The Midnight Queen

by Christopher Keene

He looked her in the eyes despite her glower.

  She looked at Princess Emerald and whispered, “If I were to ask you to go against the Rangers here, Sis, would you do it?”

  Princess Emerald shrugged. “For you, I guess. Why ask?”

  Princess Sapphire snorted bitterly. “Because when we leave tomorrow, we’re taking Aelyph with us.”

  Otto sighed. “I had a feeling that’s what you were talking about last night. I say, you two are nothing but trouble. At least explain to me how exactly you plan to do this over breakfast. I feel my mind will not keep up otherwise.”

  Princess Sapphire grinned at him. “I swore I almost saw you draw your blade there. I’m still interested to see if that thing’s not just for show.”

  Otto shook his head. “In due time, Princess. In due time.”

  ***

  Otto was fortunate to pass a butcher on his way back who had a truffle pig roasting on a spit and allowed him to purchase a slice. He sat at the wooden table outside the barracks with the princesses, Princess Sapphire making sure they weren’t being spied on by one of the Rangers.

  “So tell me if I’m mistaken on any of this,” Otto popped some pork into his mouth. “Aelyph Maleroth, the one Riftling the elves happened to capture, has turned rogue against his own kind, fled the Midnight Tower, and is now willing to guide us back there?”

  Princess Sapphire rolled her eyes but nodded. “He’d been trapped in there for years. He doesn’t want to return there but is willing to show us the way if we break him out. And quite frankly, I’m more inclined to trust his words than the words of elves willing to point arrows at us.”

  “Yeah . . . This all seems odd for a bunch of Rangers.” Princess Emerald peered around. “No elf acting rationally would ever treat a princess in such a way unless they were Nether Elves.”

  “So how do you plan on freeing him?” Otto asked. “Storm the Flicker Cells, break him out, and just happen to escape the most skilled trackers in the Fae Wood?”

  Princess Sapphire rubbed her chin. “I think . . . we’ll need a distraction. Something that can take their minds off us long enough for us to get in and out and escape safely.”

  Otto spread his hands in exasperation. “Okay, great. And what would act as a good enough distraction to allow us to pull that off?”

  “Come on, Shiny, it can’t be that hard. What about a fire?” Princess Emerald said. They all looked at her. “Oh right, they’ve lacquered the wood . . . Never mind.”

  Princesses Sapphire and Emerald looked down in thought again.

  “In any case, we need to figure this out before nightfall,” Otto said. “If we’re leaving the Grove tomorrow morning, it means we only have today and tonight to make a plan.”

  Princess Sapphire’s jaw clenched. “We’ll think of something. We have to.”

  However, despite their determination to figure out a method, no plan arose that wouldn’t have needed an army, a hunt, or pleading for the Goddess’s mercy. Thankfully, as the sun descended below the trees, another force intervened.

  Chapter 11: Corruption

  As twilight—made even darker by the overshadowing trees—came upon the Flicker Fire Grove, a portal to the Nether Rifts opened up near the prison, and the Midnight Queen stepped through. She had been dropped in the Fae Wood by Nightsong, using the Nether to get through the Grove’s walls, but the undead dragon still circled above the trees in case she needed him.

  Being near the Deeproot Tree, she shivered uncomfortably. Dear me, I will never get used to this place.

  Concealed within her robe, she walked through the Grove, her high heels stabbing at the dead leaves along the track as she went. Elves and explorers stared at her as she gazed around the Grove, pleased with what she saw. The cages of the Flicker Cells, the elven guard’s patrolling and even harassing some of the quiet passersby . . . The Dark Consul’s whispers were doing their job nicely here as well.

  It’s always fun seeing how even the smallest of nudges can trigger the darkness in people’s hearts. Very soon some of them will be ripe candidates to become Nether Elves.

  Along with the Cult of the Dark Consul in Crystalia Castle and the many other influences she had witnessed throughout the other realms, she was glad to see that even a place in the protection of the Deeproot Tree was far from devoid of the corruption. Having traveled through the Nether Rifts multiple times now, she could see the lingering effects that the Dark Consul’s mere will had on the land.

