Queen's Shadow || Kingdom at the End of the World - Book II

[30.2] Return

Hel's Court drowned in silence.

The cavernous hall was veiled in black, like a woman in mourning. The shadows draped over the tall walls and arched ceiling guarded against the world outside. Not a sound escaped their watchful embrace.

Queen Rae of Hel sat alone in the quiet, body so still she could be mistaken for but another shadow cast from some soulless object. It was unknown how long she had kept her vigil over the empty room. Her skin had long grown cold, less due to a chill in the air but rather from some internal grievance.

The shadows covering the Court's great doors rippled. Human shapes emerged from the dark mass like ghosts from the sea, neither advancing nor retreating. They watched their Queen with empty crystal eyes, waiting for her word.

The door bulged inward. Rae turned her gaze toward the commotion with some delay, lips thinning in a mockery of a smile. She motioned for the Shadow Guard to withdraw. The muffled sound of familiar scolding drifted into her ears as the darkness weighing the air thinned.

"Enter," Rae bid.

The doors parted. Xiang Yi strode into the hall, head up and gait dignified – quite unlike a man who had been reduced to announcing his presence like a common scoundrel.

Rae raised her hand, halting an overly-courteous salutation mid-word.

"Out with it," she said.

"There is word from Samodevia," Xiang Yi said. "Matters are more dire than we expected."

Rae nodded without much concern. She watched Xiang Yi attempt to curb his impatience, distantly amused by the doomed effort.

"Is my Queen aware of the situation?" the advisor broke at last, tone most sullen.

Rae tipped her head to the side. The smile that twisted her lips would send an enemy running. "Am I so unreliable, dear friend?"

Xiang Yi watched her closely. Rae found the wariness in his expression gratifying.

"May my Queen excuse my presumption," the man said.

"What am I to excuse?" Rae wondered, voice light, "Lack of trust in my rule, or the impromptu survey of my character and continual sanity?"

Xiang Yi flattened his lips. "Take your pick," he said.

Rae maintained a look of frenzied cheer for another moment, then grunted in true amusement, letting the pretense drop. She sprawled back into her seat, shoulders slouching. Below the throne, Xiang Yi's body uncoiled minutely.

"Are you having fun?" the advisor asked sourly.

"Not quite," Rae replied. "Although I must admit, I am finding my rumored madness most helpful during council meetings."

"I have heard," Xiang Yi snorted.

Rae's smile was true, but fleeting. To meet one's Anima was already an extraordinarily rare event. The demons fortunate enough to come upon their immortal souls would never consider letting go of them, no matter the cost. That Rae had allowed her bonded to slip away – a fact no-doubt known to all Nine Kingdoms by now, the particulars likely twisted beyond recognition as the story was retold for utmost dramatic effect – would be enough to mark the Queen of Hel insane.

Without the anchor of a soul, a demon's power was difficult to control and easy to disturb. The greater a demon's strength, the more pronounced the volatility of their character. Every vice grew exaggerated. Every forte became a shortcoming. Climbing to power under such circumstances promised only a harder fall.