A Tale Of Shadows (Wattys 2023) - REPLACED BY DIVINE ASCENSION

Chapter 2 - Revolution

The revolution happened soon, just as Randall had hoped, for the most part. It meant that his fellow slaves had enough confidence and hope to carry it out, and enough luck to succeed, especially because, among them, he was the one who had done the most when it came to it. However, they knew very well that they were not in a position to do it all by themselves, so they thought of where they would get help from. They did, in fact, get it, although they got it from a source they never could have guessed.

"It is a pleasure to see you all gathered around here," a woman spoke in a high-pitched voice, stepping out of the shadows. "You were the ones I was looking for."

Randall scowled. "What do you want, Madam Thorne?"

For some inexplicable reason, she was smiling. "I heard that there is a revolution brewing around here and that you need someone to help you carry it out. Although you may not think that way, I am certain I am qualified to be your leader."

Randall placed two fingers on his chin, the silence that engulfed the room gnawing at his mind. "This is going to be more complicated than either of us could have thought."

Maria sighed. "It does not have to be that way. Listen, I know all that I have done wrong in the last two years, and I apologise most earnestly. I was carried away by my power, but now I shall use it for good. Learning my lesson should not have included so many losses and sacrifices, but at least I have learnt it. We all make mistakes, we all have virtues and flaws, and I am sure you can see that there is genuine kindness in my heart, a chance for redemption. Will you ever forgive me?"

"Admitting your mistakes is a good start," Randall muttered, not knowing what else to say.

She nodded, and the room went silent again. The silence crawled through his skin like a spider as he looked around, observing all the pale-faced, unblinking and unmoving people around him, and the fact that they all felt the same was a bit uncanny to him. The sky darkened outside the building, the heavy grey clouds suffocating every last ray that the sun released and casting a shadow upon everything nearby. He then heard an overly familiar tap on the window glass, turned to the left and saw raindrop after raindrop appear. He sighed, hoping that it would not spread. After that, Maria gave him a blank stare, the conversation continuing once more.

"Where else are we going to get help? We have to at least give Maria a second chance," said a woman who Randall knew, but did not talk to that much, recognising that it was Agatha Maxwell after a while.

He tilted his head towards Maria. "I guess she is in the right. We are accepting you."

As the room erupted into slightly artificial cheers, he turned towards Agatha, knowing that no one would pay attention to them. "I have noticed that you are not carrying a child anymore. I would be interested in knowing what happened, but you do not have to tell me if you do not want to."

"It does not matter now," Agatha said, her voice trembling. "We have to stop the Queen."

"I understand," he spoke, letting out a deep sigh.

Maria placed two fingers on her chin. "I wonder what she is doing now."

In the early morning hours, the hallways of the palace tended to be cloaked in shadow, and not a sound could be heard nearby, not a single bird singing, not a single door creaking. The Queen's steps were tender and soft, as though her feet were made of porcelain. The long skirt of her raspberry-coloured dress, which had numerous folds that contained stark traces of whiteness, dragged along the cold marble as carefully and elegantly as ice dragged along withered branches in January, making her feel like a phantom stalking through the palace, although it did not need to. The fact that she was tightly holding a lantern in her left hand, exploring all kinds of abandoned palace rooms, made her feel that way quite enough.