by A. M. Miller
Tiffany glared at him when he pinched her cheek. Raven could sense her friends preparing to launch into another argument. She pulled away with a wave.
“Well, I should get to class before this gets ugly,” Raven said.
She left them behind at her locker. Her first few classes went by in a slight fog. A lack of sleep made her thinking slow and after leaving each class she found it hard to remember the material that had been covered. She felt exhaustion pulling her under like quicksand. The more she fought the harder it was to resist.
Raven had two more classes until school was over. After that, she’d drink a whole bottle of sugar and caffeine. She grinned at the thought. If she could just make it through the day then that would be a good start. Second by second and hour by hour, that was how Raven got through life. Whatever horrors her future held would have to wait.
5
The Heart Queensland
Lu stood outside her mother’s door, her control slowly slipping away as she fought to keep her mask in place. Panic stirred inside of her but she squashed it down. The king and queen were dead; she was not. She had to keep moving. The people needed her and this night was far from over.
“Princess.”
Lu turned to see who called for her. A man approached. From the look of his pale skin, one might have made the mistake of thinking he suffered from the same affliction as Lu, but his hair was also a colorless white. His red irises were the only colorful part of his face. They appeared bigger and brighter than normal eyes. He dressed in formal garbs, white trousers and a red double-breasted jacket. The heart sigil on his left breast told her that he was a member of her royal court. The band on his left arm, an image of an eye inside of an “A”, marked him as an Ace.
The Ace was another member of the queen’s royal bond. He worked as an adviser; one of the most important roles in the royal bond, guiding the queensland in it’s every move. He was the man behind the crown.
Lu knew who he was. She’d seen him before, walking around the castle. They had a name for him but she struggled to remember what it was.
He stopped in front of Lu. “Princess, I heard about what happened.” The man’s face was a mixture of panic and concern.
“Rabbit,” Lu said before she could stop herself.
People whispered stories about him. Not all of what they said had been kind. She hadn’t stopped to consider the insult the name carried. Though they did not undergo the same ritual as the queen to completely erase their names, it was tradition to only refer to the Jack and Ace by their titles. When he was in her mother’s services every person who called him Rabbit had been a slight against his position.
Something dark flashed behind the man’s eyes. “Actually, I’d prefer if you called me Ramor.”
Lu eyed him. Ramor was the only one from her mother’s royal bond still living, not that it was a surprise. The Ace, although important, was only an adviser. He was of little threat if forced into a physical battle. Most Aces died of old age or execution from failure to uphold their duty. Of all the positions to hold within the royal bond it had the highest life expectancy. Still, it was odd that he’d only just arrived.
Lu took a moment to further inspect him. He’d missed a button of his shirt and his hair was tousled all over his head. The pale skin under his eyes had darkened. He was a man who did not see much sleep. Her eyes glanced over the rest of his body. He was tall like Domicin but his skinny body looked frail.
No, not a threat at all.
“Why did it take you so long to arrive? As a member of the royal bond, you should have felt the shift in power when the queen passed. You know that she is dead. Why are you only arriving now?”
“I was handling business on behalf of your mother outside of Kai. There was a discrepancy with the soil rotation in the Mondock garden. I road back as soon as I felt the shift. I’m sorry you had to deal with this alone, princess.”
Lu would have to check into his story later. She shook her head. “It does not matter now. Their bodies have already been taken to the wall for their final preparation.”
Even in death, the royal family would protect the queensland. Whatever was left of their blood would be painted on the wall. The power of the bloodline would strengthen their border. Magically infused with the blood of their ancestors the wall kept their enemies at bay. Their bodies would also be apart of the ritual. Encased inside the wall, their final service to the queensland would be complete.
“Go with Domicin,” Lu said gesturing toward Domicin who stood next to her. “I selected him to be the new Jack of Hearts. It will become official after the coronation. Help him prepare for my announcement.”
Ramor turned to Domicin. He looked him up and down before bending his head in a slight bow. Domicin did the same. In appearances, they were as opposite as night and day.
Lu turned to leave. Her business there was complete.
“Wait, princess,” Ramor called out.
Lu jerked to a stop and turned back around. “What?”
She wanted to return to her room and be done with this. Ramor had been Ace for as long as her mother had been queen. He knew better than her how to arrange the castle for this.
“With the death of your parents our ties with the other queenslands will become increasingly important,” Ramor said.
Lu knew that he was referring to her engagement to the Red Prince. Part of the treaty between the three queenslands was the marriage between the Red Prince and the heir to the Heart thrown. Her parents’ death made the engagement official.
“How soon can we get the message to the Reds,” Lu asked.
“The message has already been sent. This marriage has been arranged since before you were born. The Red Prince will be heading this way as soon as they receive word.”
Lu nodded. She’d never met the Red Prince before, many had hoped for a more suitable match with the birth of a second daughter to take Lu’s place, but she’d heard of his queensland. When Lu was younger she would often hear people making snide remarks. If Lu didn’t finish her food she was called wasteful like a Red. After practice if she complained about being sore, Meshi forced her into more push-ups, vowing that she would not have a soft Red princess as her student. Most people in the queenland seemed to think ill of them, old wounds that had never healed from when one queensland became two.
