Queens of Wings & Storms

by Angela Sanders et al.

  You must go, Ariad said, the squirrel tapping her chest until she looked down. It is important that you go.

  “Nora Potion can only be acquired with permission of the Queen of Adamar,” Jessa said. “We need your help to get that permission.”

  Needed the Queen of Adamar’s permission? Alazne had never heard of something like that. All of this was starting to seem a little fishy—

  “You have the Prince of Karr,” she said, eyes narrowing. “The Queen will grant permission to another royal family in need. You hardly need my help.”

  Jessa looked like she was about to protest, but Zenon spoke up instead. “I’m sorry about whatever happened between you and your family.”

  “You don’t even know who my family is,” Alazne couldn’t keep the accusatory tone from her voice.

  “No,” he admitted. “But if they have some influence with the royal family of your world, then we have to try. My mother is dying.”

  You have no idea, Alazne thought to herself. And your mother will die whether I go to Adamar or not.

  Glaring at the squirrel, she dared it to say something.

  The familiar remained quiet, for once, just studying her with a watchful eye.

  “Please, Alazne,” Zenon said.

  The sorrow in his plea tugged her heart so hard, she thought it might be yanked from her chest. She never wanted to hear that tone again.

  Head bowing in defeat, she said, “Fine. I’ll go. But we’re taking your ship.”

  This is not defeat, Ariad said. All will be clear soon.

  Or maybe you can just tell me what you’re up to so it’ll be clear now.

  The familiar said nothing more, but Zenon’s voice cut through the air.

  “We can’t take my ship,” he said. “It will take entirely too long to travel to your region.”

  “We need to take a ship,” Jessa said.

  Finally, it sounded like her healer friend was on her side. Alazne wasn’t so sure with that stars-forsaken made-up rule about needing permission for a potion—

  It’s not made up, Ariad said. There really are potions that need the Queen of Adamar’s permission to obtain.

  You be quiet, Alazne snapped. She’d had enough of Ariad having access to her thoughts, Queen of Karr or Zenon’s mother or squirrel familiar or not.

  “We will be taking your ship. The one you have on Spice,” she said aloud, making eye contact with Zenon.

  It would still take an extra couple days from Spice to get to Adamar, but Ariad could handle that. Plus, that was how it had to be.

  “Protocol dictates we enter Adamar by ship,” Jessa explained, also looking at Zenon. “No portals. No magical realms. They want to see who is coming.”

  “You make it sound more like it’s a desire than a hard rule,” Zenon said, glancing between them.

  “That’s true,” Alazne said. “But if you want an audience with the royal family, you won’t be starting off well by going against their desires.” She held his gaze. “We take your ship. That’s the only way I’m going with you.”

  Blowing out a breath, he shook his head. “Mother is fading so quickly.”

  Alazne glared at the squirrel again. This game the Queen was playing was difficult to watch. Being party to it made her mouth sour.

  I assure you, this is no game. Ariad’s voice had an edge to it, but Alazne couldn’t bring herself to think this was anything other than a cruel manipulation.

  “Your mother will still be here when we return,” Jessa said, tone assuring. “I promise.”

  Zenon stared at the healer a moment, then slowly shook his head, gaze fixing on Alazne again. “Okay, we take my ship from Spice.”

  The smell of spice from the planet with the same name gave her a feeling of nostalgia as she exited the portal. It seemed ages ago that she first saw Zenon in the market, handsome as he was, even dressed as a Hunter. She shook her head. Thinking of a Hunter as handsome, even a fake one, had to be sacrilege.

  Said man stepped through the portal after her, their eyes meeting with a flutter of her heart. Yes, this is where it all started and he was much more handsome in his navy blue uniform. Tearing her gaze away, she looked ahead, dreading the way it was all going to end.

  Ariad sat on her shoulder, attempting a comforting pat that she ignored.

  “You missed again,” Zenon said, tone mischievous. “The space-port is over there.”

