Spurned Queen

Chapter 15: Plans

Lexi

As soon as we stepped into the room, and had the door shut behind us, I cast a spell in the room so that the air would not carry away the sounds of our voices.

"Royal Advisor," I sighed as soon as I was done. "This mission just got harder and easier at once."

"Yes," added Rowan quietly. "and he has a very strong mind. All the vampires around here seem to, but his was exceptionally so. The queen's mind is also practically impenetrable."

"Didn't you at least get a read on what he was hiding under that poker face?" I asked.

"He was experiencing severe distrust," Rowan said. "He did not like our presence one bit. It was because we are witches. For some reason, he has a strange distrust for us. It is so great it borders on outright hatred. I think he has had some encounter with witches; such emotions cannot be born of a single impression."

"So Mr Heis is prejudiced against witches," I mused. "Huh. I wonder why I was not expecting it. I guess we'll have to make do, and hope he doesn't try anything with his queen's guests. Speak of the devil, what did you glean from her mind?"

"Nothing, unfortunately." Rowan shook his head. "The queen has such a strong barrier in her mind that I could not get a read on her. Nothing. It was as if her mind was not present in the room. If I couldn't sense her life force and aura, I would have imagined she was a puppet. I've heard the minds of royal vampires were like that; now I know it's true."

Interesting. I stowed that tidbit of info away.

"Hmm," I said. "Why do you think the king was not in that throne room?" I wondered aloud. "Why would his mother be the one to receive us?"

"Maybe they don't want us to know what he looks like," suggested Rowan with a shrug.

"Why would they do that?" I pondered. "Is it possible that the vampires are afraid of us? So much so that they attempt to protect their king by hiding him?"

I almost laughed at the irony of that thought; royal vampires were much stronger than ordinary vampires— they didn't need protection. In fact, if they were anything like Wolves, it would be the other way around: the strongest protect; in exchange, the rest submit and obey.

"I'd say wary instead of afraid, Gianna," Mirabel chirped. "But still, I doubt it. Queenie back there was so darned uptight I hardly think her prim, proper ass would dare such a 'breach of etiquette' if she could help it. She seemed hella bummed that he wasn't there. I think he's in for an earful for dodging that hearing," she ended with a snicker.

"That's an interesting line of thought. However, the drama of this royal family is none of our concern. If anything, it should help lift a tiny fraction of the attention off our visit. I think we should focus on the target," Rowan said quietly.

"Yes," I replied firmly. "We need a plan."

***

"I don't like this plan," whined Mirabel.

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Neither do I, Mirabel. It's too loose. Too variable. Too many unknowns."

"And just the planning is causing too much suspicion," Rowan added demurely. "We've been here for nearly two hours now, and minds are beginning to wonder what is so interesting. You wouldn't believe some of the thoughts and theories I'm hearing."

We blinked at him.

What does it feel like to be able to hear people's thoughts? Lattis wondered.

How would I know, that's not my gift.

But haven't you wondered?

I can smell their emotions, and that's already an overhaul. Sentient beings, especially humans, can be overwhelming if you pay too much attention.

Exactly. Now imagine if you could hear their thoughts too.

I would probably be senile by now. Some people's minds are so jumbled and complex it's a mystery how they fit in their brains.

I wonder how your mind fits in your brain, Lattis snarked.

I wonder how you fit in my mind, I snapped back.

Who me? she chuckled. Just consider me your personal little demon, which gives you enhanced senses, strength, speed, vitality, and stamina. Heck, with all the benefits you gain from me, I'm practically your personal little angel!

I rolled my eyes at her dumb personality. Sometimes I think that if I didn't have to listen to all her cheeky remarks, I wouldn't be such a psycho.

Mirabel and Rowan watched me strangely. They didn't know about my wolf, so they wondered what I was doing, rolling my eyes at nothing.

Oops, snickered Lattis.

***

We dined with the Queen that evening, sitting in straight backed chairs at a long, polished mahogany table. We ate off black plates, with maroon napkins on our laps. The curtains were the same deep red. Queen Noria wore an elegant black dress, and the butlers and maids were decked in black and red. The color code was so profound it made me squirm in my flowing green gown. Even the wine was red, which made Lattis whisper to me the possibility that it had blood in it.

Either way, we smiled and nodded at the compliments we received from the queen and the advisor, our target. He watched us carefully, saying things only to see what we would reply. Every word that passed our lips was analyzed, decoded for any hidden message, and then catalogued in his brain for later use. Noria was a gracious host, asking us how we liked our stay so far before tactfully steering the conversation to ourselves. She was very interested in the coven, though we omitted most of the information about it because either she wouldn't understand it, or it was  classified.

The Vampire King was still absent, a fact which, for some reason, tickled my wolf's curiosity greatly. I don't know why, but I was just itching to know what he looked like. The queen pointedly ignored his empty seat, making sure not to mention him at all during our conversation.

We allowed Her Majesty to engage us in small talk for a few minutes after the meal; at which point Mirabel graciously apologized, craving the Queen's permission to return to her chambers as she was not feeling very well. Her Majesty expressed her concerns and her hopes that she would feel better soon. Mirabel smiled tightly and stood up from the chair, only to sway on her feet for a moment.

Her eyes lost focus suddenly; and without further warning, her knees gave way and she collapsed unceremoniously to the ground.