Page 19 of The Nightmare Queen

“No, not to warn us.” Eveera turns to me and smiles, one that doesn’t radiate kindness this time but has a layer of malice laced through it. “He wants to use Obsidian’s army and me to defend Vellar.” Arguments erupt out of every member in the council. She tunes them out as she keeps up on holding our stare. I hear someone saying her name but she doesn’t react until Felix rests his hand on her shoulder. “EVERYONE QUIET.” Her voice is loud and firm but the arguments continue.

Screams begin to erupt from the woman who spoke earlier. Her eyes are completely black as she thrashes in her chair. Will looks horrified. Eveera’s own blackened gaze is predatory, focused solely on her councilwoman.

“Eveera that is enough, release her.” Eveera doesn’t move. The dark haired woman’s screams turning so sharp blood could curdle. “Eveera. I said stop.” Felix is in her face now bracing both hands on her shoulders until her Wield finally lets go.

What the fuck was that?

“Armond.” she calls on a guard, the same one from the tavern. “Take her to the healers quadrant please.” He nods scooping the woman’s stunned frame into his arms.

Nobody moves, their heads all cast down. “I told you all tobe quiet.” Murmured agreements spread through them. “Now, you can argue left and right for all I care. It won’t make a difference.”

I eye her, “okay…?” The word comes out slowly.

“Don’t look so terrified, gods.” I wait a few more seconds for an answer, “Fine.” She saysfineas if that is any clearer of an answer.

“Fine?” I ask, raising my brows.

“Fine, we have a deal. How much time do you think we have before Hadar’s guards fully invade your outer cities?” She waves over for a member of her staff, who brings over a set of maps. The council is all still sitting there, some brave enough to look up and gape at her. She looks out towards the room. Her eyes widen at the full house like she forget they were here with us. “Oh, none of you are needed here anymore, you’re dismissed.”

Everyone quickly removes themselves. Alina, opens her mouth to speak but is pulled away by her wrist and forced from the room. Leaving just Will, Felix, myself and the queen.

“How much time?” She repeats.

It takes a second to find the words. “Uh, Will?”

“Bennett mentioned before we left that he thinks they have two maybe two and a half months.” He responds. I grimace,shit.

Eveera nods, chewing on a nail as she thinks. “Will and I have already been gone six days, Your Highness. It will take us at least a week if we don’t portal to get to the first post’s front lines.” I lean and gesture towards the route we would need to take on the maps.

“The army is too large to portal into one space without drawing attention.” She bites her lip considering, “Felix? How many men and women do we currently have? I know we had some casualties after our last scourge with the outer lands.” She looks back down to the maps and begins flipping through some paperwork that he hands her.

“25,000 humans and roughly 600 hundred from The Vast.”

“And that’s not counting yourself or the dragon?” Will asks. With the mention of the beast, Eveera’s head whips to him, eyes blazing.

“Vada willnotbe coming with us.” Will tries to protest, “Vada, willnot be coming with us.” She hisses again to emphasize her point.

“The knowledge is not lost on me that my father will notice a large army has arrivedinsidehis territory. Which means I’ll have to approach him with what I’ve done but I won’t do that until we have a victory under our belt.” I supply. She places one of the pieces of paper in front of me and I see that it’s a contract. “You drew up a contract for this agreement? When?” I ask, looking at her surprised. That means at some point between her stabbing herself with my blade and this meeting she found the time to draw up a thorough contract.

“I do participate in some queenly duties.” She rolls her eyes, “go ahead, take it back to your quarters and confer with one another. Those are theterms. Agree with them or don’t. This day has been exhausting enough.” She gets up and exits through the room.

I say “excuse me” in parting to Felix, running after her. “Queen Eveera!” I call but she doesn’t hear me.Damn this woman walks fast for having such short legs.“Queen Eveera!” She finally stops right in front of the ominous blacked out end of our hall.

“Yes, princeling?” Fatigue is clear in her voice.

“Thank you. I just wanted to thank you.” I breathe out.

She squints her golden eyes at me, “hold that thought.” Her fingers wave over in the direction of the darkness. An unfamiliar Obsidian comes through with a large sack hanging over his shoulder. He throws it down unceremoniously which loosens the wrappings on it and reveals the contents.A body. My eyes snag on the seal branded into what’s left of his clothes.A sun.

I try to speak, stunned at what’s in front of me. “How the fu-” Looking up at her, her face is smug.

“I think that belongs to you.” And with that she disappears. Horror claws its way through me as I stare at the mutilated Vellaran. The trance snaps when the sound of gagging finds its way to my ears. My head turns, Will is there at my back, retching onto the floor.

When he finishes he takes the back of his hand and wipes across his mouth. “Is that?”

I swivel back to the corpse, “yeah,” is all that I can articulate.

“Rorin, what the hell have you gotten us into now?”

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