The treaty between the three queenslands stood on shaky ground. People still spoke of the assassination attempts on Lolakia, their first blessed queen. Red extremist had tried every way possible to end Lolakia’s life after she left her title and position in the Red court behind. Though The Red Queen later spoke against the attacks most still speculated the crowns involvement.
Lu struggled to understand why her parents wanted an alliance with them. There had to be easier ways to secure wealth than to deal with those who still considered themselves superior. Lu often wondered about these things as she grew older but it was not her place to question. She was to be silent, speaking only when spoken to, less she remind the world of her presence.
“Good. Is there anything else?” Lu asked.
Ramor glanced down at Lu’s dress. The blood was starting to dry. “No, princess. Anything else can wait until after the coronation.” He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Lu. She remembered the blood that dripped down from the ceiling onto her face and what she must look like. Lu wiped at her face. When she brought the handkerchief back down she saw that it was stained red. Her hand tightened around the fabric.
The coronation. The moment when Lu would be declared queen. Her mother’s responsibilities would officially become hers. Lu’s palms dampen. Anxiety swelled inside her chest, but her expression remained neutral.
Lu looked back up at Ramor. “Very well then, I will see you both in the northern hall shortly.”
“I will escort you back to your chamber, my queen,” Domicin said, stepping forward.
“That will not be necessary. I can get there on my own.”
“It i
s too much of a risk, your grace. The killer has yet to be caught. Your safety is of the utmost importance.”
Lu had grown accustomed to protecting herself. The court had ignored her for most of her life, dust to be swept under the rug. They’d given her the title of princess and some of the luxuries that had come with it, but she’d always known they’d been waiting for another. People prayed to the goddess for the birth of the second daughter, one that would be healthy and untainted. Lu lived her life in the shadows of the unborn.
Never had she thought of herself as important to the queenland, but the old queen was dead and the second daughter had not come. The bloodline would not allow a male heir to take control in the west; the goddess would not permit it. Lu was the queensland’s only option. They followed the order of the original three blessed children.
“He’s right, princess. You are the protector of the queensland now. You must survive this night and the many more to come,” Ramor said.
Lu looked at them both. Their eyes were on her full of expectations. She could feel the weight of it crushing against her lungs making it hard to breathe.
Lu bit her lip and nodded to Domicin. “Come.”
Ramor bowed to them both, his fist balled over his heart. When he rose they went their separate ways.
Lu watched him disappear down the hallway. She turned to leave. Domicin walked behind her as silent as a shadow.
The eastern halls were empty and the walk long. Moonlight shined through the windows illuminating the paintings on the wall. The paintings were all of women. They were all dressed in red and wore the royal crown. The paintings marked the end of the queen’s reign. Lu spent her whole life staring at them but now they seem different. Their eyes seemed to judge her as she passed by.
You’re not strong enough to rule. They whispered. You are not the daughter we desired.
Lu stopped, shaking her head of the thoughts. Her eyes glanced over her shoulder. A trail of bloody footprints followed behind her. She stared down at her pale feet. Dark red blood stained the skin between her toes. Her parents’ blood. Images of their bodies swam around her head. The queen’s eyes were removed. Two dark holes stared into oblivion. Her father’s mouth hung open as blood trickled down his face into his black beard.
Bile rose, acidy on her tongue, but she swallowed it. Her hands clenched the pendant around her neck. The pendant was shaped like the goddess, a body of curves and a spiked crown head. She prayed to her for strength. Not now, she reminded herself.
Not now. Not when you’ve got people depending on you.
“My queen?”
Lu let go of her pendant and nodded. She did not risk looking at Domicin. They began walking again, candlelight flickering in the darkness. She chanted the words inside her head until she made it to her door. Lu wanted nothing more than to rip her gown off and bathe until clean. She wanted to soak this night from her memories, drowning out the images.
She turned back to Domicin.
He stared down at her with his honey eyes. “Be well, my queen. This night too, no matter the horrors, shall pass.” Domicin offered a bow and she turned away.
Lu did not look at him as he rose to leave. She needed to be back inside her room, behind closed doors where the world could not touch her. Alone in the dark, she belonged to no one, but by the time the goddess graced the skies with her presence next morn, Lu would belong to everyone else but herself.
6
Third period was held in a room that smelled of mildew and chalk. The old building often leaked during thunderstorms. Raven tried to focus. Her eyes stared blankly at the blackboard. Rain pelted the windows as Mr. Otulo lectured on about derivatives, his monotone voice mixing in to create the perfect lullaby. Raven blinked a few times. Each time her eyes closed it became harder to open them again. The sound of Mr. Otulo’s voice seemed to drift farther away.
Raven forced her eyes open wide. She looked ahead at the board and saw that Mr. Otulo had written down another formula for the exam.
Pencil in hand, she copied down the formula into her notes. The paper she was taking notes on looked even more sparse than normal. After twenty minutes of lecture, she only had five lines worth of notes. She was going to hate herself come test time.
Raven yawned. When she looked down at her notes again the formula was gone, replaced with text.
