She’s killed five thousand people.
My mouth was dry and my lips were chapped, as if I had never tasted water before. I breathed in heavily and stared into the mirror. All I could see was black and black and shadows. Everything around me was spinning and my vision was encompassed in shades of purples and grays. Black colored the tips of my vision and every dark color was darkening until all that was left was black.
It was times like these, when I was alone with my mind and with the shadows around me, that I wanted to immerse myself in my work and not think, and just do. I didn’t want to hear the whispers from the darkness and I didn’t want to hear their constant belittling of me.
You’ve killed five thousand people. Who do you think you are to do such a thing?
“Stop talking,” I hissed. I blinked back and still couldn’t regain my vision. My hands trembled as I clutched onto the sides of the mirror, palms pressing down on the cool surface. I was blackened with sin. Five thousand people killed in my name. I was tarnished beyond comprehension. “It’s not my fault,” I breathed as I rested my forehead against the glass. “Just shut up. I’m the Queen of Da’al. Even if I did such a thing on my own accord, I’m the Queen.”
The only Queen you are is the Queen of Blood and War.
“Artakama?”
As if something flipped inside of me, my vision was returned to normal and I was staring at my own reflection. I blinked back at the dull eyes. The shadows lashed and snapped into the background of my peripheral vision. It hissed but kept to the corner of the room—watching me, waiting for me. I turned my head to the side and saw Pageti standing at the doorway of my room. Her hands were crossed over her giant bosom and she had her brows raised. She was relishing in the thought that I was becoming like my sister—lost in the shadows.
Her long dark hair was pulled together in a tight up-do and she was wearing a dress with slits on the sides, exposing her slender legs as she walked across the room towards me. Her brown eyes flickered from my pale complexion to the mirror I was clutching. “Everything alright?” Her voice was dripping with mockery. Delight danced in those eyes. “I wanted to check up on you, dear cousin.”
I could still imagine her draped in sheets as she lay splayed over Aka’s chest. Aka had been the first man I had thought I loved. My fingers curled together with that thought, and I could feel the reds of anger dancing on the tip of my vision. She had spent so much time making a fool out of me as she slept with the man I desired. Did you really think that he wanted you, my dear cousin? I gritted my teeth together.
“It’s such a pity that Abar refuses to leave her room and is slowly losing her mind,” Pageti said with a loud sigh as she shook her head. She brushed aside her hair and gave me a sickeningly sweet smile. “Your sister was always so much fun to be around. She was the most beautiful one in our whole family, don’t you think—”
Kill her.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
“Stop.” I held onto my head and breathed in sharply. Normally, I was composed and in control of my emotions, but there were times when I was weak. It was only natural that there were chinks in my armor. It was Pageti’s bad luck that she happened to catch me when I wasn’t in control. Her eyebrows rose and she opened her mouth to speak, but I glared at her so murderously that she took a step back. I hated her. I wanted her dead, but I couldn’t listen to the voices of insanity whispering in my ear. I couldn’t fall for it. Even though she deserved every awful thing that came to her, I wouldn’t kill her. “Is there anything you need? If not, leave me.”
She blinked back in surprise. “I just wanted to see you, dear cou—”
“What do you want?” I snapped at her.
“Aka wanted to see how you were doing,” she sneered. “You know, we’re thinking about marriage, you know. Of course, since you’re my cousin, he’s worried for you. He’s always such a sweetheart, don’t you think? Oh, wait, you should know that better than anyone else.” She tilted her head back and laughed. “He’s always so caring, isn’t he? I’m so glad that he’s mine. I mean, you’re already the Queen, so I’m so glad that I at least got him, you know?”
My nails dug into the palms of my hands and I could feel the wetness of blood. It stung, but the darkness in the corner of my vision was darker than the thoughts clouding my head. I hated Aka, too. He broke my heart and used my body in such a way. He had wanted my throne while sleeping around. He mentally broke me down. I hissed out in pain and scowled. “Aka?” I laughed hysterically. Don’t laugh, stay rigid like stone. “If you think flinging a man like him into my face and boasting of his affections towards you will affect me, dear cousin, you are sadly mistaken. I am the Queen and Empress of this entire empire.” I laughed louder, waving my arms around. I pinpointed my maddened eyes at her. “I can have any man I desire. One word, and he’s in my bed. Do not think that you have power over me. One word, and you’re dead.”
She gasped. “You wouldn’t . . . ”
“Are you so naïve, dear cousin? I’ve always pegged you as a manipulative girl, even when we were children. Surely you aren’t as ignorant as you present yourself right now.” I cast the mirror aside to the ground. It clattered against the floor and shattered in an array of jagged pieces. She flinched back at that, her eyes wide. I stared at her levelly. “They call me the Queen of War and Blood. Do you really think I wouldn’t kill you if you annoyed me?”
For the first time in a long time, she stepped back, her face completely morphing into unadulterated fear. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets. For once, her smug expression was wiped clean from her face. “I-I’ll come back later.”
“Come back later?” I rose to my feet. The darkness in the corner of the room was dancing in mirth, whipping around and encompassing more of the room. For a split second, I could hear an excited hiss. I ignored it and glared at Pageti, who was now taking a few steps back. “You interrupt me while I’m relaxing and expect to be forgiven so easily? Do you really think I’m kind enough to let you leave after you’ve disrespected me so much? You’re forgetting who I am.”
“A-Artakama, I just came to check up on you—”
“You want my crown!” I shouted at her. My voice was shrill, my breathing, labored. I clenched my fist together as I scowled at her. It annoyed me that she never considered me as the Queen, even when I was crowned the monarch. She was always in the background, sneering, laughing, and picking me apart for my flaws. She was like a vulture, waiting to strike when I was the most vulnerable. “You think you can waltz into my room and talk so lavishly about this and that? As if you actually care? Pageti, you and I both know what you came here for.”
She shook her head. “No—”
“Yes.” Something about her made me never like her. She was always too smug and I knew for a fact that she was jealous of me. She wanted Abar and me out of the way so that she could lay her claim to the throne. She was merely checking up on me to see how I was doing? I knew all the little tricks that came with manipulating people or manipulating situations for one’s own favor. After all, being the Queen didn’t mean that I lazed around and let everyone else do the work. I had to be a sharp tool with wits. “Why would you continuously talk about a man that I used to hold affection towards? What other reason is it but to disrespect me?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“Regardless of whether you meant it or not, you cannot speak to me in such a way. Surely, you are forgetting who I am. You should think twice before even speaking to me. Think thrice, or even four times, or even five times, because if you anger me, I will not stop to punish you.”
Comments (9)
See all