A Rule of Queens (Book #13 in the Sorcerer's Ring) by Morgan Rice Page A

what to do.
    “What happened to you?” her mother demanded. “I
thought the Empire took you away. How did you get free?”
    The villagers all fell grave, silent, as all
eyes turned to Darius. He stood there, not knowing what to say. This should be
a moment, he felt, of great joy and celebration for what he did, a moment for
him to take great pride, for him to be welcomed home as a hero. After all, he
alone, of all of them, had had the courage to go after Loti.
    Instead, it was a moment of confusion for him.
And perhaps even shame. Loti gave him a meaningful look, as it to warn him not
to reveal their secret.
    “Nothing happened, Mother,” Loti said. “The
Empire changed their mind. They let me go.”
    “Let you go?” she echoed, flabbergasted.
    Loti nodded.
    “They let me go far from here. I was lost in
the woods, and Darius found me. He led me back.”
    The villager, silent, all looked skeptically back
and forth between Darius and Loti. Darius sensed they did not believe them.
    “And what is that mark on your face?” her
father asked, stepping forward, rubbing his thumb on her cheek, turning her
head to examine it.
    Darius looked over and saw a large black and
blue welt.
    Loti looked up at her father, unsure.
    “I…tripped,” she said. “On a root. As I said, I
am fine,” she insisted, defiant.
    All eyes turned to Darius, and Bokbu, the
village chief, stepped forward.
    “Darius, is this true?” he asked, his voice
somber. “You brought her back peacefully? You had no encounter with the Empire?”
    Darius stood there, his heart pounding,
hundreds of eye staring at him. He knew if he told them of their encounter, told
them what he had done, they would all fear the reprisal to come. And he would
have no way to explain how he killed them all without speaking of his magic. He
would be an outcast, and so would Loti—and he did not want to strike panic in
all of the people’s hearts.
    Darius did not want to lie. But he did not know
what else to do.
    So instead, Darius merely nodded back to the elders,
without speaking. Let them interpret that as they would, he thought.
    Slowly, the people, relieved, all turned and
looked to Loti. Finally, one of her brothers stepped forward and draped an arm
around her.
    “She’s safe!” he called out, breaking the tension.
“That’s all that matters!”
    There came a great shout in the village, as the
tension broke, and Loti was embraced by her family and all the others.
    Darius stood there and watched, receiving a few
halfhearted pats of approval on his back, as Loti turned alone with her family,
and was ushered off into the village. He watched her go, waiting, hoping she
would turn around to look at him, just once.
    But his heart dried up within him as he watched
her disappear, folded into the crowd, and never turning back.
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Volusia stood proudly atop her golden carriage,
mounted atop her golden vessel gleaming in the sun, as she drifted her way slowly
down the waterways of Volusia, her arms outstretched, taking in the adulation
of her people. Thousands of them came out, rushed to the edge of the waterways,
lined the streets and alleys, and shouted her name from all directions.
    As she drifted down the narrow waterways that
wound their way through the city, Volusia could almost reach out and touch her
people, all hailing her name, crying and screaming in adulation as they threw torn-up
shreds of scrolls of all different colors, sparkling in the light as they
rained down on her. It was the greatest sign of respect their people could
offer. It was their way of welcoming a returning hero.
    “Long live Volusia! Long live Volusia!” came
the chant, echoed down one alleyway after the next as she passed through the
masses, the waterways taking her straight through her magnificent city, its
streets and buildings all lined with gold.
    Volusia leaned back and took it all in,
thrilled that she had defeated Romulus, had slaughtered the Supreme Ruler