The Queen of the Damned

Entry Ten

MORGAN

Queen of the Damned

Years ago, I flipped through the pages of my book. The fresh scent of the ocean lingered as I sat cross-legged at the center of my bed humming the tune of the latest bard’s favorite song. He was a little pitchy in my taste but his lyrics made up for it. He wouldn’t last long though, Tumma’s never did. The scalding sun heated my room to the point where I was constantly sending a wave of humid wind over me. I wish I could just Portal to Norkden. I settled into the habit of reading a couple of pages and then gusting myself. Read. Gust. Read. Gust. I pulled my long hair up, attempting to prolong my reading.

Eventually, the heat became too much to stand. I slipped into my washroom. The stone floor felt slick beneath my feet. I should just slip now, beneath the surface. My mirrored image stared back. I dabbed the sweat away with a dark blue washcloth. I peeled my white crop top onto the floor and let my shorts drop to the ground. I replaced them with my black swimclothes. I delicately picked up my ocean blue mask. I tied it to the back of my head securely. The tight masquerade mask perfectly formed against my nose and all the way up to my forehead. Tiny designs of waves stitched across the leather.

A sea of maids shuffled by with masks of their own. I closed the door to my bedroom just as I noticed one slip from my younger brother’s room. She held the cover tightly against her red face. I sighed and moved swiftly down the hall with my towel in hand. My sandals slapped against the sand colored marble gaining the attention of some of the other workers. I waved to them as they said their hellos after they quickly returned to their duties: the rather monotonous task of washing all the walls.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I took a right and entered the gardens of my father’s castle. Green foliage blocked out just enough sun to provide me some relief. In the unseen distance, waves crashed onto the beach. Thick vines hugged weather worn pillars. Soft moss grew across the path. Grass and flowers poked up from the cracks. The scent of roses and lilacs wafted around me. I followed the path to a large, cold salt pool. I gently placed my things onto the ground before stepping in. Goosebumps crawled up my legs. I took another step and the water rose up to the diamond coming from my belly button. I sat down at the edge and started to read once more about the affair of a noble from Sorrow and a Ranger from Norkden.

“Morgan.” My eyes rolled exponentially. I tried to return my focus to my book and flipped the pages. “Busy? Oh, you are not.”

“Juno,” My voice laced with annoyance. “What do you want?”

I set my book down, carefully placing the bookmark between the pages, and looked up at her. My older cousin’s shadow cast down onto me. She grabbed onto her blood red hair and tucked it into a bun. A pair of black spectacles acted as shades for her impossibly green eyes. A purple bralette hugged her upper torso, showing off countless scars. The stupid sword she always carried hung from her waist just off her pair of black shorts. At nineteen, she stood taller than me. At sixteen, I had already finished growing and not set to soar higher than any Kalpea. Her muscles outweighed mine. My arms remained twigs and rather useless. My stomach was soft. The rare time I was home, I preferred the comfort of my room.

“I was wondering where you had run off to.” She dipped her legs in the water. “I was interested in seeing if you were busy whoring around or just drunk.” I rolled my eyes again. “Such a spoiled brat… The worst part about coming here is hearing my idiotic cousin boast about how her daughter is so special.” She glared down at me.

“Why did Uncle Flynt spawn such a horrid thing?” I tapped my chin and cocked my head. “I am sorry my grandfather actually enjoys my company.” I grinned. “If you were not such an idiot, maybe he would actually listen to you. Though- sense cannot be taught, I fear.”

“Whore!” She swung at me. I ducked down to the side and snaked out of the pool.

“Cunt!”

I wrapped the towel around me and charged inside. Juno followed me as I practically ran up the stairs. My bedroom door slammed shut along with the lock. She paced outside while I collected my thoughts. It only served to anger me more. I flexed my hands. Heat filled my fingertips. I breathed the energy away. Fuck! After slipping some random clothes on, I began to storm down into my father’s study.

