37. Kellan

Chapter thirty-seven

Kellan

I patrolled the streets of Isla, making sure a soldier was posted at every street corner and alley alike. No one entered or exited the city without my knowing, and that was by the gates or the sea.

I had been rounding up guards to post scouts throughout Velyra. We had no idea where Elianna was or what her plans were, but it was safe to assume she wouldn’t have stayed in the old city of Silcrowe. And with my lies tethered to me under the queen’s grasp, I couldn’t let her know I knew of it. Everything had to be handled with caution to ensure my web of lies didn’t unravel beneath me.

The only thing we truly knew was that the bitch couldn’t hide forever. Whether we had to coax her out once more or meticulously scour every corner of the realm, we would find her and slaughter her little band of rebels.

“Adler,” Braynon called to me as I was stalking toward the seaport.

I pivoted on my heel, not bothering to fix the annoyance on my face. “Braynon, always a pleasure. How can I assist?”

I wanted nothing more than to wipe this lingering weasel off the face of the continent .

“There has been an arrival at the gates,” he announced. “No one gets in or out of the city without being vetted by you, Captain.” His words had a lingering bite to them, as if he couldn’t bear the thought that I was accepted by the queen upon my return.

“Well, who is it?” I barked.

“I’m not sure if I would be able to answer that.” He frowned. “It would be best if you follow me.” He turned to walk back toward the gates on the opposite side of the city.

After following him through the streets, watching as all the passers avoided eye contact with me, we finally reached the front of the city.

The guards inclined their heads at me as they lifted the gate, allowing me to storm between the two towers.

Two figures hidden within the shadows of their hooded cloaks now stood before me. “Who are you, and why have you come to Isla?” I demanded.

Their gazes lifted to my own, and my eyes flared at what I saw—two pairs of red gazes gleaming at me.

I took a hesitant step toward them as my hand instinctively flew to the hilt of my sword. “I will ask you once more, who are you, and wh—”

One of them lifted her hood and gently placed it to rest on her shoulders, but it wasn’t her long onyx hair or sharpened talons that made me feel threatened, but the remaining crimson stare that was locked on me.

“You are the captain, I presume?” she asked, her voice echoing in an otherworldly essence.

“Aye,” I offered.

“We have come to speak to your queen. ”

My eyes quickly darted to the one who had yet to reveal themself. “We are under strict orders to not allow anyone into the city, and I’m afraid that a meeting with the queen would be out of the question, even for a citizen. Never mind someone who is an…” I looked her up and down. “Outsider.”

The second figure removed its hood to reveal a crone beneath it, her appearance vastly different from the other who stood before me, yet she shared the same eerie stare.

“You refuse refuge to two lonely females?” she taunted.

I smirked at her. “It isn’t refuge you seek. You demand the queen as an audience for something.” Ignoring the hairs that stood up in alarm on the back of my neck, I leaned down toward her. “Now, I must politely ask you to leave the city of Isla, or you will face the wrath of the noose for trespassing.”

A sinister grin tilted her lips while her eyes began to glow, and as I quickly moved to unsheathe my sword, my body froze.

What the fuck?!

Suddenly, it felt as if lethal claws were dragging themselves through my skull. And, no matter how hard I strained, my limbs remained immobile, as if they were made of stone.

Sorcery .

“What is the meaning of this?” I attempted to say through my teeth.

“I told you, Captain,” she started. “We wish to speak to your queen. And we need you to ensure that is possible. ”

Before I could process a word the witch spoke, my vision became a hazy blur. Talons scraped down my mind, and then my feet marched without my permission. All control of my body vanished, and I unwillingly led them back through the gates, past the guards that stood watch, and up to the castle where the queen awaited.

The Queen

These passing weeks, Adler ensured that every request I made regarding the city was instantly fulfilled, effectively bringing order within the once chaotic streets. The riots and gatherings that had been occurring since my children abandoned me had ceased.

