Discovery of a Queen: Resurrection of Queens Book 1
Discovery of a Queen: Chapter 22

I’m not sure how long I’ve been here, how long Malick has been injecting me with whatever it is he hopes will turn my uterus compatible enough with his junk to get me pregnant with little demon gremlins. But it appears to be taking longer than it has with the others. I’m not sure if I want to be happy or upset about that.

While there’s a set schedule to the way things progress each day, without my dragon and without magic, I can’t get out of my restraints. If I do, I’m just dragged right back instantly. I’m only allowed up a few times each day to ensure that my muscles don’t atrophy and to go to the bathroom. I’m impressed they’ve been able to block me this long. It’s a massive power drain to do something like this long-term, and I’m sure several people have already died to meet the power requirement. I’d say it’s a shame, but I’d be lying. At this point, even the maid deserves what’s coming.

And that’s what scares me. That’s not me. I don’t think like that. Right? I don’t want to exact revenge on those who have not actively done anything wrong. I don’t place the blame of one person on all of the people around them. And yet, I want to. Goddess, do I want to. I want to rip out of these bonds and bathe in the blood of every single being in this place. I want to shift into my dragon and rain fire down on this entire building before rolling in the ashes. I want to bask in their screams as they see me coming, knowing I’m their end.

What has Malick done to me?

Katia stalks into my room, needle in hand. Oh, goody, another dose of demon sludge. She’s frowning as she comes over to the bed, so I’m in for some fun after she’s stabbed me. Studying me closely for my reaction, she slams the needle into my arm. I don’t even wince. I carefully keep my face blank, despite the rage that quickly blasts through my body. I want her to watch as I slowly remove her innards, maybe even make her eat them. I blink. No, I can’t think like that. Snap out of it, Ayla. Don’t let this get to you, I chide myself.

“This dose may very well kill you. I told Lord Malick that we needed to give you more time between doses so we can assess the changes. But he’s impatient.” She grins down at me. “I don’t particularly care if you die, but you are the last queen.” She sighs dramatically. “I suppose I’ll need to make sure you don’t die.”

Bitch. I know she’ll wait until the last possible moment to save me. I’ve learned a few things about Katia in the time I’ve been here. She loves to see the pain and panic on the faces of those she tortures. There’s no question in my mind she gets off on everything she does. While I haven’t been allowed to wander, and I’ve mostly been bound to my bed, I’ve heard at least one other woman screaming.

Katia checks my vitals before leaving. She never stays to chat, which is such a shame. I have so many wonderful choice words for her. And I’d love to just let her have a piece of my mind. Who knows, she might slip up and tell me how the hell they’re able to block my dragon and magic so well. Either way, it would be cathartic.

My heart starts racing and my breathing heaves in short, rapid bursts. My vision narrows and goes staticky. It feels as though my limbs will float away if the restraints are removed. Goddess, it feels like my heart is going to burst from my chest. It’s all I can hear, and my vision is pulsing with each furious beat.

Ah, fuck. That’s the last coherent thought I have before my world goes black…again.

When I finally come to, I’m not strapped to a bed anymore. I’m outside. How am I outside? The last thing I remember is Katia injecting me with more of that nasty black demon crap. So how the hell did I end up out here? Where is here?

I’m standing beside a giant weeping willow that is flanked by an old oak tree and a magnolia tree. I feel oddly at peace looking at the strange trio, as though I’ve come home. My heart feels lighter than it has in centuries. My worries about how I came to be here slowly fade the longer I look at the trees. After all, it doesn’t matter how I came to be here. What matters is that I’m here, finally. I can rest. And so I do.

I make my way under the weeping willow, sighing as the shade provides shelter from the sun. I curl up next to the trunk, content to relax against the tree in silence. My eyes feel heavy, but I fight to keep them open, wanting to bask in the beauty of the tree.

Just as my eyes are about to slide shut, my determination to keep them open fading, light footfalls sound from nearby, perking me up. My gaze sharpens as I focus on the direction where the footsteps are coming from. More than one person is approaching the trio of trees, though I can’t tell exactly how many. My head is pleasantly light. While I know I should care that I’m being approached by an unknown number of strangers, the feeling of peace that settled over me on first waking has firmly taken root. I’m not worried or scared, merely intrigued. How could there be evil in this place?

A triad of hooded figures emerges from the other side of the weeping willow, stopping to stand before me. I can’t see their faces, their hoods are drawn too far down, but given their small stature, I assume they’re women. One by one, the figures lower their hoods. My assumption that they are all women is quickly confirmed.