I stopped before the heavy entrance. I breathed deeply, smoothing out my shirt. I checked my hair. Once steadied, I knocked three times. Knock. Knock. Knock. His deep voice allowed me to enter. Three heads turned to me. My mother ran over. Her hands checked my head, shoulders, and arms. For a final act, she softly kissed my forehead. I pulled away and sent daggers to her. God, I was such a fucking dick. Why could I not just be her little Princess? Maybe in the end, it would have turned out better if I was.

All she got was assholes for children and an asshole for a husband. She was a lovely woman but looking back I saw I just made her life miserable. Eight years later and a lifetime of experience, I understood what a brat I was and how she deserved a life without me. Even though I knew she needed a different daughter then too. I resented her for it. I never hugged enough nor loved enough. I was rude but- I- I couldn’t stand the look of her. She sent me away. She abandoned me. The first time I returned home after being sent away, I did not even recognize her. I screamed begging for my aunts, back then I called them my mothers. Grace attempted to wrangle her screaming child. She couldn’t. From that day, she never changed. She was a young mother and still had her peak to reach but she stopped. She became frozen. Immortality cemented her smooth, delicate skin and bright blue eyes. They were the brightest eyes in all of Midnight. They were so full of life in her paintings but the ones that stared back at me were dead. I made them dead. Regret crossed mine. Her’s matched. I wondered if she regretted giving birth to me. Years later, I knew it for certain. She was forced to have me. He needed an heir and she was gorgeous, so much like him. I’m so much like them.

“Will Juno be returning home soon?” I moved past my mother.

“Soon enough,” My father sighed. He pressed his seal into a pool of blue wax and handed the letter to my grandfather. The Emperor raised a brow at me. A thin golden crown with jewels of all colors slotted into the tiny prongs sat upon his head. His clothes were much less extravagant. They were lackluster, reminding everyone he was the child of some long since dead, nameless farmer.

“Do you two not get along?”

“She is an annoying cunt.”

“Watch your fucking tongue before I cut it out!” My father demanded. He smashed his heavy fist onto the table. My mother flinched. Immediately, she slid in front of me, stomach tightened and breath held.

“It is okay, George.” The Emperor laughed with a soft smile. “She is my granddaughter and certainly her mother’s child.” His hands rested on my shoulders as he looked down at me. One day you will look up at me. “I do not have any cousins. Or at least those I was aware of. I was beaming when I found out my sister in law was pregnant. Sure, Juno did not grow up with your mother but she grew up with you. You two shall be the best of friends. Our family are our closest allies and most trusted confidants.” He gestured towards my mother and father. “They will become your greatest council. Every single sibling I have had has helped me build my Empire. I wish I could see them again.” His smile faded at their memory.

“Your grandfather is right, Morgan.” Her hands cupped my face once more. “I wish I had siblings myself. You work so… So much.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “Go out and be a child. Enjoy your time with her.”

“She is a bitch.”

“Morgan! I am serious about your tongue! Go outside now! We have business!” The King of Sorrow roared at me. He kicked the edge of his desk. “I did not raise a spoiled little bitch.” You did not raise me at all. I refused to cry. Instead, I smirked. Never cry. Never show him weakness.

I found the boys in the training yard. Juno remained hot on my heels. She mocked me, my spells, the way I dressed, and my nose. She said it was too big. I never understood it. I thought I was rather good looking. Still do, Carter agrees. My eyes rolled with every word. I attempted to focus on the incessant sword clashing. Most practiced with fake swords but Georgie and Vincent liked to pretend they had balls.

Vincent rolled to the side to avoid the pointy end. Georgie always picked up the biggest blade he could find. He began to swing it like a madman. Sweet, little Tyler sat on top of the stone wall. He looked down at the older boys. Once he saw me, he waved and scrambled down the side like a monkey. His arms wrapped around me and I responded by squeezing the twelve year old. I ruffled up his black hair while he giggled. My mother had gotten away with fucking someone else while my parents were at a meeting with Luka Snow-Star. They attempted to find peace but it ended up fucked when she missed her period. He was the Emperor’s grandson, for certain. Who knows what other royal blood created him?

