of her strength to get them out. Astrid just gaped at her in fear and confusion. The Queen spoke as if she was about to die and that couldn’t be possible.

  It took several moments for Lisette to catch her breath and her face remained as pale as a ghost. Her lips were almost blue. Tears welled up in Astrid’s eyes. She wasn’t prepared to lose her mother. The queen drew one final breath and stared intently into Astrid’s eyes and said, “I love you.” Astrid watched her closely and held her hand, hoping the warmth of her hands would somehow give her mother a little more time. Blood began to trickle down her chin and with that, the enchanting queen was dead.

  VIII. Power in My Hand

  Comfort, content, delight,

  The ages’ slow-bought gain,

  They shriveled in a night.

  Only ourselves remain

  —Rudyard Kipling

  Astrid held her mother’s hand with tears streaming down her face, and almost too fittingly, snow began to fall outside. Zander took Shinji and Stella aside while Preta stood and comforted the new queen of Yantra.

  Astrid didn’t hear anything the witch said. She felt totally lost and alone. She certainly couldn’t trust Preta, and the idea of Preta taking her mother’s place truly frightened her.

  “I received a message today from my parents. The queen told them that she wanted Astrid to take the throne because of the controversy over Maddox. They’re the only other people who know.”

  Zander seemed worried, but he knew the queen’s final wishes must be carried out for Yantra’s sake and that of their allies. If the crown fell into the wrong hands, it would spell catastrophe for the Yantran people and those of Miera and Seraphi. “Why didn’t Celestine and Gemmeth mention that to us? Will anyone even believe us?” Stella was worried as well, because whoever killed Queen Lisette would certainly be after Astrid.

  “I have a solution. I will tell President Akinado that the queen wanted him to know and he will help make the announcement. That will help to legitimize the change in succession in the event that your enemies challenge it.” Shinji put his hand under Stella’s chin and continued, “This is a debt Yantra will repay.”

  Stella nodded and went to the princess, still in shock over the news and shaken from the death of a queen she looked up to like a mother. Stella had known the woman for most of her life. The queen had seen how destitute her family was and given Stella’s mother the title of Royal Stylist. She went on to make luxurious gowns for all of the royals throughout Galara and Seraphi. As Stella grew older, she learned everything from her mother and hoped to carry on the family tradition.

  Yet one fateful afternoon, Stella came home and her mother had passed away quite suddenly from a heart attack. Weeks later, her father abandoned the royal home in his grief. The queen had watched over Stella and treated her like she was one of her very own children from that day forward. Nothing would ever keep Stella from carrying out Lisette’s wishes.

  Preta closed her eyes for a moment, appearing deep in thought. “Stand behind me,” she said, “I haven’t done this before on a Yantran… I don’t know if it will work.”

  The girls moved away suspiciously and watched Preta chant as her hands performed their delicate dance over the queen’s lifeless body. Zander held Astrid in his arms, staring at the amazing display. Shinji stood in shock, having never seen anything quite like it; witchcraft was just a myth on Miera. Suddenly, a burgundy essence rose from the queen’s body, but fell back inside just as quickly as it appeared.

  “She was poisoned. If I had gotten to her in time, the poison would have left. I’m so sorry.” Tears filled Preta’s eyes. She acted ashamed of her limited powers. “Did any of you see her eat or drink anything unusual?”

  “The tea… the tea you and Maddox brought. What was in it?” Astrid asked in a clipped, severe tone.

  “I have no idea. Maddox just said it was an exotic tea from Miera, but you had some too.” Preta looked confused.

  Astrid placed her hand over the medallion underneath her neckline. “No, I didn’t drink any. It does sound like something Maddox would do, but to kill his own mother? I don’t understand.” She looked at Preta doubtfully.

  Shinji looked to Stella and motioned for her to come along. “We better get moving.” They headed out the door with no explanation. Astrid was in too much grief to even wonder what they were doing. Shinji and Stella headed to the banquet table where President Akinado, Maddox, and Miyuki sat. The snow seemed to have dissipated, but there was a definite chill in the air.

  “Father, may I have a word?” Shinji’s strong request was met by a nod and President Akinado followed the pair inside. Shinji told the president everything. Akinado understood the benefits this temporary alliance with the new queen of Yantra would bring to him down the road. He left the table and moved quickly toward the middle of the dancefloor to make the announcement. All the partygoers paused in their revelry and moved aside for him.

  “I have some heartbreaking news to deliver to you all. The queen has been poisoned and has died. The culprit has not yet been identified. While this shocking loss saddens me greatly, I am quite proud to report that prior to her death, the queen consulted with me about a change in succession. Her beautiful daughter, Astrid, will take the throne of Yantra.”

  Maddox sat back in his seat, stunned. He didn’t realize anyone else in Yantra knew his mother wanted to supplant him with Astrid. Celestine and Gemmeth must have sent a message to someone. Before long he would be the prime suspect in his mother’s death, and with Astrid as queen he’d surely be charged for it. They should never have used poison- the Seraphi murders still haunted him. In a desperate attempt to save face, he rushed to talk to his subjects.

  “My mother loved you with all of her heart. Whoever did this to my mother will die for this. Let’s please bow our heads and have a moment of silence in memory of Queen Lisette.” He said, managing a few tears. As they bowed their heads, Maddox glared at Miyuki who scowled right back.

  Preta listened from the window of Lisette’s chambers and her face turned red with rage. Now yet another obstacle stood in the way of her throne. She composed herself and moved away from the window to speak with Astrid. Preta thought it wise to tell the girl herself. The new queen was crying in Zander’s arms when Preta told her the news.

  “Your mother named you queen before her passing.”

  Astrid looked at Preta in confusion. “What are you talking about? Maddox is next in line to the throne.”

  “The queen told my parents and President Akinado that you were to be next in line because she didn’t
trust Maddox’s judgment. It was her final wish.” Zander said, holding her hand. He felt guilty lying to Astrid, but with Preta listening in, he had no choice. President Akinado’s support was their only hope of protecting Astrid’s claim to the throne. Though, the announcement wouldn’t protect the new queen’s life. If anything it placed Astrid in grave danger.

  IX. The Path

  The flowers flee from Autumn, but not you -

  You are the fearless rose

  that grows amidst the freezing wind.

  —Rumi

  The day they laid Queen Lisette to rest, the people of Yantra had a festival honoring her journey beyond life. All people throughout Galara, Miera, and Seraphi believed that once someone dies they begin the New Path in the afterlife, extending outside of the physical world and cutting across the dimensions of time and space. Death constituted a mere transformation that was ardently celebrated.

  The festival was held in the same pavilion where they’d celebrated the new queen’s birthday just a few days earlier. The same lights hung in place as the pavilion filled with fire-breathing acrobats, musicians, jugglers, and dancers from the farthest reaches of Yantra. The air smelled of a variety of foods prepared from local farms as well as a multitude of fresh cut flowers, lavender, and pine.

  Astrid’s birthday had turned into a