  I’ve even heard the methods of the Glimmerdusk Rangers have become more extreme of late. It’s always good to see a noble warrior race brought low.

  However, she found being a catalyst to spark large-scale conflicts far too slow for her liking. She preferred to stir trouble the old-fashioned way, mainly through an invasion of monsters.

  “As much as I enjoy the sudden bouts of fire in this place . . .” She spoke to both herself and to the Nether through the portal that remained open behind her. “It seems that the elves here have adapted so their homes won’t be burned, and if the houses won’t burn, it seems I will need to find another way of causing destruction in this place. You don’t mind, do you?”

  When no answer to her question was voiced, she smiled. “Well now, of course you don’t.”

  Stepping out in front of the portal, she pointed her scythe and the portal changed its shape from a circle to a wide oval.

  “And how else would I draw out these righteous pests than by sending some of my charming minions to harm the innocent, hmm?”

  A loud screech from several Nether creatures sounded from the portal. The elves stepped away from her in fear, but not far enough. Suddenly an army of Nether monsters appeared. Wyrmlings with their small wings and fire breath, Nether Whelps with their pointed bodies and claws, and smaller Nether Hatchlings arose from the widened portal and began rampaging between the many houses.

  The Midnight Queen watched as several guards stood to fight one of the Whelps, but the elven warriors were quickly overrun by adult wyrmlings blowing purple flames down on them. She grinned and spread her hands, letting even more come through.

  Take them, my pets, take them all!

  Reveling as the chaos of the night began, the Midnight Queen strolled through the Grove in the hopes of finding a place she could sit and watch the carnage and maybe locate her true targets.

  Chapter 12: Those Whom I Must Protect

  Otto was already in his armor when the invasion began. Not knowing when Princess Sapphire would do something foolish and go forward with whatever scheme she had concocted, he waited for her to ask him to protect her. However, he had no idea that it would be to the aid of the village that he’d be running to.

  When the screams started, he grabbed his sword and ran out of his room. Monsters swarmed the Grove. Close to him, a Nether Whelp chased after several elf sproutlings. Otto did not hesitate. He drew his longsword and ran in. As a claw was about to come down on the children, he slashed his sword up, cutting off the monster’s arm, before spinning into a stabbing motion to finish it off.

  “Run home and stay inside!” he shouted.

  The children nodded and ran off. Otto turned back into the fray, amazed at the sheer number of monsters that had invaded the Grove. They were clustered in an area around the prison, and many of the elves were attempting to raise makeshift walls to block them off. Still other elves cast spells in their attempts to repel the monsters’ advance.

  Looks like we have a siege at hand.

  As though to contradict his thoughts, a group of hatchlings charged his way. With precise strikes, he cut through each of them before flicking the ichor from his steel. A dark-winged, spine-backed wyrmling flew overhead, crying loudly before purple flames filled its mouth. He was about to look for cover when a form leapt on its back, plunging a sword through it.

  The wyrmling fell from the air, Princess Sapphire riding it down until it hit the earth. She rose with a big grin on her face.

 
“I think this will work as a good enough distraction,” she said.

  Otto frowned. “You didn’t . . .”

  “This?” She waved a hand out to the chaos. “How could I have possibly caused something like this? Doesn’t mean we can’t use it, though.”

  Otto sighed. Even more elven villagers were running toward them with Whelps on their tails. “Well, Princess, it seems you’ll finally get what you want and see my blade work.” He gestured to the charging monsters. “Shall we?”

  Princess Sapphire inclined her head. “Try to keep up.”

  Otto scoffed as she ran past the fleeing villagers and began striking at the Whelps. Knowing that she expected him to watch her back, Otto charged in and struck at the monsters trying to get at her rear. He took down two with efficient cuts and spun as he felt a claw swipe at his back.

