The Ice Queen

The Sleeping Monster

Cassian

The world is going to change. I hate that it took me so long to realize it, but now that I have, my inner fire has returned. I was content to live in the shadows, creating a world for our people to comfortably reside in. I didn't realize until Neytiri awakened just how cruel of a fate that is to give to my people and hers.

I hate that I ignored Hynden's pleas over the years, and didn't create a world that Neytiri could safely wake up in. I have failed in more ways than one. Even now, I have resorted to evacuating the entire island so that humans do not find any of them. It shouldn't be like this. And once I ensure everyone is safe, it no longer will be.

My gaze shifts as the remaining shuttles make it through the overpass.

"That's the last of them. The Mirena will take it from here and ensure they make it to the island," Ulric says next to me.

I nod, my gaze studying the village in the distance. I never set foot in the village in all my years creating this. I only did it recently because Neytiri asked it of me. The Ikniri clung to their way of life, rebuilding their home but keeping bits of their culture in place. It took years of convincing the elder at the time to uproot them to move them to this island, and now I have once again asked them to uproot their lives and discard their homes to start anew. My anger boils as I continue to watch the village in the distance. It's empty, the intimate life of the Ikniri once again missing from the buildings. But with my future plans, they will become a target and I cannot allow that to happen.

The island we are sending them to is one the Terrans helped create centuries ago. It's an island considered uninhabited and will remain that way. The humans believe it just another island they will never be able to colonize. I instructed the Terrans to create a habitable area within the mountain of the island. The humans will never be able to locate us, and I will be able to rip the world apart without having to worry about their safety.

I shift, looking at Ulric as I speak.

"Do you miss the way things were?" I ask.

He smiles softly, a scoff leaving his lips.

"Always, Your Majesty."

I hide my shock as I continue to watch him.

"You never said."

Ulric shrugs.

"It isn't my place to question your authority, Your Majesty."

Silence washes over us, and Ulric turns to look at me.

"I never resented you, for your decisions, Your Majesty. I know the burden of responsibility that lies on you as the king of two races now. Whatever you decide, I will follow without question."

I nod in acknowledgment, pleased with his words. But a part of me will always feel guilt for what I have done. The way the world is now is my fault. I must do what I can to repair it. Not only by making it safe for us to live freely again but to bring the Ancients back together. I want this war to not only give us a new way of life but force us to return the what we once were. With me leading the charge, it will be carnage. If I can somehow get all Ancients on board, it will be a new era. And that is truly what I want to become of all of this.

I want a world similar to my childhood, where my children can roam free. I smile to myself, recalling what the doctor told me in private about Neytiri. It took all of my strength to contain my excitement and act as if nothing was out of the ordinary. But I don't want to reveal anything until she is safely off this island. The humans not only threatened the life of my queen, but the life of my unborn child. And they will pay with their lives for that. Even I was shocked the child survived.

According to the healer, Neytiri's power is what protected it. I will no longer leave their lives to chance. I will now take action.

"The humans have reached the village."

I smile to myself just as I begin to shift.

"Let us begin."

* * * * *

CIA Headquarters

I've never had to run through the halls of work. A brisk pace, maybe. But run? Never. Now, however, I'm sprinting. The entire organization is in an uproar. I knew from the beginning when they tried to tamper with something they didn't fully understand this was a bad idea. I briefly considered putting in my resignation when the team that left for the island never came back but the woman they were after did.

Now, I regret not following through with that decision. Every course of action we've tried has failed. We've poked something because of what we thought it was, and we were so wrong. We've ended up waking a monster we didn't know existed. I burst into the room just as another body camera dies and the heart monitor registered to that body flatlines. Nausea rolls over me as the sounds of screams fill the room. It was decided weeks ago to infiltrate the island of Brineua. Should the world discover our decision to ignore the laws surrounding the island, there will be hell to pay. But judging by the screams, there is already more hell to pay than what we bargained for.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is happening!"

My eyes widen as a body camera shifts toward the sky. A massive beast that is too large to fit into the frame descends upon the poor individual, a blast of flames lighting up the screen before it goes black, as does the heart monitor. I sprint to the nearest trash can, spilling my lunch as the crunch of bones sounds and another flatline follows.

Forty men were sent to that island discreetly.

Eight are left, running for their lives through a snow-filled village.

"It's a monster-Agh!"

Flatline.

"Help! Help, please!"

Flatline.

"No, Oh my G-argh!"

Flatline.

My heart thunders in my chest. This is impossible. No one can comprehend what is happening nor can they tell us. We just sit, watching as each life is picked off one by one until nothing remains but the deafening sound of the flatlines. Everyone in the room looks to the general, eyes wide with fear as we await his response but even he seems to be shocked into silence. The danger of this looming threat hangs thick in the air. We've made a terrible mistake. And we all know this is just the beginning of whatever is to come next.