Law of beasts, p.8
Law of Beasts, page 8
Zeus was silent for a moment, his lips pursed as if he had something to say, but he swallowed his words. "Yes, my Lord."
Hadassah looked at the city below. Time was of the essence; she wasn't sure when reinforcements would arrive. She needed to give Zarek time to find the Serenity pool so they could destroy it and get out of there.
Her eyes scanned the city. The number of scared, innocent faces looking up at her from the ground almost pulled at her heartstrings, but she was too tired to care. There was no easy way to humiliate the Dragon Queen. If Atlas was crushed under her feet, it would be impossible to hide her name from the continental records, and Neveah would finally be able to pull support from the tribes who had been watching and waiting for her to show herself capable.
The dragonfly scales on her body moved, rippling and readjusting to cover her vital points, from her fingertips up to her chin. Her hair was soaked in seawater, sand in crevices she didn't want to think about, and her skin felt dry as the water evaporated, leaving only salt.
"Let's get this over with. I'll have a nice long bath once this is all over," she said under her breath before pressing her palm firmly on the side of the stone giant. It let out a low rumbling groan and lifted its feet to crush those under it. The other giants followed. They moved slowly, giving the illusion of impossibly heavy objects finding their way through the beast city.
Panicked screams echoed between the alleys and plazas of Atlas. Hadassah stood steady despite the trembling earth, focusing on the chaos, but her moment of peace lasted only seconds.
Something smashed into her, pushing against her bones. Her arms had raised and tensed on instinct to dull the blow. The air was ripped from her lungs. Her bones compressed. She could feel them cave in, near fracturing. Hadassah was sent flying backwards across the giant's shoulder. She hit the stone underneath her and rolled. Her hands clutched at the edge as she hung from the giant, nearly falling into the distant sea below. Heart lurching, she looked up, wondering who had attacked her, only to see Zeus.
Black wings, vast and menacing, spread from his back, casting a daunting shadow on the girl. His purple eyes blazed, his dark hair—previously meticulously pinned up and braided—now hung scattered, and his smirk marked him as a beauty of calamity.
"Hadassah, the human girl," he called, voice booming despite the loud, earth-shaking steps of the giant who still marched forward, moving Hadassah away from the sea and making her potential fall much more dangerous. "You tread boldly on the Dragon Queen's soil."
Hadassah spat salt and blood, her voice strangely calm despite her perilous situation. "The world does not belong to that woman. Don't delude yourself into thinking you're actually a prince of the continent."
Zeus's answer was a wordless dive aiming for her head, which was barely held above the stone. She ducked the first slash—barely. The dragon's strength tore through the giant's shoulder, leaving a small chunk crushed and crumbling off the giant where she once hung. Quickly pulling herself up to a steadier position, she faced her enemy.
Hadassah's dragonfly scale armour shimmered and shifted, moving instinctively across her skin to shield her ribs and neck.
Each impact she blocked sent tremors through her limbs, forcing her to twist and grit her teeth. With one particularly hard punch, she bit down sharply on her tongue until blood filled her mouth just to avoid screaming. She absorbed the blows as best she could, but eventually her skittering slowed enough that he could grab her.
One hand clenched around her throat.
He dragged her off the giant, zapping through the air, wings propelling them forwards.
She gasped as her back was slammed against one of the still-standing tall towers of the beast city. The stone cracked on impact. She felt blood rush up her throat. She coughed it up, her eyes widening as her lungs struggled to remain inflated.
He flew through more towers, one after the other, only letting her go when her body went limp. Hadassah dropped down, sliding with her back against whatever was left of the building he had slammed her into. She landed on the floor softly, Zeus landing in front of her.
He reached out without much thought, going for her skull, possibly to crush it under his hands, which were transforming into large black scaled claws whose talons alone were enough to pick her up by her head.
"Cocky little human girl likes to play with dragons," he mused to himself.
The closer he got, the sooner he noticed something in her mouth.
A small pink orb held between her teeth.
