The Midnight Queen

by Christopher Keene

  Just then, Sapphire heard what she assumed Emerald, with her elf-like hearing, had heard since they arrived in the room: the sound of heavy footsteps.

  “I think we’re about to find out.”

  The footsteps became louder until the golem, Daemonus, emerged from the darkness, carrying Ruby in her stasis chrysalis over one shoulder. Sapphire had always been suspicious of the golem that used to follow her sister around, but after hearing of Terras and Gork’s story, she had no doubt. It was an agent of the Dark Consul. This was made clear as the golem stomped away from the entrance and another figure appeared from the crypt.

  It was a woman in a dark robe. She was wearing high heels and carrying a wicked scythe, and although her hood hid her eyes, her smile was clearly visible.

  “Put her down!” Emerald aimed her rifle at the golem threateningly. “Put my sister down now!”

  “My poor dears!” The woman spoke in a husky voice. “What a shame it is that I cannot stay longer, but as you can see, I’m here to rescue a princess.”

  Sapphire stepped forward and raised her blade, pointing it at the woman. “Who are you?”

  The woman did not answer—her smile only widened under her hood.

  “By the Goddess!” Otto stood beside Sapphire. “That woman . . . I believe she is the Midnight Queen!”

  Sapphire ground her teeth in anger. Before them was the person who had been the cause of everything since her sister was kidnapped.

  “Witch!” Emerald cursed, targeting the Midnight Queen instead of the golem.

  The Midnight Queen spread her arms. “I would love to stay and chat, but we can’t leave Princess Citrine waiting, can we? They are very eager to see each other again, I’m sure.”

  Sapphire gasped. “So, you do have Citrine!”

  Emerald opened fire, but a rift to the Nether appeared in front of the Midnight Queen, swallowing the bullets. A smaller portal opened up behind her and the bullets flew from it, shooting into the back wall. The Midnight Queen turned to leave. A much larger portal to the Nether appeared to her left, and Daemonus carried Ruby’s body into it. As it passed through the portal, the Midnight Queen made to follow it.

  “Where is she?” Sapphire screamed.

  The Midnight Queen stopped, halfway through the portal so that only half of her wide smile could be seen. “Now, why would I tell you that?”

  “I say, stop right there!”

  Otto sprinted forward. As he leapt at the Midnight Queen, the portal closed, leaving him nothing but the rock floor to grab hold of in his fall.

  Chapter 6: The Fae Wood

  The Midnight Queen’s portal shrank to a pinprick and vanished. Otto fell to his knees, growled, and punched the floor. He turned back to the princesses. While Princess Emerald’s gaze dropped to the floor as she lowered her gun, Princess Sapphire looked angered by the Midnight Queen’s actions.

  Princess Sapphire unclenched her balled hands and exhaled, relaxing her shoulders. Seeing her hold down her anger allowed Otto to hold back his own. He pushed himself to his feet and strode between the two princesses and down the corridor. He had failed to capture the Midnight Queen but felt far from disheartened. All he needed was permission from the king in order to begin his quest.

  Princesses Sapphire and Emerald followed him down the corridor, and they found King Jasper in the throne room. He was sitting on his throne, leaning forward and pinching the bridge of his nose. They stopped before him on the long throw rug, and Otto gave a quick bow. The king’s eyes were reddened.

  The poor man. The hope of the prophecy was the only thing his people had to rely on, and since Princess Ruby’s death, that hope is gone.

  “Your Majesty, Princess Ruby’s body has been taken from the crypt. Using the Crystal Chamber and the Heroes you have gathered, I will have your daughters brought back to you by the next moon, you have my word!”

  King Jasper shook his head. “In the state it’s in, the mystics cannot use the Crystal Chamber to send you anywhere, and due to the collapse of the Rain Court stairwell, the other Heroes are trapped up there until the rubble is removed. I’m afraid that the only way to get to the Midnight Tower would be to go on foot through the Fae Wood, and now only you are free to travel that path.”

  That’s going to make things more difficult.