  Alazne threw him a sardonic grin. “At least I didn’t portal you into the wall of the space-port.”

  Satisfied to see his eyes grow wide, she laughed as Jessa came through, the swirling circle collapsing down into sparks that dispersed through the air.

  “Don’t worry, stick boy, that’s not even possible,” Jessa said with a grin of her own.

  Alazne threw her friend a look of mock-betrayal. “Hey, now, don’t give away all my secrets.”

  There were no bystanders as they made their way to the port, exactly as she’d planned. If she’d bridged into the port, there would have been quite a few witnesses. The last thing she wanted right now was to attract the real Hunters, who were likely present.

  “Be on the lookout for Hunters,” she said.

  “Don’t worry,” Zenon said. “There won’t be any Hunters within a mile of my ship. Hangar 3; right here.”

  Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Alazne stopped dead in her tracks when they entered the hangar indicated.

  No less than a dozen armed, blue uniformed men stood at attention.

  “Good to see you again, Highness.” The apparent leader bowed.

  Zenon gave a pointed look at all the men before turning to the leader. “You should not have allowed us to enter the hanger.”

  “I knew it was you, Sir,” the man said, eyes darting to the side before focusing on the Prince again.

  “I could have disguised my face,” Zenon countered. “Perhaps a Hunter captured me and had physiology altering tech—”

  “We have cleared this world of the Hunters,” the man said.

  Zenon seemed to think about that a second, then raised his forearm. “You received my messages. Good work, Trotter.”

  The man smiled, bumping his forearm against Zenon’s, relief evident on his face.

  Zenon turned to Alazne with a smirk and something else she couldn’t interpret. Was it pride? “See? Not a Hunter within a mile of my ship, within the entire planet.”

  Alazne heard the entire exchange, but none of it really sank in, not until that last part when he turned around, his smirking comment about no Hunters being near his ship.

  His ship—

  It was the only thing she noticed upon entering the hanger, the conversation between Zenon and his men a warble on the edge of her mind. She thought Keia’s ship was impressive? This ship was over the top impressive.

  All black, it reminded her of the warship on Hellumon, except that it more resembled a pleasure cruiser, a yacht with rounded edges, sleek design. If she were a betting person, she’d bet this craft could stand its own against the fastest ships in the known galaxy. She’d also bet formidable weapons rested in the near-invisible indentations along the hull.

  And, if the busyness of the hangar was anything to go by, with these twelve armed men and no doubt more aboard, along with the maintenance folks inspecting various parts of the hull, tools tweaking this and that, Zenon’s ship had a sizeable crew.

  Any Hunter would have to be crazy to approach a ship like this.

  The conversation between Zenon and his men finally caught up in her brain. They’d gotten rid of the Hunters on this planet, apparently having gotten word through messages from Zenon.

  The Karrians were already helping the witches. Did Zenon mention it was witches that were being hunted, or did he convince his men to round Hunters up for Adamar? Did they even know Adamar existed? Did it even matter? Come to think of it, these men seemed like the type to do whatever Zenon said, without question—

  Adamar needed Karr. Zenon thought he was going there to g
et a potion for his mother, but Alazne now realized she needed to go to convince the royal family of this grand new ally. The thought of having to marry her asshole betrothed in order to do so made her stomach churn. The knowledge that Queen Ariad knew everything and still condoned these events, even after complimenting her on doing what she had to do before, made her want to throw up.

  But she’d do it for the Witches of Adamar. Her misery for the lives of an entire population was a small price to pay.

  How was all of this helping Zenon, though? There must have been something Karr needed from Adamar, something for Zenon specifically, something more than just a potion that wasn’t going to work—

  When her familiar said nothing of her thoughts, she risked a glance at the woodland creature on her shoulder. Nothing. Ariad had certainly perfected the poker face on the squirrel.

  I already told you. The squirrel’s eyes darted to hers. All part of the plan.

  Right. A plan that required her to give up her happiness, her very life. There was such a thing as a living hell where the only freedom was death.

