Page 32 of Redeeming the Angel

I’d never much liked solitude, that was Nik’s thing, and my dislike of being alone only grew during my five years of captivity under Silvara’s tyrannical eye.

Therefore, as interim Queen, it was only right that I visit the village and see how my daughter’s loyal subjects were doing.

I bundled up in my warmest clothing, black wool trousers, a purple knit sweater, and a wolfskin coat that made me remember the one Lucian gave me for the colder parts of Jagwolfe lands in Luminista.I wondered if it was still in his family’s palace, or if it had rotted away.For Lucian being scandalized at Leonines eating meat in Medicia, his own family’s tradition of skinning animals after they died of old age or from injuries and making clothing like humans did was more shocking to me at the time.

I cursed under my breath.Why did I have to think of him so often?As I returned my focus to my impending outing, I realized that the casual clothing I’d grown accustomed to on Earth wouldn’t do if I was visiting the village in a royal capacity.So I exchanged the wolfskin coat for thick velvet black robes I was entitled to as a high sorceress.

My staff had been lost in the destruction of Medicia, but I didn’t really need one.As it was too cold to fly, I created a portal that took me from Zareth’s courtyard to the village square.There, I rang the bell and put out a calling spell to summon all that were able to come.

Every person who arrived stared at me in shock before recognizing me and bowing.I smiled reassuringly.When the pavilion was full, I held an audience, inquiring at everyone’s wellbeing and asking if anyone had seen anything suspicious, like Earth mages or vampires who’d come through a portal even though they didn’t seem to be allied with the Queen.I also cautioned all to be extra vigilant and reminded them of the alert system in case the Evil One invaded.

I then offered to hold court and see if I could address any grievances that hadn’t yet been taken to the King or Queen.

Fortunately, no one had witnessed any suspicious people around or anything else untoward.Unfortunately, most were too shy and intimidated by me to say much else.No one took me up on my offer to help with grievances.Though I was accustomed to this strange reverence from humans over my long centuries, I found myself missing the way I’d been regarded on Earth in those years when I was believed to be a normal preschool teacher.

Perhaps it wasn’t a good day for me to play at ruling.Instead, I declared the impromptu audience adjourned and took myself shopping at establishments that looked like they needed the patronage the most.

At a clothing shop, I packed away my black robes and bought yet another coat.This one was crafted on Earth with their alchemistic, unnatural materials.But it was warm and it waspurple, my favorite color.

As I walked to the nearest tavern, people I passed gave me friendly smiles with none of the fear they’d expressed when they’d seen me in my robes.

The Sage and Spruce Tavern was moderately crowded.But I was able to find myself a seat at the end of the wide polished wood bar.After my wine was served, I listened to the conversations around me.

A man at the table behind me suddenly addressed his companions.“Did you hear that Lord Aylmer of Wurrakia executed Lord Cregan for treason?”

One of his tablemates laughed.“That’s rich, given that he allied himself with the Winter Prince before Queen Xochitl crowned the Lord of Storm and Shadow.”

Another voice inquired in a slurring voice, “Wasn’t Lord Cregan’s daughter betrothed to one of Aylmer’s sons?”

“Indeed.To Sir Gerard, his heir.Now Aylmer’s holding the girl prisoner and she’s been temporarily stripped of her blue robes until an inquest is made to ensure she isn’t a traitor as well.”The man lowered his voice, and his next words held a lascivious tone.

Oh, Wurrakia.I sighed, remembering the strange country in which only women were allowed to do magic and only healing magic at that.The men were expected to strive to be knights, though there were of course merchants and laborers to sustain their economy.But their love of battle and glory often led them into reaching beyond the King’s decree and invading and conquering other lands.Wars broke out between them and the Tolonquan tribes fairly regularly.

I wondered what treason had been committed there and why Lord Aylmer hadn’t reported it to Zareth like he was supposed to.Perhaps I’d tell him, or go investigate the matter myself once we finished dealing with the more pressing issues on Earth.

On my walk back to the tower, I passed by a manor house that had been vacant the last time I’d been in the village.A painfully familiar figure of a man was out in the side yard, pruning the dead parts of various plants, and placing mulch around others to protect them over the winter.

Feeling a little guilty, I stepped behind a tree and watched Lucian Jagwolfe work.Despite the cold, he only wore a long-sleeved shirt that was thin enough for me to see his back muscles ripple with his movements, and his rolled-up sleeves tormented me with a view of his forearms.Heat pooled in my belly as I remembered those arms holding me tightly and that muscled form undulating against mine.

Before I could embarrassingly give myself away, I waited until he’d pushed his wheelbarrow around to the back of the house and slinked off, my face burning in shame.Erotic dreams taunted me all night, so I punished myself by remaining in the tower.Zareth’s fluffy gray and white cat, Chaos, proved to be good company.

By the time Zareth returned the next day, I couldn’t help hugging my son-in-law in gratitude that my isolation.It was then that I received news of two disturbing calamities that befell Sylvis.First, her pet wolf turned out to be my young cousin Gabriel.I silently vowed to give him an earful for such an unconscionable deception.And then I’d demand to know how he’d managed to hide his true identity for so long.Thankfully, Sylvis had come up with terms he’d have to fulfil to earn her forgiveness.And furthermore, he’d been of aid for the second calamity.The vampire cultists had hypnotized human servants who’d attempted to abduct her.Silas and Razvan had interrogated these cretins along with Delgarias.

“I’m going to call an emergency Conclave meeting about this matter, along with other things we’ve learned about recent goings on in the Earth realm,” Zareth finished.“You’ll take your seat once more as Queen of Medicia?”

“Of course!”

“Good.Xochitl won’t be there, as she’s preparing for a trip to New York to investigate a report from a witch coven that they’re being followed, so having the Queen Mother there will still give her a voice.”

That evening, I found out that Lucian would also be attending as a representative of Luminista.When he met us at the tower of High Sorcery in Varashek, there was no mockery of my being a queen without land.Once more, he wore his gold-gilt armor that allowed his dark gold wings to be freed.I followed suit and released my own, through the slits of my formal black robes, though it meant that the other high sorcerers and political representatives of Aisthanesthai had to scoot their chairs to give us room.

Shin Zen Li, Archmage of the Conclave, regarded Zareth with an insolent look that I didn’t like.“Your queen is absent, I see.”

Zareth gave him a quelling look.“She is on an important mission on Earth, regarding some consequences of magic returning to that realm.As she is more revered there than here, she is of much more help to our cause that way.Not to mention that she needs to maintain hold of her army.”

Shin Zen Li became a picture of righteous indignation.“How dare you say we do not revere our queen?She’s the Lioness of Light who saved our world by bringing back our sun!”

I stood then and flapped my wings for attention.“Your king did not say the queen is not revered here.What he means is that Earthfolk have a penchant for revering individuals and even myths far more intently than the people of Aisthanesthai.I’ve spent a great amount of time in that world over many centuries and can attest to that truth.The fact that my daughter is all but worshipped by many on Earth will help us more than you can even begin to fathom.”

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