Daughters of Delirium (Tainted Queens Book 1)

by A. M. Miller

Lecive stood behind Lu. “Do not be nervous, baby sister.”

  Lu spun around. Her eyes narrowed as they came face to face. He smiled, bearing his sharpened teeth. When they were younger he’d had the incisors and canines filed to look more intimidating. She’d heard about others who’d done it. It started in the southern territories. Boys sharpened their teeth as a ride of passage, a dust rats traditions adapted by societies elites.

  “What is it now, Prince Lecive?” Lu asked.

  “Is that any way to talk to family?”

  Lu kept a straight face, refusing to respond.

  Lecive sighed and stepped forward. “I simply wanted to wish you the goddess’s blessings.” He grasped both of Lu’s hands and placed a kiss on them. When he let go, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling Lu into a hug. His breath was warm against her skin. “You understand the importance of this mission in the legitimization of our family lineage, don’t you?”

  Lu fought the urge to push him off, knowing how it would look to the others in the hall. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.

  “Of course, brother. I’m already fully aware how much your future depends on me. It must be so troubling to have ones entire value based off another, but you needn’t worry. I’ll take good care of you,” Lu whispered. She let him go with a smile.

  “Are you ready, my queen?” Domicin asked.

  Lu turned around to see Domicin and Ramor standing behind her. She nodded.

  Ramor stepped forward. “I’d wish you the goddess’s blessing but I hardly think you’ll need it. She has shined her light on you from the moment you were born.”

  “Thank you, Ramor,” Lu said. They bowed to each other before going their separate ways.

  Domicin led the way, heading back to the eastern hall.

  “What do you think?” Lu asked.

  Domicin looked at her, a question inside his amber eyes.

  “The mission…are you ready?”

  Domicin nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I didn’t get the chance to travel with your mother but I’ve seen my fair share of battle.”

  Lu bit the inside of her cheek, stopping herself from further questioning. The last thing she wanted was to appear unsure. If he could possess confidence in the face of uncertainty, so could she.

  They moved closer to a familiar black and gold doorway. Lu inhaled and pushed her shoulders back. Domicin opened the door.

  Thousands of shining weapons decorated the red oak walls, sharp and glaring. Swords, axes, hammers, all types of weapons from across the ages. The ceiling above was replaced by a mural of the starry night sky. Lu stepped inside and removed her shoes. Domicin did the same. Her bare feet padded across the wood floor.

  Meshi waited for them at the center of the arena. Her back was turned toward them. A blackened scorpion brand covered her tan shoulder. Meshi stood only a few inches taller than Lu. Her peppered gray dreads stopped at the nape of her neck and her slender hands folded together behind her back.

  Lu stepped into the circle of the arena. She lowered her knees to the hard wood and bowed her head.

  Meshi did not look at her. “Does a queen still lower herself to her lesser?”

  “I am no more or no less. I am a queen who serves.” Lu’s head remained bent to the ground.

  Meshi turned and made her way over to Lu. She bent down and placed her finger under her chin. Lifting up Lu’s chin, she stared into her eyes. “You are also the queen who leads. Rise, my child.”

  Lu did as she was instructed. They stood eye to eye. She was happy to see Meshi though she tried her best not to show it.

  “I assume you are here for a reason,” Meshi said.

  “My first mission as Queen. We ride for Zendel.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  Lu swallowed, pushing her shoulders back. “Yes.”

  “Good, fear can be useful so long as it is not in control; let it sharpen you.”

  Meshi’s hand held firm to Lu’s shoulder. Since Lu was old enough to walk Meshi had trained her in the deadly arts. Inside of this arena, Lu had broken bones and been beaten purple and blue. Her blood had stained the wooden floor and she’d been made stronger because of it.

  “You will not fail,” Meshi said, eyes hard, tone harder.

  “I cannot fail.”

  Meshi walked over to the black chest that had been pushed up against the wall. She opened it. The staff Meshi pulled from inside was as black as night. Meshi walked back over to Lu and held out the staff. “I would not give this to you unless I thought you were ready, crown be damned. I believe in you.”

