A Bloody Crown

Chapter 9: Eyes

Equipped for war, I held the stone in my hand, waiting for the twelfth strike on the clock in the hall. I'd spent the entire day training, getting lost in the rhythm of battle.

At the final strike, I vanished.

The world was cold where I landed. As if the sky and earth collectively decided to remove life from this island. Even the ocean behind me seemed as if it roared in anger.

A massive castle scraped the stars in front of me, large enough for me to see it at the outskirts of the island. 

The stone was in my hand, hot now from the winnowing. I slipped it into my pocket, knowing I'd want it sooner rather than later.

"Duchess Aelfrun," a sickly, crackly voice came from the woods near me. I grabbed my sword off my waist, brandishing it fiercely. 

My eyes flicked in the direction of the voice, preparing to fight. "Show yourself."

Queen Briallyn, decayed and crippled, hobbled out of the woods cloaked in a black shroud. "My dear," she crooned, "How wonderful to see you."

Horror took my expression before I could contain it. "Queen Briallyn?" I whispered, rushing forward, sheathing my sword. "What happened to you?"

She took the arm I offered, pointing to the castle with the other hand. "All will be explained inside. Let us go."

We began walking towards the castle, at a rather slow pace. To fill the silence, I asked, "How is everyone else? The other Queens?"

She clicked her tongue, looking down. "Vassa and Demetra are no longer with us. The fae.." her voice choked with anger, tears filling her eyes. "The fae took them from us."

"The war," I murmured, looking to her for confirmation. "Does that have anything to do with..."

Once again, she nodded, still gazing at the ground. "You're going to learn some quite... disturbing things tonight, Aelfrun. Steel your heart."

I swallowed my fear, taking deep breaths. "Queen Briallyn, what do you know of the Night Court?"

She stopped in her tracks, eyes going dark. "Why?"

"I was... visited by one of them earlier today. They made quite an appearance."

Her fingers brushed my neck, looking at the small bruises. "Did they do this to you?"

All I could do was nod.

Briallyn began walking again, fists clenched. "We'll end them all, Aelfrun. Every last one of them."

* * *

We walked into a large throne room, a long table with twelve chairs in front of the throne itself. A chill ran up my spine as we walked to our seats, the scent of death hung heavily in the air.

Large dogs, that could only be described as hellhounds, were chained quietly to the wall, growling lowly at everyone in the room. People were walking to the table with plates full of food, servants I assumed, with chains around their ankles and necks, preventing them from running.

Bloody trails ran along the room, random smears here and there decorated the walls. The throne itself was the crowning jewel. Made of bones and skulls, it sucked out what little life this castle had to offer. 

"Do not fear, Duchess," Briallyn whispered beside me. "You will find friends here."

The head of the table was still empty, likely reserved for whoever this King is. I put up a mental shield, just in case he was a fae, and sat between Briallyn and another Queen, one who never told me her name. I just assumed she never cared about me enough to tell me.