THE PAST IS LOST
Raven blinked again. The formula was back on her paper looking as though it had never left. She rubbed at her eyes. This was what happened when she stayed up too late. Sleep was too tempting. Resting her eyes for a moment, she decided, might be for the best. She placed her elbow on the desk and laid her head down with her pencil still hovering over the notebook. Her eyes slid shut. The warm dark blanket of sleep reached up to wrap around her.
Raven opened her eyes again. She stood in the middle of a dimly lit corridor. In front of her was a wall lined with large framed paintings. The women in the paintings were dressed in red gowns that matched their eyes and hair. Raven stared at the paintings. Their skin varied in shades of brown but majority seemed to have a caramel coloring. They each wore the same golden crown atop their head and a regal look in their eyes. Women who were both stunning and terrifying.
Their eyes seemed to watch her. These strong proud women made Raven feel minuscule in comparison. For a moment Raven thought she might be shrinking, but no, it was the paintings. They grew larger on the wall, stretching up towards the ceiling and down to the floor.
Raven took a step back. She turned her head to the canvas on her left. It was painted a solid black. Looking at it was like staring into a bottomless cavern. Not a flat surface but a hole to drown in.
“Raven,” a voice hissed in her ear.
Raven’s attention snapped down the hall. It seemed to stretch on forever into the darkness, but she was sure that the voice had come from that direction.
“Raven,” the voice called again. Raven turned her head to the other side of the hall. It too stretched on infinitely. Fear trembled up her spine. Someone was in the darkness calling to her. She could feel them in the prickling of her skin. They’d been waiting for her all this time.
“Raven!” Mr. Otulo barked.
Raven jerked awake. She was back in the classroom. Her fellow students snickered as Mr. Otulo glared daggers down at her. His bushy gray brows scrunching together and wrinkling his forehead.
“If what I’m saying is too boring to you maybe you should take it up with the principle,” Mr. Otulo said.
“Mr. Otulo I-“
“No excuses, Ms. More. Leave now and stop wasting time for those who actually value what I have to say.”
Embarrassed, Raven stood from her desk and gathered her things. She made her way out of the classroom feeling their eyes track her the whole time. Raven hated when she did anything to draw their attention. She didn’t want to be their entertainment.
The door closed behind Raven and she let out a sigh. Was it too much to ask for one single day where nothing went wrong?
7
The Heart Queensland
The goddess’s morning light washed into Lu’s room bathing it in the soft glow. When she woke it was not as an orphan. It took time for the death of her parents to sink in. Lu laid in bed replaying all of last night inside her mind. She stared up at her canopy. Sown into the red cloth was the bleeding red heart and golden crown of her queensland.
The heart is strong, She thought.
Lu turned over and sat up. Before her feet could even touch the floor the door of her chamber opened. A gray haired woman dressed in a dull gray gown stepped inside. She looked at Lu, her jade green eyes swollen and red. Tears stained her cheeks.
“Oh Lu,” the woman said, her eyes brimmed with tears.
Lu stood and turned to look at the woman. “They are in the goddess’s embrace now. Ever peace greets them.”
The woman closed her eyes forcing tears down her cheeks. Pain swelled inside of her chest. Her shoulders slumped and lips frowned.<
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“I’m sorry, Eleaa,” Lu said.
Before Eleaa had come to work under Lu she’d served her mother. In many ways Eleaa’s relationship with the old queen was closer than Lu’s had ever been. Eleaa knew her mother before she wore the crown.
Lu doubted she’d ever properly grieve for her mother but she felt for Eleaa’s loss. She felt for the people’s loss.
“Don’t apologize to me,” Eleaa said waving her off, “You’re the one who needs the apology. What wicked cards fate has played, terrible, just terrible.“
“I’m not the first child to lose their parents to the wicked ways of this world and I won't be the last, but I need your help, Eleaa. I need to be strong for this queenland and I need you to be strong with me. Can you do that, Eleaa?”
Eleaa nodded.
“Help me with my dress,” Lu said moving toward the mirror.
“Yes, princess. Right away.”
Eleaa moved around the room preparing the princess’s outfit. Last night she’d soaked for hours trying to wash the blood from her skin. She’d watched her bath water turn a murky red. Eleaa tied Lu’s corset, pulling the strings taught around her slender waist. The gown Lu dressed in was a deep red garnished in black and gold. Black straps crisscrossed her chest reaching up to a spiked black necklace. The crinoline of her skirt pushed her hips out past her shoulders. Far more dress than girl.
When Eleaa finished Lu’s dress she began to work on her hair. Eleaa pulled the silky black strands and twisted them up. She lined Lu’s eyes in gold and black making them appear sharper. Lu’s lips were painted a wine red and the dark circles under Lu’s eyes were concealed. Lu’s skin now looked like fine porcelain. Eleaa was quick and efficient in her work. Lu watched as her reflection transformed from a sickly girl to a woman that could strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.
After Eleaa finished Lu stepped back from the mirror. She watched her reflection. Today all eyes would be on her. Unease crept into her heart. If anything went wrong the people of the Heart would never forgive her.