Here Lies the Queen

Chapter 2

Bella stalked out of the dungeons after Shayde had been taken away. Hunter was waiting for her. He tried to talk to her but she brushed him away. I need some time alone, she told him. He didn't ask why. She didn't see Ash and she didn't bother asking where he was. Let him come to her. Then they can have a proper argument. Her magic threatened to spill out of her with each step she took. She knew her eyes were probably burning but she didn't care. Let them see.
She barely got to her room before losing control. She slammed the door behind her and bolted it before igniting. Her dress burned immediately, followed by the rug. The fire spread through her room, burning everything that wasn't stone. She closed her eyes and let it consume her. Her thoughts whirled as violently as the fire. Marriage. Traitors. Her parents. Shayde. Her anger grew hotter as she thought about her. Nobody threatened her kingdom. Nobody. Fire swirled closer to her as her anger hardened. It crystallized inside of her, then began to crack. Her anger burst and her fire roared outwards. A wave swept out and shattered the windows before disappearing.
She slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the room. Bella stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by smoke. All that remained was her bed frame and closet. Bella herself was covered in soot. She sighed and knocked on her door. It was opened immediately by her brother. He skimmed over her before realizing she was naked. He flushed and looked away.
"I'm sorry," he said. He rubbed his neck as he looked into her room. The smell of smoke drifted out into the hallway. "Can I help with anything?"
"No marriage," Bella said. She swayed on her feet.
"You need to sleep. Using that much power is too exhausting for you."
"No. I need to see the Oracle." Bella stepped around her brother and began walking away. He grabbed her arm.
"You need to sleep." He began tugging her into her room. "It's not good for you to—"
"Let go of me." He did. "No marriage. I don't need a king. And you don't tell me what to do."
Ash looked like he was going to say something, but decided against it. "Mother isn't going to like it."
"To hell with her." She twisted away and began to walk away.
"Bella, please. Be careful," her brother said. She ignored him.
She passed some servants on her way. They wisely averted their eyes and refrained from commenting on her appearance. She stopped the first one and told her that her room needed to be fixed. The servant didn't ask what happened and merely nodded.
The Oracle was on the other side of the castle. It was a long walk, giving Bella plenty of time to decide what to say. She knew she should feel some type of emotion, but she couldn't. As if the fire burned away all her feelings for the moment. The sun had just reached its halfway mark and filtered in through the windows. Veins of gold sparkled in the stone floor.
Finally, she reached the staircase leading up to the room where the Oracle lived. Nobody bothered to clean here. Spider webs decorated the walls. Every now and then a small flower bloomed. The windows were covered by bars. Her legs burned as she climbed. They were trembling by the time her head hit a trapdoor. She pushed it open and emerged in a room.
Purple and gold sashes swept down from the ceiling. Candles were spread out across orange cushions. A starry curtain hung in the back. A fortune teller's tent if you didn't look too hard. In the corner was a pile of bones. A small glass jar was tucked underneath a cushion. Bella grabbed it. A human eye sloshed inside.
"My dear," a voice rasped from behind the curtain. "I thought you would never come."
"I need your advice," Bella said.
"Straight to the point. Just like your mother," the voice said.
Bella clenched her fists. "Don't talk about my mother."
"What do you need help with?"
"My kingdom. A girl came and told me she would burn it to the ground."
"Why do you believe her? You've never been scared of them before." The curtain rustled and a rat scurried out. Bella scooped it up and twisted. It sagged in her hands and she let it fall to the ground.
"I don't know."
"Interesting. A Queen who does not know," the voice said. A hacking sound followed. It took Bella a moment to realize that it was laughing.
"Come out and show yourself," Bella ordered. A wet laugh and the curtain moved to the side.
An old woman shuffled through. Green hair covered her face, although Bella knew she was hideous underneath. A small tiara sat on her head. The woman was bent nearly double.
"I need my eye," she said. Bella tossed it to her. She caught it with surprising agility. The eye spun around as the Oracle groped in the jar for it. She caught it and popped it in. "Thank you."
"Your advice?" Bella prompted.
"Right." The old woman snapped her fingers. "You want it even if you do not like it?"
"Just get one with it."
A gust of wind blew through and extinguished the candles. A green light blasted through the floor, causing Bella to stumble back. Visions flashed through the light before settling on a tower in the middle of the sea. The den disappeared and Bella was standing in a tower. The walls were crumbling and a rain poured down from the sky. Lightning flashed around her. The green light was shooting up like a beacon in the middle of the room.
"BELLADONNA LAVIGNE!" a voice boomed. You seek the Oracle's advice! Come and see!"
Bella staggered forward and placed her hand inside the green light. Electricity sparked across her nerves.
