ANDORRA WENT up in flames. She didn't even have to think; she burned everything immediately. The vines crumbled into ashes, but the marks from the thorns were still there, sending little lines of blood snaking down her neck. She barely noticed the pain as she flung her flames at Anders, setting him on fire.
She heard his screams of pain, but she wasn't done. She lit the vines around Nohx's neck aflame as well, watching as they burned to a crisp. She felt the power at her fingertips, easier to access now that she was angry. "Everyone on their knees, now."
She watched as they all fell to the knees, including Nohx. She didn't have time to really think about him as she walked over to Blakeley. She placed a finger under his chin, tilting his face up to meet hers. His gaze was furious, and she could tell he wanted to strangle her by his expression alone.
"Why did you lie about being Levison?" She demanded.
Blakeley tried to spit on her, but his body wouldn't listen, stuck under her command. She watched in delight as he writhed against the power she held against him. He gasped for breath when it became too much to ignore her command. "Because I wanted his spot on the Royal Council!"
"You're pathetic," she continued, forcing herself to look in his eyes. Shed your human self, and finish this, she told herself. She felt herself shaking as she grabbed his hair and yanked his face back even further, exposing his neck. "I should kill you on the spot for what you did to me. What you still plan to do to me."
"You won't do it because you're nothing more than a weak little Princess."
Andorra tightened her grip in Blakeley's hair, fire dancing on her fingertips in the other. She watched them for a moment, and then she pressed them against Blakeley's cheeks, watching them burn into his skin. He let out a shrill scream, but his body couldn't move due to her command.
"I'm your Queen," she said.
"Andorra." The flames on her fingers died as she turned to look behind her at Nohx. He was still on his knees, but he watched her, his eyes taking it all in. The mask he wore was still in place, but the tone of his voice said it all. "Let me murder them."
She opened her mouth, not sure what she wanted to say. "Noah," she settled on instead, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, holding her gaze. She nodded, because of course she trusted Nohx. "Then let me do it for you. A queen doesn't get her hands dirty like this. Let me do the honors of taking their lives."
There was a plea in his voice. Andorra released Blakeley's hair, stepping towards Nohx. She had questions in her eyes, but she trusted him. Trusted his vision. She touched his tense shoulder, wanting to talk to him, but she couldn't with their audience. "You may stand."
As she took her command away from Nohx's body, she watched as he nodded to the throne. "Do it. Take the throne while they watch. We needed a Coronation. This is your audience."
Andorra didn't doubt Nohx for a single moment. She moved towards the throne, her steps heavy but purposeful. She wanted her friends to be there, but there was no time to waste. As she climbed the stairs, she climbed with a purpose, moving quickly now.
She stood in front of the throne, staring at it, wondering if it would feel as powerful as it looked. She turned to her audience, looking Nohx right in the eyes as she sat down, his blue eyes anchoring her.
She rested her hands on the arms of the throne. She tilted her head back.
It was sudden, the rush of power she felt. She gasped, her head being pushed to the back of the chair, her entire body feeling like it was strapped down. She couldn't stop her body from shuddering as power flowed through her veins, lighting her up like a streetlight at night. The glow of her skin was so radiant, all of the people in the throne room had to close their eyes against it, shielding their faces.
Andorra felt like she was floating. It was comparable to when you're falling asleep, awake enough to realize it, but so close to sleeping you feel detached from your body. Her head swam with it all, her eyes closing, her body growing numb.
"Andorra," a voice whispered into her head. It was kind, gentle, but also commanding. Authoritative. "Andorra, I announce you as Queen of Anlithamy."
She wanted to open her eyes, but she found they were forced shut. Like she didn't have the energy to open them herself. "Who is this?" She demanded, although she had a feeling she knew who it was.
"It is I, Cornomous. I come to speak to every King and Queen of Anlithamy. You are no exception, my dear child."
"You spoke to my parents, then?" She sounded desperate, even to her own ears.
"Yes. Good people, your parents. They were right for Anlithamy, just as you will be. You will be a great Queen."
Andorra fought against the sudden desire to cry. She had met them, yet she wanted to know more about them. She wanted to ask Cornomous so much, but she knew they didn't have much time together before she was brought back to the present.
"I wish they were alive," she admitted. "What if I'm not a great queen?"
"You will be fine, my dear child. You will have a great support system. And you will do great things for Anlithamy."
A tear slipped from Andorra's eye. "I don't know what I'm doing."
