Chapter 22

My eyesight blurred, but not because tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then I saw nothing at all. My consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space my heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in my ears, alongside fading pleas for help.
Feeling in my body drained away until finally all was black.
I've seen darkness before, the kind that makes our street like an old fashioned photograph, everything a shade of grey. This isn't like that. This is the darkness that robs you of your best sense and replaces it with a paralysing fear. In this darkness I sit, muscles cramped and unable to move. I only know my eyes are still there because I can feel myself blink, still instinctively moisturizing the organs I have no current use for. I can't hear anything either. I guess that should bring my heart rate down below the level of “rabbit in a snare” but it doesn't. By my genes I am a predator, I have the front facing eyes and brain enough to hunt, but I feel like prey in this utter black. The dawn is many hours away and until that precious time I can only wait. Moving makes noise, it's bad enough I still have to breath. But I want to see tomorrow enough to make me hold this position for as long as it takes. Not making it means not being there for Serafina, Drima, Luke and all the others of my pack and that is something I would never willingly do. Abandoning isn't my thing.
“Sera?” I whispered and a hand gripped mine.
“I am here,” she replied in a whisper.
“What is happening?” I asked.
“I think we have been attacked but by what I have no idea and I cannot see anything. I think you should shift, Sin. This is not a simple matter,” said Sera and I immediately opened the dress and it pooled round my feet while I shifted as soon as possible. The bones cracked and pain shot through my body. I was already exhausted a lot after the adventure and contest today but was not going to allow anything to happen to the wolves of my kingdom while I was still alive.
The power was suddenly back on and I was standing the middle of the room in my full glory as a wolf trying to ascertain the danger while all the other contestants were cowering behind in a corner. Luke said,” It was a test, Sin. Another one, and you passed with flying colours.”
I had no clue what was happening and I looked at the high end of the room where the seats for the Council had been placed. Mason was standing there with a goblet in his hand.
“Exceptional presence of mind and always being in her sense is one of the capabilities that the Queen ought to show at all times. The Queen of Amorentia is not only responsible for the safety of her subjects inside the Kingdom and the capital but also the entire bevy of packs which consists of all the wolves and the future and all our generations. Today this party was supposed to be just a celebration but it was turned into another test to see if people could keep their calm in the five minutes of darkness. After all we are all wolves, and I have to say that no one, and that means really no one, except the heiress of the red Hearts Pack, Synthia has shown the capability of being proactive and thinking that no one else did,” he said and I felt warm. I could not shift back again in my human form in the midst of the eyes of all these wolves.
“There is so much to admire, but your raw honesty is the best part. I love how your words spill out real slow as if the truth can take its time. It's as if there is a force behind them, yet the kind that is respectful and quiet - a determination that's observant and patient. And in those words is a wonderful compassion, an awareness of the vulnerability of others, of the sort that is born of painful experience. So when you tell me of your sorrows, believe me when I say I believe you, because it's right there in everything you are, from your eyes to the pattern of your thoughts. You are as the loving princess, tidying, supporting yet encouraging growth. It takes a great spirit to come through so very much and become the person that you are,” said Mason as I looked up at him. My wolf knew that whatever he was saying were good things and it was a non-threatening situation.
I nudged Serafina’s hand and she looked at me and took the dress and then we fled to one corner where the drapes were and I immediately shifted back again and I was thankful that this was not a real attack. If it had been then all of the people in this room would have been killed without any question.
“The respect I held for her was like an aged cheese. It became stronger with age, more mature, more robust. She was unfailingly kind, she always put others first and herself last. No matter how tired she was, even after a night shift, she was never short with you. My admiration for her was deep seated and long lasting,” I could hear mason still talking and I looked at Serafina who shrugged and I wore the dress as soon as I could and Serafina snapped to make me look perfect once again.
Serafina hated almost everything about him, Mason, she meant. He was a chauvinist and a womanizer, but he was also the most thorough attorney she had ever met. He must spend countless hours on his preparation. Every angle was covered, every detail had been examined and re-examined. His clients loved him and so did the jury, He oozed an effortless charm, whenever he spoke he owned the courtroom, holding everyone's rapt attention. It was impossible not to admire him, but that didn't mean she had to like him. And amongst the members of the Council she knew that he was the only one who was supporting me to the greatest extent.
I whispered to her as softly as possible, after all the people in this room were wolves and they could hear anything I said,” Please play along. We will deal with this later on.”
I emerged from behind the curtains with Serafina by my side. She was my greatest ally, my friend and the most powerful creature in this room apart from Raksha. She was the one that I was wary about and I had plenty of reasons for that. She was standing beside Rubina, and that did not exactly fill me with hope either. If those two were up to something then it was bound to be a ruckus.
“I would like to invite Synthia, of the Red Hearts Pack here to speak a few words here before we give her the gifts from the Royal Library of the erstwhile Red Queen herself which she had kept for her successors. And we the members of the Council hope that you will be gracing us with a few words,” said Mason as I had to go towards the podium. I was not a very good speaker but I knew that this was the moment when I had to show my respect, my integrity and my power as a monarch who was going to be.
I did not need any microphone to speak. These were my people and they needed to hear my voice just the way it was.
“Thank you Council Man, Mason. I am really glad that you were so kind to speak all those great words for my sake. And I am not even sure that even if I was worthy of such appreciation that he has shown for me. I am overwhelmed, and that is an understatement,” I said and paused for a bit. There were chuckles all around and I knew that I was doing good. Drima had trained me for this for two decades and now it was time to perform.
Looking at the expecting faces of all the wolves in the room I began again,” It was said here that I was the only one who was the most proactive and vigilant when it came that there was a chance of attack. I shall tell you the reason for that. The Red Queen is still in the castle and she is not free yet. Her soul is trapped within these walls and at this moment any kind of celebration however simple it might be, for me it seemed like a tarnish to her memory.”
All the faces were now drooping with shame and were ashen. Rubina’s eyes were blazing with fury as I continued in a somber voice,” We are here to select our next monarch and yet we have somehow disrespected our last monarch. It was a sheer disrespect for her sake and I just wanted the celebration to come to an end. That was the reason I was on look out because I knew that whatever might happen I was responsible for the safety of all my people. And that did not only mean, my pack, when I say my people, it means all the wolves and all the other subjects who are under the jurisdiction of the kingdom of Amorentia. I might not be a monarch, I might not be a sovereign, or I might not even be a Queen but I shall always be the warrior who will protect her people no matter what the situation might be. Even if I am the last one standing the in the battle field I am never going to allow my kingdom to fall. And that is my promise to all of you today.”
My voice boomed out loudly and there was so much thick silence in the room that could have been sliced with knife.
And then there was a boom of voices all around me and applause and cheer so loud that everything else drowned and I looked at Drima and I could see the pride clear on her face. I knew that I had nailed it. And the wolves loved me.