  He whirled around, swinging his blade in a slash that caught the throat of the Whelp attacking him before assisting in cutting down the monster Princess Sapphire was struggling with. Despite his assistance, she gave him an unimpressed look, as though saying that his help wasn’t necessary. However, he was beginning to think she didn’t know she had bitten off more than she could chew. Even more hatchlings forced them back-to-back.

  “Strike true, good Sir Paladin.”

  Otto ground his teeth and swung his blade in a wide arc that took out two of the hatchlings at once. He spun to strike down two more. He turned back to give Princess Sapphire some help. She was grinning at him. All of the Whelps and hatchlings around her were gone.

  “Impressive,” Otto said.

  “Likewise.” She whipped the hair from her face. “Shall we push on?”

  Otto nodded. Together they rushed toward the prison. They came to the barricade the elves were trying to set up and skirted around its flanks—where the monsters were rushing to get past as well. They cut down two monsters each before the Whelps and hatchlings started to overwhelm them.

  There were suddenly several loud explosions above them, and a group of the smaller monsters dropped to the ground. Just before a wyrmling could light them aflame from above, it fell dead from the air. They turned in surprise to see Princess Emerald lying on the branch of a tall tree, spying through the scope of her rifle.

  “Thanks, Sis!” Princess Sapphire then called to Otto, “Come on!”

  With the guards’ attention on the attack instead of the prison entrance, Otto and Princess Sapphire were free to run over the root bridge to get inside. Some of the Nether monsters had invaded the dark place already and were tormenting the prisoners through the bars of their cages.

  One of the Whelps roared upon seeing them, which echoed throughout the prison. Otto and Princess Sapphire took turns attacking and defending until it was no more. They rushed through the rows of cages, taking out monsters as they went. Just when Otto was starting to lose patience, Princess Sapphire came across Aelyph’s cage.

  “Hold tight,” she said. “We’re getting you out of here.”

  “What are these monsters doing in here? Has the village been overrun?” Aelyph asked.

  Otto walked to the cage. “Not yet, but while the elves attempt to prevent that, the princess believes we can get you out of here. The lock, Princess, with me. One, two . . .”

  On three, they both swung their swords at the padlock holding the door, which broke under their combined might. Aelyph opened the door, rushed from the cage, and began to search the neighboring cages.

  “What are you doing?” Princess Sapphire asked.

  “Trent will be able to help us get away. He knows this Wood better than me.”

  Princess Sapphire looked around, confused. “The Treant monster?”

  Aelyph nodded. “You two go ahead and I’ll meet up with you at the entrance, I promise.”

  Otto frowned. “Wait. We just came here to free you, and now you want to leave us?”

  Princess Sapphire grabbed him by his shoulder and turned him. “I trust him, Otto. Let’s get out of here!”

  Otto shrugged. He had wanted to leave since they had arrived and didn’t want to argue with her now that she was talking sense. They ran back to the entrance, cutting down Nether monsters as they ran.

  “Are you sure it was smart to let him go to find his friend?” Otto asked as several hatchlings surrounded them.

  Princess Sapphire cut down one and ran through the gap. “The monster he’s talking about is pretty big; he could be of use!”

  Otto leapt over the small creature screeching at him, not wanting to waste time fighting it. “He could be of use right now. Are you sure the Riftling wouldn’t have just found his own way out and fled into the Wood?”

  “Oh, come on. He swore he would show us to the Midnight Tower, and he can’t do that unless he’s got someone who can lead him out of the Wood, right?” Princess Sapphire spun and slashed at a hatchling nipping at her heels, ignoring the fact that Princess Emerald could have led them through the Wood. “Besides, we can handle a few hatchlings by ourselves, can’t we?”

  They reached the entrance, only to find the entire base of the bridge crowded with Nether monsters, including several large wyrmlings.

  Otto stopped, not able to find a way through them. “It’s not really hatchlings I was afraid of.”

  The monsters advanced up the root bridge. Otto and Princess Sapphire stood their ground, swords drawn, despite being clearly outnumbered.

  “So what now?” Otto asked.

  Then a massive tree-like form leapt from the prison window and began taking out the monsters. The huge tree-beast unfolded to his terrible height, stretching branches to the sky and roots across the ground. He looked around the prison and a smile stretched his wooden form.