"You will learn, as all Kings and Queens do. And your human heart will guide you in ways Anlithamy needs. Both of your human hearts will drive this world in the right direction."
"But it makes me weak. My human heart makes me foolish, and naive, and too trusting." Another tear slipped free. "It makes me so weak."
"It makes you who you are, Andorra. Not everyone is brave in the same way. Many people act brave, but it is a show. Many people will watch what you do and think you are foolish. They will wish you were different, stronger, more bold, more everything. They will wish you were cutthroat. But you aren't and that's okay. It is okay to be weak, Andorra. It is okay to have weak moments. It is okay to grow and become stronger. But your human heart is yours, and yours alone. And people will judge you for your weak moments, but remember that they too have weak moments. You will not appease everyone."
"You promise?"
"I promise. Your parents told me the same thing, you know. They too thought they were too weak."
Andorra hiccuped against the tears. She tried to reel it in, tried not to sob. She couldn't imagine her parents feeling as weak and as human as she felt. "Really?"
"Really. There is a reason I do not select ruthless and cutthroat rulers. Take Prince Puck for example. He could have been King of Anlithamy. He is not a right fit. Take Bazile, too. He wanted to be King, offered himself up for it. He wasn't right either."
Andorra found herself nodding. Found herself gathering her strength. "Will you be here to help me? When I'm Queen?"
"Not in this way, child. You won't need my help. You have the Clan Leader. You have your friends."
"So the caste system can be demolished? I can be with Noah?" She felt a little silly for asking Cornomous this. For even making this apparent to Cornomous. She had precious moments with the God of Anlithamy, and yet she was squandering it.
"The caste system does not apply to the two of you. But yes, it can be demolished. It was old and archaic, anyway."
Andorra didn't want to waste more time asking about Nohx, even if she wanted to know what Cornomous meant about the caste system not applying. Was it because she was Queen? She couldn't tell.
"I can trust my friends, right? They are all... good?"
"As of right now, everyone that you trust can be trusted. You have a good read on people. Trust your instincts and you will be fine."
"But Roseria-"
"You didn't fully trust her. You would have told her about what was going on, if you had. Trust yourself, Andorra. I must go now, but you will be fine as Queen. Hold tight to your human heart. Let the Clan Leader handle the traitors for now. Do not lose yourself against these fae."
Andorra felt herself returning to her body. It was a lot like waking up, right when you become conscious and can feel your limbs. Right when your brain knows it is time to get up, but your body is still relaxed.
Her body thrummed with power. She felt the throne underneath her, and when she opened her eyes, it was almost as if the room was brighter. She looked right at Nohx, watching the way his eyes tracked her movements as she stood.
She knew she was Queen. She could feel it.
"Where are my guards?" She demanded of Blakeley.
"I do not have them," Blakeley spat out, against his will. "They are alive and well, patrolling the border." He was shaking against her power, trying hard not to admit anything, but not having a choice.
She looked at Nohx again, reading him. She could feel his tension, could feel his concern and worry. She nodded at him, smiling. "I trust you to handle these traitors, but I want Kyle. Everyone else, you can kill."
She would ask him later why he was so adamant on that job, but right then, she trusted him. Trusted that he had a good reason to do so. She watched as Nohx grabbed Blakeley's throat, staring into his eyes. Blakeley tried to thrash, but his body was still under Andorra's command.
Andorra watched with morbid curiosity as the man began to turn pale, more pale than he should have looked. His eyes widened, his mouth opened, and before Blakeley could scream, ice exploded out of his mouth and nose.
Nohx had frozen him from the inside out.
Now that Blakeley was dead, Nohx turned to Anders, his face still blank. He watched as Anders stared up at him with blatant fear. Anders looked over at Andorra, trying to beg for help, trying to escape the situation.
Something hit Andorra. "Wait."
Nohx had barely reached for Anders' neck, but he froze, turning to look at Andorra. He raised an eyebrow.
"Callum wanted to kill Anders. We should leave that for him."
Nohx gave her a sly smile, pulling away from Anders. "You got lucky," he said to the fake prince. "Or maybe not, since Callum has a bigger chip on his shoulder than I do. He'll make it painful for you."
Andorra stepped over to Kyle, careful not to look him in the eye. She took a deep breath. "You will not take my memories," she commanded Kyle. Then, she knelt down so they were face to face. The man she had once trusted, had once crushed on. The man who had been so kind to her in the human realm, and she had fallen for his fake friendship.
Looking at him now made her chest tight. He would never take advantage of her again.