She looked up at him, death flashing through her eyes. She spat the pink bead at him.
It detonated.
Three weeks earlier in the Fae Queen's meeting room, Aithne watched as their guard spread out a large map on the wooden table. Pulling their hood down to reveal vivid fiery waves of hair, they grinned, looking around at the table. The Fae Queen sat at the opposite end, her elbows on the surface, knuckles supporting her chin, sword leaning against her seat. Hadassah stood on the right side of the table alone, with Zarek opposite her. Aithne was the youngest amongst them, but it didn't stop them from carrying out orders from Neveah. Their red eyes glanced over the people at the planning table, and so they introduced themselves.
"My name is Aithne. I was sent by Her Majesty to become the link between you and her." They looked at Hadassah. "Hadassah of Emeris, correct?"
Hadassah hesitated to answer, as though the title were new to her. She would get used to it soon enough.
"What does Neveah want from me?" she asked with a voice quieter than Aithne was used to. It calmed the youth's nerves a bit, at least long enough to lessen the mania in their smile.
Aithne straightened, their expression shifting to something more serious. "Her Majesty wishes for you to make a mockery of the Dragon Queen's power. She wants you to attack Atlas." They gestured to the map, where the coastal city was marked by the Eastern Seas. "The wedding of Prince Zeus and Lord Vortigern presents the perfect opportunity—the five great tribes will be gathered in one place. It will be impossible to bury your existence."
Aithne studied Hadassah's expression carefully. If she had qualms about fighting her old friend like Neveah had suggested, she didn't show it. Hadassah studied the map, her fingers tracing the outline of the city walls. "A direct assault would be difficult, even with the chaos. I'm sure the bloodhounds will be dispatched to secure the city."
"Not necessarily," Aithne said, their red eyes gleaming. "There are three hundred ferals identified that can cause a distraction from inside the walls of Atlas. They won't get checked at the gates since they live and trade in the tunnels below ground. It will strike fear into the hearts of the people and make it known you are alive."
The Fae Queen's mask tilted slightly, though she remained silent.
Hadassah's brows furrowed. "Why does she want everyone to know I'm alive? Does she want me dead that badly?"
Aithne laughed, a hint of nervousness hidden by the gesture of their hands clapping together as if perplexed by such a question. "Of course not. Her Majesty has stated it will make negotiations with the prey and predator tribes on land easier for her. The burden of proof doesn't rest on her shoulders, but on yours. You need to prove to the tribes unhappy with the current rule, to the aristocrats and merchants who are feral sympathisers with feral lovers or friends, that you are a queen they can trust to rule this world."
Hadassah went silent, a flash of hesitation crossing her eyes. It irked Aithne, who maintained a wide smile. What use was hesitation when they had come this far? They didn't have a lot of time before the solar eclipse. The faster this was decided, the better.
"One more thing, Your Majesty," Aithne spoke up. "There is a small issue I think might be important to you."
Aithne glanced at Zarek. He was only staring at the map, at the central mountains—forbidden lands. Aithne ignored him, focusing on their target. "My Lady did mention you have an ally dear to you."
"Erebus?" Hadassah asked, unsure.
Aithne shook their head. "King Caelestis, or should I say, the deposed King."
There was a pause. Hadassah's expression didn't change, but something shifted in the air around her.
"What about him?" she asked simply.
Aithne leant forward slightly, their red eyes bright with anticipation. "He's scheduled to be publicly executed. On the day of the Solar eclipse." They watched Hadassah's face carefully, waiting for the shock, the panic, the desperation they expected.
Nothing.
Hadassah merely nodded, as though Aithne had mentioned the weather. "I see."
The lack of reaction clearly frustrated Aithne. They tried again, their voice taking on a more urgent tone. "Your Majesty, perhaps you don't understand—this is the man who helped you. The one who gave you that bracelet you're wearing as we speak. Her majesty said he was a friend dear to you."
Still nothing. Hadassah's fingers didn't even twitch towards the pink accessory at her wrist.
