Flower Queen Read online

  Fuck the Queens. I think he’s broken my ribs with that last landing, thought the rabbit.

  You’ll be fine. Triena felt Braklen’s pulse. He was still breathing. She worried for the rabbit, but she could only deal with one thing at a time.

  You don’t know that.

  Triena pulled the bundle clear and untied the knotted ends of the shawl. The rabbit hopped out, then sat checking over his body. She returned her attention to Braklen. She moved his arms and legs so he was on his side, tilted his head back so he wouldn’t swallow his tongue.

  The ship vibrated into life and Triena braced herself. There was only one thing to do, space sickness or not, she had to use the Energy to help him.

  She took three deep breaths, willing her body to relax. Her mind slipped towards the Energy Field. Immediately, she was in a strong chaotic mix of energy, being pulled in many directions at once.

  She used all her experience to hold herself together and search for Braklen’s imprint. Bursts of light exploded around her. Sparks touched her essence and she flinched from the burning pain.

  She wanted to move away from the explosions, but something made her look closer. There in the center was the golden crown. Braklen. The explosion came from the crown. Triena assumed it was his way of trying to protect himself. Fear sparked off the crown.

  Triena pulled in a concentration of love energy from the Field, harvesting specific vibrations to heal him, sending them towards the crown. The sparks of light fought against the flow she created. She remained strong and continued sending more vibrations of love to the crown, flooding it with higher wavelength vibrations.

  At the same time she pulled in energy to calm Braklen. The number of sparks decreased. Triena sent another flow of energy to the crown, bathing it in love and finally countering the last of the fear there.

  Triena moved towards the crown. She went to pick it up, but a sharp pull stopped her.

  You’ve done it. She sensed the thought of the rabbit, which had healed from the Energy that she’d been working with. Triena wanted to stay here, in the peace she had created around Braklen’s energy form. The pull intensified until she had no choice but to return to her body.

  Triena opened her eyes. Exhaustion flooded through her.

  If I didn’t call you back, you might never have returned.

  Thank you. Triena hadn’t realized how far she allowed herself to go into the Energy. She’d wanted to heal Braklen and her rabbit. It was all that mattered to her.

  “Have we left Oberon?” asked Braklen.

  She turned her attention to his physical form. Color had returned to his face. Some of the bruising had already faded.

  “Yes. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I exploded and I’ve been put back together in a rush job.” He tried to sit up, but obviously didn’t have the strength.

  “Best you rest for a while,” said Triena.

  “Come here.” He held out his arms.

  She didn’t hesitate. She allowed him to embrace her, and rested her head on his chest.

  “Thank you.”

  She nestled against him. The sound of his heartbeat soothed her and she smiled, pleased she used the Energy to heal someone.

  ~ ~ ~

  While sleeping, her mind drifted into the Energy Field. The Energy was waiting for her, ready with a message.

  She found herself standing in the catacombs of the castle. Twelve Queens stood like statues around her. They looked like angels in their white robes with simple gold tiaras on their heads. They formed a half-moon shape around Triena. Each Queen hummed a note. Harmony echoed in the cavernous space. They were about to begin a reading on Triena.

  She turned to see the white gold crown hovering above a rock pillar. The pink pearl shone in the dull light of the candles that flickered in outside the semi-circle. It beckoned her to come forth. Triena stepped towards the crown with confidence. She reached out and placed it on her head, claiming what was hers.

  Unexpectedly, the metal dug into her skin as if locking into her flesh. A sharp pain ripped through her head and her knees buckled. Then the pain subsided and she tried to take off the crown, but it wouldn’t move. It’d connected with her and was now part of her.

  Triena looked up at the Queens for help and reeled back in shock. They levitated above the rocky ground, and came to her. Their robes reddened from the tears they cried. Each held a sickle, shiny and sharp, ready to strike as they closed in on her. The notes they hummed turned to screeches. With a sickening realization, Triena knew the type of reading they intended to perform on her.

  She stepped back. Her etheric form pulsed with fear as the Queens descended on her. Triena put up her hands and screamed, but that didn’t stop them. She forgot about her skill with the Energy, too scared to do anything but cower. Then one of the Queens’ blades came towards her and blackness claimed Triena.

  ~ ~ ~

  She jolted awake. Hot and sweaty, her body pulsed with fear. The dream was vivid, and had a taste of being some prediction of what might happen in the future. She tried to forget the dream that had turned into a nightmare. The Queens wanted to pull her apart as if she was an animal they used in their own predictions.

  She shuddered at the feeling of being the prey. I’ve got to end this. But, right now, she wasn’t sure how she was going to. She sat up and saw Braklen. He stirred from her movement, but remained asleep.

  She watched him, soaking in his features. Tousled dark hair, and softly closed eyes that sloped down into his crooked nose. Her gaze traced his face, over his resting lips, stubbled chin, and broad shoulders. She watched his chest rise and fall in the slumbering rhythm that helped to soothe her after her dream. Without meaning to, she looked further down, at his groin . . . wondering.