“Why are you not training with Vincent?”

“Mother said they fight too rough for me.” He fiddled with his fingers. “I tried to play with them the other day but Vincent knocked me down so hard I hurt my arm!”

“Sorry!” The red haired ward screamed from just ten feet away. “It was an accident!”

“How dare you injure the Heir’s baby brother,” I jested. Tyler giggled and allowed me to kiss his forehead. “At least your arm is not broken. One time, I decided to fight Vincent with a sword and ended up snapping my right arm in two. Father was royally pissed off before the two of us sent word to Grandfather to calm him down.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Hello, little Prince,” Juno joined in.

“Stop following me like a fucking dog!” Juno raised a brow. “I will see you later, Ty. We should play tonight, if you would like.”

I shoved the giant gate open (with the help of a guard or two) and embraced the forest. Fruit trees filled my line of sight. They formed a colorful forest of orange, pink, and green. Vincent shouted for me to wait. Instead of chasing after me, Georgie tackled him to the ground and the two continued to fight. The gates slammed shut leaving me alone with Juno. We shot insults back and forth at each other hoping the other would bow down. Growing tired, I did what any self respecting woman would do: I ran.

The forest was by no means thick or hard to navigate. A light trail of trampled grass led me beneath a row of orange trees. My father had the fruit tended constantly. Tyler had only been lost once but he was quickly found. I kept running regardless if she was right behind me or not. I tripped over a root. I let out a swear and rolled onto my back. Rocks dug into my palms. I picked out the pebbles from them. Blood leaked out onto my legs. Juno jumped on top of me. My head bounded against the grass. She grabbed my scratched hands and pinned them above my head in a fashion I would do to Carter much later on.

“Not so fucking tough now, huh bitch?!”

“Fuck off!” I started to twist my legs. I kicked trying to get her off of me. “What the fuck is your problem? You are psychotic!”

“You!” She punched my nose. Crunch! I let out a high pitched scream. Tears flowed freely from my eyes. I kept screaming and screaming. I tried to grab my face. My nose. She kept me pinned with an iron grip on my wrists. I screamed for my mother. Juno struck my face again. Blood filled my mouth as a tooth landed on the ground. Warm, stick red drained down my cheeks. It traveled along the back of my throat. I coughed out. I tried to breathe. I gasped out for air. The liquid entered my lungs creating a gurgling sound. “Fucking loser!” She hit me again and again. “Why the fuck do you get to be Heir?! I am older! I am stronger! So what? You can cast a fuck spell! My aunt is the Empress!”

She shoved herself off my chest. I rolled onto my side. I spit up onto the ground. I coughed up the blood from my lungs and sucked it in. A raspy sound came from my mouth as air entered me. Juno kicked my stomach. I cried out. My hands gripped the grass as I tried to crawl away. She grabbed my hair. She yanked back and then smashed my face into the ground. Again, she kicked my side. She kicked and kicked until the pain became numb. I tried to curl up into a ball. I tried to cry.

“I didn’t ask for this!”

“Fucking bitch!” She grabbed the top of my head. “I hope they find you dead!” She gave me one last kick to my face and walked away.

I lay there crying. I hugged myself so tightly bruises formed I was so weak. I was so powerless. Why did I not fight back? Why did I not use magic? I mentally chastised myself. My body began to shake in pain. Slowly, my nose stopped gushing blood. I rolled onto my back attempting to find comfort. The warm summer sun broke through the leaves. A golden ray shot itself through the air. I reached toward it. I could not take my eyes off the light. It warmed my freezing body. Another pitiful cough left me. My hand dropped to my side. Clouds filled my head. I tried to move my hands. Any magic left in my body refused. No words could leave my throat. I could not hold my head forward for a moment longer. It rolled to the side as my eyelids grew weights. I tried to scream. A ragged gasp for help came out instead. No one came. I lay waiting. I waited for my miserable existence to end. I wanted it to stop hurting. I let my eyes start to flutter. I imagined what new world would be waiting for me on the other side.

