Death's Queen (The Complete Series)

by Janeal Falor

  The closer we get to the front gates, the more my skin prickles. The more I want to turn back. But I refuse to stand down when this may be the only chance to catch him.

  When we finally get to the gate, I'm pleased to see Jaku has a plethora of guards with him. More so than I've ever seen in one place before.

  This is it. I can do this. Daros will fall.

  I shout out directions to the soldiers as we move through the portcullis and down the lane. “Everyone needs to stay with a partner. This man is cunning and dangerous. When we get there, I want absolute silence. We will encircle his house before anyone enters.”

  “What about your safety, Your Majesty?” Jaku asks.

  “Getting Daros is your first priority. If it makes you feel better, a few men can stay close to me.” Not that I want to be hampered by them.

  “Afet, Eldim, Wilric, and I will stay with the queen,” he says. “The rest of you follow her orders.”

  The men come to me. They give me just enough room to walk, but not an inch more. Nash needs to stay out of danger's way. Which he won't if my life is at risk.

  None of them will.

  It’s a startling realization. There may be people who want me dead, but there are others who will defend me until the very end. At some point, my life became worth more than I ever thought it could. Than Daros ever told me it would.

  I am worth something.

  The thought puts a grin on my face—one that’s tempered by the situation but still wide.

  The houses grow nicer as we pass into the Kurah area. Cleaner. More put together. The road is a smooth cobblestone. It hasn't been that long since I ran past all the houses, chased by one of Daros's men. Only, that time, I was by myself and hadn't a clue what I was doing. This time I do.

  I'm taking him down.

  I motion for silence as we near the house. When it comes into view, my stomach flops. Up, high on the ridge, is the window to my old bedroom. The one I escaped through.

  The closer we get, the more my body revolts—skin prickling, hands clammy, mouth dry.

  I don't want to do this.

  I'm going to.

  But not without my weapons. I take a dagger in each hand.

  As soon as we reach the building, I motion for the group to move around it. They move silently and swiftly. Much more so than I expected. Once the signal that they’re in place comes from the back around to the soldiers in the front, I stride toward the door.

  “Let me go in first, Your Majesty.” Jaku doesn't wait for me to respond. He and Wilric go ahead of me.

  Jaku slips the door open, while several men point their crossbows at it, in case anyone should come out. The fact that it wasn't locked isn't a good sign. Is Daros in there waiting for us with a group of his men? Waiting for me? No matter that it hasn’t been long—knowing Daros, he has a whole slew of assassins at his beck and call.

  I clutch my daggers tighter than I should, but I can't help it.

  Nash is at my side. Even if I can't see him out of the corner of my eye, I can feel his presence. His warmth.

  As I walk in after Jaku and Wilric, Nash is on my heels, with his sword drawn. Doing my best to ignore him—which is next to impossible—I slink through the house. There are no sounds. No people. No hint of life.

  We should have run into someone on watch by now, if not more than one. Where is everyone? The house is crawling with my guards now. They're everywhere I turn. I go up the curving stairs. The last time I was here, I felt utter despair, but was determined to get away and never kill again.

  I nudge open the door of my old room.

  “Let me go first,” Nash says.

  But I'm already in.

  It's as I left it. Bare. There's nothing here except a couple of blankets.

  I flex my fingers over the handle of my dagger. Memories fly at me—Daros choking me, dunking me in water until I couldn't breathe, breaking me and molding me into who he wanted me to be…

  “Are you all right?” Nash's voice is barely above a whisper as he moves deeper into the room.

  Am I?

  “Ryn?”

  “This was my room.” The words tumble from me. “The whole time he raised me, I lived here.” I remember believing there were monsters in the corners when I was little. None were as scary as the monster that haunted my days, though.

  He glances around, probably taking in the small area again with new eyes. “Did he move the furniture out?”

  “There never was any.” My voice sounds dead. I step back, so I’m next to the entrance.

  His eyebrows mush together before rising up high. “Why wouldn't he give you furniture? A bed, at the very least?”

  I don't answer. Can't.

  He takes a step toward me. There's a soft creak of someone on the stairs.

  Daros, coming to wrap his hands around my throat.

  I bring my blade up to the neck of the person coming inside the room. The blade presses into their skin. He holds still as can be.

  It's not Daros I'm holding a weapon to; it's Jaku. I snake back my arm. “Sorry.”

  There's a thin line of red where the blade was. He touches it, and his fingers come away wet with blood. I suppose I was a little too forceful, but that’s what this place does to me. I have to be prepared for Daros, though it’s evident he’s not wandering the house. There’s always a chance, no matter how small.

  To his credit, Jaku doesn't comment on it. He dabs at the wound with a handkerchief from his pocket and says, “The house is clear. There are no signs of life.”

  I nod. There's one area I'm sure they haven't checked.

  I motion Jaku down the stairs, before Nash and I follow after him. I move like a cat, prowling through the house with light steps. If Daros is in the hidden room, I don't want to meet him there. Not in that place.

  What other choice do I have?