  Princess Emerald caught her father’s gaze. “I can show him through; I know the Fae Wood like the back of my hand.”

  “I’m going too,” Princess Sapphire said.

  Princess Emerald whirled on her in excitement. “All right! We can camp out!”

  “That’s the last thing on my mind, but sure.”

  “My word, you two really are sisters, aren’t you?” Otto tried not to smile. “With the Heroes stuck up in the Rain Court and Nightsong who knows where, you two would probably be safer out of the Castle anyway.”

  King Jasper nodded with a thoughtful expression. “Very well. You two will accompany him. I now believe I know why the Midnight Queen took Ruby.”

  Otto frowned, perplexed. “Really? Why is that, Your Majesty?”

  King Jasper reached into his robe and pulled out a small, metallic disc. “It’s because we now possess this.”

  Princess Emerald’s brow rose. “What is it?”

  “A coin that the mystics have told me might bring Ruby back to life. The Midnight Queen knew that as long as one of you was dead, the Prophecy of the Five could not come to fruition. This . . . this coin has been our only hope to revive her. Yet, no matter what I’ve tried, I could not get it to work. I believe the Midnight Queen thought we would eventually succeed in using it to bring back Ruby. Kidnapping her was the only way she could guarantee we wouldn’t use it to resurrect her and allow the prophecy to take place.”

  Otto crossed his arms and nodded. “So that coin might somehow be able to bring Princess Ruby back. That’s capital news, Your Majesty! But if that’s so, why didn’t she try to take the coin instead?”

  “The royal crypt is home to the bones of everyone in my family. This coin could have been held by any one of my retainers, but Ruby’s body would have only been in one place. I believe that she thought it was easier just to take her body to stop us.”

  King Jasper gestured Princess Sapphire over to him. She gave him a puzzled look and shuffled forward. The king took her hand, turned it over, and placed the coin on her palm. “Maybe you will succeed where I have failed.”

  Princess Sapphire shook her head, still holding the coin out. “I can’t take this, Father.”

  King Jasper closed her fingers around it and patted her knuckles. “Please, this might be the only chance to fulfill the prophecy and bring peace to Crystalia. The last of my hopes”—he looked from Princess Sapphire to Princess Emerald to Otto—”now lie with the three of you.”

  Princess Sapphire clutched the coin tightly and nodded. She turned to her sister. “Let’s go.”

  Without hesitation, both princesses turned to leave and marched out of the throne room. Otto went to follow them, but then stopped and glanced back at the king, who looked ready to collapse.

  “Give my father my best.”

  King Jasper nodded gravely. “I will, so long as you promise to bring my daughters back to me.”

  Otto smiled and bowed to him. “Yes, Your Majesty. I shall protect them with my life.”

  He straightened, flicked back his cape, and started to follow on the heels of the princesses. The large Castle doors had already been opened to allow them through, and he strode down the steps to catch up with them. They had already made their way past the courtyard gardens and were striding between the two royal guards at the gate.

  These princesses are not going to make this journey easy, either.

  Although it was twilight, Castletown’s stores were open well into the night. The call of shopkeepers and the smell of meats wafted into the air from the many stores lining Rellius Square. Otto passed a forge and several stands before pausing. The princess
es were already getting their own supplies from the stores.

  “So what do you need, Shiny?” Princess Emerald asked while looking through an old gunman’s collection of artillery.

  “Shiny?” Is that her nickname for me now?

  “A Paladin should always have what he needs at all times, and our weapons and armor are provided for us.” Despite this, after smelling the spiced meat, his eyes wandered around the many stalls until landing on some ration packs. “That being said, I didn’t get a chance to resupply my rations before the king sent us on our way.”

  Princess Sapphire turned from a whetstone she was looking at and flicked him a pouch of Coins. “Always come prepared, eh?”

  Otto caught it and stuck out his bottom lip. “Capital. I suppose we Paladins could very well take a lesson from you royals.”

  Princess Emerald pulled on a fresh belt of bullets as Otto purchased the rations from an old shopkeeper. Most of what they bought would be reimbursed by the treasure they found on their journey. He pocketed the rations under his armor and patted his breastplate.

