Page 12 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species
But Kathrine didn’t want any other place and Earth held no appeal for her. What she wanted was a simple house to call their own – here, on Antambazi. And the guarantee of a happily ever after, despite her betrayal.
She hid her worries behind a soft smile. “You’re right.”
The electric car stopped at the foot of the Queen’s cliff. Sevar went around to open Kathrine’s door. She wrapped herself in her warm coat and remembered the bouquet of annies she had left on the back seat. Why would she need flowers when Sevar wouldn’t agree to something as simple as moving out of the castle with her?
You judge him without reason.
Sevar was her dream come true. Kathrine had loved him ever since she was a child, even before she understood romanticlove. He was a grown man then, bold and heroic – a rising star amongst the Queen’s Chosen. The most handsome among the hundred thousand men in the realm. At twenty-seven, he had cemented his position as their ruler’s right hand. And Kathrine? She had been an orphaned girl,chosenby her blood and by the Queen to be a soldier. It had taken many years for Sevar to notice her.
“Come, my love.”
He took her hand, and they faced the Queen’s cliff. The tall grey walls and towers of the impressive castle seemed to blend with the cliff, extending upwards as a reminder to all citizens that nothing stood closer to the sky than the Queen. An archway carved into the base of the cliff led to the castle.
Inside the cliff, hewn from the rock, was a staircase with iron railings, from which lanterns hung, swaying slowly. Small slits in the cliff allowed light to pass through during the day, but at night, the darkness was impenetrable, making passage difficult. Sight was the weakest of the reptilian senses, which was why the lanterns’ light never faded in the depths of the castle. Around the staircase, natural crevices in the cliff created shadows that had played tricks on Kathrine before her transformation.
“Miss Daualise. Mr. Vasilevich,” one of the orphans greeted Kathrine and Sevar when they entered the foyer. She was a nine-year-old girl with legs as thin as sticks and a wide smile, as if she had won the lottery. Another one of the Queen’s Chosen. The Queen was famous for her charity work. She adopted children from the suburbs, trained them, and sculpted them into refined creatures – and obedient soldiers.
“I remember you when you were her age,” Sevar said.
Kathrine threw him a sidelong glance. “You noticed me after my breasts grew.”
“That is not at all true, my Kathrine. I remember the little devil who always ruined her braids – a requirement for all themaidens in the castle. It drove the Queen so mad that she made you her favourite. After you, every girl was allowed to wear her hair as she wished.”
“You’ve never told me that…”
“You were skinnier than that girl. And I remember the exact moment your breasts grew.”
Kathrine was tempted to retort, but then the gloomy decorations of the palace unfolded before her eyes, and warmth blossomed in her chest. Although she longed to have her own place with Sevar, the castle would always be her first home.
In the central lobby, her eyes met the ten-foot bronze statue of the Queen. An enormous chandelier illuminated the figure, and arched staircases flanked it on either side.
Carpets the colour of stale blood followed their silent footsteps on the way to the common living room. The room buzzed with the joyous shouts of young girls and boys engrossed in games on the floor or watching one of the movies originating from Earth on the huge wall screen. In the far corner of the library, a group of maidens on the verge of immortality chatted quietly.
The Queen stood by the panoramic window at the far end of the room. Elegant as always, she wore a long white dress with her blonde hair casually pulled into a ponytail that reached down to her waist. In front of her was an ironing board, and she held an iron in her hand.
“My darlings! Come, come!”
Kathrine swung her coat across the back of the nearest chair and curtsied. “Your Majesty.”
“Beautiful daughter.” The Queen set aside the iron and embraced Kathrine, planting a kiss on each cheek. “Did your trip to the other realm go well?”
Kathrine shrugged. “It was… educational. Alas, unsuccessful.”
The Queen smiled and returned to her ironing. She finished with the dress on the board and carefully hung it among theothers on a portable rack set aside. Adjusting the red fabric, she told Kathrine, “Red is the colour of confidence, but also love, passion, sexuality… This one would suit you nicely.”
Kathrine shrugged again. “Thank you, Your Majesty, but I do not wear dresses.”
“My dear, it seems you’ve forgotten that, first and foremost, you are a lady.”
“Our Kathrine has been overworking herself lately,” Sevar interjected.
The Queen’s eyes darted back to Kathrine. “Oh! Why is that, daughter?”
“Because you overload her with work,” Sevar answered in her stead, smiling as if he were treading on thin ice. “Your Majesty.”
The Queen responded with an unusual silence. She took another dress from the rack – this time turquoise – inspected it with a hint of longing, and placed it on the board. Ironing with meticulous care, she spoke, “I have some intriguing news. It seems we are not the only ones struggling to locate Elisanda. I’ve heard she hasn’t been seen around the Hospital for quite some time. I suspect the manticore discovered her involvement in the murders and has dealt with her accordingly.”
Kathrine’s ears pricked up. Elisanda Grace – the nymph from Mikhail Korovin’s Council – had missed their last two meetings. Kathrine had suspected that Elisanda might have been playing a double game, reporting information to Korovin as she did to them. Her disappearance from the Hospital might have been staged to protect her from the reptilians.
