Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
“NO!” The roar from the crowd was almost deafening, drowning out Mordren and Elgiana’s protests.
“Lies! All Lies!” Mordren called, still fighting the thick green vines wrapped around him from ankles to neck. “She’s lying!”
“Am I lying?” I demanded. “Or are you? What do the people think?”
“It doesn’t matter what they think!” Mordren practically shrieked. “I should be the rightful ruler of the Dark Fae and the Midnight Court! I’ve worked hard all these years! I’ve sacrificed so much! I’ve—”
“You killed my mother,” I interrupted him.
A hush fell over the crowd and I saw the glowing eyes of every Fae in the clearing grow wide with shock.
“Do you dare to deny it?” I asked, glaring at Mordren.
“No, he doesn’t!” Lady Nolana exclaimed, stepping up to my side. Our hands were still firmly clasped and I felt her determination flowing into me along with the Power she was channeling from the Court. “I was in the room when it happened!” she said, raising her voice. “I heard Lord Mordren plot with Lady Elgiana to poison the Queen! They wanted to poison the Princess as well—which was why I had to hide her away in the Mortal Realm. Otherwise, they would have killed her as they killed her mother!”
There were more gasps, but honestly nobody looked very surprised. I was pretty sure a lot of people hated Mordren—especially the Lesser Fae—and of course, Lady Elgiana already had a reputation as a sadistic, poisonous bitch.
Speaking of Lady Elgiana, she was struggling even harder and the long thorns of the branches that were caging her in were cutting her Royal Purple dress (yes she was wearing my color again) to ribbons.
“It’s not my fault!” she shrieked, clawing at the branches. “Mordren told me to do it! He told me to poison the Queen—I never would have done it if he hadn’t told me to!”
Mordren’s face went dark with fury.
“You stupid bitch!” he snarled. “What’s wrong with you? Shut up! Shut up!”
But the damage was already done. I could see comprehension dawning on the faces of everyone in the crowd—both the Lesser Fae and the High Fae were murmuring to each other and shooting hard looks at Mordren and Elgiana.
“Well done, my Queen,” Lady Nolana murmured to me. “The old Queen was well loved and sadly missed after she died. You did well to expose Mordren and Elgiana’s treachery.”
“But what do I do now?” I asked. “Punish them somehow? Put them in prison?”
“Listen to the people,” Lady Nolana said, nodding at the crowd. “Let their will guide you.”
I don’t understand—” I began, but then I realized that the crowd was chanting again. This time it was just one word, over and over again.
“Death! Death! Death!”
The glowing eyes of every Fae in the clearing were trained on Mordren and Elgiana and there was a lust for vengeance on every face.
And now I began to feel the emotions of the people flowing into me along with their Power. They wanted revenge for the old Queen—my mother. They still mourned for her—she had been quiet and kind and loving towards all. A true ruler who put her people ahead of herself. The Dark Fae hated the ones who had killed her—hated Mordren and Elgiana. The only true penalty for killing such a beloved Queen was…
“Death…Death…Death!”
The chanting was getting louder and louder and the Power inside me was building to an almost unbearable level. Lifting my right hand to the sky, I used the magic I had gained from drinking from Seldarin and called for the heavens to open.
“Come to me!” I shouted. “Come, now!”
“No!” Mordren shrieked—he seemed to know what I was doing. He looked up, his bluish-purple eyes wide with fear. “No!”
With a loud CRAAACKKK a jagged fork of lightning ripped out of the sky and came straight down. It hit the Lord Regent right between the eyebrows, incinerating him instantly.
I could feel the heat of the lightning bolt, but because the Power was still flowing into me, it didn’t hurt or burn me. Still, I was momentarily blinded by the brilliant flash of light. I blinked several times and when I could see again, I found that all that was left of the slimy Lord Regent was a little pile of black ashes.
The crowd cheered and I felt their approval rushing into me. Justice had been served!
“Very good, my Queen!” Lady Nolana exclaimed. “You don’t know how often I’ve wanted to do that. If only I could have gotten to your mother in time to stop them—but alas, she had already drunk the poison.”
“The poison!” I exclaimed, my eyes wide. “Sel and Krynn—now that Mordren’s out of the way, I have to help them!”
But it seemed I wasn’t the only one who was thinking of the antidote.
“Oh, Princess!” Lady Elgiana called to me. She was still caught in the thorn bush but when I looked at her, I saw a wild light in her yellow eyes.