Queen's Shadow || Kingdom at the End of the World - Book II

[33.2] Mirror World

Sabina MacLean did not care for much of what others held holy. Neither gods nor devils could sway her heart or stay her hand once her mind was set on a certain path. To her, the world was simple. She did not question its ways or her place within it. She lived, and was content.

Lady MacLean did not believe in many things. She did, however, believe in retribution.

The Capital did not hold all of the Amith Capil. Nonetheless, the troops stationed within the city numbered in the thousands, as befitting of the stronghold's importance to the Court. They answered Lady MacLean's call to arms readily. Most, she suspected, had long awaited this precise command.

The Queen's Tower rose like a ghostly ship above a sea of glinting armor and flashing eyes. Lady MacLean raised her eyes to the very top of the delicate crystal tower. Heavy clouds blocked the sky. There was no sun; the air was heavy, darkness pressing down with the might of a falling mountain.

"Call," Lady MacLean bid.

The soldier at her side affirmed the command and issued the call for surrender. The clipped cry echoed without response.

"Again," Lady MacLean said.

The cry repeated twice over. Lady MacLean raised her hand, halting further efforts. She had not expected a response.

"The troops are in position. Shall we give order to advance?"

The soldier who spoke was a man of some rank. Lady MacLean's eyes swept over him, the words she had meant to say scattering in a soft exhale. The man was part of the Old Guard – soldiers she knew by name, men and women who had fought at her side during the war's most desperate battles. Time had hardened his spirit, as it had done to them all. Lady MacLean saw the youth she remembered in the man that stood before her and felt her own age keenly.

"Where's Richard?" she asked.

The soldier startled. Lady MacLean's speech was often informal, but never to the extent of addressing another Lord of the Queen's Court so brazenly in front of soldiers of lower rank. It was necessary to respect the chain of command. An armed force that did not adhere to order was a peril on the battlefield and to the very people it was meant to protect. Lady MacLean understood this well, but her mind was mired in the past and her words were spoken as one soldier to another.

"Lord Geoffrey called us to battle. I am unaware of his Lordship's plans," the soldier replied.

Lady MacLean nodded, distracted. She was the highest point of authority in the Amith Capil, just as Lady Kiku oversaw the Message Men and Lord Barton, his beloved Zero. The administrative department and associated bureaucracies were left to Lord Geoffrey's seemingly careless attention. The man played the fool well, when it suited him. Lady MacLean had learned of the Old Guard and the network of informants the man had built only in the last few days, when lord Geoffrey had finally seen it fit to reveal his plans.

To think that they had all fallen for his play at idiocy all of these years, after knowing the man to be a brilliant strategist. Time truly did wear down all things. With enough repetition, even right and wrong could be inverted and the very truth, overthrown.

The Tower's gate opened. Zero soldiers poured out, quickly filling the space left as a no-man's land between the Tower and the surrounding Amith Capil forces. Their number was far greater than Lady MacLean had known. She expected more remained within the Tower itself, guarding their besieged Lord.

"Hold your position," Lady MacLean called.

Zero had not advanced further. They were still as statues, their pale uniforms washed gray under the dark skies. Lady MacLean did not believe that a battle could be avoided. However, she would not be the one to order the first strike. Zero were still soldiers of the Queen and Lady MacLean was determined to treat them as such until they actively betrayed their post.