by Cate, Marnie
Staring off into the distance, Malise said, “I had the audacity to disagree with Snowystra. I was barely a teenager and I did not want to practice killing them anymore. I was taken to her by one of the guards when I refused.”
With a forced laugh, she said impersonating Snowystra, “You dare to question my will. You do not want to protect me, your Goddess? You are tired of practicing? It appears your time has come. Send her to the desert. Do not return empty handed.”
“I begged her as two of guards dragged me away. I promised that I would learn… that I would never disobey her again. She told me it was too late to pretend to be loyal that I had to prove it. The first night in the desert, I wasn't sure where I would find the dorcha. It was just miles and miles of black sand. My training at the castle did not prepare me. My first kill was a copper shade.”
“You killed a copper shade?” Dunn said. “Those snakes move like lightening.”
“I thought digging a hole to protect me as the night fell would keep me warm,” she said with a laugh. “I disturbed the shade's sleep. If I hadn't been using the knife that I was given to dig the hole, I don't think I would have been able to kill it. Realizing that I would not be able to hide in the open, I walked through the night until I found the Rocks of Praivista. Squeezing myself between two of the rocks, I ate the cold meat of the snake hoping that I would find the dorcha quickly and go home.”
Malise began to laugh hysterically. Her fit ended with tears. Choking out her words between sobs, she said, “Yes, I wanted to come home to my Goddess. I wanted the safety of the walls, not the fear of the unknown.”
“You were a child, Malise,” I said. “There was nothing wrong with wanting to return to your home.”
She composed herself. “Climbing to the top of the rocks, I watched for days and finally found one as the sun was setting. When light came, I went to find it. I searched and searched with no luck. Returning to the rocks, I watched again. The copper shade saved me from needing to find food. Water was trickier but I spotted a vaream growing in a crack of the rocks. The green plant had a small amount of water inside it that I rationed. My skin was red from the hot sun and my body ached. As the sun was rising, I saw the dorcha. I knew that if I went in the light that I would not be able to hide from the other animals but I couldn't wait any longer, even if I had to fight off other creatures. I didn't want to kill the dorcha but I wanted to live. When I reached it, I threw myself on top of it and began stabbing the eyes. The screams of pain were horrible. When I had injured it and it collapsed, I pulled it onto its back. Exhausted and tired, I do not know how I did it but it died. Cutting out its heart, the large dorcha spider underneath me began to shift and changed to a small silver spider. I took the heart and the tiny body with me and returned to the portal cave. Inside it, I found a young girl. When she saw me, she screamed. I imagined seeing someone covered in the green blood of the dorcha and holding a green heart would be a nasty sight for any human to see.”
“Green? Is it also called kan…kan something?” I said as I recalled the meat at our wedding dinner.
“Yes, kanakala,” she said. “How do you know that?”
“That and some purple vegetables were my wedding meal,” I said, feeling sick at the thought.
“Are you ok, min Vizier?” Dunn said. “You look ill.”
“I'm fine,” I said. “Please continue your story. You are in the cave and you found a girl.”
“The girl fainted and I woke her up. I told her to run… to leave,” Malise continued. “She wouldn't leave. I begged her to go. I warned her that there were scary things in this cave. I told her that there were things more frightening than anything she had seen in her world. But, she refused. She said she knew that there was magic here and that I was wrong about her world. When the guards arrived to see if I had returned, they misunderstood. They thought that I had brought her for the Goddess. I remember the guard laughing, saying that the Goddess would be pleased because the last five servants had not worked out very well. I should have told them that they were wrong and I should have helped her escape. But, I was tired and scared for my own life. So, I brought Laura—”
“Laura?” I said. “The Laura that is still here?”
“Yes, the girl that I found was Laura.”
“But, she is older than you?”
“Not at all. I have lived ninety years. I think?”
“Christina, how old are you?” I asked.
Smiling she said, “I am sixty-five.”
“But, you look not much older than my mother. You do not look sixty-five,” I said. “Dunn, how old are you?”
“I'm over a hundred and twenty years. I am very lucky that I was never sent to the desert in all those years,” he said, taking Malise's hand. “But, I always hid in the shadows, even when I was in the castle. I knew nothing of any of this. I knew that people were sent but I thought it was just punishment. I thought it was just another of her cruel games.”
“Why was Laura in the cave?” I said.
“Laura had run away from home. She entered one of the portals by mistake and ended up in the cave. She was to be married to a man old enough to be her grandfather. She said he was a cruel man that had beat her when she said she did not want to be forced to be his wife. I wonder sometimes if she had to make the choice again, would she have married him rather than live here?”
“We cannot go back and wonder if the decisions we made in the past were the correct ones,” Christina said. “We have all chosen this path. The only thing that we can do is focus on today. Laura will need the most convincing to leave.”
The door to the room opened and the three servants stood before they could be seen.
Snapping, I said, “I want it done now. Why do I have to request these things? You should just know what I want.”
Cole strode into the room looking worn. “Who has displeased my beloved?” he said in a cruel voice. “You were all told to please her. I will not tolerate this.”