  I'm on edge, memories of tiptoeing around flooding me, but my guards offer some comfort. Just not the kind I expected. Especially since it was a guard who betrayed me and let Daros free. I suppose the men and women who watch over me are to be trusted more than the ones on duty in the dungeons since they’ve been around longer and put through more testing. But is there any way to know their loyalty is sure?

  The dark wood of the walls adds to the heaviness in my chest. The rugs over the same dark floor soften my footsteps. When we reach the outside of Daros's personal office, there's a stain of blood on the rug.

  My blood.

  He backhanded me with rings on when I didn’t obey him fast enough, sending me flying to the floor, dripping red everywhere.

  I'm furious yet scared, and I don't have a way to stop it. Doesn't matter. If Daros is in his hidden room, I’m not sure how I’ll react. I don't want to fight him again. Yet there's no way I can let him go without a fight.

  The door is wide open, the hidden room concealed inside. With slow, steady breaths, I try to get my shaking under control.

  “Are we looking for something, Your Majesty?” Jaku's voice comes from behind me.

  At some point he went from leading to following. My memories of this house make it hard to pay attention; it's a deadly trait that may get me killed.

  I press on, not saying anything. I wasn't supposed to talk in here unless Daros commanded it, and I've already said too much.

  I step inside. It's not like I remember it. The piles of papers on the desk are gone, books missing from his shelves. Chairs are knocked over, and the desk is shifted toward the single window. Did my guards do this, or was it Daros's people? Either way, he's not here.

  Unless he's in the room.

  I walk over to the empty bookshelf. To move all this stuff away must have taken some time. How long did he have to empty it? Did he do this even before he was captured? I can't imagine him ruining his things if he thought he was going to win me over at the coronation ball.

  Of course, I wasn’t ever coronated. This still needs remedying, along with lowering the taxes, making the tax collection syste
m better, and many other law changes.

  I reach to the far side of the bookshelf and flick the hidden lever that’s smaller than my finger. I've had to flick it many times before.

  Everything in me screams to run the other way.

  My eyes burn.

  My heart aches.

  The soft whisk of the secret door opening is loud in the silent room. I don't turn to see who's following. I have to face this alone.

  I go in before anyone can stop me, because it's the only way I'm going to make it. I keep my daggers out, ready for any attack that may come my way.

  The only light comes from the coals in the fireplace. Either someone is here or they were recently, if the fire hasn't gone all the way out.

  Footsteps come after me as I stand frozen several steps inside. My feet won't move. My momentum is gone. I want to vomit.

  Someone's breathing is ragged. Harsh.

  It's my own.

  The room brightens. At first, all I can see is Jaku, holding a torch by the fireplace. Then the light wavers over the room. The vat of oil by the fireplace. The tub of water. The chains on the walls.

  I shrink back.

  Nash hisses. Other people murmur. Jaku moves his torch around the room, making me take everything in even more in depth. My daggers almost fall from my hands, but I tighten my grip.

  It's then I see the dark shape in the middle of the floor. Daros? No. It’s male but too thin. I can't make much else out, since he's lying on his back. I prepare my weapons to attack should this person jump up. Nash keeps his sword at the ready as he inches past me. He bends down and seeks the man’s pulse.

  A moment later, he says, “Dead.”

  “Who is it?” Jaku asks.

  Both men glance my way but say nothing further.

  Nash rolls the man over.

  Jaku grunts. “Bolfa. The guard who let Daros escape.”

  I hope the poor man didn't pay for his choice of helping Daros by spending too long in this room of horrors.

  Jaku moves forward. He leans down when he gets to Bolfa’s remains. “There's something pinned to his shirt.”

  Nash takes it off. It's a piece of paper. He holds it up to the light and grimaces.

  “What does it say?” I try to make my voice commanding, but it comes out small. Rickety.

  With a quick glance at me, he folds the paper in half.

  “What does it say?” My words are stronger this time.

  Jaku nods at Nash.

  With a scowl, Nash holds out the paper to me. I open it up. The handwriting is familiar, even if I wasn’t supposed to read it growing up. But now I’m supposed to. This note is meant for no one but me.

  * * *

  You will pay.

  * * *

  I swallow. “He's not here.”

  “The body is cold, Your Highness,” Jaku says. “Judging by that and the fire's coals, I'd say it's been since sometime this morning that someone was here.”

  “We missed him.” Nash sighs.

  Daros is still out there hunting me.

  Being in this room makes me want to cower. To hide. But no more. I will not be his tool to be used out of fear.

  Something burns deep inside my gut. A vicious anger, like molten lava boiling through my veins.

  With a growl, I hurl my knife at the far wall. It sticks in the wood, wobbling. Just like my heart.

  Doesn’t matter. I will find him, and I will have him put to death.

  Chapter 3

  The ensuing scramble to find anything of use in Daros's home is fruitless. Jaku leaves a few people behind, to take care of the body. The rest of us march back to the palace.

  Nash stays close by. I wonder what he's thinking. If he's disgusted by me.

  I am.

  But mostly, I'm worried.

