Chapter 27

AURORA

“I’m not just a servant girl anymore. I’m a queen, and everyone will bow to me.”

The grand marble throne room was chilly as I stood in the center, watching the woman approach the golden throne. She was a vision in gold, her hair cascading down like sunlight, highlighting her pale skin. She wore a golden lace dress, and a diamond tiara sparkled on her head.

But she wasn’t human. Her eyes were yellow with black around the irises, and her ears were pointed. A pair of golden wings sprouted from her back.

Four men knelt before her, heads bowed in respect. They looked like her, with pointed ears and dressed in deep blue robes. Each had long, straight hair that reached their waists, but in different colors; green, purple, red, and brown.

“The Higher Order has named three contenders for the Northern Lands,” the green-haired man said solemnly.

“A lycan, a luna dog, and a silver fox, right?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” the purple-haired man confirmed.

The woman nodded, deep in thought. “Interesting. The lycans and Luna Dogs have always been at odds. Such a pointless rivalry, don’t you think?”

They all nodded, but only the green-haired man spoke. “Yes, they’ve never gotten along. The fox is an unusual choice, though. He’s the only silver fox ever born, and he’s known for his intelligence and strength.”

“I doubt a fox would want to rule these lands. It would be too much of a burden for his free spirit.” The woman stepped forward. “But the Lycan and the luna dog, they’re wild cards. I might be able to use that to my advantage.”

“You’re thinking of using one of them to seize the throne?” the red-haired man guessed.

A smug smile spread across the woman’s face. “Why not? Lycans are easily manipulated, especially when power is at stake. If I offer them a little ‘~help~’ in exchange for sharing power, I could easily become the supreme queen of the Northern Lands, and then the entire Veil,” she said.

The dream faded as I woke up, morning light filtering through the curtains. I lay still, trying to make sense of the strange dream. My throat ached where the stone was embedded. I sat up, rubbing the sore spot. The pain subsided after about thirty seconds, but I didn’t move.

~What was that about?~ I wondered. ~Why would I dream something like that?~

The only explanation was the recent events. Jekia had confirmed that the butterflies I’d seen were likely from this Golden Queen. If that was true, my mind was probably trying to make sense of the lycans’ history.

Rin was next to me, stretching as he woke up. He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm. “Is it morning already?”

“Seems like it,” I whispered, rubbing my throat again. It hurt to talk, which was strange. I hadn’t had any problems until recently.

Rin noticed and looked worried. “Are you okay? Is your throat bothering you?”

“It’s just a little sore where the stone is,” I said.

“Sore?” Rin made me lift my head so he could examine my neck. “I don’t feel anything different. How long has it been bothering you?”

“A few days, but I think it’s just stress,” I reassured him.

“Stress or not, you need to tell me these things. I don’t want anything to happen to you. You’re still human, and your body might react badly to the stone,” Rin said.

I remembered the elves mentioning something like that. But thinking about the birth control implant made me nervous. I pulled down the covers to look at the spot where it was. “Do you think I’ll have any problems with the birth control?” I asked, touching the area.

“No. I’ve always heard that those implants work no matter what you are,” Rin reassured me. “But your throat does worry me. We should talk to Emelio about it. He knows a lot about spells and these stones.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

Rin rolled onto his back and smiled at me. “Let’s stay in bed a little longer. It’s still early, and I want to spend more time with you.”

I couldn’t argue with that. I moved closer and rested my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat and his calm breathing. Rin ran his fingers through my hair, and we lay there, enjoying the quiet morning together.

My mind wandered back to the dream I’d had. It was unlike any other I’d experienced, except for the one about the field. It was so vivid, it made me question its reality. “Rin,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper. “Did you really not know much about the Golden Queen, other than the story your dad told you when you were a kid?”

“No. Rayne and I didn’t know any more than that. It was odd to us when we first heard it. It was like no one but our father wanted to talk about that story, almost like they were scared to,” Rin confessed.

“I wonder if talking about her gives her more power. My parents used to tell me stories about demons,” I shared. “They said you should never say a demon’s name out loud because it invites them to come after you.”

“That could be true, but she was supposed to be sealed away. I can’t see why she’d take such indirect approaches if she wasn’t,” Rin reasoned. “What I can’t figure out is what she’s trying to achieve with all of this. I can’t believe she’d be a match for Jekia or any of the other rulers. They’d probably destroy her if she tried to come after them.”

He had a point. Even if this queen was an alpha, the ones chosen to rule were the most powerful in this world. Considering it, Rin and Rayne could probably take her on and win. They were born to two of the most powerful alphas, after all.

But a thought occurred to me. Jekia had a family he loved dearly. What if the queen was targeting them to get to him? Given what had happened to me and Rin, it seemed plausible.

“But what if she targets the ones the rulers care about? Maybe controlling those creatures is her way of eventually controlling one of us,” I suggested.