Aithne's smile became more strained, their voice rising slightly. "He's going to die, Your Majesty. They're going to cut off his head in front of thousands of people. His blood will stain the stones of—"
"Enough."
The word cut through the air like a blade. Hadassah hadn't raised her voice, hadn't moved from her position, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. When she looked at Aithne, there was something in her brown eyes that made the young messenger's breath catch.
"I heard you the first time," Hadassah said quietly. "You will not repeat it again."
Aithne found themselves taking an involuntary step back, their heart racing for reasons they couldn't quite understand. The fear that washed over them was sudden and inexplicable—like standing too close to the edge of a cliff in the dark, knowing that one wrong step would send them plummeting into an abyss. The youth dared to look down only to see thousands of eyes staring mindlessly at them and them alone. Their palms moistened as they tried to breathe but found themselves paralysed.
They opened their mouth to speak, then closed it again, the words dying in their throat. Something primal in their brain was screaming at them to be very, very careful.
They blinked and found themselves back in the Fae Queen's meeting room, their shirt sticking to their back.
'What was that?' They couldn't discern—for a split second they saw a large, black clawed hand clutching Hadassah's shoulders, but they blinked again, and it was gone.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," they whispered, their earlier confidence completely evaporated
Hadassah's gaze swept across the detailed layout of Atlas, taking in the districts, the palace, the harbour. Then her finger stopped, pointing to what appeared to be a series of chambers beneath the main structure.
"What's under the castle?" she asked, notably unwilling to speak more of Caelestis.
Aithne glanced at the spot, their words tumbling out, surprisingly shaky. "There's an ancient Serenity pool down there, but it's been empty for decades. Nothing of importance."
Hadassah went quiet, her expression unreadable as she continued to stare at that section of the map. The silence stretched until even the Fae Queen shifted slightly in her seat.
"We have to destroy it," Hadassah said finally, her voice firm.
Aithne blinked. "The pool? But it's empty, it's a waste of time. Time is precious in an operation like this, we need to focus on the primary objectives."
"No." Hadassah's tone brooked no argument. "We destroy the Serenity pool. That's non-negotiable."
"But—" Aithne stopped themselves when their eyes met Hadassah's, and suddenly it felt like a hand had closed around their throat. "As you wish, Your Majesty," they croaked.
The meeting concluded shortly after, as Hadassah walked down the corridor, Aithne found their gaze drawn not to her figure, but to her shadow. It seemed wrong somehow. Too dark, too heavy, but how could a shadow have weight? It rippled and shifted in ways that didn't match Hadassah's movements, and for a moment, Aithne could swear they saw additional shapes writhing within its depths, writhing like worms.
Every step Hadassah took, Aithne felt eyes upon them. It seemed to peer through the very walls, through their skin, straight into their soul. The sensation crawled up their spine like ice water, making them want to run, to hide, to never look at Hadassah again.
But they couldn't look away.
The feeling intensified until Hadassah finally turned a corner and disappeared from sight. Only then did the oppressive weight lift from Aithne's shoulders.
Their legs gave out.
"Your Highness!" Their guard caught them before they hit the stone floor, strong arms supporting their trembling frame. "What's wrong? Are you ill?"
For a moment, Aithne couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. Then, unexpectedly, laughter bubbled up from their chest; high, slightly hysterical, tinged with something that wasn't quite amusement.
"Wrong?" they gasped between laughs, wiping tears from their eyes. "Oh, nothing's wrong. Everything is proceeding exactly as Her Majesty intended."
The guard frowned, clearly concerned. "Your Highness?"
Aithne straightened, their laughter fading into something colder, more knowing. "Tell me, do you think our Queen truly believes she's helping that girl?" They paused, studying their guard's worried expression. "Or do you think some gifts come with prices the recipient never agreed to pay?"
The guard's confusion was evident, but Aithne simply patted their arm reassuringly.
"Never mind. I did not pick you to serve me for your intellect, all is well."
