Klara stood in the archway, watching the Queens sat with empty plates, while the portraits watched over them with hungry eyes, if they didn’t make for such a handy escape route, Klara would burn every last one of them. Klara smirked at the civility of the empty table.
“We were beginning to think you got lost,” Abadan said, taking a sip from her jeweled cup.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I had to freshen up after the journey,” Klara smiled politely pulling out her chair. The scrape against the stone floor echoed up the rafters. Before she sat, Klara placed her palm flat on the table, and the glamour slipped away, revealing the food on both the table and their half-eaten plates. So much for etiquette.
“I didn’t think the King would tire of your company so quickly,” Abadan said as Lilith and Eve rose their cups to greet Klara.
“A short visit but I learnt so much. I just couldn’t wait to return.” Klara played the dutiful ward and kissed each Queen’s cheek before taking her seat at the other end of the table. She wanted them to believe her stay in Hell had humbled her.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Abadan asked, and Klara thought about Frendall. How he could share blood with such a monster made her stomach roll. She didn’t know where to begin.
Mila’s defeat or the revelation of her Father’s retirement. Klara thought of the punishments she could bestow if she stayed in Malum as Queen or took her Father’s place in Hell. It wouldn’t be near as satisfying as living out your days in Kalos, her inner voice preached.
“There was a great gathering, lots of cheek kissing and introductions. Quite exhausting really,” Klara said, staring at the breakfast pancakes on a gold tray and loaded them onto her plate. “I was surprised that your Father didn’t send word of your return.”
“I left rather quickly; he charged me with new orders. I thought I should return promptly to show my remorse for displeasing my Guardians and my King.”
Abadan folded her hands under her chin. “Orders? You still have to finish your lessons,” Eve said, taking a gulp from her goblet.
“Oh, my training has already been signed off on, isn’t that right Lilith?” Klara eyed her mentor, and Lilith coughed into her hand.
“Yes, the King was pleased with what I had shown him. No need to drag it out,” Lilith said, and it was clear from the angered expression that neither Abadan nor Eve knew of this private discussion.
“And Abadan signed off on my lectures, Father said you had quite the chat,” Klara continued, and Eve held her tongue. Eve would challenge Lilith but not the High Queen.
“Yes, well I’m sure that was before you showed such utter stupidity by walking into a Ghouls’ nest,” Eve muttered behind her spoonful of bat soufflé.
“To learn is to do,” Abadan said, “You are not a child anymore. The King needs to see how well you do against a real threat.”
“My thoughts exactly.” They locked eyes and Klara saw the red gleam of Abadan’s irises.
“It’s settled then. Do you have orders? Your Father has always been clever about his punishments.”
“A punishment?” Klara took a gulp of wine from the table mistaking what was inside the gold goblet for water. The thick lukewarm liquid coated her tongue as she tried to refocus on the conversation.
“He was quite pleased with my destruction of the Ghouls’ nest. Losing my heart, not so much,” she stifled a laugh, and the Queens frowned at her. Klara took the crystal jug of water and filled a glass, leaving them in suspense as she drank.
“The border,” Klara said, and her Guardians ceased eating. “He has charged me with sealing the borders from smugglers and portals.”
Lilith’s fork scraped the plate drawing everyone’s eye and Eve almost choked on the food still stuffed in her mouth. Abadan pursed her rouge lips while Klara bit into the fluffy pancake.
The High Queen made her fortune on the bribes gained from smuggling Creatures into Kalos and through the Port to the Human World and other realms. In turn, the Port thrived as Abadan didn’t restrict the Pirates movements and the Queens’ table was always full of whatever they desired. With the Lesser Demons and Witches in charge of portal smuggling in the Forest, it kept them out from under Abadan’s feet and she still made a profit.
“Are you saying my Guard is ineffective?” Abadan tapped her claws against the table.
Portaling into Kalos was highly ineffective and why Klara hadn’t bothered. Once a Creature portalled through Kalion protections, the Fae are alerted to their exact location. If caught, Creatures were sent back or imprisoned and if the Creatures are found more than once, death. Without the extra income from smuggling, Abadan would increase taxes, and those who didn’t benefit from Abadan’s schemes had nothing to give.