  Overcome with a flush of heat, she flicked her eyes back to his face, half-expecting him to open them and catch her looking down there. But he didn’t. He remained sleeping and she hoped he had a more pleasant dream than hers. The reminder of the Queens coming towards her with huge sickles sent a fierce shiver down her spine.

  She rubbed her head where the crown had dug in. The spots hurt. The dream felt more real than any she’d had before. She sighed, knowing the Energy was sending her a message. She had trouble processing the images. Her head hurt and fear surfaced every time she thought of what she’d seen.

  You should listen to it.

  You should be sleeping, answered Triena.

  The rabbit hopped next to her and she scratched the black fur behind its ears. You’ll figure it out.

  Triena couldn’t help but think she would work out the message much quicker if the rabbit helped her.

  You could heal him further. Help him get stronger. You’re going to need his strength.

  Triena stopped scratching the rabbit. Well, aren’t you Mr. Bossy?

  He hopped away, sat and began to clean himself. Just looking out for you.

  Triena thought of the Queens in her dream, the evil version with their blood-stained robes. To take on twelve she was going to need help. She looked at Braklen. He was here with her, apparently ready to help.

  And Rangit was somewhere in the ship, another person who’d help her. Not that she trusted him completely at the moment. The fear that shivered through her body dissipated. She knew she was closer to decoding the message from the Energy.

  The Energy is your friend.

  Could’ve fooled me, she thought. Things were so different than what she knew, what she’d learned over the years. It was like she’d missed most of her schooling, woke up and found herself in a different world. Almost.

  Triena settled herself next to Braklen. She could at least heal him a bit more. If the Queens were going to be that evil, then she wanted him by her side ready to fight, not harboring any injuries.

&n
bsp; Triena set her intention to help keep herself focused on what she had to do. A deep breath sent her mind towards the Energy Field. Oddly, her short, misguided apprenticeship with Captain Ri had made her more assertive in using the Energy. Confidence rippled through her aura.

  Another slow breath settled her etheric form in the Field. A light acted like a beacon and she followed it, trusting she’d be led to Braklen. Through the darkness she followed the light, moving as if she was swimming through dark waters.

  The darkness began to morph and she found herself standing in a dark room where the light slipped into a gas lamp next to the bed. She was now in a dark room. Braklen lay on a bed, sleeping.

  She sensed his injuries and wished she’d come sooner to help him. The last session they had in the etheric world hadn’t helped him enough. There was another memory. An older image of them finding each other in the Energy Field. Triena’s etheric form vibrated faster from the heat the memory caused.

  Just healing this time, she reminded herself firmly. Seeing him here caused primal urges within her to surge to the surface and she struggled not to act on them. The warmth from sleeping with him still lingered and she wished the heat would intensify.

  She longed to taste him again. For real, not here in the essence. She paused. This won’t do. She imagined cool water cascading over her, which slowed her vibrations. Better. Triena now turned her full attention to Braklen. I want to help you get better.

  She pulled in a concentration of Energy around her. She sorted through the different vibrations, isolating the healing energy she needed. When she had enough, she pushed the Energy over his body, directing it to the areas that looked like black spots in her mind’s eye. These were the parts of his body that required healing.

  She wove healing power into his sprained ankle, re-strengthening the muscles and tendons he’d hurt escaping from the ship. Triena tuned into his broken bones to guide the Energy. His ribs, collarbone and fingers showed the result of the beatings he’d endured. Her heart ached as she glimpsed what he experienced. She pushed her own feelings aside and focused on his wounds. Her stomach twisted as she reached into his chest. Ignoring the scent of blood that came through from the physical world, she pulled in more energy.

  She intertwined it around his broken ribs, with rich green light that worked on the cracks and knitted the bones back into place. Soft pink muscles grew around the ribs, holding them securely. She withdrew and moved to repeat the process with his collarbone and fingers.

  Triena enjoyed working with the Energy like this. It was as if the time with Captain Ri had sharpened her skills and she could see the patterns she needed to create in the Energy in order to help Braklen. Strength pulsed around her as she worked, flexing her new knowledge in the way that was acceptable instead of trying to misuse such power.

  Doing this work also helped heal her. The guilt she held from being forced to manipulate the Energy for Captain Ri was released and had dissipated, leaving her feeling refreshed and lighter. The guilt of killing people was wrapped in peace, kept as a memory, a reminder of what she was fighting to stop.

  Re-energized, she was able to more efficiently heal Braklen. New cells grew quickly under her touch, filling the space left from the damaged ones. She directed the cells to reform damaged tendons and ligaments around the broken bones. Slowly, his strength returned. He settled under the healing vibrations. He slept, which was the best way he could finish healing now.

  Triena pulled away from Braklen, leaving him to rest. Tired from using the Energy she went to return to her body. But the power had other ideas. As if it’d been waiting for her to finish with Braklen, it swept her up and pushed her into another dream sequence.

  Once more Triena found herself standing in the catacombs of the castle, her head heavy with the crown. She struggled to control the fear building inside of her. Things didn’t end well last time for her.

  I’ve got to make it different this time. She pulled herself together. I can change this. That thought slipped away as the twelve Queens rushed toward her, blood dripping from the sickles they held.