He frowned, but the youth merely turned on their heel and skipped off.
Hadassah parted ways with Zarek at the entrance to the residential wing, her footsteps echoing softly down the corridor as she made her way to Rahn's room. The moment she crossed the threshold into that familiar pitch-black space, the careful composure she had maintained throughout the meeting began to crack.
The darkness was complete, absolute—just as it had been for weeks. No light dared cross the boundary where her Harbinger lay suspended between life and death. She could barely make out his silhouette on the bed, pale and still as carved jade.
Her legs felt unsteady as she approached him, each step slower than the last. The cold emanating from his body couldn't deter her, and though her body began to shiver and her teeth clattered, she didn't stop.
When she reached the bedside, all pretence of strength finally crumbled.
Hadassah sank onto the mattress beside him, her arms wrapping around his form despite the way the cold bit through her clothes and into her bones. His skin was like touching winter itself, but she pulled him closer, pressing her face against his shoulder.
"Rahn," she whispered, her voice barely audible in the suffocating silence. "Please wake up."
There was no response.
She lifted her head, studying his face in the dim light that spilled from the doorway. His features were peaceful but absent of the spark that made him him.
"Rahn, wake up." This time her voice carried the authority she'd used in the meeting, the tone that had made Aithne step back in fear. "I order you, wake up."
Still nothing.
"Please," she whispered as her voice cracked. "Please, I need you."
She was afraid, terribly afraid of leaving Valdemar. She didn't want to go back, she didn't want to be without her sword. She was expected to gather her people—how would she do that? They needed a human Queen that lived up to the legend that was the Mother of Ferals. She couldn't even use her Scroll. The more she dwelt on her anxieties, the more she spiralled. She would die, surely. The dragons would kill her, Vortigern would kill her. If she survived Atlas, then the Arachne might finish the job. She didn't want to fight anyone, she didn't want to hold any responsibility, she didn't want to feel so strongly about saving Caelestis, and most importantly, she didn't want to die.
Hot tears fell onto his motionless face. Her shoulders shook as weeks of suppressed fear and loneliness finally overwhelmed her.
"Please don't leave me alone," she sobbed into the darkness. "Please." If he woke up, he would be able to discern her thoughts for her, he would be able to console her, he would be able to understand her.
But what use were the cries of an orphan girl?
The sobs, thought to have fallen on deaf ears, filtered past the doors and became a sad symphony for Leah, who stood in front of the door, arms crossed, leaning against the frame. She did not bother to console the child. Rather, she pushed herself off the frame and returned to her chambers, followed quietly by her husband. She knew he wished to comfort Hadassah, but there was no use doing something so meaningless. No Human Queen had met a good end, Hadassah would be no exception. Such was the price they paid for playing in defiance of heaven's eyes.
"I suppose you must be pained to give her up after all these years. And yet you didn't tell her about him—you're a coward, Leo," Leah whispered as she gritted her teeth.
Leo was no coward, far from it—he was the most courageous of Rhea's mates. But of course, the Fae Queen was unhappy. She was left to pick up the pieces once more.
Chapter 7
Ablast of concussive force drove both of them apart, obliterating houses, beastmen, fountains, and stalls. Anything that was left of the area Zeus had flown through was gone.
Hadassah opened her eyes, vision swimming, ears ringing. She was bleeding internally, but her armour remained intact with only a few scratches on her face. The artefact had done its job protecting her from superficial wounds, but not from blunt force, and especially not from the raw strength of a monster like Zeus.
Scrambling up, she used the rubble to hide herself. Sliding back into a small enclosure, she watched as the giants moved through the city. She reasoned Zeus would move to destroy them first and find her later—after all, she was injured. There should have been no way for her to escape without help.
But Hadassah had help.
"Your Majesty." Said help came in the form of a high-pitched voice and a pair of vivid red eyes under a hooded cloak, peering at the human girl curiously, squatting in front of the stone enclosure as if they were just passing by.