The masses now bowed before me on days I patrolled with guards at my side. Curfews were set, and my captain was working diligently to build up our army with young males as we prepared to march to the mortal lands to destroy them entirely.

Citizens learned quickly that their pitiful pleas for the mercy of their sons fell on deaf ears. I stripped away their freedoms, like petals plucked from a shriveling flower, just as Elianna had from the two that I loved most in the world. Not only that, but she also had managed to turn my other two children against me as well.

I wouldn’t let the wyvern-riding rebel bitch steal my kingdom from me, too .

In the dimly lit throne room of the castle, I stood upon the dais, my ebony gown flowing like a river of shadows around the foot of the throne. The room echoed with a sinister silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the newly appointed staff that roamed about the castle, tiptoeing around me as if I would strike them as they passed.

My fingers traced the elaborate armrest of the throne; each touch was imbued with a sense of satisfaction that sent shivers through my icy veins. As my thoughts continued to unfurl, the absence of Callius twisted my heart in agony, and a constant lump in my throat threatened to suffocate me every second of the day without him at my side.

I shoved down the overwhelming anguish, locking it away in the depths of what was left of my soul, and allowed an intense, unyielding rage to take its place.

The doors to the main entrance of the throne room swung open, and Adler stalked through with two females accompanying him. My eyes narrowed in on them beneath furrowed brows.

“Captain, what is the meaning of this?!” I demanded, but no words left him. In fact, his body was rod straight aside from the bending of his knees as his legs carried him toward me. My face twisted into a scowl as I stood from my throne.

“Queen Idina, I presume,” the younger of the two spoke. Her voice threatened to send a shiver down my spine, but I ignored the sensation.

“Who are you? ”

“Oh, apologies, Your Highness. How rude of me.” She snapped her fingers, and the tension in Adler’s body instantly eased, earning my curiosity.

“You stupid bitch!” Kellan roared at her, but the female dismissed him with a wave of her hand, sending his body violently flying back into the wall.

My eyes flared, and then my gaze slowly wandered back to the female that approached the dais. I wouldn’t show her an ounce of fear. This was my kingdom.

“Can I help you ladies with something?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side, ignoring Adler as he pushed himself to his feet and stood at the edge of the room, huffing out in anger.

“Your Majesty,” she said with a sly smile. “We have come to offer our services to aid you in your war against the heir of the realm.”

My gaze widened. “There is no longer an heir to the realm, for my son is dead.”

As she watched me intently, she mimicked my head tilt as her eyes narrowed in curiosity. “You have more than just one child, my queen, but none of those are whom I speak of.”

My jaw ticked. “This kingdom doesn’t recognize any other heir.”

“But it does. The realm always recognizes the blood of a true Valderre.”

My gaze whipped to the guards that remained at the door and then to Kellan. “Seize them! ”

Adler hesitantly stormed toward the females that stood before me, and to my surprise, the one who spoke allowed him to place her hands behind her back without a fight.

“I am Azenna, High Witch of The Elora Coven, and I promise you that I am able to break free from any binding you place me in faster than you can blink.”

My jaw throbbed with pain from clenching it tightly as my eyes flickered anxiously between the two of them. “What is it that you seek from me?”

The corners of her lips tilted into a grin. “I want the same as you. To teach those who seek to steal from us that it cannot go unpunished.” When I didn’t respond, she continued. “You see, Your Highness, I serve no one. I am a queen in my own right. In my own species.”

“That is treasonous to say, especially from where you stand, witch.”

“Hmm,” she hummed. “I am looking to form an alliance. I have no interest in your throne; my only desire is to exact vengeance on those who have wronged me. And you and I share a common enemy.”

I cackled. “And what has Elianna Solus done to you, High Witch?”

“Aside from storming into my homelands and attempting to persuade us into aiding her claim to the realm, Elianna Valderre has done nothing.” I snarled at her for correcting my use of her given name. “Her little spiel was rather moving. My desire for revenge stems from the one who accompanies her.”

“Veli,” I guessed .

