The shadowed queen, p.4
The Shadowed Queen, page 4
All of a sudden the room starts to shake. I look around in a panic, and see that the ceiling is slowly moving towards us. The room begins to tremble, the air thickens with tension, each vibration knocks us around on unsteady feet. Panic grips the others like icy fingers, their hearts begin pounding. We frantically scan the walls for any sign of hints to the riddle. With every passing moment, the ceiling inches closer, threatening to crush us. Desperation fuels our movements as we search for clues, my mind races to unravel the cryptic message before it's too late. Desperate glances pass between each of us, fueled by the urgency to solve the puzzle and save our lives.
Oberon continues to pace and mutter to himself.
Amidst the chaos, a flicker of insight flies across the bond Oberon and I have. My eyes snap to his as he shouts out, “A map!” a click resonates through the chamber, followed by a surge of relief as the ceiling abruptly halts it's descent. Oberon is crouched over slightly, I can almost touch the ceiling with the top of my head. Gasping for air we stand in awe of our narrow escape. We catch our breath and with the threat vanquished, we look around the room. All of the doors disappeared except for one, which lights up with torches beside the frame.
“What if the solution was wrong and this door will kill us?” Moss whispers, gripping the hood of my coat.
“I think the ceiling would've crushed us,” I reply and walk towards the door.
I carefully grab the handle and push the door open. A rush of wind that smells like rot and wood blows past me. The foul smell burns my nose but I push on, and the rest follow behind me. The door leads up a narrow spiral staircase. I can feel the unease in the air, I can sense everyone's anxiety through their souls, like they're screaming at me. I grip the back of Oberon's shirt tighter and focus my thoughts on their souls. To each one I think Be calm, be at ease, everything will be okay.
One by one Ivy, Moss, and Oberon all visibly relax. Tight shoulders slump, breathing evens out, and most importantly, their souls stop screaming at me. I need to work on my abilities with Eleni, the more I figure out the worse things get. Oberon gives me a questioning glance when he notices his mood change but he doesn’t say anything.
Finally, we reach the top of the stairs and are in a massive dome at the top of the tree. The ceiling is glass and all we can see is the night sky. Tall slender wood beams adorned with glistening frost stand around the perimeter. The room itself is vast, the marble floor gleams in hues of cool silver and pale blue, mirroring the frigid landscape beyond its walls. Delicate snowflakes are suspended in midair, they twirl gracefully casting a mesmerizing glow throughout the space. The air within the throne room holds a faint chill, despite the cold, a sense of tranquility lingers in the space.
At the far end of the room, stands an ornate throne. The throne features intricately carved branches and frost patterns. Seated upon the magnificent throne is who we traveled all this way for, the Realm of Winter's Colossus.
“I only wisssh to ssspeak with my cousssin. Approach,” she says, each s drags on in a hiss.
I walk forward closer and bow my head.
“My name is Annabelle, thank you for granting us audience.”
“I know who you are.” I try not to flinch at the coldness of her words.
“We need help finding the Goddess of Water. She can stop the winter storms.” I say, head still bowed.
“I will assist you cousin. I know where she is. Even I am afflicted by the cold. It is slowing my powers, winter is coming soon. I have much to prepare.”
“Thank you.” I reply, waiting for her to continue.
“She lives in the capitol. I assume you are aware of the prophesy, daughter of Mors. Have you heard of the Veiled Seekers?”
“I was aware of the prophesy, but no I have not heard of the Veiled Seekers.”
“I should hope not, it is supposed to be a secret society. They have lived in the Vale and worked in secret for many a century. They are the only fae in the Vale that know of the prophesy. They seek to find the goddesses and bring them together. Their base is here in Winter there is a small cabin on the east end of the city. Follow the path past the small lake and you will find it. I am the only Colossus that knows of them, unfortunately. The one you seek is working with them already. Take this,” She pulls out a small box with her tail and pushes it towards me “It will prove to them that you are who you say you are, they will work with you to find the others. Do what they ask and you will succeed, trust in me cousin.”