“Don't worry about that, love,” I said, kissing him on the cheek and pointing my sharp nail at them. “Go now and do as I asked.”
As if I had planned it, servants arrived rolling in trays of food and quickly set the small table. Christina and Malise had thought of everything.
Wrapping my arms around Cole's neck, I whispered, “They will learn what I want or I will replace them. I thought we could have a quiet meal together before we go to the tunnels. Come sit and see what I had sent up.”
Guiding him to the candle lit table, I sat next to him. Christina handed us each a glass. “Will that be all, min Vizier?” she said, as she placed our food in front of us.
“Yes,” I said. “Now leave us alone.” Frustrated at myself for having to pretend to be such a tyrant and even more frustrated at how easily I fell into the role. My only comfort was knowing that Christina knew it was an act.
As he sat sipping the drink, I realized how weak Cole looked. “Do you want to shower or change before we eat?”
“No,” he said, taking off the jacket he had on. “This is fine.”
“Did you find any answers to the issue?” I said, trying to make chit chat.
“More guards are being sent to the outskirts of Snowstrum,” he said, guzzling the rest of the drink. “I have made sure that the palace and the cottages are protected but there is more to do. The protection of the Goddess needs to be my priority. Her sisters' plans to remove her magic again must be stopped.”
“Is there anything I can do?” I said. “I really want to help Snowystra get everything she deserves.”
Like a knife driven through her heart, I thought.
“I know you do, Marina,” he said. “You have shown me with your interest in the Vetur that you understand. Your being here is enough.”
Pointing at the platter in front of us, he said, “So what do we have here?”
“I hope you like what I chose for us to eat. I asked the chef to make one of your favorite meals,” I said, as I took the lid off his pl
atter, showing him the steaming chicken potpie. Cole stared at the pie with a look of sadness.
“Gram's chicken pot pie,” he whispered.
“If you would like something else, I can have it sent up. Try it first though,” I said, holding a spoonful of the food to him.
Accepting the bite, he said, “No, it's good. Lestop did a good job. It tastes almost like what she would have made. I just wished things were different. Mae would have been such a help here. Her gift wouldn't have been wasted. If she had only known the truth.”
“We can't worry about that now. She wouldn't want to hear you talking like this. So, go on and eat your food.” I said. “We still have plans to go to the tunnels tonight, right?”
“I was thinking about that,” he said. “You have been there and you have met everyone. Why the need to go again?”
“I never met them as their queen,” I said, pouring him another drink.
“I was hoping that you had something a little more relaxing in mind for the evening,” he said, taking his last bite. “You are too good to me, Marina. That was the perfect choice.”
“Why don't you rest for a bit,” I said, trying to not be too eager. “I could fix you a bubble bath or you can just take a nap. Your choice.”
His eyes were heavy and the warm meal did not do anything to reinvigorate him.
“Let's take a raincheck on the bath,” I said.
Stripping off his suit, I could see his chest was covered again with red streaks and fresh bruises. He climbed into the bed in his boxers. “Ok for just a bit. Come lay with me and tell me about your day.”
Snuggling into his arms, I rested my head on his chest while he stroked my hair. “I went to the cottages today. They seemed really happy.”
I described the tapestries and the homes, not really knowing if what I was saying was accurate. It didn't matter. He had stopped listening. His breathing became heavy before he began to softly snore.
“Cole,” I whispered, “are you awake? I know the truth, Cole. I am going to stop her and everything will change.”
“Everything will change,” he murmured.
Kissing him on the cheek, I left him to rest and began preparing for my visit to the tunnels.
Chapter 55
Riding in the carriage on our way to the tunnels, I was thankful that I was not thrown through the air on this trip. I was amazed at how much snow there was here. Snow in Starten was rare and when it did fall, it melted quickly.
Cole sat next to me, silently reading a book. Peeking at it, I could not read the words. It was in a strange language.
“What are you reading?” I asked, looking over his shoulder.
“Snowystra gave it to me to help me understand the Vetur,” he said, barely stopping reading to address me.
“Should I read it, too?” I asked, scooting closer to him.
“No, you would find it boring. It is more technical information.”
“I like technical.”
“No, Marina,” he said. “You wouldn't be able to read it anyway.”
Taking it from him, I began to flip through it. “And you can read this?”
“Yes,” he said, taking it back. “I will just be a few more minutes. Look we are almost there.”
Pouting, I looked outside the window and saw a sparkling blue cave in front of us. “What is that?” I asked.
“That is our entrance to the tunnels. It is the access to the portal…” His voice trailed off. I made a mental note to ask Dunn about this instead of pressing Cole.
“I like the outfit you chose for tonight,” he said, inspecting me. Christina had selected a deep red dress that fell above my knees. The long sleeves and scooped neckline made me feel like a little girl playing dress up. “You look like a queen.”
“I didn't wear my crown. Will that be a problem?” I said, laughing.
“Not at all. I am glad you chose to wear the spider necklace that Snow gave you.”
