Page 20 of Midnight Kingdom

“I know the prophecies that hang over your head and I know how this story ends, my pet,” he finishes, laughing all the while. “There’s nothing you can do to stop the hunger that only I can satisfy.”

I listen to his words and swallow hard as I remember Morrigan’s words—that I will need to feed from the light as much as the dark.

“You need me as much as I need you, angel,” he finishes.

From the corner of my eye, I see Cambion moving into position behind Variant and I’m sure to fix my gaze on the false king, to distract him from Cambion.

“What makes you think I need you?” I demand, trying to keep his attention.

Cambion holds his blade high above Variant’s head, ready to strike, but a sudden blast of light energy sends everyone careening toward the walls. I screech as I feel the heat of the blast warm my face. I close my eyes against it and when I open them, all I see is smoke. I can hear the sounds of coughing and spluttering.

I hear something crack as I pull myself up into a seated position. My entire body aches but I manage to limp over to Cambion and Dragan who appear a few feet from me. There’s no sign of Variant. Whatever the blast, it wasn’t picky as to who it downed. My friends and foes are both down. Luckily, my companions recover much more quickly than the orcs they were fighting.

Dragan lifts the Midnight Queen into his arms once more as Cambion shuffles to my side and helps me stand. There’s something in his eyes when he looks at the woman in Dragan’s arms, but I can’t decipher what his expression means. A loud squeal catches my attention.

One of the soldiers swats Flumph out of the air and the sprite falls to the floor unmoving.

“No!” I yell as I wonder if the soldier has just killed him.

I hurry toward the soldier and the small mass at his feet. I hear Cambion yelling my name from behind me, but I pay him no attention. All I can see is Flumph. When I reach him, I watch as the soldier collapses just in front of me and I realize Cambion has taken the soldier out with his magic.

I scoop Flumph into my arms and then race back towards Baron just as he stomps his foot on theOluri. The portal flares to life with a blinding flash of magic that causes the air to ripple. I jump through the portal first with Baron on my heels. Next, come Dragan and the Midnight Queen with Cambion bringing up the rear.

The rift closes a second later and I fall onto my back, staring up at the familiar sky above the ghostly forest. A pair of boots comes into my line of sight and I smile.

***

MIDNIGHT QUEEN

The Veil

Though my body is not well, I am free to move through the astral planes. I walk along the thin line between the realms, along with the ethers themselves from which I draw my magic.

The necromancer will be a problem, this much I do not doubt, but he is not here in this moment.

Instead, I watch as Variant sits amidst the bodies of his fallen soldiers in the throne room. Those who did not die by the hands of his enemies, died by the hands of their king. He takes a deep breath and stands, returning to his throne. There he sits and overlooks the scene of the dead surrounding him.

I smile as I allow myself to project into his world. Though I’m only there in spirit, Variant can still see and hear me.

“You have done quite well, Variant. I am proud of you. I almost believed her power was strong enough to throw you.”

“It was,” he grumbles, pressing his hand into his forehead the way he does when he’s upset about something. “I failed you.”

“No, all is going according to plan, remember?”

He stands up and presses a kiss to my hand. “That performance in the tower was quite believable. If only they knew who you truly serve,” he says with the usual touch of arrogance. “You’re a compelling actress, Morrigan.”

“Anything for you, my liege.”

He grows quiet and studies me for a few moments. “Those were the same words you said to Abedon,” he says finally and I inwardly curse myself for my negligence. “Tell me, Morrigan, do you still harbor feelings for your former lover, for Abedon?”

“I slit his throat the second you ordered me to do so,” I answer with no expression on my face. “My loyalty is to you.”

“And what earned me this loyalty, might I ask?” he demands as he eyes me with interest. “You’ve never told me, you know?”

“Long ago, I saw the man you would become. In a vision. And that vision came true,” I say as I eye the room around me before landing my eyes on Variant again. “And, I have since received more visions still. Prophecies.”

He studies me as if to decipher if I’m telling him the truth or if I’m lying. “Prophecies?”

---