“Can I ask what your name is?”
“Curious, I can't recall anyone ever asking me that before," she taps the tip of her tail against a long fang, as if recalling a memory, "my mother named me Irriel.”
“Thank you Irriel, we will stop the plagues, we will fix this.” I bow to her again.
“Listen to what they say in the Veiled Seekers, they will lead you to the right path, cousin. Good luck.”
I bow my head again and take the small box in front of me and turn back to the others. I grab Oberon's hand and the others follow as we close the door behind us. I open a portal back to the castle in Asphelia and we walk through. Meeting with Irriel gave me an awful feeling I can’t explain. I can't shake the feeling that she knows more than she was willing to share, but I know if I tried to pry I would be shut down. We shed off our warm winter gear and crowd around the fireplace.
“What's in the box, Anna?” Oberon asks, sitting back on his hands.
I look at the small box in my hands. The outside is velvety, with intricate patterns of leaves and birds on the outside. I pull the top off the box and inside is a small carved stone. It is carved into the shape of a raven; Mors symbol. There is a string attached to the top of the bird, to make it into a small necklace. I pull it out of the box to show the others.
“Why would Irriel have that and not Eleni or the Autumn Colossus?” Ivy asks skeptically.
“I really don’t know, I was wondering that myself. But somehow this proves that we are with them, if it was in the prophecy that the Winter Realm would fall under a plague first, maybe this was given to Irriel to give to me?” I say back.
“It makes as much sense as anything,” Moss replies shrugging. I put the necklace back in the box and tuck it into my backpack. “So this secret society nonsense. Do we trust this?”
“The Colossus’ never lie. I can’t see why she would need to. But we should remain cautious. Trust no one until we get back home.” Oberon says, putting his hand on my knee and squeezing.
We spend the next few days traveling to the other towns and cities that are affected by the winter storm. We bring soldiers from the Capitol to stand at the portals to allow people in, and we hold town meetings and explain to the townsfolk their options. Moss and Ivy stay in the two biggest cities, Snowlight and Frostwood, to spread the word and try to get people into Asphelia before things get worse.
Unfortunately, the winter fae are not the most trusting, and most refuse help from us. They would rather stay sheltered in their homes, hoping that the storm doesn’t reach them. I can’t say I blame them, it's a rare occurrence that fae from any other realm come this far north, and I wouldn't trust strangers like that either.
There are, however, a lot of people who do come to Asphelia, most with sick or injured. Oberon and I have helped get most of them settled in. I have medics working on any injuries that they can. This frost is more than just a cold wind. It is a magical plague, no magic can heal the afflicted. The frost settles in your bones and turns you to ice from the inside. All we can do is watch as they suffer and try to help them feel comfortable in the meantime.
I think back to what Tyron told me about the prophecy, about how I would be a guiding hand to those who pass from the plagues. Is that really my only role in all this? To take their souls? I can’t even do anything with them. I look to the manufactured night sky in Asphelia, the stars twinkling and shining. While it is reassuring and calming to the inhabitants of the city to seem like time is passing, I see the truth in it. These are not stars. These are wayward souls with nowhere to go. They do not want to reincarnate. Even if they wanted to I am unable to do that. I can alter their shape, I can turn them into shadow people sure, but true reincarnation, that is the job of the Goddess of Life. Until we find her these souls will float around and serve no purpose but to decorate the night sky. The thought of it tugs at my heart, I feel so useless. Death is not a positive thing.
I look back down to the city streets that surround me. Just a week ago the only inhabitants were my raven friends and Jane. Now hundreds of winter fae go about their day-to-day activities like nothing changed. I had made the city a little cooler for them, there is a light snowfall during the day. I wanted it to be as comforting as possible here. A dog runs across my path, and a young boy chases after it, screaming, “Snowball come back!”