  A flurry of movement caught her attention as a man dressed in a white uniform very similar to the one Zenon’s dad wore in the portrait glided down the ship’s ramp. Lined with pinpricks of white light, the ramp was as beautiful as the rest of the ship.

  “Captain,” Zenon said as the man in white bowed. “Set a course for Adamar. Full speed.”

  “As you wish, Your Highness. Glad to have you back.” They bumped forearms and the Captain began barking orders, disappearing back into the ship, Zenon following.

  She thought the hangar was busy before? Everyone rushed to do their respective jobs at a dizzying pace.

  Just standing there, next to the ramp, she looked at Jessa. Shrugging, her friend looked around at the crewmembers running this way and that.

  “Do we just climb aboard?” Alazne said. The ship looked like it contained a maze of corridors and rooms she had no hope of interpreting.

  As if on cue, Zenon appeared at the top of the ramp. “This way, ladies.”

  “Goddess,” she said. “I thought you’d abandoned us.”

  Zenon smiled, grabbing her hand as she got to the top of the ramp. “I’d never abandon you.”

  Holding her gaze, a thrill shot up her spine, the palm of her hand in his becoming sweaty.

  “Anna will show you to your suites,” Zenon said. “Dinner will be in the galley in two hours. Please join me.”

  The hopeful look in his eyes made her heart skip. Then a short woman in a flowing blue dress bowed to them. Was she standing there the whole time?

  Reality came crashing in and she pulled her hand back to her body. They were returning to her home world, where she was already betrothed, where she’d have to marry to solidify the terms of agreement between Adamar and Karr. A relationship with Zenon was impossible. If she joined him for dinner, she’d let him seduce her in the best way. She didn’t want a one-night stand. She wanted all of him—

  Besides, he needed to save himself for his Lifemate, Joan or whoever it was.

  With a heavy heart, she followed Anna to her suite, through the predicted maze of corridors. She would endure this journey in her room alone.

  I am with you, Ariad said from her shoulder.

  You are not with me. Unable to keep the bitterness from her tone, it was hard not to demand the squirrel leave her presence for the duration of the trip.

  I am, Alazne. You’ll see.

  Chapter 18

  Zenon watched the empty seat across from him as he ate his meal. Except for the occasional nod and “Welcome back,” his shipmates left him alone.

  Alazne wasn’t coming.

  Was it because of his royal status? There were two kinds of women in his experience with that: ones who were intimidated into running away and ones who flocked to him in the hopes of being lavished with riches. The latter type, the ones who threw themselves at him, were the most common, unfortunately. He could only ever play with them, as a relationship could only be between he and another royal.

  Playing was something he learned early on he didn’t want. Those women took advantage, knowing he could play but never marry. They were in it for the money, like with his uncle.

  Uncle Hector was a playboy to the max, the women not minding one bit, loving all the money he threw at them; boats, cars, posh spacecraft, lavish hotels and spas, lavish worlds—

  It just wasn’t Zenon. What he wanted was a true mate, his Lifemate.

  Alazne didn’t seem to be either the type to run away or flock. She didn’t react, one way or the other, upon learning he was the Prince of Karr. The fact that she didn’t throw herself at him made him love her all the more.

  Or maybe his status as royalty was sickening to her. Was she disgusted by him? Did it bother her that people followed his orders simply because he was Karr’s future King?

  Maybe it was for the best she didn’t show to dinner—

  But why did she seem so forlorn? Taking her back to her home world was exacting a toll he didn’t fully understand. He wished he could banish whatever was bothering her. He wanted to go to her now. She was attracted to him and he was definitely attracted to her—

  Shaking himself, Zenon mentally stomped the thought. But he hadn’t felt this strongly about anyone ever in his life. He truly loved this woman. Was it possible for him to have a Lifemate that wasn’t a royal like himself?