"A girl named Shayde is destined to cause the destruction of Vearus! There is, however, a way to stop her if you follow these instructions carefully: Go to the End of the Earth to retrieve the Mother Pearl. After you accomplish that, you must find Dominic Denis. He will give you what you seek most. Find the Elder Sword. You will need all these to fight Shayde."
Bella's heartbeat thundered. So many things for one girl. "Is that all?" she yelled.
"To defeat her, you will need to make a sacrifice. The Prince named Hunter must die before you fight her."
The words washed over her. Her blood turned to ice. "What?" Bella screamed. "No! There has to be another way! Give me another way!" The light was fading. She grasped at it, trying to hold on. Thunder crashed and she slumped into unconsciousness.
The scent of jasmine woke her up. The old woman peered at her.
"Good. You're awake. The people are looking for you." She tottered away.
Bella lifted an arm and saw she was clad in an orange and purple costume. "What is this?"
"Clothes. Can't have you walking around nude."
The events came rushing back to her. "Hunter can't die!"
"I'm afraid he must, child." She disappeared behind her curtain.
"He can't. I won't allow it."
"It's either him or the kingdom. What would you rather have?"
She felt sick to her stomach. To have one she had to lose the other. She would find a way around it. She had to.
"Asshole," Bella grumbled and began her descent.
She was startled to see the sun setting in the distance. It was mid-afternoon when she went up. Time seemed to have sped up when she was gone.
A servant hurried by and she stopped him to tell him to summon her brother. He nodded and ran off. She continued to the Hall to wait. It wasn't long before Ash strode in.
A giant sword was strapped to his back. Chains clinked around his fur cape. He walked over and sat down beside her. She noticed a small pale scar on his temple. It stood out like snow against his dark skin. They stared at each other before Bella spoke.
"How are you?" she asked. The words tasted weird in her mouth.
"Fine."
"How's the Guard?"
"Fine."
She leaned forward. "Look, Ash, I'm trying to be friendly. Can't you at least act like it?"
"Why? You hate me and I hate you." He scowled at her. "That's never going to change."
"I don't hate you."
"Oh, so, burning my ass the last time I saw you was love? I wasn't aware of that."
Her anger flared and she debated punching his face in. "You insulted me."
"If I still had my magic, I'd beat your ass."
"But you don't, because you chose the Guard over your kingdom. Mom and Dad were so happy." She rubbed her temple and reigned in her anger. "Can we start again?"
"Is it an order?"
"How are you, actually? And don't say fine. I know the Guard is having problems. How was resolving that little dispute in Zenagon? The one with the child?"
Ash's mouth flicked up into a half smile. He loved talking about his problems. "The child was born of incest. It's a wonder it wasn't beaten to death. The parents were part of the Zenagon's war council, too. The child won't have any title when he comes of age."
"And how's Father? Still kicking?"
"He's been helping me recruit new soldiers. We're losing numbers, Bella. Can you ask your people if they want to join?"
"I'll ask." She tucked that little piece of information into the back of her head. "Why don't you recruit girls?"
"They're too scared." Ash slumped back, the sword scraping against his chair. "Trust me, I would have them if they wanted."
Bella twirled her hair around her finger in thought. "Why did you give up on Vearus?"
"I didn't give up," he spat. "I told you I don't want to rule."
"And you went to the Guard, and your magic was stifled. How could you do that? You tossed away your bloodline! And you didn't even ask if I wanted to rule."
He grabbed her hand and forced her to look into his eyes. They matched her own, though there was less fire. The Guard might get rid of his magic but they couldn't get rid of his blood.
"I knew you were going to be a good Queen," he said. She glanced away and he grabbed her face. His hands were cold, nothing like the warmth she felt from Hunter. She snarled as he forced her to look at him again. "You're my little sister and always will be. If I didn't think you would be fine, I would've stayed."
Bella shoved his hand away. "Give Mother and Father my regards. I need to take care of something."
He watched her get up, eyes dark under thick brows. "Be safe, Sister."
"Always." She strode out and chuckled. It was never not fun when they saw each other.
She came across no servants on her way to her room. Her door groaned as she shoved it open.
Most of her furniture had been replaced, except for the rug. She looked around in her closet for a pair of slippers as her feet froze. A pair of dark moccasins caught her eye. She pulled them on before trodding over to her bed.
Tears welled in her eyes as she contemplated what the Oracle said. Shayde would ruin her kingdom if she didn't... she couldn't bear to think about it.
Her door banged open and Hunter walked in. "Oh, thank the gods," he said as he crushed her in a hug. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and pulled back. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Where were you?" He eyed her carefully. "Are you okay?"