  The anger has burned off and left me with little to hold onto. I need something, but I don't know what. I want Daros recaptured, so I don't have to fear the things he can do to me or those around me. It's too much to deal with. My brain is overloaded, so I turn off my feelings.

  Let myself be numb.

  I take note of everything going through the portcullis, into the palace, through the halls, and to my rooms. There are guards everywhere, which should make me feel safe but only leads me to wonder which of them will betray me.

  Nash opens the door to my sitting room, says something I can't hear to Jaku, follows me into the room.

  I take quick stock of both rooms. When I find nothing, I return to the sitting room, to find Nash watching me with a wary gaze.

  I'm still holding a dagger in each hand.

  I put them away. “Did you need something?”

  He straightens. “I was wondering if there is anything further you would like us to do, besides the search we have going on for Daros.”

  I flinch at the sound of his name. Everything is too close to the surface. “I don't know.”

  Nash takes a step toward me, stops, and backtracks. “If you think of anything, please let me know. I want him captured.”

  As do I.

  He bows and leaves the room. Something about those gestures seems odd. I don't know what, just that it leaves me unsettled. I head to my bedroom, and moments later, my servant and friend, Inkga, joins me.

  “I heard about what happened,” she says. “I'm sorry he got away.”

  I clench my jaw. I don't want to tune her out. To be rude. What else can I do, though? I want nothing to do with reminders of him, but they are everywhere.

  Crushing.

  Blinding.

  Suffocating.

  “My Lady, are you all right?”

  I give a heavy blink. “Fine. Let's just get ready for bed.”

  While I change, she cleans up around my room even though it’s pretty much too clean. As soon as I got clothes I could put on myself, I insisted she no longer help me with them. It seems silly to have someone else dress me.

  Once I'm ready and she's finished turning down the bed, she says, “There are extra guards outside your window and in the hall. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything. Good night.”

  I nod, though I have no intention of needing a thing from her or the guards. She curtseys and leaves. Immediately, I want her back. The room is darker. Colder.

  I climb in bed, holding the blankets around me tight. I'm not sure I can sleep, but I'm in no mood for climbing to the roof. I brush my hand under my pillow where I stashed a couple of daggers. That's more reassuring than anything else tonight. If only I didn't need to use them. I've been attacked in my rooms far too much, as it is.

  That’s not all that’s under here, though. The doll the little girl gave me at the ball is here as well. I take it out and hug it close before putting it back. She gave up something special to her, to give it to me. I wonder how she is. If she has enough to eat. If the supplies I sent her family helped.

  I keep my grip tight around my dagger as I try to drift off. There are guards on the ground outside my window and sitting room. I should be safe from him. Still, I can't let go of my dagger.

  I relax my grip and ease my arm away it. The blades are there; this has to be enough. It's always been enough.

  But not now.

  I toss and turn for far too long. I want to climb down on the floor but can't bring myself to get up. Finally, the night fades and the colors blossom.

  The colors of the sunset are softer than I usually dream, but still there, as is the First Queen, who sits nearby. I take in her typical green dress, her green eyes, the matching green-jeweled necklace, and long blonde hair. I wouldn't think one person could be so comforting, but her presence is. It's strong and true. Patient and calm. Everything I need in this minute.

  “You've had a hard setback,” she says.

  “Nothing I can't handle.”

  “You don't have to pretend with me. I know these things. Why don't you have a seat?”

  I remain standing and shift from one leg to the other.

  “You did a good jo
b standing up to him in the first place. And then, when he came to the ball and outed you for being an assassin who killed the last queen before trying to kill you, you were so brave. Even in the face of what he made you do to poor Deedra, you championed for what's right and good. You held your ground.” She sounds so sure of herself.

  “You don't understand,” I say.

  “Then tell me. I want to know.”

  I don't want to talk about it. I don’t say it out loud, but she’s in my head; she reads my thoughts.

  “But you need to.”

  I huff.

  “Come on, now. There's no reason to be like this. It really does help to talk about it. I promise.”

  I still don't want to, but since she can read my mind anyway, there's no use fighting it. “He hurt me, for all my life. He did whatever he wanted to me. He used me to do his dirty work. Trained me to kill whoever he wanted gone. I knew there was more to life, but I didn't know I could have it. When I escaped from him, it was so freeing.”

  “And then he found you.”

  I give in and sit. It's a strange feeling, not sitting on anything, but typical for a dream maybe. “He found me and did what I feared—he told everyone what I was.”

  “That hasn't been so bad for you.”

  “Only because the people fear my guards. Fear me.” Mostly me, the Shadow Wraith.

  “You don't want to be feared?”

  I take a moment to think about it. “Does a good queen want to be feared?”

  “That's up to you to decide.”

  “But I thought you were here to guide me?”

  “I am, and I will. But some things are better learned on your own.”

  I glare at her, wishing she'd give me the answers. “I know that the people—my people—haven't been coming around to my way of thinking. Of course they weren’t before, either. Maybe I need to be officially coronated and moved into my duties with them. Maybe then they will come to respect me, instead of being scared. I have to swear to do better.”