The Queen Revealed (34 page)

“Charlie, now!” she shouted, as she pushed the boy toward his worst nightmare.

Quick as a snake, Charlie pulled out the little glass globe from his pocket and smeared it with the blood from his wrist.

“
Arachanea!
” he screamed and he lobbed the ball into the Empress’s open maw.

Everything slowed for a moment, as the air glowed green and the world paused to watch the glass ball shatter against the white fang of the Spider Empress and a tiny blue flame leap into the void of her mouth. A moment later, the blue light exploded and a blast of heat radiated out from the Empress. Adele stared in shock at the pile of black dust where the Empress had been just seconds before. She looked up in a daze, as her eyes followed the almost-invisible flames of blue fire as they danced and reached out for more victims in the crowd of panicking Spiders.

Adele’s gaze was caught by a vision of Rainere by the exit. He was carrying Natalie in his arms and silently mouthing something at her. She felt pulling and looked down to see Charlie ever so slowly yanking at her arm.

Time caught up to itself in a screeching crash of noise and movement.

“Run! Adelena, run!” screamed Rainere as he stepped outside the door.

They had to go! The fire would consume every Spider in the Nest, but that wouldn’t stop the Spiders from killing the Humans before they died.

Adele streaked through the chamber, right into the pile of black Empress dust and through the blue flames. She smelled her clothes singeing but the fire didn’t burn her skin.

“Men, to me.” Adele heard General Ohrig yell. “We follow the Queen.”

The tunnels of the Nest were in chaos. Adele felt the touch of Spiders scurrying across her face as the blue flames of Dragon Fire licked out of the cavern and into the tunnel, eating up every spider in its path.

Adele ran as fast as she could after Rainere’s retreating back. He was carrying Natalie and she was determined not to lose them, but Rainere’s legs were longer than hers and her QGs kept getting in the way of her sight.

When they hit the sewerage stream Adele felt something fall in front of her, knocking her sideways. Instinctively she kicked it away, but a flash of blue fire lit the hallway as a clump of Spiders were incinerated and in the light Adele saw Schiss’s white face drop under the filthy water. She reached down and dragged him up into her arms.

“Get up, Schiss,” she hissed at him. She felt a shadow fall over her and turned to see QG Owens behind her.

“Girl, you’re with me,” he said and caught her as she staggered under Schiss’s weight.

“No, take Schiss,” she protested. “He’ll die here and I can run.”

QG Owens did as he was told and grabbed the little man from her as if he weighed nothing at all and threw him over his shoulder. Looking behind, Adele saw General Ohrig bringing up the rear, and almost froze in fear when an enormous wall of blue flame filled the tunnel just yards behind him. There were Spiders everywhere, on the walls, the ceiling, on their bodies, in their hair. They would be burned alive with the Spiders.

Adele turned and fled down the churning stream. She prayed hard that Rainere had made it close to the exit with Natalie by now. She was running as fast as she could, but the waist-deep water was pushing against her and she started to panic. Even with the roar of the fire in her ears, she could still hear the screams of the Spiders about her as they were burned alive. Adele joined the screaming when she felt an iron bar wrap itself around her shoulders and her feet were lifted clear of the water. She was thrown over General Ohrig’s shoulder with a
whump
that knocked the wind out of her. It was hard to catch a breath as she was jostled and bumped against his armored shoulder, but as Adele watched the wall of Dragon Fire edge even closer, the desire for air was swallowed by fear.

Adele could tell by his speed that General Ohrig had reached the shallow part of the underground stream. He was almost running by the time they reached the entrance. Adele twisted and then fell through Ohrig’s arms, but she mis-stepped and dropped to her hands and knees. She scrabbled as hard as she could, up and toward the hole they had entered through. She saw a flash of green in the clearing and knew that the portal had held.

Ohrig pushed out of the tunnel behind her and they both lurched across the clearing to stand in front of the shimmering portal. Adele looked around wildly, but didn’t see Grotto or the Prince anywhere.

“Pepper!” shouted Ohrig and Adele looked down to see that her QG was lying behind the portal, only his legs were sticking out to the side, and his body was covered with a sickly green light. General Ohrig pulled Pepper up into his arms and shook him. “Pepper, are you with me, man? Speak!”

But Pepper’s eyes were wide and his face was white with shock. He looked at the General, but didn’t say a word.

“We cannot wait for the Prince to help us,” shouted Adele over the dreadful roaring of the fire in the tunnel. “We must go now!”

Tentatively, Adele stuck her hand into the swirling green light. She reached for Ohrig and held his arm as she had seen Rainere do when they had first come through. Her courage quailed at taking that first step, but a wave of hot air blasted them from behind and they were pushed into the portal.