“Indeed, and while Elianna is the rightful heir and shall be recognized by the realm as such, she wishes to rid our world of the evil that lurks in its shadows.” She paused for a moment while our eyes bore into each other. “ I am the evil that lurks in those shadows, Highness.”

“And you believe I don't want to protect our realm from harmful creatures?” I questioned.

“I have come to barter with you,” she admitted. “I will aid you and your victory in this war, and in turn, I wish to be recognized as Queen of Sylis and claim all the land in the enchanted forest and beyond.”

I barked out a laugh. “You think I would barter away a third of my continent? Although we have just met, you did not strike me as a foolish female.”

The witch vanished before my eyes and appeared next to me in an instant, materializing from shadows she conjured in seconds.

A moment later, both Kellan and the guards at the doors reached for their swords, but as they went to run toward us, time ceased, halting them mid-sprint.

She then put her lips to the tip of my ear, freezing me where I stood. “We shall work together and against anyone who threatens our rule. You will remain Queen of Velyra. I simply wish to have free rein over the ancient wood and the lands beyond—where the humans reside. My sisters are tired of hiding in the shadows of your world, Idina.”

It was the first time she stated my name, and it sent a spark of fury through me, as if her speaking it gave her leverage .

“You wish to harm those who enter the forest?” I questioned.

She barked a laugh as she took a step back from me. “The forest will do that itself, Highness…but if we are to start an alliance, honesty would be a good place to begin. So, to answer your question, I may partake in a bit of fun.”

My eyes roamed over her slowly. “I suppose those who matter have been made aware of the threats that linger between those trees.”

“Aye,” she whispered as she took another step back, but her ruby eyes remained on me. A snap of her taloned fingers had the guards dropping to the floor as she released her hold on them.

Since Callius left the realm, all I craved was power—power that was untainted and feared. The possibility that these witches could provide exactly that was too enticing to ignore.

“You have proven that you can vanish and appear and move objects with a wave of your hand.” I gestured to Adler, who let out an annoyed huff. “Prove to me you have further magic to offer, and you may have yourself a bargain.”

“Your Majesty?!” Kellan called, but I instantly silenced him as he stared up at me, gawking.

My gaze shot back to the High Witch. “Well?”

A venomous, hushed giggle sounded, as if it were coming from all directions as she disappeared into her shadows once more and appeared where she originally stood.

“I thought you would say that,” she said, her figure flickering and transforming into wisps of darkness. Her eyes moved to the crone, who had remained silent .

The crone reached into the fold of her floor-length cloak, her bony, aged fingers grasping an object of shimmering onyx that gleamed amethyst in the candlelight.

“Is this supposed to mean something to me?” I demanded.

Azenna observed me for a moment. “Do you know what your nemesis holds in her possession? What she plans to lead her victory with? For it is not just an army of mortals.”

My teeth clenched as I watched her from where she stood at the edge of the dais. “My wyvern,” I admitted. “Did you destroy it? Is that all that remains of the beast?” I pointed to the scale in the crone's hand.

“Hardly. We would never seek to destroy a creature as magnificent and destructive as a wyvern. We worked to steal the beast from her but were counterattacked in our siege,” she growled. “However, not all was lost during our attempt.”

The High Witch took the scale from the crone and approached me once more, slowly making her way up the steps to where I stood before my throne. She handed it to me, the surface of it smooth beneath the touch of my fingers but solid as polished stone.

“What would you have me do with a wyvern’s scale, witch ?” I hissed at her.

A smile formed leisurely across her face as her eyes bore into me. “It is not what you can do with it, my queen, but what I can.”

My eyes flared without permission in response, but the rest of my body remained perfectly composed .

“Tell me, Queen Idina, do you have an unused keep in your fortress?”

My stare darted to Adler—his eyes were fixed on us with unwavering intensity, his initial wariness replaced by an evident curiosity.

“I do not,” I answered, as my eyes drifted back to her. “But I do have a dungeon.”