Shades of Grey

ESTHEN— MARCH 1843

“Grey, wake up. We’re here.”

I slowly opened my eyes and saw Forma sitting on my lap in the form of a white cat. Anesthia sat glued to the window, wearing a look of untainted, rageful horror.

“Good God, what has that man done to my country?” she cursed under her breath.

I peered out the opposite window and saw that the indigence and general depravity had worsened dramatically in my absence. The people looked more like poorly constructed paper dolls as they scavenged recklessly for whatever food they could find while avoiding the harsh eyes of the dinosaur guards that now encircled the city, watching the sickly citizens with totalitarian scrutiny. The few educated dinosaur citizens tried their very best to barter with humans for food and the dim-witted brutes used for transportation merely groaned with hunger pains. The city had become a physical incarnation of the Plain of Asphodel.

Anesthia sighed in frustration and leaned back against the seat, holding her head in her hands.

“Was this what you saw when you entered before?” she asked.

“It was not quite this bad...” I said slowly.

“Damn him,” she cursed as the carriage came to a stop. In a flurry of anger, she opened the door, stepped out with power and looked around at the destitution. I followed her, carrying Forma (who was still alarmingly laconic) and stood next to her as the carriage faded into the dust.

The starving, maddened populace did not even notice Anesthia as she walked up the huge steps to the palace, striding angrily past the dinosaur guards, all of whom bowed suddenly in shocked respect. Forma hissed at the same dinosaur who had taunted her on our last visit and I smiled. It was good to see that the real Forma was somewhere inside the lethargic ghost in my arms.

Anesthia strode into the palace, causing maids and various royal servants to stop and stare in disbelief. I chuckled to myself as they hastily bowed, caught off guard by her sudden appearance.

“Your Majesty! Thank God you’re alright!” cried one young woman.

“Where is Lord Remacus?” Anesthia asked forebodingly. I looked at her with wide eyes, fearing what she would do in her rage. As if to swell my anxiety, her hand hovered dangerously near the Key.

“He is in the throne room, your majesty. I believe he is tending to a citizen,” replied the woman.

Anesthia’s eyes filled with the fiery rage of Hotspur and she stormed angrily through the antechamber to the throne room. I followed hastily.

“Do you think she’ll really kill him?” asked Forma, her cat eyes glinting with alarm.

I shrugged and bit my lip nervously as Anesthia strode into the throne room, causing everyone inside to jump in fright. Lord Remacus sat on the huge golden throne with a look of guilty shock on his face. He recovered quickly though and easily feigned casualness.

“My lady! It’s so wonderful to have you back!” he cried, stepping out of the throne and walking toward Anesthia.

“If you value your life, you will not tread any closer to me,” Anesthia sneered darkly.

Lord Remacus stopped in shock.

“I beg your pardon, my lady?” he asked. Anesthia stepped frighteningly close to him and even though she was shorter than he was, she held all of the authority.

“I know you were an abettor to the Prince of Cronamia in a plot to have me kidnapped so you could rule the country. Tell me, what was the cost of having me killed to keep your power: running the greatest country in the world into the ground, or having the people riot against you when the Balance was thrown off?!”

“They have been mercifully peaceful, my lady. I believe they held out faith that you would return...”

“YOU HAVE POSTED MY GUARDSMEN ALL OVER THE CITY! I saw it with my own eyes! The people fear to rise against you! And now they are so starved, they don’t have the strength or the sanity to do so!”

“With all due respect, Majesty, that was not my idea...”

“SHUT UP, YOU FOOLISH WARMONGER!”

Anesthia then touched the key in her neck and it began to glow a resplendent red. Lord Remacus stiffened, clutching his throat as he began to choke. He let out a small shriek of remonstration and I saw his face redden.

Forma leapt out of my arms and shifted into her human size. I felt her fear rise with mine as she watched Anesthia’s anger increase.

“She’s going to kill him!” she exclaimed in horror. I said nothing; I could only stare at the scene, watching it unfold in astonishment.

“My dear Lord Remacus, you have been a good friend to my family and a very good advisor over the last several years. It is a shame I now have to punish you.”

“Please, have mercy my lady!” cried Lord Remacus pathetically. Anesthia’s voice was filled with eerie stoniness that made her next statement all the more unnerving.

“For conspiring against the crown, I shall have to execute you.”

“NO!” I inveighed, racing to Anesthia’s side. “Your Highness, this is not right!”

“WHAT IS RIGHT THEN?!” she shouted, angrily turning to me while keeping Remacus in the air.

“Killing him is not the way!” I pleaded importunately. “Do not be so swift to judge! This man has served your family for centuries! You said so yourself!”

“AND NOW HE HAS BETRAYED MY TRUST! HE MUST PAY!” Anesthia’s darkly murderous eyes turned back to Remacus’ panicked expression.

“NOO!” I shouted as the key began to glow under her skin.

I did my best to pull Anesthia’s arm away, to break her hold on Remacus and allow him the chance to escape, but the Riadas magic was too powerful to break by a mere show of duress. Without a second glance, Anesthia brought her hand into my stomach and sent me flying across the throne room. Forma enlarged herself in time to catch me and then shrank once more as Anesthia’s anger amplified.

“YOU WILL NEVER HARM ANOTHER PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY AGAIN!” she shouted in a deep, blackly fearsome voice.

A bright light filled the room, forcing Forma and me to shield our eyes as a sudden sharp wind blew outwards from the queen and the unfortunate steward. Lord Remacus’s screams intensified as the room shook under the power of the blast and then…all was silent.

I looked up and met eyes with Forma, who looked just as rightfully gobsmacked and weary as I felt. We both turned to Anesthia, who stood next to the spot of burnt stone where Remacus had stood, staring at it as though he would step out of it again. The longer she stood, however, the more the truth became frighteningly evident: Lord Remacus was no more.

“Rila!” called Anesthia in between steadying breaths. A young woman then ran into the room and stopped at the queen’s side.

“Your Majesty?” she queried.

“Take Miss Echo and Miss Forma up to the guest suite. Treat them exactly as you would treat me. They are to stay here as long as they wish and they are to receive anything and everything they require, is that understood?”

Anesthia was oddly stiff, still staring wide-eyed at the spot where Lord Remacus had been only moments before.

“Yes Your Majesty.”

Rila then walked over to Forma and me, both still shocked by the luminous occurrence we had just witnessed. Rila gently gripped my arm and helped me stand.

“Right this way, Miss Echo,” she said in a small voice. I helped Forma stand, the expression of shock still plastered on both of our faces. Forma took one shaky step forward and immediately changed into a jaguar, staying close to my side.

Rila led us out of the throne room and up the Entrance Hall staircase. We were then taken down a hall on the right and up one flight of stairs that led to a large wooden door.

“Here we are ma’am,” Rila said as she unlocked the door and swung it open.

A small, circular staircase took me up to the main floor where several beautiful couches were arranged around a grand fireplace. A large bay window stood to the left of the fireplace, overlooking the entire kingdom and the carmine walls were inscribed with numerous passages of Xantharian literature. I moved through the living room and found two large four poster beds inside a great bedroom which led to an extravagant gold and silver bathroom containing two large vanities and a great claw foot bath.

“Will it do?” Rila asked.

“Yes,” I said softly, my mind still hovering on the events of the throne room. “This will be fine.”