“No, I would never imply such a thing. You have so much to do already, I’m merely an extra set of hands,” she assured, and Abadan cocked an eyebrow.
“Surprising that the King would place his Heir so close to the border without protection. If the Kalions got their hands on you, balance would never be restored.”
“For that to happen, the Fae would have to cross the Neutral Lands and the River before reaching me. I doubt the Fae Queen cares to put in so much effort,” Klara interrupted adding syrup to her pancakes, feeling their eyes on her.
“I’m sure she has her spies within our lands as we do in Kalos, you shouldn’t be so naive Klara,” Lilith chimed in. By spies, you mean Dark Fae.
“Even more reason why we should be vigilant,” Klara told Lilith.
“The King wanted your son to aid me, but I assured him that a Commander of such rank had better things to attend to.”
The High Queen lost all interest in her food. “Not hungry?” Klara said and continued to eat. “My son?” Abadan asked.
“Frendall. Yes, we go way back. Remember? Father practically raised him in my place.” Lilith cleared her throat as Abadan glared at her.
“Oh, and I almost forgot Eve,” Klara smiled. Eve looked from Abadan to Klara with panic behind her eyes.
“Mila was kind enough to offer a few of her soldiers to help with the extra patrols, but I hope you won’t be insulted that I rejected her help.”
Eve seemed to sink in the chair, “Mila has a heart like that, always wanting to help her King.”
“I never knew how close both your children are to the King. I’m surprised that you haven’t mentioned them before. I would have loved to have met them formally,” Klara said, taking another bite. “Considering that Mila is my half-sister.”
Lilith pushed her chair back, pulling the attention from Klara.
“You aren’t hiding any spawn, right?” Klara asked, and Lilith smirked, “no, I have my hands full with you.”
“You saw Frendall? Grow close, did you?” Abadan asked, exposing her teeth. “Probably seemed as if no time had passed.”
“He has done very well for himself, sadly we didn’t have much time to catch up,” she lied not wanting to give Abadan the satisfaction.
“My Guards told me how very distressed you were to be separated from him before you arrived here all those years ago.”
“As I’m sure you were when Lucifer took him from you.”
It was as if all noise had evaporated from Malum and even the Ogres didn’t dare to take a breath.
“With young and talented allies, maybe you should have sought their help,” Lilith chimed in, breaking the chewable tension.
“You have all poured such time and patience into my training. I wanted to prove that I can handle such a task alone.”
Abadan straightened in her chair, “accepting help can be a sign of strength. A little assistance never hurt, and both Frendall and Mila hold high ranks. Both could be seen as your equal.”
Equal, Klara bit her tongue. Abadan was calling her out. Klara looked to a close-lipped Lilith, the only one without a pawn in the field. Klara wondered why Lilith was so quiet. Hadn’t Lokey mentioned something about a deal, what was Lilith planning with a Higher Demon?
“I alone will inherit Malum and then Hell. When the King calls me, I will serve wherever and whenever the King pleases.”
Abadan’s deep swallow gave away her rage even if her eyes remained calm.
“And as they serve on His Right and Left hand, they will serve you when that time comes,” Eve said with a faint smile. She was trying to ensure her own daughter’s safety.
“You alone are the heir,” Abadan said as if she believed it from the bottom of her cruel soul.
“I should thank the Ghouls for taking my heart; otherwise I never would have had the opportunity to return and see whom I can call upon should I need them,” Klara said finishing her plate.
The three Queens continued their meals with their secrets exposed.
“With Father retiring sooner rather than later, I have little time to prepare. I hope you will each help me reach my full potential. Once I take my throne, I do hope you three will stay on as my council. I would hate to live in this Castle alone,” Klara said.
“Anything we can do to help.” Eve paled at the news of her Father retiring.
“Malum is our domain,” Abadan said.