Shock shoots through my system when I realize who I’m looking at. Three goddesses. Brigid, Isis, and Freja. I scramble to my feet, my eyes wide with shock. Brigid is pale with a light smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her flaming red hair is braided down her back with ribbons interwoven into her curly locks. Her eyes remind me of the grass by the Cliffs of Mohr, a sharp green mixed with yellow and brown. Her lips are a deep red, almost appearing as though she recently drank blood and it left a stain on her lips. Isis, by contrast, is a deep golden brown, similar to the color of coffee with just a touch of cream. Her eyes are a startling gold that offsets her jet-black hair. Her hair is plaited with gold and tumbles down her back. Freja is also pale, though not quite as pale as Brigid. Where Brigid appears soft and Isis regal, Freja is clearly a warrior. Her hair is braided in the style of a shieldmaiden, with beads woven throughout. Her gray eyes are hard as steel, and the war paint gracing her face is a stark contrast to her pallor.

“My ladies!” I bow my head, but all three instantly reach out in a gesture that tells me I needn’t bow.

“Please, daughter, there is no need for such formality.” Brigid’s voice rings with the sensation of home. Ireland. It soothes my frayed nerves. “We have come to you due to dire circumstances.”

“Indeed.” Isis’s tone has a husky quality that surprisingly stirs a hunger within me. “We healed your body and brought your mind to this place. We have much to ask of you, precious daughter.”

“Wait. Healed my body? What are you talking about?” Despite the injections Malick had been giving me, I wasn’t injured, at least as far as I knew.

“The last injection stopped your heart, young warrior.” Freja’s voice is surprisingly soft given her appearance. “You are too important to lose. You still have much to do.”

I’m dead. Not exactly how I thought I would go, being experimented on in an attempt for some psycho to impregnate me. My calm slowly gives way to anger the more I think about it. How could I have just sat back and allowed Malick to do this to me? Brigid comes over and gently places her hand on my cheek. Her eyes are soft, and a pale white light surrounds us.

“My daughter, there is so much I wish to tell you, but we do not have time. My sisters and I have healed your body, but the darkness still lingers. Do not let it snuff out your light.” She rests her forehead against mine. “Remember who you are, dear one. Remember the power you once wielded and can wield again.” With that, she steps away, only to be replaced by Isis.

“Daughter, there is still so much for you to learn. What Brigid says is true, there is still darkness that lingers within you. But there can be no light without dark, no life without death. Do not let the darkness snuff out your light, but do not be afraid to use that darkness to allow your light to shine brighter. You leave here with our blessings.” Isis also rests her forehead against me. “Maiden of the past, you are but one piece of the puzzle. Find your sisters.” She steps away and Freja takes her place.

“Warrior queen, we will aid you in your quest. Your sisters, not by blood but by bond, will take up the mantle of queen, thereby starting a new generation of warriors for light. Each of the three new queens will awaken when the moment is right, and you will guide them, strengthen them. The time of the old ways has passed. You, my warrior, will lead this new generation of queens.” Freja searches my eyes for a moment before continuing, “But be warned, Malick is not your true adversary, and the darkest times are still to come. Embrace the bonds you have created, not just with your sisters, but with your man as well. For he will ground you during the trials ahead.” She leans, then whispers, “You are a Fate reborn, young warrior queen. Do not fight it, embrace it with everything you are. Do not falter.” She also steps back.

The three goddesses in front of me smile, crossing their arms over their chests. Freja and Isis slowly fade from view, leaving me alone with Brigid.

“One last word before I part,” Brigid says, her voice soft. “Find the prophecy and know that we never deceived your mother. The darkness has always been determined to kill the light, and we did what we could. I will leave you with this.” She hands me a small orb made of what appears to be jade. “This will show you the truth of your mother’s final moments. Blessed be, daughter.” She leans in to kiss my cheek before she, too, is gone.

I stand there staring at the orb for countless moments, trying to process what just happened. The orb starts to heat in my hands, and it clears, showing me the fields just beyond my childhood home.

I’m standing on the rise of a hill overlooking a battlefield. My mother’s final stand, I realize, startled. A roar shakes the ground and fire lights up the sky. My father, a stunning obsidian dragon, shoots through the storm, cutting through the legion gathered on the fields below.

“Aine, my love!” My father’s voice blares crystal clear through my mind. “Ye’ve got to get the girls away. We won’t last long, love.”

“Sorcha and Isobel are already safe. I’m heading home to collect Ayla.” The sound of my mother’s voice almost breaks me. I’ve missed them both so much. The love in their voices for us, for each other, is obvious.

Suddenly, a wave of terror washes over me. The night appears to get darker, the rain heavier, and the hope leaches out of every cell in my body. Malick steps onto the field near my house. No! I want to shift, fight, and save my parents, but I can’t. I’m rooted to the spot, a mere spectator to the events of four hundred years ago.