I chuckle at the innocence of it. I wonder if the boy even really understands where he is, or why he's here. Does he know who I am? The people I've talked to here don’t seem to fear me, so that’s a positive. I think of Raine and Dot, I wonder what they're up to. It had been a while since I had a raven check-up on them. Maybe Raine officially retired or took time off. Dot still couldn’t be found last time I checked she's probably still working a case somewhere. Raine is a lot softer than her. After Aspens' death I don't doubt he quit outright. The last raven check-in said he was staying with his grandmother. I hope he's doing alright.
Dot's parents hadn't heard from her since the funeral. They were concerned, but couldn’t do much about it. Dot and I would leave sometimes for months at a time on jobs, sometimes longer. They had seemed happy to see me, so I assumed Dot didn’t tell them what I did, what happened to Aspen. A chill runs up my spine and I shake my head, shooing away the thoughts. I need to keep working, I don’t have time to reminisce.
I continue my trip through the streets, checking everyone is settling in alright. Most people are sleeping, it's nighttime now. A few people are wandering around the streets, chatting and sitting on benches, smiling and going about their night like nothing has changed in their lives at all. I look up at the buildings surrounding me, I tried my best to replicate the structures that fill their cities, trying to make it as homey as possible.
“Are you Annabelle?” a feminine voice asks from behind me. I turn to see an older woman, walking with a cane. She is wearing a thick brown shawl tied in close to fight off the chill that has started to roll through the breeze.
“Yes, do you need something?” I reply, putting on a friendly smile.
“No dear, I just wanted to thank you. I convinced my family into coming here when the storm took my son. You've saved a lot of people.” she offers a warm smile, a hint of hurt ripples over her aura as she mentions her son dying, but the warmth of her gratitude offsets that.
“Of course, my only regret is that I couldn’t make it up here sooner.”
“You came at the perfect time sweetheart don’t let that guilt fester, you'll get wrinkles.” she points to her forehead, where a strong wrinkle settles in between her brows and her forehead.
“I’ll try, thank you. What is your name?” I ask
“Yesselia, and thank you.” she pats me on the shoulder and continues walking down the street, ever so slowly. I look to the sky again, at the stars. Her son is up there somewhere. I hope he's watching down on her and sees how well the rest of the family is doing. I wonder if Aspen is up there somewhere, or if Vitas' powers were still strong enough to reincarnate her. What of my sister's soul as well? She had been dead for so long, I hope she was able to be reborn into a better home. That is why I must keep going, to make the world better for those who are new to it. For future generations, I have to keep fighting.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Oberon says quietly, falling into step next to me.
“I was just thinking about all those souls up there, if Aspen is up there, or Ophelia.”
“If they are, I'm sure they're watching over you. Watching you do great things,” he says, grabbing my hand and squeezing. I look over at him, and his eyes scan over me, trying to sense what I'm feeling. Those warm brown eyes pull me in like always. A small smile creeps across my face, looking at my mate. It wasn't often that we were apart anymore, but sometimes he had to return to the Shadow Court to meet with Tyron, and I chose not to join him. Sometimes meeting with Tyron was too much for me. The way he looks at me, so much sadness and loss in his gaze, it hurts. Oberon is never far from me, always with a hand on my waist or shoulder, steadying me.
“I want to think they were able to reincarnate. Somewhere nice, somewhere safe from all this.” I reply, squeezing back.
“Maybe they did, but if not, you'll find the Goddess of Life soon, you'll be able to help them move on.” He leans over and kisses the top of my head. His warmth soothes the chill in my bones. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up little shadow.”
It's snowing now, and I was only wearing a light sweater. I hadn't noticed I was shivering. I nod in response and we head down the street to our house. I had created a little cabin at the edge of town just for us. Jane and the others were staying in their own cabins just a few streets away. All their houses were neighboring the other, with a small garden and courtyard in the middle. Oberon and I placed ours just far enough away, I preferred to be alone if possible.