  Princess Sapphire nodded. “Are we ready?”

  Otto looked from her to Princess Emerald. “Why, I believe so.”

  Princess Emerald stuck out her bottom lip. “What are we waiting for then?”

  Princess Sapphire once again led the way from Rellius Square, followed by Princess Emerald and Otto as they made a beeline through Castletown to the city walls. Even from the main gate, Otto could see the Fae Wood in the distance, the massive Deeproot Tree rising from it like a mountain in the far distance. He hoped they would make it under the cover of the trees before the sun went down.

  It was evening by the time they arrived at the main gates, but they had yet to be ambushed by any attacking dragons or kobolds. Nevertheless, Otto’s eyes darted from place to place as they walked.

  Calm yourself, Otto, this isn’t Pickled Lane. Yet . . . was that attack just a distraction? Does the Midnight Queen know we have already left the protection of the Castle?

  “My ladies, Sir Paladin,” the gate guards said in unison as the trio made their way between them.

  “Any word from the Rangers today?” Princess Emerald asked.

  The older guard shook his head. “No news. It’s been oddly quiet.”

  “Well, if there has been any danger, I guess we’ll see firsthand when we arrive.” Princess Sapphire grinned. “I’d have it no other way.”

  Otto remembered his pledge to the king and bowed his head. “By the light of the Goddess, I pray not.”

  Princess Emerald smirked. “Are you afraid?”

  “For your sake, indeed I am,” Otto said.

  Princess Emerald shook her head in amusement. “You’ll soon see that the king was being overly cautious, sending you with us.”

  Great, and here I thought this was my quest.

  They veered off the track and onto the grass path leading north from Castletown to the southernmost point of the Fae Wood. The next inhabited place was the Flicker Fire Grove, nearly two days away. If he could get the princesses there safely, he might be able to enlist some Glimmerdusk Rangers to guide them the rest of the way.

  As they approached the thick trees of the Wood, Otto’s gaze met Princess Emerald’s before it shifted to the trees.

  “What are you looking at, Shiny?”

  Otto cleared his throat and looked back to the trees. “I daresay, I remember you telling the king that you’ve had some experience in here.”

  Princess Emerald raised her chin. “I trained with Treffen in the Fae Wood. I know them like they’re my own backyard.”

  “Capital.” Otto sighed. “It’s good to know we have someone who can talk to the Rangers if we run into them.”

  As they came to the trees, Princess Emerald took the lead, cutting between two large trunks, seeming to find a natural path through the dark Wood as easily as if it had signs marking it. Princess Sapphire followed her and Otto took up the rear.

  “I could have sworn I remember reading that there is a path through the Wood,” Otto said.

  “There is, but until we come under the shadow of the Deeproot Tree, it would be better to avoid the paths. You never know who could be spying on those entering the forest. For all we know, something could be stalking us, even now,” Princess Emerald said.

  Otto’s eyes shifted. “I’m more worried about this forest.”

  Princess Emerald snorted. “That’s why I’m here, remember?”

  “And it is indeed a relief.”

  “That being said, it wouldn’t be hard to find our way back if we get lost.” Princess Emerald peered back. “We’ve been leaving tracks like crazy.”

  Otto looked behind him. Birds fluttered through the trees, and truffle pigs who had been sniffing their footprints in the distance rushed from his gaze. However, it wasn’t just their footfalls that had left a mark, but his armor had broken branches and scraped against trees.

  “My word, I didn’t even notice.”

  “That’s the problem.” Princess Emerald rolled her eyes. “Someone could use it to track us.”

  Princess Sapphire stopped and drew her sword. “Someone already has.”

  Princess Emerald frowned and looked around. “What do you mean?”

  “Warrior’s instinct. I sense a hostile presence.”

  It wasn’t until Princess Sapphire had brought it up that Otto realized he felt it himself. He drew his longsword and nodded to Princess Sapphire. There was a rustle in the trees and a green-cloaked form dropped from the branches to stand before them, followed by two more, arrows nocked in their bows.

