Page 50 of Queen Takes Sunfires 2
“Of course,” Sunzi replied, though his lips curled in a slight smile. “If you but supply your name, Your Majesty.”
My mouth fell open and I laughed. Actually laughed, out loud. These men had gotten me out of hell and then followed me here. Let me drain their blood and sunfires, both, numerous times. And I hadn’t ever bothered to even tell them my name.
“Karmen,” I finally gasped out, still laughing. “Sunna.”
“Karmen, my queen, we but await your orders.” Sunzi spoke, but all the other men bowed, inclined their heads, or touched their hearts in salute.
Touched more than I could say, I squeezed Marcus’ hand and lay my head on Sunzi’s shoulder. “Thank you. For everything.
21
Karmen
We made our way outside, preparing to return to the real world. The place where a nightmare waited to attack me again. Part of me definitely wanted to stay here, the place of my childhood. I even paused, looking back over my shoulder, lovingly taking in the beauty and peace of House Sunna. It was a beautiful snapshot in time. A place of joy and happiness and safety.
Before Ra’s minions had burned it all to the ground and destroyed my life in one fell swoop.
“We can return here whenever you wish,” Sunzi said. “Or for that matter, we simply stay here until you’re ready. Sepdet will wait on you, Karmen, my queen.”
“Helayna calls her home a nest, and she protects it with a blood circle. Can I do that here and make this my nest?”
“As you wish, it will be so. Though you won’t need a blood circle to protect your home. No one without my sunfire could ever open the gate to reach you.”
“If you wish to make this your home, you will likely want to bring staff to serve your House,” Marcus added. “People to care for your home, prepare food and such. I’m sure the servants from Heliopolis would leap at the chance to come here and serve you again.”
I shuddered. “Absolutely not. For one thing, they were all slaves or devotees to Ra. I don’t want any reminders from that place. I’ll ask the other queens how they manage their Houses. That’s one thing Mother and Aunt Lynnea never had the opportunity to teach me.”
Thinking of the other queens, I glanced down at my clothing, unsure if I should return in the simple clothing I’d adopted. Helayna had seemed to prefer such clothing, but I wasn’t sure about that other queen I’d seen with her. It’d just been a glance, and I couldn’t remember if she’d worn the same pants or something more… queenly.
“If I may make a suggestion?” Leonides waited for me to nod. “Sepdet wants God’s Wife to solidify his position, correct? Then shouldn’t God’s Wife return, rather than Karmen, the Aima queen of House Sunna?”
He made a valid point, but I’d sooner walk through Sunzi’s portal stark naked than wrapped in one of those hated golden robes. Nudity didn’t bother me in the slightest.
At that thought, my casual clothes disappeared, leaving me clad only in my skin. My hair flowed loose down my back, though sunfire strands of gold blazed throughout the tresses, making them appear longer.
“Goddess of the Dawn,” Kuros growled. “I can’t speak for the rest of your men, Your Majesty, but the last thing I want is for others not of your Blood to see you in all your majesty. Especially Sepdet.”
“Our wants and wishes are of no concern,” the Scotsman retorted. “Our queen will wear what she wishes, or nothing at all.”
Kuros had a point, though. The other queens certainly weren’t nude, and I didn’t know the traditions of their world. Showing up naked wouldn’t bother me, but it might offend the other queens iftheirmen saw me. “I can lengthen my hair with sunfires and wrap them around me.”
Musashi stepped forward. “I have an idea, Your Majesty.”
I nodded and watched as he held out both of his hands, palms up. Gold puddled on his palms, but it wasn’t like Ra’s metal. This gold started to move. Several droplets rose from his hands and flew toward me, hovering before my face. Bees. More of the creatures crawled from his palms, swarming together into a thick, living golden cloak that settled around my shoulders and flowed down my body like an exquisite gown.
They smelled like flowers and nectar, their gentle buzz a soothing hum. Warmth flowed from them into my skin, uniting with the sunfire essence I carried. If they were sunfires and not wild bees, then I should be able to converse with them. Or at least send them images.
I imaged their hum growing louder, a warning, mean drone that warned of attack. Immediately, their soothing buzz deepened exactly as I’d asked. I silently asked them to grow quiet again and smiled at Musashi. “Thank you, they’re perfect. How did you know they could do that?”
He grinned back at me. “When I wasn’t teaching the blades, my fondest work was with my beehives. My sunfire must have picked up those memories and started manifesting as bees. I always felt rather ridiculous when Barca had an elephant and Kuros had his wings, but now, I’m immensely satisfied to be able to provide such a task for you, Your Majesty.”
“Karmen,” I reminded him.
He inclined his head. “Karmen, my queen.”
Still more formal than I preferred, but infinitely better than God’s Wife. Though again, I had to remember the role I was playing. Which meant my Blood should go back as Soldiers of Light as well. I didn’t want Sepdet to know anything about their relationship to me now.
If Sepdet wanted God’s Wife, he should get her.
