A Queen Conflicted (Alys Book #3)

Chapter 46

The king and queen had their swords ready, but they stood frozen in spot. They watched Gax closely as he swung his sword like it was a toy being wielded by a child.

"You did not figure it out, then?"

Neither royal responded, both of them unwilling to rise to the bait.
His hair was longer and less kept, falling past his shoulders. His beard was scruffy and wild, and his eyes looked almost manic in the inadequate light from a torch on a nearby wall.
Something clicked in Endolynn's mind, like the missing piece of a puzzle she had not even realized was absent.
"You are in the raiders group that has been terrorizing the kingdoms."

Dastrehan's stance did not change beside her, and she realized that he had put the same pieces together.
"I am their leader," Gax said with a sense of pride that seemed exaggerated, as if he were not completely sane.

Endolynn took a step forward, expecting Gax to back up a step in response to the threat of her sword coming nearer, but he did not.
"We are feared throughout all the kingdoms. Vanquished by no one. Unstoppable."

Endolynn scoffed, purposely trying to provoke him.

Gax's already wide eyes somehow became even wider with his fueled anger. His gaze burned into the queen, furious and hateful.
In her side vision, Endolynn could see Dastrehan slowly moving to the side and around Gax, trying to get around him to the tunnel.

Endolynn kept her eyes holding Gax's wild gaze, unwilling to take the chance that if she looked to her husband that Gax would notice his movements.

"Attacking unsuspecting travelers is so impressive. You always did pick on those weaker than you, if I remember correctly."
"Brave words coming from a whore," Gax spat at her, and when she barely flinched, he took a step towards her, "How far you have fallen. From a king's whore, to the whore of a disgraced prince."

That one landed, and Endolynn stepped forward, letting her blade fly.

Gax blocked, but he folded under the strength of her blow, obviously underestimating her skills.

Endolynn gave him a wicked smile, "Not bad for a whore, would you not say?"

Gax narrowed his eyes and ran at her, striking with a strong but poor sweep of his sword.
Time in Leoford's castle had made him lazy and unpracticed. All he had going for him was his hate, and it was no match for the fire of rage fueling the young queen for everything this man had done to her since the very first day she had met him.
Her eyes met Dastrehan's over Gax's shoulders as Endolynn blocked another one of Gax's strikes, and she saw the hesitation in her husband's eyes.

He did not want to leave her to fight Gax alone. But he had no idea how long she had waited for this. What Gax had thought would be a debilitating surprise had turned into an opportunity for her that she would never have dreamed she would get.

Dastrehan was at the entrance of the tunnel now. If he hesitated too long, he might not be able to catch Leoford.
"Go!" Endolynn called to him, giving him one last nod before turning all of her attention to Gax.
Gax looked over his shoulder at her shout and saw that Dastrehan was entering the tunnel. A look of panic crossed his face, and Endolynn took the distraction as an opportunity to land a strike to his left leg.
Gax yelled and stepped a few paces back, pressing his left hand into the gaping cut between the plates of his armor.

"Guards!" Gax called, moving farther from the queen who was preparing for another hit.
Endolynn could not help the smirk that his desperate call evoked, "they have deserted. My army took over the entire castle. No one is coming to help you."