Page 32

Annalise

I ’ve never worn armor before. I never thought I would have to. My father forbade me from joining the hunters, and I now know why. I was their greatest weapon—their greatest hope. I know Paul wasn’t my father by blood. But his decision to save me from the life I would have led under the hunter’s jurisdiction will forever remain etched in my mind. Sometimes I wonder if it was that kind of selfless sacrifice after everything he endured that inspired my decision with Ciel.

I splash water on my face, enjoying the cool temperature. Some of it trickles onto my neck, helping me cool off. The forest is filled with the sounds of birds and the slow rush of the river as we finally find a place to rest.

“Are you alright?” Joan kneels next to me, placing her hand along my shoulder as she studies my physical state.

I quickly nod, standing to face the others. While it was my plan to leave, it was Calista’s idea we had to follow if she were to help. We had to wait a day after Cyrus left to allow the servants to see me within the palace and to give Cyrus enough distance that he could not sense me. Now, it is a matter of locating Elias before Cyrus does. All while not being spotted by either army.

“Is Neve close?” I ask. Joan shifts her attention to the trees, once again using her abilities to sense things that I cannot. This is one of the many reasons beasts surpass humans.

Joan shakes her head after a moment, and I release a huff of irritation. The beasts Calista sent with me are powerful beasts who had bright futures before I dragged them into my plans—as was Joan before Cyrus decided to pull her straight from the battlefield to watch my every waking move. I am surrounded by beasts who are unmatched in strength and are willing to take whatever punishment comes their way because, according to Calista, the honor that comes with serving the queen.

It reveals another side to the beast hierarchy—a side I may be able to exploit to my advantage in the future.

Neve was sent ahead hours ago to scout and locate Elias’s camp without being discovered. And as the sun rapidly begins its descent, I feel myself growing antsy with anticipation. If we manage to somehow be spotted by Cyrus, this will all have been for nothing.

“Do not fret, Your Majesty. Neve is an excellent tracker. She will find your enemy and his army, and you will have your revenge,” Audra says reassuringly.

I laugh softly to myself at the strangeness of her comfort. My entire time in the palace was riddled with abuse at the hands of evil beasts. Until Joan, I had never met one who spoke to me like we were equals. And now, this one offers me comfort, even though I couldn’t do this mission without her.

Joan steps up, pulling me from my thoughts.

“The good news is, the king and any enemies are far enough away that we will be safe setting up camp. If Neve doesn’t return by morning, one of us will go looking for her. Do not stress, Your Majesty. The king’s plan will take a few days at least. He’s traveling with a much bigger group and must take more caution since he is within his kingdom. You have plenty of time to find Elias before he does,” she says.

We spend the rest of the afternoon setting up camp. It is much smaller than the ones I’ve seen with Cyrus and Elias, with no war tents or maps, only blankets, weapons, and food.

I gently lay my armor across the fallen log as I make my way to the small fire that’s been lit, the beasts surrounding it all standing as I approach to bow, and I acknowledge their signs of respect. As I take my seat,each beast waits until I am fully seated to relax and take their own. It’s the same behavior I’ve seen beasts give Cyrus, and it has now been extended to me.

I stare into the flames as the fish we caught cooks on the outer edge, the scent making me smile as I think of my past in the village. Fish was a rarity as it was dangerous to travel to the river. My father would take a group once a month to the river to fish. It was forbidden to go without him. And I now understand why. Had anyone come across a beast, they would have died or led the creature back to our home, just as I did.

And now, here I sit, dining with the creatures we feared. So much has changed since then. I silently study the beasts sitting in front of the flames, my curiosity overtaking me. They’re mirror twins. Each of them has a beauty mark on the upper corner near their mouths, yet one is on the left while the other is on the right, like looking into a mirror.

“Thank you for coming with me. You don’t know what this means to me. I know you are putting your lives and futures on the line in doing this, so thank you,” I say.

Silence fills the air as they look at me in shock, but it is Ausifah who speaks, her tone level compared to her sister’s hopeful one.

“Of course. Calista respects you. So we respect you. It truly is an honor to be chosen to be your sword,” she says.

“Even though I am not a beast?” I ask.

Now it is Audra who scoffs. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, it was you who saved Calista’s life ‘even though you are not a beast,’” she says. “We were too young at the time Calista and Neve fought alongside each other. Neve was distraught when Calista was taken, and we all thought that was the end of her. We would never see her again. But she returned, and it was all thanks to you, Your Majesty. Not the general, not the former king, and not the king… you,” she says with a gentle smile.

“The king chose you, and we have seen why through Calista. It is not our place to question, only to protect the future of this kingdom, no matter the reason,” Ausifah finishes for her sister.

My eyes widen as they speak, but Joan is up before I can respond, her eyes focused on the brush behind us. Seconds later, Neve exits, a grin on her lips.

“I’ve found him,” she says.

My heart leaps into my chest, and I rise as well, my excitement flourishing.

“Elias or the king?” I ask, making sure to get clarity before I allow myself to get too excited.

“Elias. But Your Majesty, he is not the only one I have unearthed.”

From the moment my memory returned, I’ve desired nothing above this. That night, I spent hours in Cyrus’s arms, begging for all of it to be a lie—and from then on, I’ve craved this moment. From the time I was old enough to distinguish the risk it meant living, my life has been complicated. During that time, I never had a clear vision for it. Even after Cyrus’s desires fell on me, I always did whatever it took to survive. Which until Elias meant submitting.