“For now, but should Father wish me to rule Malum for a century or two. Then we will all have to adjust.” Klara absorbed the sweet silence. She half-expected Abadan to take the knife on the table and carve out her new heart.
“It’s been nice catching up, but I should get some rest before I leave for patrol, the task of sealing the portals is first on the agenda,” Klara said, and the Queens’ heads snapped up.
“Will you leave so soon? My Guards can escort you through the Forest, should you run into any difficulties with the Creatures or the Alphas,” Abadan said, and Klara could feel her traitorous mind working a mile a minute as her rule was threatened.
The only thing the Crimson Guard would offer me is an enchanted dagger in the back.
“Thank you, but you needn’t concern yourself. The Guards movements from the Castle will only alarm the Creatures and smugglers.”
Klara dropped her napkin and she was surprised to see the Queens rise with her.
“A toast to your inherent success,” Abadan said, raising her goblet and the others did the same. Klara hesitated and took a small sip before they returned to their seats.
◆◆◆
Sitting on the long staircase, Klara rolled her neck as both the conversation and the trip exhausted her.
Why did you have to go so far? She scolded herself, wishing she had kept what she had learnt to herself. Antagonizing them hadn’t been part of her plan, but Klara wanted them to know that she knew their dirty little secrets.
“Sulking Heiress?” Lilith said. Gone was Lilith’s sapphire suit and, in its place, her armour and leathers, tight to her body ready for whatever stepped in her path.
“Just taking a breather before my climb to the sky,” Klara said holding onto the porcelain bannister to stand.
“A new heart isn’t a cakewalk.”
Lilith had little to gain or lose if she were overthrown so Klara couldn’t help but wonder where the warrior Queens true loyalties lay.
“Let’s get cracking on that mission of yours?” Lilith smacked the bannister and Klara whined. The more she slept today, the more energy she would have to run tonight.
“Creatures will be out tonight so the smugglers will have more privacy during daylight,” Lilith said.
“Unless you aren’t as invested in your orders as you let on?” She pried, and Klara clapped her palms together, “Can I change first?” Klara asked.
“You have a blade,” Lilith cocked her head like a predator looking at her thigh. “And boots, what else do you need? As you said, you will run Hell and Malum. You should be able to fight in any garb.”
Garb, Klara smiled a little. Lilith’s words were often of a different time and sounded strange to the ear. The towering main doors sprung open, allowing a stream of cold mountain winds through the foyer. “Where are we going?” Klara asked, following her mentor.
“To show you what you are getting into,” Lilith seethed. The mud and clay crunched underfoot as they descended from the mountain and into the Forest below.
~9~
“Did you know about their offspring?” Klara asked hopping over a fallen tree. Lilith merely pushed it away with a simple shove. “Yes. It’s my job to know of threats against your seat.”
“Everyday training me and you never once thought to bring it up?” Klara said. Mila and Frendall had strong allies. Frendall commands a legion. They would deem him worthy of support, along with those on the council whose battles he has fought. Mila had her mother, the Queen of all covens. Mila could summon her army of Witches and Warlocks. Together they could overthrow Klara. “Why not put a face on the threat?”
“Am I to answer to you, now that you consider yourself the Heir,” Lilith said, stopping deep in the Forest, not even the birds dared to crow as she walked beneath the trees.
“I am the Heir.”
“When you aren’t too busy frolicking in the Forest with the Creatures.”
“A ruler should know her people, instead of starving them,” Klara said, and Lilith stopped.
“And you’re prepared to carry out your Father’s mission? Secure our borders?” Klara let her continue. “How the High Queen maintains her land is no business of mine. I was ordered to train you, and I have.”
“You have no children and no companion?” Lilith was a sight to behold, all strength and beauty. “Did my Father never seek you?”
Lilith winced, “full of questions today. Maybe I should have brought the soap to shut you up with,” she said over her shoulder as they moved further into Malum. The sky grew darker as their pace slowed in case of nearby threats.
“I don’t prefer the company of men. Your Father knew that well. I’m his General and nothing more.”