  And his mother immediately liked Alazne, he knew. Would it be possible to drop the rule of a royal having to marry another royal? His mother believed in fated mates. Surely, she could put this one exception into law—

  “You look like someone snapped your wand in half.” He saw movement out of his periphery a moment before the healer, Jessa, sat in the empty chair across from him.

  “Stick?” Thoughts a whirlwind on his brain, he put on a nonchalant front. “Oh, he’s out exploring the ship.”

  The woman blinked. “He? You make it sound like it has a mind of its own.”

  “Make no mistake,” Zenon leaned forward, eyebrows raised. “Stick does have a mind of his own.”

  “Your wand isn’t like a typical wand, you know that?”

  “It’s not a wand.” Zenon sat up straight, popping a morsel of protein into his mouth. On second thought, maybe Alazne wouldn’t be interested in such a bland meal to begin with.

  Sitting in companionable silence, he asked the question he wanted a real answer to. “How is my mother? Really? The doctors said there was nothing that could be done.”

  “Queen Ariad is going to be fine,” Jessa said.

  Zenon took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Thank the stars.

  “I want to talk to you about Alazne,” the healer said next.

  Zenon nearly choked on the next morsel his put in his mouth. That was abrupt.

  “It has been a very long time since she’s been home,” Jessa said. “Going back to the place she ran away from is hard.”

  “I understand,” he said, heart heavy that he was the cause of Alazne’s forlorn state.

  “She wants to be more than some other man’s Queen,” the healer said next.

  Zenon did choke this time, no air passing between his mouth and his lungs, not even enough to cough. Chest burning, Jessa stood up and went around the table to pound on his back. When the food dislodged, he coughed, sucking in air until the burning in his chest ceased.

  “Are you okay?” she said after a moment, waving off a concerned crewman who poked his head into the dining room from the galley.

  “Did you say, ‘some other man’s Queen?’” Coughing again, he took a swig from his glass.

  “Yes, she is engaged to be married,” Jessa said, returning to the seat. “I thought you knew that.”

  “Not that part. The Queen part—”

  Right then, Stick came rushing in through the main entrance, buzzing around his head like a worried mother hen.

  “I’m fine, Stick.” Zenon swatted the air half-heartedly.
<
br />   The stick patted his head, then his neck. When it went to pat his throat, he grabbed it out of the air. “Everything’s good. Time to go to sleep for a bit.”

  Apparently convinced, the wand didn’t protest when he slipped it into his handmade pant side pocket along his leg.

  Jessa’s mouth was hanging open. “That is the oddest—”

  “Getting back to the Queen part,” Zenon interrupted. The last thing on his mind was the oddity of his possessed stick.

  “You don’t know? That’s weird.” Jessa looked confused. “Queen Ariad knows.”

  His mother knew? “Knows what?”

  “Alazne is the crown Princess of Adamar. At least, until she renounced it.”

  Zenon simply stared, eyes not focused on anything. The words the healer spoke played over and over in his head. Alazne was royalty after all. And his mother knew—

  But this also meant Alazne really was his Lifemate. Did his mother know that too? What did she tell Alazne during their private moments together? The Queen of Karr was up to something. Did she really need a potion from Adamar?

  Heart surging with such intensity, he jumped to his feet, pacing the floor, Jessa’s head following his movements as she continued talking.

  “That’s what I need to talk to you about,” she was saying, and it took a second for him to realize she was talking about Alazne and not the potion. “Everyone knows what happened publicly. It’s what happened privately—”

  “Treat it like not everyone knows, public or private, because I don’t.” Zenon needed to know this story from the top. Looking at the healer, he stopped pacing. “What is the public part ‘everyone knows?’”

  “That Alazne renounced the throne. She went on the PWN—”

  The healer must have seen his brow furrow at the acronym because she paused, adding, “Planet-Wide Network, and announced it to the entire planet, said she accepted exile and bid everyone farewell.”

  “Exile?” he said, blinking.

  “Yes, to renounce the throne means exile.”