Page 31 of The Nightmare Queen

I stare up at Axel from the corner of my eye, “Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing?”

“Just came to grab you. Make sure you’re still all in one piece.” He says - turning me around - picking and prodding.

My hands swat him away. “Okay! Okay. I’m good. I’m good.”

“Well, you seem to be all there. But I won’t lie.” His eyes swinging to look at Ezra’s retreating back. “That looked intense, E.” He mutters low into my ear.I know, I want to say. But the words get trapped in the back of my throat. Instead, I let him lead us on the rest of the way to the stables where General Matthis is planning on meeting us.

There are a few final things to confirm before we head off to modern day Helys - also known as the Kingdom of Vellar. I glimpse down at the new addition on my wrist. It looks no different than raised, pink scar tissue. But something in me feels different since she carved them.

General Matthis is standing by the horses, right where I expected to find him. His eyes have darkened circles shadowing underneath them and his weathered face is filled with concern. Concern I don’t have time to entertain today.

“General.” I greet. He gives a curt nod before making his way towards me. Rorin quickly takes up the space next to me and my wrist twinges.

“Your Highness. The first round of soldiers will be following behind you. It will take them longer due to their size but, Prince Rorin,” he motions his hand towards the princeling, “has assured us that they’ll be able to move them quickly into place without too much disruption. Unfortunately that amount of people will be noticed. Be prepared for…interruptions.” His eyes flick back again to the prince before continuing on. “Based on the maps he’s provided we need to decide quickly which routes the second round will be taking to aid the post in the northeast.”

“Each company has 250 men and women? The beings from the Vast are somewhere around that number as well?” Rorin asks General Matthis.

He nods again. “Correct.”

“Including my personal guard, we’ll have soldiers with us. Then of course, your man, yourself and I. That makes the head count for your southern post, a little over 500.” I supply.

“We should reach Bair in six days, with full forces they’re probably going to be a week behind us.” He points to the map of Obsidian and Vellar. “We are getting beaten heavily both at Bair and in the northeastern city of Piram. I’d like to have your armies on standby. My father isn’t currently aware of what I am doing here, so—” Ezra cuts him off.

“Prince, if your father isn’t aware of any of this.” He snaps. “What exactly do you suggest we do? Matthis wants us to be aware of ‘interruptions’,” he throws quotes around the word, “but we could be killed on sight as invaders.”

Frustration blooms on the prince’s and his companion’s features. Mousy ignores Ezra choosing to babble on to General Matthis that one of their commander’s will meet and lead us in, then do the same for the soldiers when they reach the same checkpoint. It’s unclear what state Bair will be in when we arrive but their conversation left off with Matthis stating he would wait for word from us before sending the second round of military. Their trek would of course be much longer, so the sooner we let him know the better.

I grin, “I hope it’s a bloodbath.” I mutter over to Axel while mounting my horse. He laughs nodding to Felix as he walks away from me to get onto his own horse. Felix’s hand brushes down my animal's mane before landing on my knee.

“This is what we’ve trained for, Eveera. This is what your parents built you to be, what I built you to be.” He reminds. “You both wear the blood seal. You understand what this means, yes?”

I smile, “Oh, you know, Marjorie was as explanatory as always.” He groans.

“Do not be stubborn. Now is not the time for your self sacrificing recklessness.” His eyes soften on me, his grip turning shaky as does his voice, “You - my dearest one - are our salvation. Whether you ever wanted to be or not. Be who they need, but if they begin to fall, you let them.” His final words are exact to what Marjorie said in my bedroom, striking a chord in me as they hit my ears a second time. My focus only breaks from him when Seth comes running at me along with a very important parcel in his hand.

I mouth a thank you at Felix, snatching the parcel up and winking towards Seth.

My horse settles into a standard pace next to Axel, “he tell you not to be stubborn?” He asks.

“Mm-hmm.”

“He tell you not to be reckless?” He adds. I turn to glare at him, a smirk pulling at the corner of my lips.

“I’m offended to hear you would think I’d be reckless and stubborn at a time like this. I happen to be very flexible.” I reply. Axel coughs out a laugh before very loudly stating, “Just ask Ezra.” That earns him a few snickers from the brothers while he earns a scathing glare from Armond, Ezra, and myself.

Remind me why I thought traveling with a bunch of men would be a good idea.

Rorin

We’ve been riding silently for hours. And during such quiet time, I’ve mulled over every possible outcome to the reaction my father will have once he figures out that I’ve gone directly against his orders. None of them turn out positively.

To ease the churning in my stomach I center my mind on something other than him. Instead I focus on my win, earning the Queen of Obsidian and her army. Or at least I hope it’s a win. Her army trails a few miles behind us. Their group is about fifty times the size of ours, slowing them down significantly. I wonder how they’ll fare with the creatures that live out in these lands. The gray tone of the trees and overcast sky make for a perfect camouflaged setting for the beasts that I know lurk somewhere within them. They’ll have to endure them much longer than we will. But, surely, as trained professionals who are native to this kingdom they should be able to handle themselves.

SNAP!

The hairs on the back of my neck rise, unease weighs over us like a blanket. Our horses halt pausing our trek as we sit in silence long enough to be sure that nothing would come of that snap.

When we started moving again, I sidled my horse up to Eveera’s. “How’s your shoulder holding up?”

---