The three of them were surrounded by flickering and flowing green light. It was like being inside an ocean wave.
Keep walking
, Rainere had instructed them.
Never stop walking inside a portal. The structure is as fragile as water, and you will sink through and drown just as easily.

Adele pulled on Ohrig’s arm and he hefted Pepper tighter to him. Adele led them through in what she hoped was a straight line. She concentrated hard on the image of her daughter’s face and prayed that Rainere had got her to safety. The Magic about them hissed and zapped at their steps, and Adele saw a door appear, surrounded by shadows. It was the only exit in front of them and she headed toward it. Walking was taking all her energy and she was working hard to concentrate on keeping her steps steady and constant.

Suddenly, Rainere appeared in front of her. He looked weary and was covered in the black soot of disintegrated spiders.

“This way,
cara mia
,” he said gently and took her hand. “That way lies darkness.”

Obediently, Adele followed Rainere along the invisible path in the portal, Ohrig dragging Pepper with him. She heard the Chime Voices complain about not heading toward the door, but they only whispered and chimed quietly in the back of her head so she ignored them.

Though she felt like they were curving back on themselves, Adele soon saw a gap in the green wall and through it she could see the forest at the edge of the Belvoir Estate. Rainere stepped out first and pulled her through after him. Adele stumbled like she had gotten off a boat when she left the portal.

It was night now, and the full moon lit the forest floor so she could see Natalie, still asleep, lying in the arms of Captain Lucky as he leaned against a tree. With a cry she ran the short distance to her daughter and grabbed her out of Lucky’s arms, sobbing great, hot sobs of relief. She sunk down to her knees still holding Natalie and thanked every God in Unisia and on Earth that she had got her daughter back in one piece. Natalie was alive.

She felt Rainere’s touch on her shoulder as he sank down beside her. “True love’s kiss will wake her, Adelena,” he said, his gravelly voice even hoarser after the fire. “A kiss from the person who loves her most in the world will wake her and she will be fine. But perhaps wait a moment, the dark and the forest may frighten her. Get her back to the Estate where she will be happier.”

Adele could understand his concern, and it made sense even though she wanted nothing more than to see Natalie’s green eyes open. She felt Rainere watching her, but she didn’t look at him or say anything and after a minute he moved away.

General Ohrig dropped down next to her on the sticks and leaves, stretching his legs out with a groan.

“How is the Princess?” he asked and lay a gentle hand on Natalie’s cheek.

“Rainere says she’ll be fine, but to wake her up when we get back to Belvoir.” Adele nodded to the forest around them. “All this would frighten her to pieces.”

“Well, if she is anything like her mother, she might take a bit more than that to scare,” said General Ohrig, as a smile yanked up the corner of his mouth. “Never has a woman showed me the true meaning of courage like you have tonight, my Queen.”

Adele returned his grin. Natalie was back in her arms and she could smile again. “But if anyone ever asks you, General, I ran the whole way out of that tunnel by myself.”

Ohrig managed a dry chuckle. “And if anyone ever asks you, Your Majesty, the smell of piss on my trousers is all Spider waste.”

Adele pulled Natalie tighter to her chest and took a deep breath. The horrible fear that had held her lungs tight was gone. She had won. She had killed yet another monster in Evendaar and had kept her family safe again.

Adele sucked in a breath and felt a sob rattle through her.

Long live the Queen!

Chapter Fifty-One

“Fire Lights the Way as it Burns”

Adele looked up to see Schiss staring at her from just a few feet away. He had crawled over to her on his knees and when her tired eyes took him in, she could see his shabby black jacket was crawling with Spiders the size of her hand.

Despite everything they had been through tonight in the Spiders Nest, the sight of those creatures—hairy and long-legged—moving over Schiss’s body still made her shiver.

“My Queen,” Schiss ducked his head respectfully, but his large eyes were full of fear. “I’m sorry to interrupt you and the General.”

“What is it, Schiss?” asked Adele, something about Schiss’s manner made her nervous. She handed Natalie to Ohrig and struggled to her feet to stand before him. Adele cast a glance in Rainere’s direction. He was starting a fire, but he looked up suddenly as if she’d called his name. She turned away from his dark stare.

The little man-Spider was as tall as she was, but he tried hard to make himself as small as possible, hunched over his wringing hands.

“My Queen, congratulations on your victory tonight. The Spider Empress is dead and all the Favored Children with her. All that remains of our once great people is myself and these few babies who crawled into my jacket before the Fire could eat them too.”

Adele didn’t like the word ‘babies’ being used to describe the tiny Spiders they had all trampled on their desperate run out of the Nest. It made her feel - uncomfortable. Schiss looked terrified as he trembled in front of her, and the moonlight did his large features no favors.