  Lu stared at the rubies that decorated the top of the staff. “Is it…?”

  “Yna steel, forged from the mountains core and blessed by the high order.”

  The moment Lu touched the staff an electric currents shot up her arm. Spikes jutted out from the staff, stabbing her palms. Her grip tightened. She gritted her teeth to hold back her scream. The spike scraped against her bone. Blood sucked from her hands, rose up the middle of the staff. Once the blood reached the top, the rubies glowed bright. The spikes retracted into the staff. Lu’s grip loosened and she exhaled. Meshi’s eyes gleamed with approval.

  “Ancestral blood purifies it. Now you and it are one. Any weapon you think of, it shall become.” Meshi took a step back.

  Lu spun the staff around. By the end of the spin the staff had shrunk down into a black bladed dagger with a ruby handle. Another spin and the dagger transformed into a long sword. The weapon held the perfect balance each time. Lu held it in both hands slashing through the air. She could feel the air as her blade sliced through it. The weapon was a part of her. With one final spin it transformed into a battle-axe.

  The axe was sharp and deadly. A skull sat in the middle with sharp teeth and glowing ruby eyes. Lu’s finger grazed the sharp edge. When she pulled her hand away, blood spilled from her fingertips. The axe hummed softly in her hand.

  “It responds to your blood.” Meshi looked at the axe. “Those who have lost their minds to the darkness will have madness coursing through their blood. After every battle, it will need to be purified or risk the taint.”

  “Yazarath,” Domicin whispered.

  Lu turned towards him. She’d almost forgotten he was there. He stared into the distance, eyes clouded by the shadow of memory.

  “Yes, though as time passes, much of the story of Yazarath has become legend. We do not like to speak of the East but there is much to be learned from the past. King Arman was fair and beloved by all his people. In his time he was able to double the lands in the east and continue the war against the orcestrals. It only took one battle to crumble all that the eastern king had built. One misstep is all it ever takes. When the taint overtook Arman’s blade, madness overtook his mind. Thousands died, including his wife and sons. Arman’s death marked the end of Amin’s line and all hope for the east,” Meshi said.

  To be queen Lu would walk the razor’s edge between sanity and complete madness. Lu’s grip tightened around the staff. She was not afraid, never afraid. Her heart pounded in her ears.

  Meshi took a step forward. She placed a firm hand on Lu’s shoulder. For a moment Lu could see her mentor’s eyes soften. Lu realized that she might not see her mentor for a while. As queen, she would no longer be Meshi’s student. This realization saddened Lu more than her parent’s death. As soon as Lu felt the urge to reach out to her, Meshi’s hand fell away.

  Meshi took a stepped back. “Strike hard and true, daughter.”

  Meshi bowed before walking away. Longing rose inside of Lu but she pressed it down. There would be no goodbyes for them. She pressed and pressed until the feelings turned into a solid mass. The weight of it all hardened her resolve.

  “My queen we should be going,” Domicin said.

  Lu still held the staff. She followed Domicin out of the training room. They remained silent as they walked down the halls. Lu went to her chamber for a change of clothes. When she stepped out into the hallway, dressed
in black pants and red leather bodice, Domicin was still waiting.

  He looked her up and down. Lu pulled at the top making sure it was adjusted correctly. These were the clothes she was use to. Gowns were required for formal affairs and dining with her father, but she’d never taken to them. They were nice to look at, harder to function in.

  “You look…”

  “What?” Lu asked looking up at Domicin.

  Domicin shook his head. “Nothing, my queen.”

  Lu raised a brow at him before taking a step down the hall. Together the exited they castle, the silence between them growing with each passing step.

  Lu looked down at her staff and then over at Domicin. “How did you learn of Yazarath?”