Rustling in the trees forced me still. If I pretend to be dead, she will just leave me alone to end in peace. I felt my heart nearly break through my cavity. I remained motionless. I held my breath. The footsteps approached. Instead of seeing Juno’s bare legs, a pair of black slacks entered my view. My eyes wandered upward as I turned off the charade. Horns poked out of the man’s skull. Thick white hair surrounded them. Gray hugged tightly around his green irises. Faded scales coated his bare chest. Slowly, his hand reached forward. Scales ran across his fingers. He danced them across my face. I jerked away at his icy touch. I need warmth, please.

“Shh,” He whispered. “You are a strong one. Good.” A long claw extended from his pointer finger. “Do not fight it. It will only make it worse.”

He dug into my skin. My forehead split open as he dragged his claw down my left eyebrow. Energy charged my screams. Cold entered my veins. I thrusted my stomach up. Every part of my body turned numb. I no longer cried. I would never cry again. The magic worked its way to every injury preventing hundreds of bruises from forming. My nose snapped and healed into a crooked position. The split down my lip closed into a tiny scar. A new tooth replaced the one I had spat out. Life returned to me and I sat upward. I stared at the stranger unable to run away.

“What did you do?” I reframed from thanking him. Who knew what he had actually done? I had seen powerful healers but never something like that. He just smiled and his bones began to crack. A Shifter? He fell down to all fours. Large wings sprouted from his back. Feathers and scales completely took over his skin. The Larken rose into the air. “No- You- Why!” It let out a screech and soared off into the sun.

Juno, shocked at my return, stood with her jaw to the floor just inside the training yard. I refused to waste any more time on her. I had things to do. I stormed into my bedroom and latched the door. With all my might, I pushed my dresser in front of the entrance. The body length mirror revealed I had been returned to near perfect form. The only remnants of the adventure were a few scars, my nose, and the bloody cut through my brow. I wiped it with a napkin revealing a thick layer of black ooze. Fuck! This can- Not like this! I had been cursed with something far worse than death.

I threw open my window. The city lay before me. The citizens were nothing but tiny ants beneath me. The buildings were nothing more than the holes they entered and used to hide from the hell of their lives. I stepped onto the edge. The Church of Sorrow rang its bells calling all those to remember the joy in this life. I inched my foot forward. Victims never last more than a few days… Just jump. My fingers flexed. Energy pulsed through my limbs. I will wait. Just until the sickness sets in. A day or two of life left.

So, I locked myself in my room. I waited for three days. I stitched my own brow closed and only ate what the maids served. I left for nothing and no one. I refused to let Tyler or Vincent inside. My mother questioned me and I simply told her to stay away. On the morning of the fourth day, I looked at myself in the mirror. The wound had closed a little. The stitches just needed some more time. My skin remained sun tanned. My hair was still dark like the waves crashing below. The whites of my eyes stayed. I took my knife and dragged it across my pointer finger. Dark, red blood dripped into the sink. Relief forced me to the edge. I gripped the counter and cried. I had not turned. I had not been infected. I could only feel strength. The adrenaline of the experience remained. It fueled something.

I left my room that day. I joined my brothers in the yard and trained. I trained for hours, days, weeks. I repeated the process until I was forced to return to Bloodstone. Once I was there, I continued the strict regime of exercise. My father’s knights swung large swords for practice and so I did the same. I used them as weights to grow. I learned ways to strengthen my core. I used books. I used everything: I grew strong. I would never be weak again.

My teachers could not give me enough spells to keep up with my growing aptitude. My magic hardly ever seemed to wain. In the future, I would be able to teleport twice in a row. The ancient immortals could barely do that. I made the Dracyn look weak. Every morning, the Headmistress tried to break me. She gave me more challenges. I had to fight professors and I sent every single one to their knees.

