“It’s hard to tell who has your back from who has it long enough to stab you in it.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO4cEtJWfIo
593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMClbChObpO
Adian shoved the key into the padlock and twisted it until it clicked open. An unsettling smell lingered in the air around Calysse as she waited for him to open the door. Adian had been dragging her around the castle for longer than she was willing to wait. Each hallway looked the same too, as if he was running her in circles to disorient her if she tried to escape. Escape? The very reason he thought she’d want to get away sent chills up her spine. Adian had temporarily earned her trust by bringing her here, and every moment he stalled, it ebbed away like her patience. Why had he chosen such an inconvenient route through the castle?593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8dViQJvgN
“By the gods, how long does it take to open a door?” Calysse tapped her foot on the stone floor, the whole thing was made out of a gloomy grey stone. Adian’s eyes weren’t nearly as hostile as they had been before as he glared at her, they were filled with something more sinister. He opened the doors with sheer reluctance, his cloak billowed out behind him like a red cloud. Calysse shuddered as she peered down the hallway, it was so dimly lit she could barely see five feet ahead of her.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurBJXI2sLo
“Are we really going down there?” Calysse inched forward and narrowed her eyes at Adian, who was already treading through the passage. The blue-eyed Venefica didn’t answer verbally, but she expected he knew she’d gotten the message.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50CPWkoLXA
Water dripped from the roof of the already rancid smelling tunnel. The passage was narrow except for a few doors which branched off into larger, less dark rooms. Each of which were the same, large velvet chairs arranged around stiff metal tables. Crystal chandeliers hung low on the ceiling, Calysse suspected it wasn’t real crystal, but cheaper glass. The smell didn’t improve, as it seemed to get worse the further they progressed into the hallway. There were closed doors in each of the rooms leading off to who knows where.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4FvWTvuUn
Adian’s shoulders were hunched forward, he seemed to be growing more and more unenthusiastic with each step. She would have asked him, but Calysse doubted he’d wield any more information about himself.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciIhnorS0F
“Is your sister the queen?” She saw Adian’s jaw clench, she’d crossed the line. Such a simple question yet so little willingness to betray any of himself to her. Calysse wrapped her arms around her shoulders as they continued to walk. Whatever he thought of his sister, or the queen, it wasn’t positive. The silence was unnerving, it was so different from the uproar of the streets.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwDhzDJM63H
“Do you hold any title?” Still no reply. “Duke? Knight? Lord? Lord Adian Fonneraeru.” Adian had somehow summoned a will of iron since walking into the stone castle, because he didn’t even look back. Tough crowd.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqcAR6kJA7
Calysse drew in a sharp breath as two grand doors blocked their path. She hadn’t even seen them in the dark until then. Adian was again unfazed, pushed his knuckles into the door. The hard oak nearly splintered under the pressure before giving way. What an odd way to open a door.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnssYD3UN4
“Through the hall is the Throne Room. You can’t miss it.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwbxNezVgY
“You aren’t coming?”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUe7uoVrWol
“Non-Tezalians aren’t allowed inside unless directly summoned by her highness.” Adian didn’t bat an eye as she passed. Calysse frowned at the mention of the Golden Eyed’s real name. Never in Indignor had it been spoken aloud, as the nations had a messy quarrel when the Indignor Crown stole the lands from them. It was considered taboo to even think it.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7EwJaWXE9
“Why is that?” Calysse raised an eyebrow as she distanced herself from Adian. She was very familiar with why outsiders were not let in. Her own family had been forced into Indignor because they’d been born in warzone lands. Calysse knew when she went looking for the Golden Eyed that she wouldn’t be accepted immediately by the queen.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnv1bPisYiM
“Don’t argue.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSaxBhzluv
“Yes M’Lord” She curtsied awkwardly, Adian’s gaze just hardened as he refused to show anything other than cold discontent. What kind of hatred did he carry for the queen, and why was he so damn conceited about it?593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLZNlH2e6W
“When you meet the queen, don’t curtsey.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKldDHUufv
Calysse didn’t have time to object, for he had already slammed the doors shut. She gulped and took a long breath in through the nose. The rancid smell had been replaced by a sweet, lulling scent. It was tempting to take another breath before she remembered why she was standing there, alone, in the dark.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz7hRVAzks
There were no lights in the room except for at the end of the hall where two blazing pits of fire burned brightly. Unlike the rest of the castle, the archway at the end of the hall was carved out of marble. Apprehension knotted in her stomach as she walked down the hall. It was so quiet she could hear her own blood convulsing through her veins, her own breathing, and her own footsteps. This was even more intimidating then when she could hear Adian’s beside her.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnAbfRMLrH
Calysse gulped and stepped through the archway. As soon as she did, the whole room lit up in fire. She jumped back, scrambling to the floor as the wooden pits on either side of the room became engulfed in flames.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRpefwLIxE
On the opposite side of the room, there was the most extravagant throne. It glittered and shone as firelight danced all across the side and reflected around the room. Those were real crystals. Calysse took a few nervous steps forward as the small figure of the Tyzalian queen sitting atop her royal throne. She steeled her nerve as she stood before the leader of the Golden Eyed, Calysse knew enough about their culture to know who ruled it.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3DUdIUDvC
“My queen,” Calysse dipped her head, careful not to fall over. Everything felt out of place, she didn’t belong here at all. The royal had smooth hazelnut skin and pin straight black hair. Her lips were luscious and plump, complimenting her doe-like eyes. Despite her stunning appearance, the queen looked like a warrior. Calysse’s eyes flickered over her, she was muscular, too muscular for someone who sat on a throne daily. She seemed to wrinkle her nose in disgust as she spoke,593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm89ctpOjM
“You speak the common tongue do you? You are even less impressive then I thought.” Her tone was ethereal but icy and distant. The queen looked on her as if she were weighing her worth. “I suppose it was luck that you tamed that animal.” She had to be referring to Aislin, Calysse wouldn’t call what Aislin was tame exactly, but there was no other animal she could speak of. What had they done to her companion?593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d6145UO7c
Calysse couldn’t stop her upper lip from pulling back, revealing her front teeth. The queen snarled, sitting up straighter. Two guards that had hidden in the shadows made themselves known, as if cautioning Calysse not to make another move. Their armor shone in the firelight, but Calysse didn’t fear them for one second.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rnjGvy6c1
“Tell me girl, what is your name?” The queen’s hostility was not lost on her, she wanted a reaction. Oh how unhappy the royal would be when she didn’t get what she wanted.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1z8egMH0I
“Bren.” Calysse lied through her teeth. The queen just laughed, her laugh was unsympathetic and taciturn.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefe0Y31Mu8
“If that’s your name then you’re more basic then I thought, lying to me will be the last thing you ever do.” Her fingers curled around the armrest of her throne, Calysse felt her eyes snaking over every curve of her body.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYbk1kkFdK
“Calysse Brenielle of Indignor.” She sneered, the royal just gave her a venomous smile. A smile that Calysse wanted to wipe all over the floor. 593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37MPTsc2yF
“You would have been better off as just ‘Bren’. Who do you think you are? Lording the land of Indignor around as a title?”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYZGsD3pmc
“Please your highness.” Calysse felt her face color, she may have wanted to strike out at the queen, but making an enemy of her kin wasn’t smart. Her knees buckled as she bowed, it felt natural to yield to such a vile ruler, but the crown of Indignor wasn’t much better.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14W53ErBKA
“Nesami.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSVac0Gra4
“What?”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvyeLUJYuT
“Call me Queen Nesami.” The queen’s grin was wider now. The guards seemed to tighten their grip on the hilts of their swords.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl06rkIYHP
“Queen Nesami, I must ask why you sent Adian to find me.” Find was putting it generously, as he had dragged her halfway to the city. Nesami seemed to recoil at the name of the warrior, in disgust or in hatred?593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRnSKawiMWA
“I must admit, I need a favor from you.” Nesami studied her, as if searching for any signs of aggression. Calysse did her best not to flinch under her gaze.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0iiXsc49y
“And that is?” Calysse may have spoken with a calmer tongue, but the way Nesami spoke, even when asking a favor, as if she owed something to the queen.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7rZqwx9UB
“The king of Indignor has called to create a council of peace for all the nations that are now at war. I will not be attending personally, I need someone to go in my stead, someone he will take as a Tyzalian.” Nesami’s tone had changed dramatically, but it was her proposal that confused Calysse. She had a city full of Golden-Eyed to her disposal, why was she so special?593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaFjlJyfo7
“And why me? You are the queen of the Gol-Tyzalian.” Just saying the word made her shiver in her tattered clothes. The queen laughed as if her motives were obvious, which only made Calysse dislike her more. If the royal had been any closer she might have struck out.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZ8Gpx4dkJ
“Despite what your first impressions of me are, I do care for my people. You are not a blood-born Tyzalian, and therefore, you are as dispensable as Adian.” Nesami tightened her fist with even more force. The queen seemed to be trying to predict her every move before she made it. The same thing a warrior does on the battlefield before an opponent. “I don’t trust the king and queen of that revolting place.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA9To48pWR
“What if it is a trap?” Calysse met eyes with Nesami for an instant before the queen’s mouth split into a wide smirk.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwqKqqI8d9
“It’s obviously a trap. Why else would I send you instead of one of my subjects?” Nesami snapped, her finger ran through her glossy dark brown hair. Calysse had difficulty focusing on her face as she tried to process what the queen was going to have her do. She’d come all this way to find them, and the Golden Eyed were just as corrupt as Indignor. Calysse drew back her lips, she’d do Nesami’s dirty chores, but the queen would have to drop down and beg for it.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY9gjRXMfP
“And why should I help you if you’re sending me right back into the pit I crawled out of to get here.” Her eyes narrowed, she wouldn’t challenge Nesami outright.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCGWCvAZ9z
“Because it will earn you a place among us, that is more than you deserve.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0g56LCovXP
“I expect more than that.”593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbahbiWB4kN
“I won’t have your wolf killed.” Nesami flicked her wrist as Calysse stiffened. The guards retreated back into the shadows. She despised the worry that boiled in her throat, for almost considering doing the queen’s task in exchange for her life. The wolf had tried to eat her for god’s sake. Calysse’s cheeks burned as she stared the queen down. Her blood was boiling, she clenched her fist in order to keep herself from running at Nesami.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7OqObk2lm
“When I return, I expect to be made champion of the Tyzalian race." Calysse seethed, her fist tightened as Nesami rose from the throne. “If this means so very much to you, then you’ll accept.” She knew very well that this was more than a peace meeting, this was a chance for Nesami to pin all of her enemies in a single place. To win the war in a single strike. Oh but she was too cowardly to attend herself, Nesami was afraid, afraid that one of the other rulers was already ten paces ahead of her and had planned the same thing. Nesami stepped down from the crystal seat, her steps were elegant and well placed. Her grace didn't fool Calysse for a second, the royal was brimming with rage. She guessed that no one had ever spoken to the queen this way, at least not anyone living.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT7dMrHgEh
“You're playing a dangerous game, hear me when I tell you that I wouldn't do this if I wasn't desperate.” She breathed, Calysse knew her demand was outrageous, and she also knew that Nesami didn’t expect her to return. The queen was likely already plotting her demise like the snake she failed to hide inside herself. Calysse hadn’t lost hope in the nation of her kin, if she could somehow dethrone Nesami, then she could form the realm of her dreams. She wasn’t worried about any of the royals recognizing her, as she’d been covered in dirt, and they hadn’t even bothered to look at her when she was taken away. For once in her life, Calysse felt she was holding the upper hand. Just a short time back in Indignor and then she would take the world by the reigns.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7SBG6D5By
And for once in her life, she didn’t think about what could happen if things went so dreadfully wrong.593Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7iCF1POIr
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