Chapter 12

Lazerin sighed deeply as he surveyed the battlefield. So many Daemoni had been wounded and even more lost their lives. Could it really be as Kira said, could it have been worse?

He didn’t see his Queen and Prince EVER letting the Dark Realms fall to the Titans or anyone else. His Queen had amazed him on the battlefield. She led the attacks herself, fighting right alongside her Daemoni legions. Her strength and resolve empowered each and every Daemoni to fight to the bitter end. Thankfully, none of the gates had fallen and they'd been able to force the Titans into a retreat. Despite all of that, he knew there was more that he could've done.

“I know that look. You're feeling guilty and doubting yourself. Let me show you something. Right here. A massive Titan lost his head to your sword. These Daemoni that were behind you, they were wounded and you protected them. They’re alive because of YOU. This Titan right here, he fell by your sword, preventing him from getting to your Prince while his back was to him.

“Lazerin, I could go on and on. You saved so many, including Damian. All you can do now is learn from how they battled, study their weaknesses and strengths and be better prepared for them next time,” Kira stated with conviction as she placed a hand on his arm before going back to work.

Despite Kira’s words he still felt as if he could've done more. He would have to take a few moments with his Prince and analyze it and see what he had to say. Maybe he’d even talk to him about Kira, what she told him, about what she did to his insides, and what she made him feel. He wasn’t sure about these new emotions.

Turning his head, he looked back down at the beautiful human as she finished taking the last of her photos. Looking back at the battlefield he saw it through her eyes. The horrid smell of a fresh battlefield; the blood, rot, and sulfur. The sounds of those cleaning it up and removing the Titan bodies to be burned.

No, she didn’t need to see any more of this. She'd seen enough. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her in close as he guided her away from the battlefield. Placing a soft kiss on the top of her head he murmured, “Come, my *zlaxaq kinh*. You don't need to do any more right now.”

“What does that mean, *zlaaq kinh*?” she asked tiredly. The security of his strong arm around her felt so good. It'd been so long since she felt as safe as she did with Lazerin. As she momentarily closed her eyes she breathed in the scent of him, the scent that was purely male and all Lazerin. His scent alone could ground her when her talent completely overwhelmed her in all of the details of the scene she was analyzing. She smiled as she snuggled a bit closer to him.

“It means 'sweet girl',” he replied quietly as he got lost in her beautiful eyes. Pulling her closer he wrapped both his arms around her. “I’m filthy from the battle.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’d rather you dirty and alive than dead any day. Alive is very, very good. I desperately need you to kiss me, Lazerin. I need to feel you're alive and safe.”

“Your wish is my command,” Kira heard before his soft lips captured hers and time stopped as she received the best kiss of her life.

~~*~~

As Kira and Lazerin returned to Theanna's Palace she noticed that the throne room was immaculately clean. She stopped in her tracks as she gasped in surprise. “Lazerin, the throne room...”

“All the Daemoni have been healed and have returned to their resting places. The caretakers of the palace would never leave Theanna's throne room anything less than how it is now. They work fast and efficiently. They work so that they’re never seen but always highly valued. That’s how Amelia prefers things to run,” Lazerin explained.

“Who is Amelia?”

“The head-mistress of the palace. She was in charge of Damian's palace in Ikisat but they wanted someone they could trust implicitly at Theanna's palace. They had to be sure to remove anyone that was loyal to Innara. Here in the Dark Realms our Queen's inner circle is very small and tightly managed,” Lazerin explained as he walked slowly, holding Kira's hand.

“Yeah, I knew she did that. It's smart really. Are you part of that inner circle?”

“I’m not but I’m Damian's High Commander so I’m usually busy with Ikisat. When I’m needed, they call for me. I don't worry about our Queen. Damian and Hezin make sure she’s protected at all times. Hezin is extremely loyal to both our Queen and Prince. He was among the first to swear allegiance to her with a blood oath.”

“You like him.”

“He’s what you would call a friend,” Lazerin smirked.

Kira couldn't help but smile. She knew Thea made being Queen look easy but she'd definitely changed from the fun loving goofy friend to someone who bore the fate of the realms on her shoulders. The days of easy smiles and lighthearted late night banter were gone and she missed them. She sighed deeply as they approached the Queen's private dining chambers.

“What is it?” Lazerin asked, picking up on her sigh.

“I was just thinking how I miss the days when things were so much easier. Thea bears so much responsibility now.”

“She does indeed. The role of High Queen isn’t an easy one. Now then, let's not think such thoughts. Let's enjoy a meal with our Queen and Prince,” Lazerin smiled at her as a member of the Royal Guard opened the door to the dining chambers. Seeing his Queen and Prince waiting for them, he bowed low to them. “I apologize for making you wait, my Queen. I was answering some of Lady Kira's questions about your palace and the staff Lady Amelia maintains.”

“There’s no need to apologize, we just arrived ourselves,” Theanna smiled as she approached them. She wore a light lavender gauzy dress that while the under layer fitted to her body perfectly, the lace-like gauze of the top layer flowed around her with every movement she made. It made it look as if she were floating across the floor.

