The Arrow of Midnight

Chapter 24

My hand brushed idly over the back of my neck where the ache was slowly becoming unbearable. It's been almost a week since the solstice. My ascension to the throne was the day after, but we've decided to keep the knowledge of my becoming the new queen to a minimum. Only the people residing in the city and castle are currently aware that I've taken my mother's place to prevent the information from leaving the continent. We wish to keep the knowledge as an advantage for the upcoming war, which has been the focus of most of the last few days. Meetings upon meetings are being held to discuss the plans for the war against the Sun Court. If the king and my father were to learn about my new power, it would throw a dangerous wrench in our strategy. That's why we have halted all off-continent trading until the war comes to an end. I've been wearing the royal crown to each meeting out of respect for the role I'm now playing as the queen. I never knew how heavy this damn thing actually was. To think my mother has been doing this for decades, but it's part of who I am now, so I'll endure. Most of the meetings have revolved around the status of our army, the progress with our warg pack, and the small amount of information we have on the Sun Court's comings and goings. Matthew is in charge of the spies on the other continent, so he gave us a rundown on how their armies are faring. So far, most of the other courts have rallied behind their king, but a few still seem to be uncertain about the war brewing on their doorstep. I've decided to keep Matthew, Clara, and Bella in the inner circle because they have become good friends. They've always helped my mother during her successful reign, so it would be foolish of me not to consider their advice. Xavier and my mother have moved into a townhouse not far from the castle, and I have been visiting them regularly, even between meetings, to seek their advice on the topics discussed. This current meeting is much like the others. At the moment, we're at a dead end about how to transport our troops to the other continent. A reasonable part of our forces are not chiropteran, so we can't simply fly over. We will need to reach the land using ships. Currently, we do not have any allies there who would be willing to accommodate all of my people to fight against their own king.

Are you alright? Maddox's voice drifted down the bond, and my eyes met his. It took a day or two to get used to having our minds permanently linked. I've learned to distinguish which thoughts are his and which are my own. With the bond now solidified, we can communicate privately even over long distances. We can even sense each other's emotions or thoughts if we concentrate on it.

I'm alright, this thing is just killing my neck, and I'm a bit worn out from the meetings. The corners of his lips curled upward as his hand brushed mine, which rested on the table in front of me.

I'll give you a good rubdown later. His voice teasingly brushed against my mind as he showed me exactly how he intended to do it, causing my cheeks to heat up in response.

I'll hold you to that.

"Athena, aren't there any courts that would be willing to ally with us against your father?" Clara's voice drew me back to the discussion at hand, and I again pressed my fingertips against the aching muscle in my neck.

"If you're asking if there are any lords who hate and despise my father, I can give you a list so long that you'll be able to make a cocktail dress out of it. Sadly, none of them will be willing to step up against him. They wouldn't risk it; my father has rooms filled with information just waiting to be used as blackmail against them. My father is a smart male; he knows how to gather information and, more importantly, how to leverage it to his advantage."

"How about an arrange marriage? We have many unmarried lords and ladies in our kingdom. We can promise a hand to one of the coastal court lords -"

"No," my voice cracked as I interrupted her, and I could feel my skin heating up. I will not allow that, not here. This outdated alliance proposal has hurt too many lives, mine included. I will not do the same to another.