"I went to the Oracle. I need some stuff."
"For...?"
"My kingdom." She filled him in what happened before he arrived. His eyes turned fiery as she told him about the Oracle. She couldn't bring herself to tell him about the sacrifice she would have to make. He didn't need to know he might die.
"I'll help you," he promised. "I'll come and help save your kingdom from that girl."
"Thank you," she said. Her chest swelled with unspoken words, but Hunter seemed to get it.
"You're ever so welcome," he purred. "Dinner and torture?" She raised an eyebrow. "Prisoner torture. Unless...?" He winked.
She shoved him. "Not tonight." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I need to take a bath."
"As you wish." He scooped her up and carried her to the washroom. Water immediately began flowing into the tub. Bella glanced at Hunter and smirked. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.
"Bath's ready," she said. Hunter set her down and scanned her. She grinned as she unbuttoned her shirt. Her breasts grew heavy and Hunter's eyes lit up. Literally. He gripped the doorframe so hard the stone crumbled a bit. She took extra care stripping and he watched every move.
When she was in the water, she may have spent more time washing specific parts. Hunter's eyes did not stray from her the whole time. Her gaze dipped down and was pleased to see the effect on him.
She stepped out and wrapped a towel around her. Water dripped onto the floor as they stared at each other. "All clean," she said. Her words were barely more than a whisper. Hunter walked over to her and kissed her softly.
"I love you," he said against her lips. She smiled.
"I love you more. Dinner?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You cruel, wicked thing. All that for dinner?"
She winked. "You'll get more later." Her hips swished as she walked into the room. Hunter watched that, too. "I'm starving."
She dressed quickly and Hunter escorted her to the dining room. Ash was nowhere to be seen, and she didn't bother asking anyone.
They discussed what happened when he was gone over dinner. His father was the usual bastard. A new wife every month, it seemed. Bella lost track of how many siblings he had now. As the fifth Prince of Hell, he's one of the oldest in the family. His mother had him and his siblings before succumbing to the terrors of Hell.
His father mourned for a full day before moving on. His brothers and sister are always welcoming whenever Bella visits, but they are beginning to doubt Hunter. It's not every day a Prince falls in love with a human girl.
Hunter filled her in on what he had wanted to tell her. His father had a new enemy in Hell and he needed all the help he could get. He also had a new lady. Hunter went quiet after he said that. He was always wary of his father and his lovers.
"I heard you have a new nickname," Bella said, placing a forkful of meat in her mouth. "The Crimson King."
Hunter chuckled. "How'd you hear about that?"
"I hear things." She winked at him. "How'd you get it?"
His face darkened. "The fight was bloody. Apparently, the Saitho River ran red with blood. I killed the most demons, so..." He gestured with his fork. "I got the name."
"I think it's cool."
"The Dark Queen and the Crimson King." He bit his lip. "They sound like quite the duo."
"I bet they are." She smiled and continued eating.
After dinner, Hunter takes her to the dungeons. A small arena had been erected during her father's reign where the worst offenders fought each other. One of the few good things he did.
A fence was built around a pit deep underground. It rattled as the other prisoners cheered for who they thought would win. Hunter escorted her to her throne where she could see everything. Weapons decorated the fence for the prisoners, but they were rarely used. Somehow, killing a person with their bare hands felt better than a blade in the heart.
"Introducing The Hairy Mongrel against Sir Lazlo Damon! Place your bets now, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called. A few minutes passed then, "Fight!"
They lunged at each other. The Mongrel ripped into Lazlo immediately. He didn't stand a chance. A bell dinged and he's dragged away.
By the time the fights are over, Bella and Hunter had gained and lost more money than ever before.
"That was the perfect night," she sighed. Hunter grinned.
"I'm glad you think so. I have something else that might make it more special."
Her heart hammered in her chest as they approached her room. Hunter reached around her and opened her door. A small ball of fur slammed into her.
"Oh! It's a hellhound!" The dog licked her face and she chuckled. "Aren't you a cutie?"
"What are you going to name him?" Hunter asked. Bella stroked the dog's dark fur. It was coarse and brittle. His dark eyes smoldered. She studied his body and tail. All the perfect size for a hound.
"I'll name him Harbinger. When people see him, they will know I am nearby."
Bella called for a servant to come to take him away. "Take good care of him," she said before he was led away. Bella kissed Hunter. "Thank you."
"Anything for you."
She smirked. "Anything?"
"Anything." He kissed her long and deep before guiding her to the bed. "Can I tell you how horrible these clothes are?"
"I hate them. Take them off."
He complied. "Do I get that later now?"
"Just shut up and kiss me." She smiled as they made love underneath the starless sky.