“Of course, it is such a pretty necklace. It almost seems to change color depending on what I wear.”
“Well, you look magnificent, Marina,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. “Red really is your color.”
* * *
Entering the tunnels this time was very different. There was no slime and no crawling on the floor. Instead, we walked through a long, ice blue corridor. Along the way, there were ripples on the wall that caught my eye. Cole held my hand and kept me close, not giving me a chance to inspect."
When we reached the end of the hallway, I saw the ripple in the wall ahead of us. “Did we go the wrong way? We are at a dead end,” I said.
“Trust me,” he said, as he began to walk through the wall.
As half of his body was through, I realized what the ripples were in the hallway. They were portals. Each of them probably was access to the different places she wanted to go. The one we entered led us to the great hall, where we appeared behind the thrones.
As we took our seat, the Vetur below cheered. “They are here! Hail to the Shah. Hail to the Vizier.”
Cole stood at the edge of the platform. “We have come tonight for my new bride to learn more about you. I know many of you but your queen would like get to know you, too. In honor of our new reign, the Vizier has requested that we bring you gifts.”
Guards entered the hall carrying four huge bags. As the contents were dumped on the ground, the Vetur looked down hesitantly at the gifts. Once they confirmed it was real, a wave of bodies attacked the pile. I watched as they clawed, kicked and scratched each other.
Cole laughed. “I told you we should not have brought them anything.”
“Stop them,” I said. “We can't let them fight like this. Make them stop.”
Ignoring me, he wore a look of satisfaction. Cole's eyes became frost white, as he looked down on the fighting.
Shaking his arm, I hissed, “Cole, make them stop now. I didn't come to watch them kill each other.”
His eyes returned to blue and in a deep threatening voice, he yelled, “Stop this immediately!”
Guards began throwing them off the presents.
“You are not animals. The gifts were not to be fought over. There is plenty for all. Stand up. Pick up two items and walk to the walls. Anyone that disagrees with that let me know. I would be happy to discuss your options,” Cole said.
The Vetur stopped and stared at each other before slowly obeying his command. When they had all taken two items, the guards called, “What do we do with the leftovers?”
“Let them work it out themselves,” Cole called down to them. “If there is any more fighting, we will not bring the meal that was prepared for you.”
Silently, the Vetur all went back to the pile and took one item. They repeated the process until there was nothing left. They put on the clothes and jewelry, showing off their prizes. In the new clothing, they looked more like those living in the cottages.
“See how nice they look? Why do we not take care of them like those on the palace grounds?” I questioned.
“These are the lost. They will not care for their gifts. See in an hour how they will treat your presents,” Cole said.
“I have requested the palace chef make a feast for all of you,” I said addressing the crowd. “But, I will not tolerate any more fighting. There will be plenty for all to eat. I promise this. Now line up nicely and take your turns.”
Carts were pushed in by servants from the castle. The Vetur looked at the food with greed and desperation. I could visibly see their efforts to restrain themselves.
When they all had their plate of food and had settled to eat, I said, “I want to know each of you and I want this to be my home as much as yours. But, there will be no more violence tonight.”
As if my words sparked a flame, a fight broke out between two men.
Cole roared, “Bring them to me.”
Carried up the stairs and thrown at our feet, Cole glowered. “What is all of this? Did you not hear your queen's command?”
“I w
as just trying to bring her a gift and he took it from me,” one man said.
“You wanted to give my bride a gift?” Cole said, glaring at the man.
“Yes,” he said. Holding out a snake ring.
Was this my father's ring? How did this get here?
“Thank you,” I said, taking it. “My gifts were not supposed to start a fight.”
“I am sorry. I just thought it looked important,” the man said, hanging his head.
“He did not. You just thought you would get in good with her,” the second Vetur said.
“That is not true,” the man cried.
“The reason does not matter but you both will have time decide the truth in the desert.” Cole said with a smile.
“No,” I started to say. “The desert for fighting?”
“The desert for disobeying a command of their Vizier.”
With those words, they both hung their heads.
“Take them to the jail,” Cole said. “In the morning they will be sent to the Sephorian Desert. When they return in eight days, hopefully they will have learned their lesson.”
The crowd cheered. Seeing how content the tunnels made him, I was not sure how much of my Cole was left inside. The chill in the air made me shiver and I could see my breath. Quickly, I opened the vial that Christina had given me and dropped the granules under my tongue.
As my body warmed up again and I did not notice the cold, I said to Cole, “I would like to see the rest of the tunnels. Can we go now?”
“Unless you are going to borrow some of their trashy clothing for later, I can't see what would interest you here,” he said with a sly smile. “Why bother. All that you will see is here already. If you want, I can have them brought to us one by one.”
A sudden urge came over me to punch and kick at him. I wanted to make him hurt. Controlling my temper, I said, “Never mind. I will go by myself.”
Whispering to Dunn, he said, “Escort the queen through the tunnels and keep her safe.”
Forcing myself to play the obedient queen, I kissed him on the cheek. “I will be back soon. Try not to miss me.”