The throne room had a unique glow about it, an almost ethereal quality. It seemed so inviting, peaceful, like the angels themselves had blessed it with their seraphic hue. Divinity, the one thing mortals so eagerly strived for, seemed to emanate from the walls of the room. Raphael found this fact ironic as the royal family had always acted more demonic that anything else. Either that, or people have always confused demons for angels.
He paced around the room, touching things absentmindedly. Elisa had done some redecorating. Perhaps she was different from her father after all and taking a step toward the light.
The doors swung open and Raphael immediately stopped what he was doing, putting up an innocent face like he hadn’t been doing anything he wasn’t supposed to. Elisa strode in, her gown swooshing against the floor in an elegant wave. She was definitely more… elaborate than her father was. Her tasters were for the more extravagant things in life. Raphael feared for the kingdom’s future now resting in her hands, and her hands alone.
“Raphael, you accepted my invitation,” the new queen greeted like they were old friends not having seen each other for years locked in a pleasant reunion.
He bowed. “It’s not wise to decline offers from beautiful women, much less a queen,” he said with a smile as he straightened out. He was laying the charm on thick, trying to vie for the queen’s favor.
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Elisa replied in good humor. She walked past Raphael to the throne and gestured for him to follow.
“It’s all still so surreal. I can’t believe that all this is now mine,” she said as she touched the thrown, her face turned away from him. “I always thought I’d be married before it ever came to this point. But no suitors had been good enough in my father’s opinion. Now I’m left ruling a kingdom on my own… fighting a war, on my own.”
Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why is it you requested my presence, your highness? If you simply sought council, you would not have sent for me.”
She turned, her hand still on the throne. “Well, I do seek your council, Raphael, but not in the way you presume. I had made peace with ruling this kingdom on my own and I have no desire to marry. What would I gain with that? I’m a woman, as soon as I marry a man – any man – I lose all my power and I don’t want that to happen. I never thought I’d be in this position and now that I am, it’s intoxicating. I’m the first female ruler of this realm… and I have two kingdoms at my mercy. No, my marital status is not why I called you here.”
Elisa moved herself onto the throne, sitting down as her gaze drifted around the room. “You really have done a wonderful job with the magic wards on the palace. Yet, despite that, Andreas was able to perform magic on the night of that witch’s execution.”
“Andreas is one of the most powerful sorcerers the world has seen… and when he’s angry, that power is magnified. He had a connection with the girl and that’s the only reason he was able to perform any magic within the boundaries of the wards. I can assure you –“
She held her hand up to stop him. “I know, Raphael. I’m not accusing you of anything. I only bring it up because it has become apparent that he needs to be taken care of. He was right that I still owed him a favor, and I have every intention of keeping my end of the bargain. He asked me to stop persecuting magic users, and while I declined at the time, I intend to do exactly that. I will no longer persecute them.”
Raphael cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry, but you are giving up the fight against sorcerers?”
A twisted smiled lit up her features. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have more reason to hate them than my father ever did. One of them killed my mother, another violated my aunt, and one tried to violate me.”
“You seem to forget that I’m a sorcerer,” Raphael stated gravely.
“I have not. And you are helping me. As long as you remain on my side, you are safe.”
“And my followers?”
“Safe, for now. But if they step out of line, I will not make promises.”
“If you are seizing the persecution on magic users, what will you be doing to then?”
Elisa leaned her chin in her hand. To Raphael, she seemed utterly clueless. He, however, didn’t notice the glint in her eyes. The proof that she was not the airhead he believed her to be. “Do tell me, Raphael, how well do you know the stories?”
He was caught completely off guard by her question. “What stories?”
She straightened out, a slight pout on her lips. She was flawlessly playing the part of someone who didn’t know what she was doing and Raphael could still not see it. Stories? Stories were going to help her?
Elisa sighed. “Well, the stories about humans and sorcerers are no all that’s out there. The stories about faeries, mermaids, dragons, werewolves, vampires, and all creatures of the like. Surely someone has told you a ghost story before with one of them as a character?”
That was it; Raphael was now sure she was crazy. Those creatures – monsters, were all parts of myths, stories meant to scare children. Elisa was a grown woman who still believed in fairytales.
“Yes, I’ve heard stories. But you cannot possibly believe them to be true…?”
The queen got out of her chair and walked over to the stained glass window, letting her gaze drift over the kingdom beyond the palace walls. “How arrogant must we be to believe we are all that’s out there? We live in a world where magic is real, but when someone mentions dragons and mermaids, we shy away. I used to be like you, Raphael. Ignorant to what else – who else, might be out there hidden in the shadows, but I’ve been shown the error of my ways. They are all real, and it would be foolish to remain ignorant.”
Raphael raised his eyebrows at her. “Forgive me, your majesty, for saying this, but have you allowed yourself proper time to grieve?”
Elisa’s eyes flashed to Raphael. “Do not insult me. I am neither crazy nor stupid. I mourned my father’s death, but I knew it was coming. I was prepared. Don’t you dare question my integrity.”
“Surely your highness sees how farfetched these theories are,” Raphael argued, his voice straining to remain polite and submissive. It was not wise at all to pick a fight with a queen with a vendetta against magic users.
“That’s the lovely thing about all of this, Raphael, they aren’t theories.” A sly smirk spread over her lips. “They are very much real.”
Right on cue, a man Raphael had never seen before entered the room. He was older, in his mid-forties Raphael guessed, and he had a demeanor of superiority about him. “Raphael, meet Aspen, a lord of dragons.”
Raphael’s eyes darted between them. “A dragon lord?”
Aspen smirked and suddenly a ball of fire burst against the stained glass windows from the outside. Raphael’s head immediately turned to it. Scale-like skin, huge marble eyes, claws the size of men. There was no mistaking what the creature outside was.
“A dragon?” Raphael asked breathlessly, dumbstruck.
“You believe me now?” Elisa asked, her expression smug.
Raphael was too stunned to do much more than nod.
“You asked me how I was planning on beating the sorcerers… well this is how. The dragon lords are going to hunt them.”
From the corner of his eye he could make out Aspen laughing. He was enjoying this too much. Dragons. This was a problem Raphael didn’t know how to solve. He was still puzzled as to how this related to him and he feared what would happen should the queen tire of him. How did one fight a dragon when up until that point they were just myths?
YOU ARE READING
Haunting Shadows (Book 2)
Fantasy"What if my sins are all I've become? Will you still love me if the Andreas you once knew is too far gone to ever get back?" Lana had survived burning on the stake, but at what cost? Every time she closes her eyes, she revisits the horror of burning...