We kick off the snow from our boots on the front porch and head inside, the fireplace already blazing, the warm air hurts at first, but I settle into it. We fall onto the couch and I curl up into his lap. He runs his fingers through my curls, detangling them as best he can. We sit there in silence late into the night, both aware of all that we would be getting into tomorrow. I don’t notice when I finally fall asleep.
We stand huddled together as I look around the area, there's no sign of life here. Could Irriel have been mistaken somehow? The only building was this worn down shack, barely standing in the strong wind. I knock on the door and wait. The bitter cold bites into my skin and I pull my hood in closer. After what felt like forever someone finally opens the door.
“Can I help you?” A short older woman asks, peering up at me through her round glasses.
“Irriel sent me. My name is Annabelle.” I say, looking into the room behind her. It just looks like a cabin, surely not the base for a secret society.
“Irriel? I don’t know who that is dear,” she replies, skepticism in her voice.
“Oh here. She said this would tell you who I am.” I pull the necklace out of my pocket and hand it to her. The woman recoils and refuses to touch it.
“Put it on, let me see,” she says, standing back a step. I raise my eyebrow at her but I put the necklace over my head, when it rests against my chest it begins to glow and vibrate. My eyes go wide as I look around at Oberon. He looks as confused as me. It begins to hum, and I feel power surging through me.
“Anna your head...” he points to me and trails off. I make a mirror against the wall by the door and turn to look at myself.
“What about my-” I look at myself in the mirror. I look like me, but more. The first thing I notice is a crown of black thorns sitting on the top of my head. My face looks the same, but with a sheen, like I'm glowing. I look just like the painting of Mors.
“I look like-” I start to say but Oberon cuts me off. “Goddess Mors.” he reaches out to touch the crown, then recoils when the thorn pokes his finger.
“It really is you, Goddess. Hurry, please come in.” The woman says, ushering us inside, she pushes at the others but refuses to touch me. I take the necklace off and put it back in my pocket.
"Why won’t she touch me? What's up with that? " I ask Oberon through our bond.
"I really don’t know. Maybe it's a respect thing?"
"It feels like I'm dirty, like she's scared of me."
He doesn’t reply, just shrugs and grabs my hands together and blows hot air on them, rubbing them together trying to warm me up. I glance over at the woman and she has a shocked expression on her face. Like she's surprised he's touching me.
"What is this woman’s problem with me?"
I look around the inside of the cabin. Inside the air is stagnant, carrying the faint scent of old wood and must. Cobwebs adorn every corner, dust particles swirl in the air. The windows are covered in grime and dirt, they barely allow light through them.
The creaking floorboards sound like they're barely holding up the weight of the five of us. The furniture appears frozen in time, once polished surfaces now coated in a layer of grime and neglect. A wooden table sits in the middle of the room, adorned with forgotten trinkets and dust-covered relics. A fireplace blazes behind the table, the only source of light in the small room.
“Come, I’ll take you to the others,” the woman says, and waves her hand over a wall in the living room of the cabin. Magic surges in the air and frost coats the wall, then falls, shattering the wood and leaving a doorway behind. Oberon and I exchange concerned glances but we follow her. Once we are all through the doorway the frost forms on the wall again, repairing the hole and closing behind us. The woman leads us down a staircase into a basement, then waves her hand again and reveals a tunnel. She motions for us to go through the tunnel, “I cannot follow you. Put the necklace back on, the others will be waiting.” she says, not making eye contact. I put the necklace back on, feeling the magic cover me again and feel at my head, where the crown is again sat, nestled in my curls. I can’t feel the weight of it, but I can sense that it's there.
The woman heads back up the stairs and we make our way down the tunnel. The walls are broken stone slabs, the floor is a mix of gravel and sand, and there are no light sources except the entrance to the tunnel. The absence of light leaves us in perpetual twilight, I can see perfectly fine, but the others stumble on rocks and are feeling their way around. I chuckle under my breath and grab Oberon's elbow and I lead him through the darkness. Ivy and Moss have much better night vision than he does, so they manage to do just fine.