  “Wait! These are Glimmerdusk Rangers.” Princess Emerald held up a hand to get them to lower their weapons.

  They did, and she walked out toward the cloaked forms.

  “Peace,” she said.

  The Ranger in front lowered her bow and pulled back her hood. Otto gasped. Not only was the Ranger tall like most elves, but she also had fair hair and blue eyes like those of Sister Claire. She was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

  “Princess Emerald? Princess Sapphire?” she asked.

  “That’s us,” Princess Sapphire confirmed.

  “Treffen sent us to find you. I’m the leader of the Glimmerdusk Rangers. My name is Tytha, and this is my team.” She gestured to the other two Rangers, one short, one tall. “There are two others who’ve set up camp up ahead. Please come with us.”

  Chapter 7: Aelyph Maleroth

  From their hostile introduction, Sapphire didn’t know if she was happy following these Rangers in the darkness. She was just fine with Emerald as her guide but—possibly because Emerald was trained with the Ranger, Treffen—it seemed to Sapphire that her sister was too eager to fall into step with the elven leader’s demands.

  Tytha led them through the brush toward a small clearing. “I apologize for the rude welcome. We had to make sure you weren’t agents of the Midnight Queen.”

  Unlike Tytha, who talked rather openly, the other two elves had yet to open their mouths, or even remove the hoods from their heads.

  “That’s quite all right,” Sapphire said. “We have been a bit on edge ourselves.”

  When they arrived at the clearing, two almost identical male Rangers were sitting around a staff that glowed a bright green. One of the two held a long, pointed object, but Sapphire couldn’t tell what it was, as it was covered with a cloth. The green glow emanating from the staff in the middle of camp didn’t seem to be a fire, but its glow did light the clearing and radiate warmth. It made Sapphire feel slightly tired.

  There were six newcomers in all: five Rangers and another form that was huddled against a tree under a ragged blanket, as far away from the staff as possible. Sapphire moved in around the glowing staff and sat down with Otto and Emerald.

  Tytha strode around to check on her Rangers and looked down at the bundled form. “Didn’t misbehave while was I away, did he?”

&nbs
p; The twin male elves shook their heads.

  “That’s Gloom and Bloom,” Tytha said, gesturing to the round-faced twins.

  Sapphire nodded to them. “Nice to meet you.”

  Emerald pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “Who’s the bag of potatoes over there?”

  Tytha grinned and bent down, grabbing hold of the end of the blanket. “This, our royal guests, is a Riftling that we caught closer to the Deeproot Tree than I would have thought any Riftling could get without having their mind torn apart.”

  She ripped away the blanket. The male Riftling Warrior huddled into the tree behind him, as though trying to block the parts of him that weren’t covered in black cloth and armor from the staff’s green light.

  “As you can see, it’s done a number on his mental state.” Tytha reached between his horns and grabbed his pale hair, turning his purple face up to them. “In fact, I’m still confused as to how you came so close without losing your mind entirely, let alone how you managed to approach without us noticing.”

  All that emerged from the Riftling was a quiet whisper. “Please . . .”

  “Your magic comes from the Deeproot Tree, doesn’t it?” Emerald indicated to the staff pierced into the ground. “If you really want answers from him, then it would not be smart to put him in front of something that will disable his ability to answer you.”

  Tytha shrugged, letting go of the Riftling and nudging him with her foot. “It doesn’t matter. Once we take him back to the Flicker Fire Grove, he’ll spill everything we need to know in our Flicker Cells.”

  Sapphire frowned and stood to face Tytha. “Why are you treating him like this? Can’t you already see that he can barely stand up here? He can do you no harm.”

  Tytha’s expression changed from amused to angry. “No harm? No harm?! Riftlings are in league with the Midnight Queen! Tell my friends who have been fighting and dying on the front lines that he means no harm!”

  “She’s right, Princess,” Otto called as he leaned back on the grass. “Riftlings are from the Nether and fight for the Midnight Queen—they’re not to be trusted.”