Six Rulers

10

Chapter 10

Olivin

I was furious.

First he ambushes my castle, then he fireballs the same place on the same gods-forsaken day?!

I was ready to bust heads.

Sage arranged for me to stay on the island of Fin, with one of the other rulers of Allynna. It was almost eight o'clock when we arrived, and the sun had sunk down below the horizon, leaving a flaming sky behind.

Clowance, the Queen of Fin, met us at the heavy doors to Oakbroam Castle with crossed arms and a cocked hip.

"Twice in one day, huh?" Clowance skipped the pleasantries in every conversion she was a part of. She called it like it was and took no crap from anyone. She was a wonderful human.

"I don't want to talk about it," I sighed. "I just want to sit and watch bad TV."

"Perfect. That's what I was doing." Clowance stepped aside and ushered us in. "Brooklyn 99, anyone?"

—

Four hours later, both Sage and Clowance were asleep, but I was still awake. The room was pitch black, the TV eye-achingly bright against the dark. On screen, the third Halloween heist was taking place. I wasn't really paying attention, though it was my favourite show. I was thinking about the day, and all that happened. Days this crazy usually only happened to book characters, and I certainly wasn't one of those. First Katharine's letter (which I'd forgotten about over the course of the day), then the ambush - I was bone tired but I wouldn't be able to sleep. My brain was too full of what ifs and the fact that people had died today.

One day. That's all it took for shit to hit the fan.

I tipped my head back to rest against the couch, staring up at the ceiling like I had last night. That seemed to be how I ended a lot of days now. Staring at the ceiling, sleep eluding me, my brain way too full.

I didn't know how to handle any of this. I'd only been Queen for a month, since the day I woke up to my mother being dead.

Only hours before, I'd hugged her and told her I loved her.

Then she killed herself.

It wasn't unheard of among the older Elves. You live for hundreds of years, you're immune to most human diseases - you get bored. But I never expected it from my mother. She was a tenacious, spirited woman who ruled Rythos effortlessly for hundreds of years. Elowyn Greene loved life. So I don't understand why she...did what she did.

I felt tears prick at the edges of my eyes.

What do I do? I thought. Wait...

That just might work.