All the Queen's Angels

Ch. 18: The Things You Do to Me

The storm rages outside, the deck bucking as vicious waves threaten to drag the ship into the churning currents of the channel.

We're all sitting in the dining cabin, the only place where all the furniture is bolted down. Penthia gazes out the window into the white abyss while General Amaryllis annotates her maps and scrolls in the weak light. Leander sits between us, steadying himself on the back of my chair as they discuss matters of state.

I'm doing my best not to vomit on the rug.

"The Southern Lords must patrol the border during the funeral," the general tells Leander. He frowns.

"Why? Aren't the Western troops already staying to subdue the Angels?", he asks. Just then, lightning tears through the sky as a peal of thunder sends tremors through the ship. An eerie silence settles in the cabin.

"The Southern Lords are necessary," Penthia announces, turning from the window, "because the Infernal Courts have suddenly convened." The pale light frames her face in an ethereal glow. Leander's eyes flash with fear.

"Why now?", he hisses.

"Why else?". Everyone turns to me.

The Nine Infernal Courts are the main governing body of the southernmost territory that guards the gates to Hell. Despite all nine cities being controlled by the largest crime syndicates in the world, the courts themselves preside over the infamous international prison system. They have rarely convened in the past 10,000 years.

"It's no coincidence that the most corrupt kingdom in the continent is mobilizing after you launched a coup on a neighboring kingdom and captured their cursed heir," I turn to Leander and smile. "They're probably just clearing space in Purgatory for you."

He doesn't think it's funny.

"Or they have a plan for your prophecy," Penthia replies.

"There's no cheating fate," I snap, standing up suddenly. "Not even the Infernal Courts can outsmart a divine prophecy. They're stupid if they think my curse can be used to their advantage."

"Stupid like me?", Leander shoots back.

"Not everything is about you, idiot."

"What does the king say?", Penthia asks, deftly changing the subject.

"His priority is crushing the Angel uprisings on the border," the general replies coldly. "I do not think it wise, however, to ignore the Infernal Courts. If he does not send troops to the Southern Border, I will lead my men there myself. I will not risk a continental war."

Leander's eyes flash up to her. "What are you implying, Natalia?".

"It's General Amaryllis," she snaps. "And I say exactly what I mean. You disgrace the dead by feigning ignorance, Leander. You are the Crown Prince. You know better than anyone the price of Forsythia's greed. First my kingdom, now Evangeline's. But no sin goes unpunished by The Courts."

"Control your bloodlust, darling, or I suspect I'll need to find a new bride," Leander retorts.

"No doubt your own sister, if you could help it," General Amaryllis hisses. I flinch in shock and disgust.

"That's enough, both of you—," Penthia starts.

"I will not be subject to such slander," I stare them down.

"It's not slander if it's true," General Amaryllis replies, still staring daggers at Leander. The prince suddenly stands, raging.

"Enough, you jealous bitch—!".

Crack. Penthia's hand slaps across Leander's face, rendering him speechless. She leans in.

"How foolish you are to believe that any one of us would be jealous of the likes of you," she whispers.

"Call me a bitch again and you'll see what it's like to fight a war without armies or weapons," the General growls.

An uneasy silence plagues the cabin.

"Is it really true?", I whisper. They all look up as I search Leander's face for a hint of truth. He opens his mouth as if it say something, but doesn't. He follows me as I storm out into the corridor.

"Vlahos, wait—."

"Don't you dare," I snarl, forcing back the tears of rage. "It's wrong and selfish and I can't even look at you."

"Just listen!".

"No!", I whirl. "How can you have feelings for the girl you despise? Whose home you've invaded and parents you've killed? You've done nothing but torment me!".

"Don't you think I know that?", he roars. "Don't you think I hate the way my breath hitches, the way my heart stutters, the way my chest tightens, when I'm around you? But I can't sleep—I can't breathe...I'm undone by you alone, Evangeline."

I stare at him, green eyes flashing at me in anger and fear. The ship rocks violently and he leans against the wall, running his hands through his hair.

"Don't you think I would stop feeling this way if I could?", he bites out. He clenches his jaw and looks up at me through his lashes. "I don't...shit, Vlahos—it wasn't supposed to be this way."

There's a million things he could be referencing, all of them irreversible. Suddenly, I'm thrown into the wall, my body colliding with his as the ship nearly flips. The lights flicker and I feel his hand grip my back in the dark. His emerald eyes are the last thing I see before the porthole bursts in a shower of glass and ice-cold water.

As the lights die, a lone bell sounds above deck.

Abandon ship.