“My Queen, it was an honor to fight by your side and serve you in this war…”

“I’m sorry Schiss, it’s been a long night,” said Adele, her eyes narrowing. “Please just get to the point.”

Schiss coughed and plucked a spider off his face as it crawled out of his hair and tucked it protectively in a pocket. He smiled at her. His thin lips stretched hard over his pointy teeth in a valiant effort to be brave. “My family and I would like to know what you mean to do with us, m’Queen,” he squeaked. “If you mean to take our lives then I will place my own head under your foot. For I could think of no nobler way to join the Great Darkness beyond this world than by…”

“Stop,” interrupted Adele. “I’m not going to kill you, Schiss. I saved your life in that tunnel and I’m not going to take it now, or of any of those ba…babies.”

All the quiet conversations around them stopped to listen to her speaking to Schiss.

Looking down at the fragile Schiss and the Spiders crawling about him, trying to hide themselves in his clothes she couldn’t help, but feel a cold stab of guilt. How many more Spider People just like Schiss had been hidden in those tunnels and caverns? Now they were all burned to ashes by the Dragon Fire. The fire that would continue to burn underground until every single Spider and object touched by Spider Magic was dust. Schiss and what was left of his family could never return there. She had killed their Empress and destroyed their home. They were now refugees in their own world.

Adele took a deep breath and tried to order her jumbled thoughts. “I only killed the Empress because she took my daughter from me, and would have killed us both. She wanted to rule Unisia and eat my people. I couldn’t let her have her way.” Adele shook her head. “But if you mean me no harm, Schiss, then you are free to go your own way. Your loyalty and faith in me have earned you your freedom. Without your help tonight we would never have been able to save Natalie and for that I will always be grateful to you. Thanks to you Schiss, I will never have to fear another Spider again.”

Adele forced herself to grasp Schiss shoulder. She felt his tiny bones beneath her hand and tried not to flinch as the little Spiders on that part of his arm scattered.

“Schiss, you are now Emperor of the Spider People,” said Adele. “You should gather up the last of your family who live under the Sun like you do and let them know of the danger for them in the Nest. Let them know that you are their new leader and that the Queen of Unisia considers you her personal friend and hero.”

“Hero,” whispered Schiss and his lip trembled. Adele’s speech was too much for him. He dropped to her feet and kissed her filthy shoes. “Queen Adelena, your mercy is only equaled by your power and beauty. I give you my deepest…”

“Get up, Schiss,” insisted Adele, and took Schiss by his shoulders pulling him to his feet. “You are an Emperor now. Stand tall and be proud. I know you will do well by your people. And if you ever need anything you only have to ask it of me. I will never forget what you did here tonight for my family.”

Schiss bowed deeply. Adele bowed in return and smiled. She felt good that she had restored some balance to what she had done here tonight, and she felt the rightness of it down to her bones.

“I will leave immediately to search the forest for the rest of my people, m’Queen,” Schiss grinned. “I will let them know we can walk in the light of Queen Adelena’s Unisia. The Above Lands are once again safe for the Children of the Shadows.”

Schiss bowed once more and scuttled away from her and into the deep gloom of the Dark Forest.

Adele’s stomach had dropped away at Schiss’s words and she could see Rainere had heard as well. Though she couldn’t hear him she saw his lips move in the words of the Prophecy.

So, it looked like she had cast “
the Shadows into the Light”
after all. But it was still difficult to see Schiss as a Shadow creature when he had been so selfless in helping her to save Natalie. Perhaps the Prophecy was wrong about that, too?

“Your Majesty, we should probably get to Belvoir now,” said General Ohrig. “It’s getting close to dawn break and we need to prepare to return to the Golden Palace.”

Adelena nodded. Despite his warning not to return there, Adele had to tell High Wizard Ohren about the death of the Spider Empress and everything that had happened. Though she still didn’t have all the details of the wretched Prophecy, the fact that it was unfolding before her very eyes was disturbing. Ohren would have to help her, whether he liked it or not.

By leaving her in the dark about everything, Ohren had sent her to the Mage of Sandar woefully unprepared. Then he had sent her to the Belvoir Estate, with not a word about why. Had Adele known anything about the details of the Prophecy, she never would have left the grounds of Belvoir Estate and she never would have run into Rainere’s arms and all of his psychotic plans for their ‘happily ever after’ in a world run by giant monster Spiders and no Natalie.

Adele felt cold. High Wizard Ohren was a mystery himself, but he was also the only source of answers for all the questions she had about her Magic. On this journey she had experienced so much and learned even more about herself. She was no longer the frightened, trusting girl she had been when she had left the Golden Palace three weeks ago. But what exactly she was now she couldn’t say. But she was stronger, certainly.

Stronger and angrier.