Page 118 of The Queen’s Shadow

“I’ll explain later.” He said and she nodded.

She reopened the nearly healed wound on her hand from their last blood oath, and Zayne followed suit. They shook hands briefly, and the magick of the oath flared to life around them. When Raven stepped away, it was her turn to sneer at Zayne.

“Now, kneel.” She hissed, and watched down her nose as Zayne, The Bone Prince, bent his knee before her.

To my surprise, he did not hesitate. “My Queen.” He purred, though when he looked up from where he kelt, he only had eyes for me. I sank my teeth into my lower lip and forced myself not to shiver. What had I just done?

Suddenly, there was an echoing crack that exploded, louder even than the thunder that Elektraz had summoned with its storm. The great Titan flapped its wings in warning. I felt its urgency as it suddenly took off into the sky, nearly blowing us away with the mighty beat of its wings. My gaze followed the massive bird as it soared through the air, towards the perimeter of Midasara, and my heart skipped a beat.

There, outside the massive walls that lined the city, were thousands and thousands of soldiers. The orange and tan flags of The Court of Gluttony combined with The Court of Lust’s signature crimson and black, peppering the front lines.

They were here.

Dossidian

“Slow down, Obeah Man, think before you act. You’re dropping your shoulder again.” I said, pointing out Conrad’s poor form. It had been nearly a week and we had been sparring every day. He was getting better much faster than I had anticipated. I was rarely able to land a hit anymore, though his form was still sloppy.

“Yuh righ’ yuh righ.” He said, frowning, before readjusting his stance. I sighed, and reiterated the correct steps of the move, hoping he would commit it to memory.

With each day that passed, I was getting more and more anxious to get back. I wasn’t sure if Raven had returned, and if not, someone needed to check in on the shadowstone production and ensure that our borders were being maintained.

It wasn’t that what we were doing here wasn’t important. It was just impossible to be in two places at once, and I was beginning to wonder whether or not I was still needed here. The Origindamned magick folk and their bureaucracy. It always took ages to get anything done with them. I was not made for boardrooms and esoteric conversation. I was a warrior and a strategist. Waiting for the deliberation to end was grating on nerves I didn’t even know I had.

It hadn’t helped that Meredith had seemed to be avoiding me, and I couldn’t deny the sharp pinch in my chest at the thought that she might be upset. I told myself it was for the best. However, every time I caught a flash of her skirts as she made her way to tend to her ever growing stock of hemoglo, I found myself wanting to follow her. The few times I might have done so, Trenton Blackwood seemed to be lurking nearby, shamelessly watching me. Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to Meredith’s solitary workspace, I had resigned myself to keeping busy by training the Obeah Man.

The more I thought of it, the better the idea of going back to court seemed to be, on all fronts.

“How much longer do you think it’s going to take them to make a decision?” I asked Conrad as he evaded another well-placed strike from my blade. He shrugged, pursing his lips.

“Mi nah know. Could be a day, could be a month.”

That was what I was afraid of.

“I can’t stay much longer without checking back into court.” I said, my voice somber. He wiped sweat from his brow and met my eyes. He nodded curtly, his face just as grave.

“Mi know.”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving you and Meredith here alone.” I said cagily. I knew they could take care of themselves. Even Meredith was not helpless. I had seen her fight, and she was quick. She moved like a dancer. However, just because she could do something, didn’t mean that I was comfortable with it.

“If dey nah come to a conclusion soon, yuh should go back.” Conrad said, he took one look at my stony expression and gave me a lopsided grin and a wink. “If yuh worried about Mer, don’t be. Mi make sure she stay safe.”

“I’m worried about all of it.” I said, sheathing my sword. “If they side with Trenton we have a huge problem. Have you decided what you’re going to do if that happens?” Conrad’s smile disappeared and he glanced down at the ring on his finger, spinning it with his thumb.

“If dey side wit Trenton, mi have a decision tuh make.” He told me. I felt for him. He had worked his whole life for a position on The Board. To see that the organization you had dedicated so much blood, sweat and tears to had turned into something that went against what you stood for must be excruciating.

“Well… whatever you choose, you will always have friends in The Court of Pride.” I told him, and he smiled at me, though there was a twinge of sadness to it.

“Thank yuh, Dossidian. Dat means a lot.”

“Hey.” We both turned to find Meredith standing at the edge of the ring, her blond fly-away hair tangled in a low braid at the nape of her neck. Her long, forest green skirt blew gently against her slender ankles and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. “Sofia is calling us back. They have made a decision.” She informed us, wringing her fingers together, and biting her bottom lip. I wanted so badly to pull the abused flesh out from between her teeth and tell her it was going to be okay. I resisted the overwhelming urge. I had no way of knowing if it was going to be okay. It very well could be an absolute disaster.

Conrad sheathed his rapier and nodded firmly. “‘Aight. Let’s go.” He said, glancing down at his ring again. The way he frowned down at the signet told me I wasn’t the only one who was worried about how this would turn out.

We gathered at the summit of justice and waited for Sofia to begin the meeting. The Siren and Trenton sat to her left, Conrad and I sat to her right.

Since Trenton’s ‘demonstration,’ the magick folk had grown even more cautious of me. Their previously curious stares had become more hostile, and many of them regarded me with pure, unfiltered terror in their eyes. It did not bode well for our case.

The Siren kept her gaze cast downward. Trenton, on the other hand, seemed calm and at ease. He regarded the congregation with a sort of poised confidence, as if he knew something we didn’t. It made my skin crawl.