Aftermath

The queen wanted nothing more than to escape to her chambers as the evening wore on, but her advisors wouldn’t hear of it. Some of them wished to know why she hadn’t told them about her announcement first, and a couple were utterly furious about the idea of going to war. Still, Tani and Merrin seemed rather content with how the night was going, and neither seemed surprised in the least.

Amante had been able to avoid running into Alastor up until dinner was called, but as she made her way to the table where the elaborate banquet was held, they crossed paths.

“So, following in Denara’s footsteps now?” Alastor spoke with contempt.

“Maybe Queen Denara just knew that war was inevitable. They say not to prolong the inevitable,” Amante responded coldly.

“Who says that? Your advisors?” Alastor shook his head, scowling.

“Many people say it, even the Overlanders,” she said calmly.

“Hmph. Well, enjoy being queen while you can,” he turned away, his voice threatening.

“Going to follow in your great-grandfather’s footsteps then? I couldn’t possibly have seen it coming,” the young queen said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“You don’t even know the whole story,” Alastor hissed. At the same exact time, Denara spoke silently to Amante.

We don’t need to engage in conversation with him. His blood is the blood of a traitor to the crown.

Amante couldn’t help but say, “What?”

Alastor turned back to face her. He stared her down, brushing some of his dark hair out of his face. “You don’t know the whole story.”

Dismiss him from your presence at once, dear queen. He’s just trying to mess with you.

But Amante wasn’t sure who to listen to now. She stood frozen to the spot. Hoping that Denara wasn’t reading her mind, she tried to shut the spirit out for a few seconds. The buzzing sensation in her mind that had been growing throughout the evening grew fainter, pushed to the back.

“I can only hear your story when night falls,” she whispered, then quickly walked past him.

WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! Denara practically screeched into Amante’s mind.

Subconsciously, the queen covered her ears. “What was what for?” she whispered, hoping no one had seen her. Glancing behind her, she saw that Alastor’s attention seemed to be elsewhere.

You shut me out. What did you say to him?

“I told him to enjoy his evening,” lied Amante.

That disgusts me. He doesn’t deserve to enjoy this evening, or any evening, the spirit said venomously.

“As far as I’m concerned, neither he nor his father have committed any atrocities against the throne. His grandfather’s actions are not his own,” Amante said quietly. “Now please hush. I must speak with Tani and Merrin.”

Denara’s presence in her mind seemed to quiet again, and Amante crossed the room to where Tani and Merrin were talking to an elite guest.

“Muvyeht,” Amante greeted them. The three Underlanders returned the greeting.

“That was an impressive speech, Your Highness,” the elite, whom Amante recognized as Anthony Whillo, praised. He looked to be in his late thirties or early forties and had sharp, handsome features. His hair was long and ghostly white, matching the color of his skin, and his eyes were an icy silver. He had four horns atop his head, two small twisting ones and two long curved ones. “It would be an honor to go to war for you. I have three sons, two of which are old enough to enlist in Your Majesty’s army, and they are also eager to fight against the humans that imprison us.”

“Your words are most kind. Any help will be welcomed with open arms,” Amante said politely. The buzzing in her mind intensified for a moment, and Amante was certain that Denara was celebrating the small victory.

“Of course. The Whillo family will always assist the throne,” Whillo smiled. His teeth were sharper than Amante’s, and they were so white they almost looked fake.

The smell of food reached Amante, causing her to remember that she was absolutely famished. “Will you three not join me at the table? I hear we are having roast peafowl tonight. Apparently, it was a dish of royalty in the Overland. It wasn’t too hard to secure some peafowl; I hear they are very abundant in certain areas of the land above. Our scouts worked exceptionally well.”

Merrin tilted her head, a question forming on her lips.

“Yes, Merrin?” Amante turned to the older Underlander.

“If we were able to secure so much peafowl, how is it that we are running out of resources?” the advisor inquired.

“An excellent question. The Overlanders might overlook a missing peafowl, but livestock or large crop losses? That’s different. They’d start asking questions, and if they spot one of our scout ships, panic could spread. Their military might get involved, and our scouts would be hunted. To avoid that, we only send two ships at a time, and they’re under strict orders to avoid detection and take only what’s absolutely necessary,” Amante explained.

Merrin seemed satisfied with the answer, and they made their way to the table in silence. One of the servants motioned for Amante to sit at the head of the table, but she shook her head.

“Not tonight, Tavin. Let that table remain empty. Tonight, I shall sit among the elite as equals,” Amante told him.

Very good! Now we have remedied the mistake I made after my announcement. I’ve learned the hard way that many prefer it when their ruler acts as equal to all their citizens, Denara praised.

The young queen sat between Tani and Whillo, engaging in polite conversation as they ate.

“Mahusto Whillo, are your sons here tonight?” Tani inquired as she delicately cut a thin slice of peafowl. Mahusto had long been the Underlander term for “lord” or “nobleman.”

“Ah, yes. They are. Perhaps our queen would like to meet them after the evening meal?” Whillo directed his words to Amante.

The queen swallowed her bit of peafowl before answering. “I’d be delighted to meet them. I shall also introduce them to the captain of my guard. If they are indeed interested in serving as soldiers, it certainly won’t hurt to begin their training sooner rather than later. If you were inclined to let them, and if they wished it, they could also take up positions as guards.”