  Domicin looked at her. His amber eyes studied her face. Lu held his gaze, awaiting his answer. Most did not speak of Arman, and even fewer knew the name of the place the legend had originated. Speaking of the east was taboo in many circles. Arman’s fall was the shame of the realm.

  “I was born just outside of Yazarath, in the village of Aminah,” Domicin said.

  “You are from across the Conar Sea?”

  “Is that a problem my queen?”

  “No, I just…“ Lu searched for the right words. “I’ve never met someone born from the east.”

  There were some families that had ties to the east still living in the Heart, but they were second and third generations. After the king’s death people who still held the faith fled to the west over a hundred years ago. Most of the original descendants were dead now.

  “I came to the west when I was ten years old with my mother and sister. She was pregnant with Hëna when the Inka fly bit her. We came around the time Hëna started to get sick again,” Domicin said.

  Lu glanced at Domicin, very aware of the black rose that adorned her lower back. “Did she…”

  “Die? Yes. The physicians in the East told my mother that Hëna would not live past age seven, but the goddess blessed her with four extra years.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “She walks with the goddess now.”

  Lu reached up for her necklace and closed her eyes. “Ever peace.”

  “Ever peace,” Domicin repeated.

  Lu opened her eyes, but her hand was slow to release the pendant. If a child born with the black rose survived the first year, they were considered safe, but every so often one would relapse into the sickness. The fear of death was never far from one’s mind.

  “Is it true they’ve destroyed all the churches?” Lu asked.

  Domicin nodded. “When Arman began killing innocents, many of the people were hurt and afraid. They’d never seen the taint before. It would have been hard to reconcile with what their protector had become.”

  “But to deface the goddess’s temples…” Lu shook her head. Anger at the king she could understand but to completely turn against the goddess was inconceivable. She was their light. Without her they were nothing.

  “Now they are without a leader and without faith,” Lu said.

  “Galzin is the Grizun of the East.”

  “Grizun?” Lu had never heard the term before.

  “It is old tongue. It means ‘he who serves’. Galzin leads the Eastern armies.”

  “What wars can he fight? His claim to the throne is illegitimate. He does not have the blood of the ancestors. He cannot purify the lost souls.”

  “He stops the spread.”

  Lu stared at Domicin for a moment. As his words sunk in she could not hide the horror on her face. “It’s murder.”

  All the women of her bloodline risked their lives because they knew that only their blood could purify. That was the reason they fought. It was because of this purity, death at the hand of the queen was called a mercy instead of an execution. Without it, the tainted souls could not find their way back to the goddess.

  Galzin was sending his people toward a fate worse than death. Lu thought of all those impure souls. Her stomach twisted. He’d taken those innocent lives and called it justice. No wonder no one spoke of the east.

  “My queen, are you alright?” Domicin asked. He took a step forward. “I didn’t mean to cause you distress.”

  Lu took a moved back straightening herself. With her hands folded in front of her and eyes cold on Domicin, she tried to control her disgust. “Galzin is a liar and master-manipulator. You should be glad that you escaped from such a place.”

  Domicin looked as though he wanted to say something but thought better of it. Lu couldn’t help but feel slightly betrayed. She knew it was unreasonable to hold his Eastern heritage against him, but she couldn’t help it. If she had known would she still have chosen to bond with him? Surely the previous Jack must have known when he chose him to be his apprentice.

  “That is why your mother brought you here, isn’t it? Because she was of the faith and she wanted her children to be of the faith. You believe in the goddess. You believe in what I- what the Heart stands for, don’t you?”

  Lu needed him to say yes. He had to believe in what she was doing. For what they were about to do she would need him to be on her side. She needed him, the stranger from the east. It hurt her to admit. If there was even an ounce of doubt between them it could mean their death. There had to be no reason for the goddess to withhold her blessings.

  “Of course, my queen,” Domicin said.

  Lu relaxed, accepting his answer as the truth. There were still doubts in her mind but she pushed them away. She’d have to deal with them later. Now her mind needed to be focused on the task at hand.

