The Call Of Shadows

Chapter Seven

The Queen paced restlessly in the middle of her chambers, Imnalla watching from her bed. In this moment she was reminded of the two young Fae they used to be, the Queen and her mere children compared to the adults they were forced to be now. The council was supposed to meet with the Queen in just a few minutes time, and she was in agony over the decision that had to be made. It had been a long time since her authority was questioned, and even longer since she doubted herself. But doubts were all she could think of in the moment. Was she making the right choice? Was she dooming her kingdom? Imnalla stood finally and put a hand out to stop her. "Sar et eao." It is well.

The Queen laughed bitterly. "No, Imnalla, it is not well. What if I'm making a mistake? This isn't going to impact just our Kingdom. If I'm wrong the destruction will be my fault and no one else's." Her voice steadily rose, panic leaking into her normally level tone. "If Triast were here, he would make the right choice! Our parents always trusted him more than they trusted me... I'm over five hundred years old and look at me- still living in my brother's shadow!" Imnalla waited patiently for the Queen to finally take a shaky breath to calm herself. "Triast made his choice, and you have made yours far better than he ever has. I know that you think he was always the smarter one but you not him, have the respect of your people."

The Queen started to interrupt but Imnalla forcefully silenced her. "Stop. The Queen that I know, the Queen that has ruled for five hundred and twenty years without a hint of fear or war- that Queen never would have second guessed herself. That Queen never would have paced for hours wearing a rut in the floorboards over a few of your advisors putting up arms over a decision that is your duty and your right to make." She grabbed her hands tightly, "I am not just one of your advisors. I am your friend. And I am telling you, that under the current circumstances this is the least dangerous choice you could make. The council is waiting to see a strong leader, now go show them that. If nothing else you were a fantastic actress when you were younger. Play it up. You'll be fine." She said that last part with a knowing wink, and walked out of her chambers with her. Arm in arm, just like they had when they were children.

Gianna covered her ears as she hid in her bedroom. Triast and her parents were fighting again, and she hated hearing it. Ever since her older brother had turned 20 he had been getting more and more angry at the way their parents ran the country. Gianna didn't see anything wrong with it, but then again she was only nine so what did she know? She heard something being thrown at the wall as tears spilled out onto her cheeks. Fear spread through her like a plague and the cold grip of panic clawed at her heart. She stood up and ran down the hallway towards the room she knew the noises were coming from. She burst into the throne room and screamed as loudly as her voice would allow her, "Triast! Stop fighting!!! Your gonna hurt Mom and Dad!"

All three people whipped their heads toward her at once, anger twisting her brother's face into something she had only seen in her nightmares. Agony written with blood on the faces of her mother and father. "No..." she whispered. "No, no, no, no, no..." Her breath was caught in her chest and refused to move, muscles screaming with pain as Triast turned his magic on her. All she could get out was a weak, "Why?" Before the guards burst into the room behind her, shooting her brother in the shoulder with a crossbow bolt. He howled in rage but before he could refocus his power, a huge ball of water engulfed him from one of the mages in the guard. "Get the royal family to safety, now!" She shouted, as she focused on keeping Triast trapped.

"My Queen?" One of the members of her council asked, jolting her out of her memories. "What is your decision?" She cleared her throat, and nodded. "My apologies Limtec. My decision is to offer our forces without restraint to the Elven Army and arrange for additional security to aid in protecting their borders along the Wall if necessary. If any man is found within the confines of the Horn Of Peace he is to be escorted to a secure facility and held until this matter can be resolved. We cannot risk King Drogg sending spies in to gauge our alliances or our army." Silence filled the room, fearful faces staring back at her for the first time in a long while.