Page 43 of A Kingdom of Monsters

The priest finished his speech, and turned toward a small table that stood beside the throne. On it, the glittering obsidian crown sat within a carved wooden box. I eyed it nervously, as the druid reached out and took the crown, raising it high for all to see.

Again, he spoke, and though I couldn’t understand the words his tone was easy enough to understand.“Look here upon the glory of the crown,”I imagined he was saying.“This crown has beenworn by every ruler of Elsewhere since its inception, and now it belongs to your new queen.”

My hands began to tremble with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

What if Ambrose had been right? What if I really was worthy of that crown, and in a moment everything would change?

The druid lifted the crown higher until he was holding it at eye level. He turned to me, and met my gaze between the jagged black points.

He was not as old as I’d originally thought, I realized as I looked into his face. Middle aged, with a worn, weathered complexion and piercing blue eyes. He said something and leaned toward me, as if asking a question.

I shook my head, my eyes wide and frantic. “I don’t understand.”

The priest looked confused, but jerked his head toward the obsidian throne behind us.

Right. Of course.

My heart pounding far too loud and fast, I took a step toward the throne. When the priest didn’t stop me I assumed I was doing something right. I could do this. Sit on the throne and put on the crown. How hard was that, after all I’d done to get here?

With shaky hands, I lowered myself onto the seat, feeling the weight of all eyes on me as I took my place in front of them. The air was tense with anticipation, and I could hear my own breaths echoing in the silence.

Abruptly, a deep, rumbling sound reverberated through the clearing. My head snapped around, my heart racing as I tried tomake sense of the unexpected noise. Was it my imagination? A trick of my anxious mind? But then I felt the vibrations under my feet and knew it was real.

The ground beneath me erupted into violent tremors, sending a powerful jolt up my spine. The earth quaked with an intensity that seemed to swallow the surrounding landscape. The trees swayed and creaked as if in protest against the sudden movement. The air filled with a low, guttural rumble that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, a pungent smell of sulfur and ash overwhelmed my senses. The acrid scent burned my nostrils, parched my throat, and left a coating of sour char on my tongue.

Immediately, my entire body tensed up. Everyone knew the Source of that scent. That sound. A tremble of fear rocked me and I looked up at the sky, already knowing exactly what I’d find.

For a moment, I thought the moon had disappeared from the sky, but after a moment I realized it was merely blocked. Blocked by an enormous swarm of dark, twisting shadows. The creatures emerged from the darkness like vengeful spirits. In the dim light of the clearing, their twisted and monstrous faces could almost be made out, contorted with either fury or anguish. They were like living nightmares, taking form and descending upon us as if we were their prey.

Screams sounded through the crowd. First a few, then many, as the nobles abandoned their kneeling position struggling to their feet as the ground shook beneath them. Many disappeared on the spot, but those who either couldn’t or wouldn’t shadow walk stumbled and crashed into each other in the chaos of their retreat.

Without thinking, I leapt to my feet. Before I knew what I was doing, I’d conjured a ball of flame in my palm and threw it as hard as I could at the oncoming mass of creatures.

In a fleeting moment, the ferocious flames hurled towards the oncoming mass, soaring through the air and igniting their ominous figures. The burning heat engulfed them, sending them careening into the sky.

For that brief moment, I allowed myself to hope that I had succeeded. That perhaps it was as simple as stopping the afflicted in their tracks. My heart swelled with hope.

But as quickly as it had come, everything went awry.

The fire turned in the air, hurtling back toward us with all the force of a boomerang. It crashed through the silk tents and into the center of the panicking crowd. In a flash, the whole clearing went up in flames.

The screams of the terrified revelers grew louder, mingling with the roar of the flames and the haunting shrieks of the afflicted.

The dancing fire illuminated the clearing, and now I could clearly see Scion in the crowd, crafting shadows out of thin air and using them to try and suffocate the burning tents. Beside him, Ambrose had found a sword and was brandishing it at the oncoming afflicted.

I surged forward, intending to join them in trying to help.

A sudden touch on my back sent a jolt of fear through my body, causing me to spin around in a defensive stance. But instead of a vicious creature, I was met with the intense gaze of Bael. His yellow eyes seemed to glow with intensity as he pulled me to him, trying to shield me from the chaos.

“Come on,” he growled. “Hold on to me, I’m taking you out of here.”

“No,” I hissed, twisting in his arms. “We need to help.”

I didn't know what I was planning to do, only that I couldn’t just flee and save myself when so many others were in danger.

I wrenched myself free from Bael's grip and sprinted down the short set of stone steps, dodging through the throngs of frantic people. Bael was hot on my heels, his large hand reaching out to grab me again. As I pushed through the crowd, I spotted Scion and Ambrose fighting their way towards us. We locked eyes for a brief moment before they joined us in the middle of the chaos, flames licking at our feet.

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