Spectrum of Sleep

CHAPTER XI | New Path.

Our second attempt on capturing Elliot and her friends, failed once again. After Brandon and The Owl flew away, we were left empty-handed, nothing to show our Queen but my now left blinded eye.

"What are we going to do now boss?" Bug asked me.

"We need to go back." I answered.

"Where?"

"To our Queen, dumbass."

"Well, somebody seems pissed." Dug mocked at me.

I hissed at him in anger. "You're all lucky it's not your heads that's on the line here." I said. "Get up! All you who still can. We need to start moving."

The troops from the other side firing the nets came to us on horses. We regrouped, got ready and started to move again. It was slow at first but I forced everyone to move fast. We were already days behind our schedule, and our Queen will not be so happy about it.

On our way back, there were no signs of the Owl, nor Brandon and Elliot. Just some peasants wandering around from their destroyed homes. Some cowered, some threw a disgust face at us. Others tried to attack as we marched through them. We were Tyrants, well, that's how they always viewed us. That's how she sees us.

Well, there is a reason why she always viewed us that way, and I can't blame her. But on the contrary, she has become quite the tyrant herself. She has become quite the tyrant to herself. Terrorizing her own mind and the people around her. Now she's fighting herself too.

"Hey Yurian!" Called Doug, cutting my line of thoughts. "I've been calling you for 5 times now. We're here!" He stated.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice we were already at the kingdom grounds. The gates opened and we marched in. The residents looked at us as we passed through to town and on to the castle. The Queen was already waiting for us, well, for me outside.

We stopped in front of her. She was sitting down on one of the benches in the front lawn garden, waiting for us. She seemed, agitated and impatient for us to reveal what we brought back. Unfortunately, we were empty handed.

"So, where are they?" She asked smiling.

"Let me explain." I answered.

"What?" She replied quickly.

"We couldn't... We couldn't retrieve her."

She grinned and stared at us. It was starting to freak me out, then she yelled, "What!?".

Doug, Bug, and Grug tried to back me up at explaining, but one look from the Queen and said it all. The 'Shut your mouths or your heads will also be at stake' look shut the three idiots up.

"Everyone," she whispered calmly, "LEAVE US!" She exclaimed so loud it echoed.

Everyone started to take their horses and walk away as fast as possible. Not less than a minute, it was just the five of us left: The Queen, Doug, Bug, Grug, and me. Her eyes looked at them each and they started walking away too as fast as possible.

Finally, when it was just the two of us, she smiled at me.

"What happened with your eye?" She asked grinning.

"Brandon stabbed it."

"Ah, must've hurt like hell. Come, sit with me so I can see it." She said waving her arms at me to come forward.

"It's nothing really, I'll heal it myself later with the elixir."

"But I have it with me right now." She raised it up to me. "Come, lay down on my lap so I can heal it."