“Not even Lokey?” Klara smirked, and Lilith looked physically ill. “Stay away from him. He is more cunning than most. He has been around for almost as long as I have.”
“Do you know why the King chose you to train me when you had legions to command?” Klara had never spoken so brazenly, but soon she would be gone, and she still had questions that needed answering. “A punishment for an error in judgment,” Lilith strode ahead clearly wanting to rid herself of the conversation.
An error in judgement? Lilith never broke the rules. “What could you have done? Forget to shine a button?” Klara said, trying to make light of the conversation hoping to open Lilith up.
“My wife tried to leave for Kalos. She was strong enough to cloak herself from being detected by the Fae.” Lilith’s eyes bore into Klara as if she knew her plan.
“Leave?” Klara’s chest heaved, a General’s spouse committing the ultimate betrayal. “A Witch, a white Witch, condemned to Hell by the Humans but her place wasn’t in Hell.” Klara watched her feet as they walked over a pit of sinking sand glamoured from sight by a Warlock’s hand.
“What happened to her?” Klara asked as she heaved her boot from the pit. Lilith’s shoulders sagged. “Lucifer wanted her to work for him. She refused, tried to flee, and I executed her. Destroyed her soul.” Klara’s head snapped up, and Lilith watched Klara’s reaction.
Klara looked at the General’s scar, a vertical line ran straight through her eyebrow and ended below her eye. A single scar instead of the lesser Commanders’ three. Before Klara could open her mouth, Lilith slashed through the bushes. Lilith killed her wife. Klara’s mind went to Frendall, would I be able to do the same if the time came?
“We’re here,” Lilith said hunkering in the mud, and Klara crouched beside her. They watched tree bark swirl as a portal opened. A Demon cloaked in black stood gathering fees while groups of families stood with their few belongings.
“Where do you think the portal leads?” Klara asked, and Lilith drew her blade. “Judging from the size of the portal and the number of people. The Human plane most likely, it’s much harder to break through to Kalos,”
Lilith said, looking indifferent.
“You ready?” Lilith asked, her dark eyebrows knitted together.
“Ready for what?”
“To carry out your duty Heiress,” Lilith’s voice was laced with cruelty as Klara’s axe appeared in her hand with a puff of smoke.
“They are fleeing our land, betraying their High Queen and King.” Lilith knew Klara wouldn’t take a life without cause. “Aren’t you charged with their arrest? Their slaughter?”
In hand to hand training Klara had never been able to kill her opponent, even when it meant having to scrub the stone floors until her hands were raw and blistered. Klara saw the surprise in Lilith as she rose.
“Go on, Heiress, show me you’re ready for the throne.”
The small group of Creatures glanced around, frantically as if they could sense them watching. They handed over their coin, and the Demon hurried them through the portal. Klara waited in the shadows, her axe suddenly weighed a ton. Lilith was testing her loyalty, her strength. If Abadan or Eve had seen such hesitation, she would already be on her knees in the dungeon awaiting trial. She took a step forward, forcing herself to complete the impossible task but stopped as a child’s eyes locked with hers.
The child was hiding behind her mother’s legs. The Demon ripped the child from her mother and forced her through the portal.
“Only room for one more,” the cloaked Demon spat, and the mother sank to her knees in silent shock as the portal sealed and her child was lost to her. Klara gripped her axe, wanting to take the hands of the Demon.
“She will have a better life,” the Demon grunted at the sobbing mother.
“She needs me, I’m her mother,” the Witch cried out, but the Demon continued counting the silver in its claws. “Kill the rest,” the Demon ordered to those left in the queue and the crowd started to panic. Klara smiled at Lilith and marched forward.
Coins slipped from the stunned Demon’s hand as Klara’s axe was planted between its eyes. The small crowd tried to get away, but the remaining Demons blocked their paths and snarled at her interference. It was easy for her, like cutting through butter. All Klara could hear was the panicked screams of those around her. Each pathetic Lesser Demon fell within seconds. When the last was pulled through the soil back to Hell, she let her axe fall to her side.
Crowned A Traitor: A Hellish Fairytale Page 11