  Princess Sapphire grinned. “That’s what.”

  Aelyph ran out from behind them, now carrying the wrapped object Otto had seen Gloom holding when they first met with the elves. “Come on; Trent will clear a path for us. We just need to get out of here.”

  Princess Sapphire raised an eyebrow at Otto, but he just rolled his eyes and led the way down the bridge.

  They looked back as Trent took out the final two Whelps and waved to them. “I had a friend. Gonna find him.”

  Trent the Treant lumbered off into the night. Clearly Aelyph’s justification for freeing him had just been an excuse, for the Riftling said nothing as the giant creature departed.

  As they ran, two more wyrmlings swooped in to block their paths, but Princess Emerald quickly shot them down. Otto glanced over his shoulder to see her running to catch up with them.

  “What took you so long, Sis?” Princess Emerald asked. “Did Shiny slow you down?”

  “We wouldn’t have even been in there if it weren’t for her!” Otto shouted back. “You owe us now, Aelyph.”

  Behind him, Aelyph’s low baritone rumbled, “The favor will be repaid tenfold.”

  There was a thump in front of them and, of all of the forces the Nether had under its command, Otto would have never assumed it could influence a creature as strong as a Glimmerwing.

  A close cousin to the dragon, the Glimmerwing stood two stories tall, green with wings like those of a fairy. It was a fae creature after all, which made its presence all the more troubling.

  “Go back! We have no fight with you!” Princess Emerald called.

  It roared, standing its ground.

  “It’s not moving. We’ll have to go through it.” Princess Sapphire started to charge at it.

  Aelyph raised his arm to block her path. “Allow me, Princess.”

  Otto’s jaw dropped. “My word, you want to fight that thing on your own?”

  Aelyph unwrapped the cloth from the long object to reveal a beautiful lance. Otto gasped at the dragon-head cross guard, recognizing it as a magical relic left by the Goddess.

  Hefting the lance, Aelyph advanced on the Glimmerwing. “They don’t call this weapon the Dragon Lance for nothing.”

  The massive, green lizard l
owered its body and screeched as Aelyph started into a sprint. With a fluid movement, he pointed his lance at the dragon, which began to charge at him with fangs bared.

  Princess Emerald leaned in Otto’s direction. “Have you heard of this Dragon Lance before?”

  “I have,” Otto said as the Glimmerwing lashed its tail. Aelyph dodged it, stepping back as the dragon spun on him. “The Dragon Lance is a relic thought to have been lost long ago. It is said that it can be used to kill any dragon.”

  Aelyph rolled to one side to avoid one of the monster’s claws and rose with his lance held back, as though trying to time his strike just right.

  “It was said that the dragons themselves hid the weapon in fear that it might kill every last one of them,” Otto continued. “The fact that Aelyph has the weapon now is incredible, to say the least, but the real question is if he can use it.”

  The Glimmerwing launched itself at Aelyph. The Riftling ran in and slid on his knees, raising the lance as he passed under it. There was a roar as the point of the lance drove home. As the Glimmerwing flopped over on its back, Aelyph swung around on the lance’s pole, coming to land on the creature’s belly.

  Princess Sapphire walked over and nudged Otto in the ribs. “See? Aren’t you glad I decided to free him now?”

  Otto nodded as they walked over to the slain monster.

  “I thought as much,” Aelyph said as he drew back his lance. “The Glimmerwings are related to dragons, so it only makes sense that this weapon would work just as well on one as it does on the other.”

  Otto grunted. “You have our thanks, but now we must make our retreat before the Rangers can reorganize and begin tracking us.”

  “I believe the way out is over there.” Aelyph pointed, and the four of them fled from the village.

  Chapter 13: Blackroot Grotto

  Sapphire was running as fast as she could, but she couldn’t keep up with the Riftling. After killing the Glimmerwing, Aelyph had taken the lead in front of Sapphire and the others as they made their way into the tunnels inside the walls of the Flicker Fire Grove.