Whillo looked completely delighted with the idea. “I have nothing against such a thing, and I’m sure they will be pleased to accept an honor such as this.”

“Wonderful,” Amante smiled. If she could ensure that she had at least a few truly loyal guards nearby at all times, perhaps an assassination would be harder to achieve.

When the main course had been finished, the servants brought out dessert. Dishes of cold custard were served to each member seated at the table. The surface of the custard had been covered in cinnamon and sugar and then torched. Cinnamon was a rare spice to come by these days. In fact, most spices were hard to come by. Herbs were easy to grow even in Underland, but spices were imported from the Overland.

Merrin was in a conversation with Whillo when Amante turned to Tani.

“Did you invite Alastor Verré?” she asked in a low voice.

“I did not, Your Highness. I believe Phineas did,” Tani replied in the same tone.

Phineas invited him? Why would he do that? Unless… perhaps he is not as loyal to me as I thought. The queen’s mind raced, but her thoughts were drowned out by the clanking of dishes as the servants cleared the table. Music began to play, filling the large room with a jolly atmosphere. Those that had finished their dessert stood. Some began to dance, while others moved off to the side to talk.

Whillo disappeared for a few minutes, and when he returned, he brought his sons with him.

They both appeared to be roughly around Amante’s age, like Alastor had, though she wasn’t sure if he actually was the same age as her.

“This is my eldest, Ephraim. He’s eighteen next month,” Whillo motioned to the boy on his right. He was tall and thin, and his skin was very pale like his father’s, but his hair was more of a strawberry blonde and his eyes were green. Ephraim bowed his head, smiling.

“Pleasure to meet you, Your Highness,” he said in a quiet yet clear voice.

Amante dipped her head in acknowledgment, then turned her attention back to Whillo and the other son.

“This is my second eldest, Lucifer. He’s sixteen,” Whillo waved his hand towards the younger of the two. Lucifer looked almost exactly like his father, except that his hair was cut short and had been somewhat slicked back. He also bowed, but he did not speak. He seemed almost jumpy and looked very awkward and shy.

“It’s good to meet you both,” Amante said politely. “I was speaking with your father—I’m not sure if he’s told you yet—but if you so wished, you can join my army earlier than anyone else and begin your training. You’d take up residence here as guards-in-training to start.”

“It would be a great honor!” Ephraim said immediately, bowing his head low. Lucifer simply nodded twice, his pale eyes darting around the room.

“It may take a little bit to get everything arranged. If you follow me, I can introduce you to Morbin, captain of the royal guard,” the queen gestured towards where a couple of guards were gathered in lively conversation.

The boys followed her. Ephraim carried himself with a noble and confident grace, while Lucifer shuffled behind, keeping his head low. Amante found this almost amusing—the brothers were complete opposites when it came to social interactions.

I do believe that Tani advisor may be trying to play matchmaker, Denara warned suddenly. Amante nearly stopped in her tracks.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?” Ephraim asked, noticing her sudden hesitation.

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just lost in thought and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going,” Amante said, the lie slipping off her tongue like butter.

Ephraim nodded, while Lucifer looked at her with a curious expression.

“Captain Morbin,” Amante called, getting the attention of a handsome Underlander with neat black hair, violet eyes, and silver-rimmed glasses.

“Your Majesty,” Morbin bowed, “is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. I just wanted to introduce you to Ephraim and Lucifer Whillo. They wish to be a part of the army I must build if we are to go to war against Overland,” said Amante.

Morbin looked the two brothers up and down. “I see. They seem able. How old are you?” he asked Lucifer.

“S-sixteen, sir,” Lucifer stammered nervously.

“And you?” the captain turned to Ephraim.

“Seventeen, turning eighteen next month, sir,” Ephraim said, standing a little straighter.

“Ah, so both around our beloved queen’s age. Lucifer, was it? How soon will you be seventeen?”

Lucifer cleared his throat. “Several months, sir.”

“Hmm… I suppose you could begin training. But I will not permit anyone who is underage to fight. You’ll need to be seventeen before you can officially sign up, son,” Morbin said, adjusting the sleeve of his silver tunic.

Seventeen was the age when Overlanders came to be of age. Usually, the rulers of Underland were over seventeen when they entered the Tournament of Rulers, but Amante had been one of the few exceptions. The Tournament was not a pleasant experience, and neither would war be. She felt guilty, knowing that she could very well be sending the two boys to their deaths.

All for the greater good, right? she thought bitterly to herself.

Morbin was discussing what would have to happen for them to take up places as guards-in-training, so Amante wandered away. She accepted a glass of sparkling red wine from a servant and walked toward a corner of the grand room where there were fewer Underlanders.

“Denara?” she whispered.

I’m right here, silly girl, Denara’s voice filled Amante’s head.

“What did you mean when you said Tani is trying to play matchmaker?”

I should think it obvious. Those boys are both around your age, both from an elite family. Almost every ruler has had some of their advisors try to play matchmaker. I remember I had two who were always trying to find me the perfect ‘soul mate’ or whatever.

“Well… even if Tani was doing that, it can’t be doing any harm, can it?”

You’d be surprised, Denara said darkly.

“Try me. How could matchmaking bring any harm?” Amante asked. She took a sip of her wine, her eyes scanning the guests to be sure none of them were watching her.

Denara’s voice turned to an icy whisper that sent chills up and down Amante’s spine.

It’s one of the factors that led to my untimely death.