  “Good. Then let all this talk of your homeland be over. You are here now and that is all that matters,” Lu said. Then another thought popped into her head. “Does my brother know?”

  “No, my queen.”

  “Good, let us keep it that way for now.”

  If Lu knew anything about her brother it was that Lecive would use this to his advantage. Domicin’s heritage could easily be turned against her. People already looked down on her because of her ailment. She did not need to give them another reason to question her legitimacy.

  16

  Mr. Smith had the warmest classroom in the building. Heat pumped directly into the classroom from an overhead vent. The temperature was too comfortable. Raven sat in the desk by the window fighting to stay awake. After last week's incident, she didn’t want to fall asleep in another class. There’d be no talking Principle Alcester out of calling her father if it happened again.

  Repeated pinches left her arm red and sore, but even the pain didn’t seem to be enough to keep her awake. She yawned as she stretched.

  “Ms. More,” Mr. Smith stopped his lecture to look at Raven, “Do you find my lecture too boring for your liking?”

  Everyone turned to look at Raven.

  She brought her arms back down to her side. “No, sir.”

  “Then sit up and you can at least pretend to pay attention.” Mr. Smith smiled.

  Raven sat back against her chair, her back straight. The embarrassment of being brought to the center of the classes’ attention made Raven more alert of her surroundings, but as her teacher returned to his lecture she started to fade again. Raven’s eyelids sunk lower, as if held by weights, and her head bobbed.

  The faint ringing sound returned.

  A loud scream echoed through the room. Raven’s eye snapped open. She glanced around trying to find the source of the scream. Darkness made it impossible to see anything. She was no longer in her classroom that much was certain. The room around her was empty.

  Her heart pounded as she realized she was standing alone. The air around her felt thick. Raven ran forward. Slamming into the wall, she pounded her fist against it. “Help!”

  Something was burning. The smell of smoke filled her nostrils and pooled inside her lungs. Raven coughed, her eyes watered.

  “Help!” Raven entered another fit of coughs. Sweat beaded on top of her forehead. The room sweltered like a burning oven.

  The door swung
open. Raven stepped back. Her hands rose to shield her from the sudden brightness. A group of men dressed in tattered clothes rushed in. Raven tried to run but their rough hands wrapped tight around her arms. They yanked Raven out of the room.

  The other end of the long hallway was burning bright. Wood paneling fell from the ceiling. The fire roared and crackled, consuming the wood whole. Raven only caught a glimpse of this before the man dragged her down the opposite side of the hall.

  “Let me go.” Raven tried to yank away from them but they held tight.

  The men said nothing.

  They dragged Raven through red double doors and out into the cold night air. An angry crowd waited for her there, too many of them to count. The moonlight gave shadow to their faces making them appear even more monstrous. They dragged her up the stairs and onto the platform. Raven’s eyes widened at the sight of the guillotine. She fought against her captors but their grips only tightened. Her skin bruised. They walked her to the center of the stage.

  “Lulana Heart,” a deep voice boomed, “For your crimes against the queensland and the people, we strip you of your title.”

  The men pulled at the sleeves of Raven’s dress. She hadn’t noticed she’d been wearing one until they began ripping at it. Raven stood in only a thin wrapping. The red fabric of her dress lay in shredded pieces. Her body trembled. Raven could only think of one other time when she’d been this afraid.

  “You have failed as our queen,” the voice continued. “You have failed as our protector. You are no longer of service to this queensland. Lulana Heart by order of the people, we sentence you to death. Have you anything to say?”

  Raven opened her mouth to tell them they had the wrong person but instead, a low chuckle came out.

  “You fools,” Raven said in a voice that was not her own. “Can you not see he is playing you? Oh, how funny this whole thing must be to him. Playing right into the hands of madness. You curse yourselves.”

  Her words unsettled the crowd. They shifted from anger to slight uncertainty. Hushed whispers spread throughout the people, a look of fear on their faces.

  “Do not listen to her. It’s the fearful pleas of a dead woman,” the voice reassured them.