  No. She put up her hand to stop them. Somehow, they paused, their screaming images frozen in a moment in time. Given a moment of reprieve she turned. Heat radiated from behind her, a peaceful pulsation that instilled confidence.

  She came face to face with Braklen and gasped. He wore his crown. It looked like it belonged on him, as if it was something he had always worn. Majestic energy vibrated strongly from his aura.

  Sorry I’m late. He took her hand and looked into her essence, sending a tremor through her.

  We can do this together. She found herself speaking words she hadn’t thought to say.

  We must do this together.

  We both have the skill. Again, she spoke words without thought. Words that suggested she had an insight to what this was really about. Men can’t use the Energy. The image in front of her faded a little with the thought. No, that’s what I used to think.

  Show me how.

  Triena looked into his essence, shining and vibrating with confidence. I don’t know how. She couldn’t get the practical side out of her mind and she wasn’t about to agree to help him when she had no idea how to, and especially for something that was going to be difficult. It’s not going to be easy. I don’t have the skill or the training.

  Suddenly, the screams that had been held in time behind her were released. Again, pain seared through Triena’s back as a sickle slashed through her. No! she cried. But, this time she couldn’t stop the evil Queens. She looked at Braklen. He, too, was being torn apart.

  Stop, she sobbed.

  Two of the Queens picked up his insides. Then, they slipped his intestines through their white bony fingers, reading the patterns, absorbing his life energy. Their auras glowed with his essence. Their eyes widened.

  High pitched laughter echoed around her, as they began to read her energy. No. Stop. But they didn’t listen. They didn’t need to. Triena had no power over them. Her essence faded as it was absorbed by them.

  ~ ~ ~

  Braklen stirred. He slipped back into his dreams, unaware of the healing. His body ached, but it was a good sensation, an ache of life where his cells regrew and bones repaired. He settled back into a dream, one that he was just having but had forgotten.

  Something heavy weighed on his head. He reached up. He wore a crown. What the fuck? He didn’t want to be a king, or a leader of that sort. A vague memory of placing the crown on his head came to him. He had chosen this in a recent dream but he refused to believe it. This is weird. He slipped further into sleep and deeper into his unconsciousness.

  He found himself in a room. It was familiar to him, but he couldn’t remember why. A simple table and chair were set to one wall, a gas lamp burning added light and there were tapestries on the walls. A golden crown sat on a pillar in the other corner, sitting on a red velvet pillow. Thank goodness it isn’t on me. Something forced Braklen to move to the crown.

  He knew that this was a test. He didn’t want to be a king. I just want my old position back, then someday I’ll be High Commander. But that wasn’t going to happen. He knew it from the twists in his stomach. This was the choice. Was he going to wear the crown or not?

  Braklen looked around for something that would give him more information. He wasn’t in the habit of putting on crowns, even one he had seen before, one that he was sure he had worn. A tapestry caught his attention. Two people were woven into the fabric. He inhaled sharply. Triena stood wearing a crown, a peaceful look on her face. Then he looked at the man. What? It was him. And he was wearing that same crown.

  They were holding hands. Together. That’s what he wanted. But he hadn’t had the chance to tell Triena. Not yet. Why? He couldn’t remember why, and with a renewed certainty he wanted to tell her now. When he tried to look away from the tapestry, he
found himself looking at it again. No matter what direction he turned, he spied something in the image that he hadn’t seen before.

  In the background, he saw twelve people, six men and six women, standing in a half moon shape, holding hands. That’s what we want. To overthrow the Queens and Priests. But, hey, I’m just the muscle. The scene shifted, sending a cold ripple through his etheric form. Triena lay on the ground dying, her insides ripped open, blood everywhere. Twelve Queens surrounded her with no sign of himself.

  The image burned into his essence bringing up a knowing. Braklen fit the pieces together. The rabbit had been telling him that he had to work with Triena. It was the only way to change the balance. He got it, more than that. He understood the choice now facing him.

  Braklen turned. The crown stood on the pillar. He walked over to it and picked it up. He paused. There’s no going back. He wasn’t sure where the voice came from, but he didn’t care. If this meant that Triena would live, then he’d wear the crown. If they had to do this together to bring peace then he’d do it. He placed it on his head.

  Metal hooks reached down and dug into his skull. He groaned in pain. A heavy weight pressed on his head. He reached up and touched it. Coolness tingled on his fingertips and he panicked. He tried to pull off the crown.

  He couldn’t. He yelled in pain. Bastard. It was like one of those prisoner’s chips he had injected into Triena. That wasn’t part of the deal. But then he wasn’t sure exactly what deal he had made. I did it for her. That he didn’t regret.

  The thought of Triena made him want to find her. He went to the door in the room, opened it, and walked out into a cavernous space. Weird. I’ve got to stop drinking so much.

  Then he saw Triena. The Queens frozen behind her, bloodied and frenzied, their image sent a shiver down his spine. He couldn’t move. Then suddenly they came alive. I’m too late. They attacked him, pulling apart his newly healed body.