"I'm going to make you an offer," she said to Kyle. "I need to train how to fight against fae with your power. I want you to help me become strong enough to fight against it. If you agree to help me, I'll spare your life. If you erase my memories, I will have you killed. Understand?"
Kyle stared at her, his body stiff from being forced to be on his knees for so long. He felt whiplash from seeing Andorra so terrifying like this. So in control and in command. He was beginning to see that when it came to Andorra, he really didn't know much about her.
He didn't want to die. He couldn't die. Kyle gave a nod, something burning in his chest, hard enough to make him wince in pain. "I agree," he spit out, the answer being forced from his lips. He sucked in a gasp, Andorra's command forcing him silent once again.
"I will write up a contract for you," she amended. Then, she stood, looking over at Nohx. "I'm going to call Oberon and Callum here. What is the status of our forces?"
"They're close," Nohx hedged, not wanting to give too much away with Anders and Kyle sitting right there.
Andorra closed her eyes and pulled on her connections to her two guards. She would have to figure out the other guards she had later; that was a task for another day.
When she opened her eyes, there stood Oberon and Callum, looking at her. Callum was looking concerned, while Oberon was grinning. "My Queen," he said, bowing. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Andorra looked at Callum first. "I left Anders for you. If you don't want to kill him, Nohx will, but I wanted to give that choice to you first." Then, she looked at Oberon. "I need you to bring Kyle to the cells down below. Have him chained up so I can meet with him later."
Callum shot a look at Anders, looking at the kneeling prince. He wanted everything to do with Anders' death. "I'll take care of Anders, but not in your throne room. How does the front lawn sound? A display for everyone." Callum's voice was angry, for good reason. He got down low into Anders' face, showing his old friend a lethal smile. "I can't wait to give you what you deserve, you little prick."
As soon as both Callum and Oberon had taken their tasks from the room, Andorra sagged with relief. They were far from finished, but for that moment, she felt relief. She felt exhausted, wanting nothing more than to go back to Icewood and sleep in her bed.
She looked up at Nohx just as he stepped towards her. He hesitated in front of her, his body stiff as he held himself away from her. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
She wrapped her arms around him, falling into his embrace. She could feel his heartbeat against her ear, and just knowing that they were alive made her want to cry. Made her want to kiss him. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly, pulling him closer.
"I can't believe we did it. I'm Queen."
Nohx let his hands slip under her shirt, resting against her back. His own relief was potent, feeling like nothing could go wrong, not now that she was queen. She hadn't been killed. She was safe.
"I knew you would." His voice was soft and reassuring.
"Why did you stop me? Why did you want to kill them?" She didn't peek up at him, not yet. He felt so sturdy and alive against her, and she never wanted to let him go.
"I didn't want you to lose yourself," Nohx admitted. "Once you kill someone, you can't go back from that. I wanted to protect you, Andy. And I know you've technically killed before, but you weren't yourself. You didn't know what you were doing. And I wanted to shield you from that. Next time, if you want to make the kill, you are more than welcome to. I won't take that away from you, not if you want it."
Andorra pulled away to look Nohx in the eye. "How do you know me? Like actually know me, so well? It's like you're in here." She tapped her chest, above her heart. "It's like you know me better than I know myself sometimes."
Nohx's expression was still grave and serious. "Andy, I need to tell you something. Sivelle told me-"
She shook her head, interrupting him. "You were right. I'm... not ready to kill. It was the adrenaline, and the shock, and the anger. I would have regretted it, I think." She scratched her neck, her eyes hopeful. "But did you see me? I totally have that command thing under control!"
Nohx wrapped a hand around the back of Andorra's neck. His face melted into a soft smile, his expression adoring. The way she smiled up at him made his heart crack.
"You did so well, sunshine." His thumb rubbed against her neck affectionately. "I was ready to freeze the hell out of Roseria, but you did it for me. You are a gift, Andy."
"What's next? I need to get rid of the royal council, if you'll help me. And then, our troops will be here. We should be preparing, right? Making moves?"
Nohx wanted to take a breather. He wanted to wrap Andorra in his arms for days and never let her go. He wanted to sleep until his body had had enough rest. But that wasn't his life, and he knew they needed to act. The Prince was about to be murdered, and that alone would start a mutiny. They needed to be ready.
"I say we break off your royal council, and then we go to war. And I'll be right by your side the entire time, my Queen."
"My Queen," Andorra grinned. "Kinda has a ring to it."