Moments later, my mother steps out of our tiny cottage, head held high, power lighting her from within. My father shoots off another stream of fire before landing beside her. They make such a magnificent sight, especially once my mother shifts. Her dragon is silver and sparkles through the rain. Together, they attack.

It’s like watching a dance, attack then defend, over and over again. But in a flash, both of my parents are back in their human forms on all fours. A new wave of power washes over the battlefield and the demons still, a hushed whisper spreading through the legion. Malick approaches my parents, his wings outstretched, a brilliant smile covering his face.

“I’m going to give you one last chance, Aine. Come with me.” He kneels, pinching my mother’s chin in one hand and slamming his other into my father’s face, sending him flying. “You’re the last queen. You will be the mother of darkness! You will give birth to the Fates. You will help me break the seals and rule by my side.”

My mother spits in his face, a snarl on her lips. “No.”

“I’m going to kill your mate.” Malick leans down to press a light kiss to my mother’s mouth. “But first, I want you to see who has stripped you of your dragon, your power.”

The sea of demons parts and a lone hooded figure strides toward my mother. My father, having been flung into a crowd of demons, is being held back, but he is given a clear line of sight to my mother and Malick. Once the hooded figure makes it to Malick’s side, Malick stands, still gripping my mother, and rips the hood back. My mother cries out in shocked pain. It’s Katia. I…I don’t understand.

My mother’s voice is a broken whisper when she finally speaks. “You! How could you? Katia, you were my beta! I thought you were dead! I mourned you!” As she talks, my mother’s voice gets louder until she ends on a scream.

“I didn’t want to just be a beta, Aine. I wanted more. So much more.” Katia places her hand on Malick’s arm. “Lord Malick has given me power beyond my wildest dreams. Would you like to see?” She cocks her head, a sick grin slowly forming on her face.

My stomach drops. Ice slowly invades every part of me. Oh, goddess. My eyes flick to my father. I know what’s coming. I always thought Malick killed my father. It was Katia. One of my mother’s betas. I fight not to get sick and force myself to keep watching.

“Katia, please!” my mother cries. “You don’t need to do this.”

“No.” Katia’s voice is dark. “But I want to.”

With a flick of her wrist, my father’s heart instantly appears in her hands. My father’s body slumps out of the demons’ clutches, his eyes open and staring vacantly toward the sky. I feel the bile rising in my throat, and tears sting the back of my eyes. Daddy. My mother’s anguished scream rings through the fields as lightning flashes in the sky and the rain pours harder than ever.

“I’m going to give you some time to think about my offer.” Malick pulls my mother flush against him. “You will give me what I want, warrior queen. One way or another.”

The scene changes. I’m now standing in a dank, freezing cell. My mother is huddled, naked, in a corner. How long has she been like this? Shock floods my system with the realization that she was alive when she left the battlefield. Although I’m sure she wished she died along with my father. While it’s hard to tell exactly how much time has passed, I’m at least able to see that it’s been a while. My mother’s hair is matted, and she’s thinner than she was in the last memory.

Footsteps have both of us jerking our heads to see who’s approaching. At first, I think it’s Malick, but as I look closer, I realize that while this new archdemon looks almost exactly like Malick, there’s something darker and more sinister about him. I quickly glance back at my mother, fear trickling its way down my spine. My mother stands, her head held high and eyes defiant as she faces the newcomer. She crosses her arms over her chest, her body tense, though whether to attempt to flee or fight, I can’t be sure.

“Valik.” Dread mixes with the fear. “I was told you’d been imprisoned.”

Valik tsks. “Now, Aine, do you really believe everything you hear?”

“You might want to let your brother know you’re free.” My mother’s eyes narrow on Valik and she takes a small step away from him as he moves slightly closer. “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.”

“Now, now, my dear. I can’t have my little brother ruining everything for me, now can I?” Valik continues to advance on my mother until he’s inches away from her. “I’m going to give you what you want. I’m going to reunite you with your dearly departed mate.”

Valik strokes my mother’s cheek. My mother’s eyes widen in shock. She lashes out and grips Valik’s wrist, yanking it away from her face in disgust. Valik leans in, his lips sliding along my mother’s neck before gently caressing her ear.

“Does my dear brother know about your daughters?” He doesn’t give my mother any time to process his words before he rips her head from her body.

I let out a scream as I collapse to my knees, once again by the weeping willow. Tears stream down my face, sobs racking my body. The truth is so much worse than I ever could have imagined. My mother was alive. Malick had kept her like some kind of animal. And his brother…fury heats my blood thinking about how he slaughtered her. Valik is going to have to run very, very far and hide in the deepest, darkest hole he can find, but even then I will catch him.

The rage builds, mixing with my sorrow, and something in me snaps.

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