My words caught Rin’s attention. It seemed he hadn’t considered that possibility.

“You might be onto something, but I guess we’ll just have to be cautious. Jekia’s probably thought of that too, so it makes sense for him to want us to stay here. It’s also safer if you stay here unless you’re with me. I don’t like taking chances with this,” he replied.

~Taking chances.~

Those words lingered in my mind long after we’d gotten up and started our day. Despite feeling accepted here, I couldn’t ignore the fact that I was just a human woman. I had no power compared to Rin, his father, or his brother. Hell, I probably had less power than the weakest creatures in this realm.

It was disheartening to think about, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it off. Nothing seemed to ease my worries about what lay ahead.

Selenia and Lana noticed my distraction that morning, and I suspected that’s why they insisted on spending the day with me. Rin couldn’t object. He trusted his mother and sister with me, and Jekia had ordered him and Rayne to accompany him to investigate something with Emelio.

I wondered if Rin would mention the issues with my stone to them. If so, I might need to brace myself for Emelio wanting a closer look at it when they returned.

But for now, my day was to be spent with Rin’s mother and sister.

I was in one of the parlors on the second floor, where Selenia and Lana were helping me sort through the clothes Emelio had delivered that morning. Rin had asked him to bring everything that had been made for me, and naturally, they were eager to see them.

I didn’t mind. It was fun to sit there and chat about what we liked and didn’t.

“Oh, this one’s really pretty. I love the feel of it. It’s so soft,” Selenia commented, holding up one of the light blue dresses Anika had made for me.

“It is. But I suppose we shouldn’t expect any less from the spiders. They’re masters at creating clothing,” Lana added.

I was subtly observing their outfits as they spoke. Selenia was wearing jeans like mine, paired with a pretty green peasant top that showed off her shoulders. Lana was in a lovely pearl-colored lace dress with a high-low hem. I wondered if Lana ever wore pants. She’d mentioned something about being born in a very conservative era.

“Who was the spider who made these for you again?” Selenia asked, gently placing the dress with my other clothes.

“Her name is Anika. She has a colony near where Rin made his den,” I replied.

Lana pondered. “I think I’ve heard her name before. Jekia has mentioned a few of the larger spider colonies, and I remember him saying that a female spider named Anika led one in that area.”

“Are there a lot of spiders like her in this world?” I asked.

“Oh yes. There are many, along with many other creatures,” Lana informed me.

Selenia perked up. “Haven’t you met Vishu yet? I thought she’d have introduced herself by now,” she said.

“Vishu?” I echoed.

“Yes. She’s the spider who guards the palace and a very close friend of mine. But she was worried about scaring you, so she’s been keeping her distance,” Lana explained.

I shook my head. “Oh no, I wouldn’t be scared of her. I was a little scared of Anika at first, but she showed me that spiders can be very kind. I’d think Vishu would be too if she’s protecting this place,” I responded.

“She is,” Selenia assured me. She walked over to the nearby wall, and for the first time, I noticed strands of web hanging from the ceiling. I looked up and saw that the strands crisscrossed the ceiling and extended out through the tops of the doors and windows.

How had they escaped my notice until now?

Selenia toyed with a strand of her hair. “Vishu, would you like to join us? Aurora mentioned she’d love to see you.”

A woman’s voice echoed in response, “Yes, I’d love to.” The voice seemed to come from everywhere, and I couldn’t pinpoint its source.

Lana turned to me, her eyes soft. “Vishu is an albino spider, so she might look a bit different to you than Anika. But she’s a sweetheart. I met her not long after I met Jekia. She was an orphan without a colony, so I brought her back to the palace. I thought she could take over the guard duty from our first spider, Edifel,” she explained.

“You had another spider guarding the palace before Vishu? Did she pass away?” I asked, curiosity piqued.

Lana nodded, her expression somber. “Yes. She was killed when our original home was destroyed.”

I felt a pang of guilt as I saw the sadness flicker in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories,” I apologized.

Lana shook her head, offering me a small smile. “No need to apologize. We can’t change the past, and I’m sure Edifel wouldn’t want me to mourn her forever. She’d want to be remembered fondly,” she assured me.

Selenia sighed, a note of regret in her voice. “I wish I could have met her. Edifel always sounded like such a wonderful spider. Vishu loved her like a mother. It seems like my brothers loved her just as much,” she mused.

That’s right. Rin had told me that he and Rayne were only five when the attack happened. They must have known Edifel for those first five years. No wonder Rin wasn’t the least bit scared of the spiders and trusted them implicitly.

A clicking noise snapped me back to the present. I followed Lana and Selenia’s gaze to the far window. A large figure was making its way into the room. She was a vision in white, her form reminiscent of Anika. But her long hair was moon-colored, and her eyes were a deep blue. Her spider body matched her hair, and even her legs were pearl-colored.