I know what I am capable of now. I know what lengths I have gone to, to survive. Because for my entire life, that is all I’ve ever done. But now is the time for me to thrive by stepping into my own shoes. I will not let Cyrus dictate to me any longer. And I will not allow the beast who threatened the life of my children, born and unborn, to live.

Calista’s words to me a few days ago ring in my mind as I think of the kind of queen I want to be. I cannot run from Cyrus’s affection, and I will not allow another beast to raise my son. I will be a queen that beasts like Calista and Joan admire. If I can gain their admiration by being who I’ve always been, I don’t see why I can’t earn a kingdoms.

I shift my attention to the upper branches of the tree from my position on the forest floor. Neve gives true meaning to the word beast as she maneuvers the world like a predator would, effortlessly climbing the thick trunk to hide herself among the leaves.

During her scouting trip, Neve not only discovered Elias’s camp, but foreigners who also seem to be scouting Elias’s presence in Cyrus’s kingdom. But they have yet to reach Elias, and just like Joan said, neither has Cyrus.

Neve is still watching the camp from her position in the branches as Joan exits the thick foliage to relay what she’s found.

“Elias is using beasts to patrol his border. The hybrids are being kept in one location under watch. Elias doesn’t trust them to roam free while he makes his plans,” Joan says.

I release a scoff as I think of how Elias feels about the hybrids. To him, they are disposable. They are threats to his way of life. They are weapons to be used and discarded as easily as I was when he finally saw me as a threat through his lust. And he has beaten fear into an already broken group of people from Cyrus’s punishment given to them due to the war. They have no place in Cyrus’s nor Elias’s reign.

It was clever of him to add them to his army. And it’s ultimately my fault he decided to, as it was a key part of my manipulation to get him to take me to this part of the world.

If they were bred purposefully like me, and the generation of hunters in the last days of the war against the beasts, they can withstand trinkets filled with Elias’s power enough to hold their own against Cyrus and his army.

This entire situation is a mess I want no part of—my father wanted me to have no part of. But I have again and again been dragged into the midst of it, once again being forced to turn a blind eye for the sake of my son.

“Do we know where Elias is located?” I ask.

“It looks like his tent is at the center of the camp. We may have to move at nightfall,” Joan says.

I tense as Neve drops between us from above. “We can’t wait that long. It has to be now. The foreigners will have picked up mine or Elias’s scent by now if their goal is his camp,” Neve says.

Having Neve be a part of this journey is a godsend. I see why she was in line to become a general. Not only did she fight alongside Calista, a beast even Felix admires, but she is an extraordinary tracker, able to see miles ahead of any of us. She is more beast than human, making me wonder what parts of Cyrus I have yet to see because he is holding back.

“Is there no way of telling for sure?” I ask as the entirety of the plan hangs in the balance.

Neve shakes her head. “The closer they get, the lower your chances, Your Majesty. And you haven’t considered that they could be allies to Elias,” she says.

My chest squeezes at the possibility. It was already going to be difficult infiltrating Elias’s camp. But now, there are foreigners on the way.

“That can’t be possible,” I murmur.

Cyrus killed anyone who could have helped Elias. That is why he tried to kill me the night I escaped with my life barely intact. It was sheer luck that Dimitri found me in that market. But we don’t have time to see if these foreigners are a threat or ally to Elias. And with Cyrus’s army closing in by the second, we are trapped on all sides. Neve is right. We can’t wait.

“Then we move now,” I say.

“Can we make it there before the foreigners?” I ask Neve.

She nods. “Their pace isn’t urgent, which concerns me. But we must leave now,” she says.

Before I can move, Joan places her hand on my shoulder.

“Anna, we weren’t prepared to go into his camp in the middle of the day. It will be dangerous,” she says.

Her expression is filled with concern as she watches me, and I know she is trying to prevent me from going. I pull away from her, letting my irritation shine through.

“I am not standing on the sidelines while you all put your lives at risk,” I say.

Joan looks uncomfortable, but remains firm as she speaks. “We have had experience working stealth missions. We know how to work with one another. And Calista assigned everyone here to protect you. We cannot do that if we are worried about more than just capturing Elias,” she says.

“Calista chose each of you because she felt you would be helpful to me,” I say.

But Neve steps between me and Joan, her eyes determined as she watches me.

“She also chose us to protect you, Your Majesty,” Neve says firmly.

I shift my attention to the beasts surrounding me, letting my thoughts be known.

“I know all of you see me as something to protect, but I am not so weak and helpless that I cannot fight. I carry the king’s seal. My body was made to withstand that kind of power. I have trained with the king with this very moment in mind. I didn’t bring all of you along to talk me out of it—only to protect and help me until it is time for me to use his seal. Because once I do, he will know I have left the palace. And I will only have a limited time to use it,” I say as I think of what it does to my body if used for too long, thanks to Elias.

All the more reason for him to suffer.

“Which is why you should let us handle this part. Save your strength. Save the limited time you will have. Use it all to have your revenge,” Joan says.

“No matter what you decide, I will always remain by your side.” Joan kneels as she speaks, and Neve, Ausifa, and Audra all follow suit. I pull in a frustrated breath, warring with myself. I hate this. I don’t want to be pushed aside again, especially since this was my idea. But Joan is right. And the window for us to succeed just got a tighter as we have more to worry about now.

I gently place my hand around Joan’s arm, pulling her up.

“Fine,” I say. “Let’s go get him.”