“Oooooo I love that dress!” Kira gasped upon seeing it.

“Isn't it gorgeous? It's so soft and comfortable as well,” Thea giggled as she twirled to show off the layers. “Now let's sit and eat. You’ll never guess in a million years what we're having,” she giggled.

“Titan eyeballs?” Kira asked with a grimace.

“Absolutely, along with green slime soup!” Thea laughed as Kira made a gagging face. Thea smiled as she noticed the way Lazerin kept Kira's hand in his. Then she noticed the battle that he still wore. “Oh! Lazerin you're a mess!” With a wave of her hand she removed his armor and let him be comfortable in his black tunic and pants. “Much better!”

“Thank you, my Queen."

Sitting down, Thea smiled as Kira sat next to her on her left while Damian sat on Thea’s right and Lazerin sat next to Kira. As Amelia and her staff brought forth dinner, Thea looked on excitedly. Removing the lids, Thea giggled as Kira gasped in delight.

“Is that Chinese? Oh you didn't!”

“I did! I had Mr. Yang's food sent to us!”

“Oh girl! You are forever my bestie after this! Once he moved back to China I thought for sure we'd never get anymore of his to-die-for food!”

Thea couldn't help but giggle in delight. “Being Queen does have the occasional perk. Lazerin, this is the Earth food that Kira and I shared in my apartment when we first met and spent long nights talking, watching cheesy movies, and discussing the music we loved. Mr. Yang closed up shop when he retired and returned to China to spend time with his family. So this is a rare treat for us.”

“Enough talk, woman! Feed me some of that Kung Pao Chicken over there! Oh and some of that Tofu Rice! Oh oh and some of that Beef and Broccoli,” Kira demanded with a laugh as she filled her plate high.

Lazerin and Damian couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm that radiated from Thea and Kira. Taking some of everything served, Thea waited to see what they thought. The smiles that lit up their faces said it all.

“Zoqa!” Damian exclaimed.

“Yup! And that’s why we loved it so!” Kira giggled in between bites of food.

“The flavors!” Lazerin said with awe.

“Exactly!” Thea agreed. With a large smile on her face she started eating as well, her smile expanding as she enjoyed the food. While they ate, Thea made sure to keep the conversation light and enjoyable. She didn't want to discuss the battle until they'd all eaten their fill.

Finally, after her third plate, Kira pushed it away with a groan, “I can't eat another bite, as much as I want to.”

“Amelia will make sure to pack some up for you to take home,” Damian chuckled.

“Bless you, sweet Prince!” Kira sighed happily.

“Now, unfortunately, I must turn the discussion to unpleasant matters. What are your thoughts on the battles we faced?” Theanna asked, her face growing serious.

“I need to analyze the photos I took some more but it was obvious that the Titans were hoping to breach the gates at Tiamat. I can't tell what they were looking for but there were several non-soldier Titans there and once your dragon took out their wizard they fled. That tells me they wanted you distracted with a losing battle at the main gate. They didn't expect to meet the resistance they did there. It was also obvious they were in communication because they knew when their wizard was no longer around to help them.

“They also didn't expect you to come out and meet them face to face. They were unprepared for your badassery but unfortunately from what I saw, this wasn't all of their soldiers and their ruler never appeared which tells me that he didn't expect the Dark Realms to fall. He just wanted the Titans to breach Tiamat. The attacks at the other gates were just a distraction.”

“Which means it's highly unlikely that was their only wizard and more than likely not even their strongest one. We have to find a weakness, one we can exploit,” Theanna stated solemnly.

“Agreed. Perhaps Darius can contact his mother and find out some information that we can use,” Damian suggested.

Thea nodded, “Perhaps. I also don't think this is their only hand to play. Something about what they were looking for is sitting badly with me. I think our priority has to be in figuring out what that was. I know this was tough, Kira. Thank you so much for helping us out. If you can get your report done up as soon as you can and send it to Celia, I'd really appreciate it. Anything, even the smallest detail may be the edge that we need.”

“Of course!”

“Now I’m sure you’re as exhausted as I am. Lazerin, if you can see Amelia before you leave so that Kira can get some food to go, and then please see her safely home, I'd appreciate it,” Thea instructed with a smile as they all stood up.

Kira took a step closer to Thea and hugged her tightly. “Please stay safe and get some rest,” she pleaded.

Thea returned her hug before letting her go and watching her as she also hugged Damian. “Keep her safe,” Thea instructed discreetly to Lazerin.

“With my life,” he replied before he took hold of Kira's hand and vanished with her.

“She'll be alright. He'll keep her safe,” Damian said as he wrapped Thea up in his arms.

“I know. I just hope I can keep everyone else safe as well. I can't let the Dark Realms fall!” Thea stated worriedly.

“It won't. Let's retire, Zoqa, so that I can distract you once again from your worries,” Damian stated as he placed a kiss on a sensitive spot below her ear.

“Mmmm, yes, please,” Thea murmured as she let him take them to their bedroom.