by Eboni Dunbar
“Aaliyah, you have to end her. I told you before,” Mercy snarled. “If they’ll steal once they can’t be trusted not to do it again.”
“Get your bitch under control,” Odessa said coolly. Mercy twisted out of Aaliyah’s hold and surged forward.
Stone spires flew out of the ground, stopping her progress. She was nearly impaled but Aaliyah drew her back again. Mercy pulled away from her.
“I’ll make you a deal. Get rid of your whore and we can rule this kingdom together,” Odessa said. “I’ll even let you keep Helima.”
Aaliyah took a deep breath as the stone spires retreated back into the ground. She considered her next words carefully. “Odessa, you have starved and abandoned your people, you have named your sister a traitor, you killed a man you’ve known for years, but the thing you care about most right now is keeping your crown and getting rid of Mercy. Am I right?”
“You make it sound bad when you say it like that.” Odessa gave her a sick smile.
“Last chance.”
“Fuck. You.”
Aaliyah balanced her spear and hurled it, but Odessa blocked it with a wall. She used the distraction to run forward, charging into Odessa as the wall fell. Odessa twisted away, raising a spire that impaled Aaliyah’s leg. Aaliyah bit back a scream as the spire fell away and retrieved her spear. She swung it like a staff, knocking Odessa to her knees. Another spire rose up but fell as Odessa cried out. Mercy’s hand clenched, grasping Odessa’s bones beneath her flesh and pulling them toward the surface. Odessa’s agonized bellows rung against the throne room’s walls.
Odessa dragged stones from the ceiling, nearly burying Mercy beneath them, but Helima pushed her out of the way. Aaliyah hadn’t noticed Helima’s return. Aaliyah raised herself up, ignoring the protest from her left leg, and limped towards Odessa. Her sister drew another spire but Aaliyah was ready. She rolled along the side of the spire, using the momentum to throw her forward. She raised her spear high and Odessa’s eyes went round with fear.Aaliyah brought the spear down, impaling Odessa through her heart. Odessa spasmed and the ground twitched in response.
The spire fell away into the earth, as did the stone throne, leaving behind an empty dais. As she had done when they’d killed the old king, Aaliyah said a small prayer to the gods. Despite everything, she asked them to give Odessa peace in death. It was only right.
Aaliyah let herself fall then. Let herself lay beside Odessa for the very last time. She closed her eyes for just a moment, just to get her bearings in the dark behind her eyes. She heard a voice, whispering that she loved her. That she was safe. That they were finally safe.
When she opened her eyes again she was in a bed. It wasn’t her room but it had a similar layout. Mercy slept besideher, curled up on top of the blankets. Aaliyah sat up, her leg throbbing in protest. Akil, Jalil and Omar were sitting by the fire whispering to each other. Her heart seized at the sight of her friend.
Aaliyah cleared her throat and they all came over to her. Jalil handed her a glass of water and Aaliyah drank it down. When she handed him back the glass she noticed Mercy’s eyes were open. The other woman sat up, stretching and yawning exaggeratedly.
“How do you feel?” Akil asked.
“Like the dead risen. What happened?” Aaliyah said. “You nearly died,” Mercy said.
“You had half the kingdom in terror,” Jalil said with a little smile.
“Not a very good first act as Queen,” Omar said. “You’re very lucky that Mercy can heal as well as she can destroy.”
“How are the people?” Aaliyah asked. Mercy smiled, taking Aaliyah’s hand in hers.
“We fed them on your behalf and we have the mages that remain working on shelter for the homeless. I hope you don’t mind,” Mercy said.
“I don’t. Where’s Helima? Sherrod?”
Jalil looked down at his feet. “Helima has charged herself with getting the army back into shape.”
“And Sherrod has taken on managing the mages for you,” Mercy said. “He’s doing an excellent job of keeping them in line.”
“Did...has anyone burned the body?”
“In the square for all to see. They chanted your name,” Akil said quietly.
Aaliyah closed her eyes. She had a few tears left to shed for her sister it seemed. They would have to wait.
“If I may make a recommendation?” Omar said.
“Yes, your Highness?” Aaliyah said, raising an eyebrow. “Rest first. Mercy seems to know your mind well enough. Let her make arrangements for a coronation and allow Akil and I to make some recommendations about your advisers. Though your friends here seem to be quite adept. You will start your reign better healed than half dead.”
“Not friends, your highness,” Aaliyah said, “My family. And you’ll forgive me but that doesn’t sound like me. Jalil, get me Helima and Sherrod and get your ledgers. We have work to do.”
Aaliyah’s stomach still twisted at the thought of being Queen.
She was a soldier. But that had to be better for Titus than a Queen consumed by power. And she had her family to keep her humble. She looked from Akil to Mercy. New and old.
Even if Aaliyah didn’t know how to do this yet, she would learn.
About the Author
Eboni Dunbar is a queer, Black woman who writes queer and black speculative fiction. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her partner. She received her BA from Macalester College and her MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. She is a VONA Alum, an associate editor for PodCastle, managing editor for FIYAH Literary Magazine, and a freelance reviewer. Her work can be found in FIYAH, Drabblecast, Anathema: Spec from the margins and Nightlight Podcast. She can be found online at
ebonidunbar.com and on Twitter as @sugoionna87.
About the Press
Neon Hemlock is an emerging purveyor of queer chapbooks and speculative fiction. Learn more at neonhemlock.com and on Twitter at @neonhemlock.