As the years grew, so did I. My strength increased and my magic did so tenfold. With a clench from my hand, I could crush the throat of a man fifty yards away. I kept the secret of my success close to my heart. I had convinced myself it was a fluke. The stranger meant to kill me but I alone was strong enough to fight off the infection. Or so I convinced myself when I was younger. I was strong. Stronger than them all. I knocked every peer off the pedestal and rose through the ranks. As I grew strong, my grandfather’s wandering eyes ceased. He confirmed my placement so far as giving me my own crown to wear. Juno was not even allowed to call a meeting with him anymore.

Carter’s eyes stared up at me. They were wide, water glistened in them. Her arms had snaked around my waist as I told her the story. Unconsciously, I gripped her. She shifted up as I reached the end. Her hands landed on my shoulders. She moved down and stroked my sides softly. I watched her eyebrows furrow like they always did. Her hands moved to my face. Her thumb ran down my scar, warming it. She grazed my crooked nose with all the care someone would give a newborn baby. Her arm slipped around my neck snuggly, the other tightly around my back. She hugged me, completely covering my body like a protective shell. I hugged her back, so tight. Anxiety swirled in my stomach. I waited patiently for her response. She thinks of me as a monster. Yes, because that is why she is hugging you, Morgan. Sometimes you are more dense than she is. I peeled myself from her warmth.

“So? Are you going to turn me in, Ears?”

“Why would I do that?” She asked with genuine curiosity.

“I am one of them. The thing that is going to cure you and bring you home.” I bit my lower lip. “By killing it, by killing me.”

“I don’t care if you’re a Larken.” She picked up my hands. “I wouldn’t care if you were an ordinary human with no magic or an Orc. We have Orcs here, right? We do-” She shook her head. “Never- Wait! Even if you were a stuck up Upea, I would still want you in my life. You were attacked- Left for- Left for dead! But- Anyway! It doesn’t matter to me because what matters is you. I don’t know much about you, granted, but I know you care about Vincent and seem to somewhat care about Ashlyn. You tolerate Zahyn. I know you care about me. I- I care- I care about you.” She stumbled over her words and pressed her forehead against mine. “I know you love romance books. You are a spoiled Princess who fucking kicks ass. You have your fair share of dresses, most definitely- Again not the point! I like you. I like that you worked your fucking ass off. It doesn’t matter what species or race you are. I don’t care if you choose to become immortal or stay mortal.” She thought for a moment. “I care that you are safe now. I also plan on murdering Juno. I’ve listened to enough true crime podcasts to get away with it.”

“Ears…” I laid my hand flat on her cheek. I wanted to pull her in. “I do not think I know what to say.” It caused her to crack a smile. “I care about you. I find it strange.” Why do I want you? “You are a stranger who is strange but I care about you which is stranger. I am not eloquent in this… Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, Princess! It’s what I do!” She sat up proudly. Once her head cooled, she looked back at me. “You survived an infection. Now, this isn’t like my place but I’m going to try and tell you something. You met a man? This stranger? He was a Larken… They’re like Shifters, kinda, right?” Her mind worked out the pieces. “Have we ever let a Larken attack fist! Like, have we made them feel like unthreatened? I set a Larken on fire and they just flew away. It only attacked because they hit it, or its kid. Shadow attacked the one in front of me. I shot that kid.” She scrunched up her face. “What if we’ve been killing innocent beings? Stunted Shifters exist so what about Larken? The man- What if that’s what they’re like in a humanoid form? What if there are more like you? Not that I’m saying you’re not special!” She scrambled. “I think you’re very special-”

“Ears.”

“Yes?”

“I never thought about any of that.” I felt my scar. Their blood makes me stronger but how strong will I be if it still pulses? Once a Shifter dies, the supply ends but keep them alive and you have energy for eternity. “I thought it was a fluke, the way I was.”

“We have to go to the second nest.”