"Your Majesty?"
The queen stood on the balcony, looking out at the land far, far below her, spreading out further than even her eyes could see. A strangely gentle wind blew across her face. Her steel gaze did not leave the horizon, did not blink, but took in all the green, all the blue, all the wild colors of the trees and wilderness that lay at her doorstep.
She was lost in it all. Lost in the mayhem, lost in the chaos. Her mind moved like a robot that had been given too many commands. She needed to stop. She needed to reboot.
Without turning, she saw the being behind her. She envisioned her figure, her head to her feet, estimated her loyalty. She was tall, something that could be amended, and the right kind of slender. Her face would do, everything but the eyes, and her arms, hands and fingers were adequate. Of course, everything about her legs and ears would have to go. Also her skin. She was a pretty creature but still just a creature. Fortunately, however beastly, the beast spoke for her caliber. Her kind was all the same. Loyal to a fault.
The queen smiled as she heard the rustle of the girl's long, blue skirt. Like water. Just as it should have been.
"Yes," she said quietly, calculating. "Run, my little stream, run. Run right into a raging river."
Her maiden said nothing in response. Also just as it should have been.
"It is time." The queen turned around, the breeze whipping up to curl her hair forward like wires cut loose from a circuit board. "Begin Project Ulysses, Phase One."
YOU ARE READING
Calaistas
Science FictionLeandrios Petrovious has always been good at fighting his way out of tough situations. He became so good at it that he fought his way to the International Championship for Professional Fighters, only losing once in his entire career. Before claiming...
