‘I’m sorry if you don’t think I should be your Queen but if Ididn’t care about you I wouldn’t be here would I? I wouldn’t haveled the fight to kill all these rats would I? After the currenttroubles are all over I will let you decide whether you still wantme as your Queen or not.’
‘Let me explain what has happened. The Elendari have notselected a new Queen for the first time in hundreds of years. Theyhave fortified themselves in their own estates and are fightingamong themselves. I have just come from a battle at LordDarkmantle’s estate where about fifty Elendari were killed andanother hundred wounded.’
‘Lord Darkmantle has just gone to help a friend who is underattack by another Lord. I came here as soon as I heard you were introuble and I have killed all the rats attacking this place that Ican find. I will not tolerate anyone attacking mypeople.’
‘I have another battle to attend so that we will have friendswho will help and care for us. Do you still doubt that I am yourQueen?’
No oneanswered. There was absolute silence and no one was game to lookthe Queen in the face.
‘Right then, I want you to clean up this place and fortify theentrances. I want every able bodied Trixie to start training withweapons. Your main weapon will be bows and arrows with poisonedtips.’
‘The biggest and toughest among you will be equipped withleather armour and spears. If you haven’t got them then I expectyou to make them. I know you have some good artisans amongstyou.’
‘Finally I need some soap and healing balm to clean upwith.’
‘Now where can we clean all this blood and goreoff?’
‘The fountain at the front entrance would be best, it’s stillrunning with clean fresh water.’ said Bellen.
‘Good now disappear until I have removed my pack of hounds. Idon’t want any accidents. The hounds are tired but still veryagitated.’
They allvanished.
Aquitainreturned to the room and unlocked the door, changed to her houndform howled and they all came streaming out after her as she ledthem off to the fountain to clean up. She told them mentally thatshe was first into the fountain and shape changed to Miranda form.They all lay down licking their wounds waiting for her tofinish.
She stood kneedeep in cool water and relished the idea of cleaning off all theblood and gore. She was only half way done when several of thehounds stood up and bared their teeth. Aquitain looked in thedirection of the way that they had come. Six mail armour cladElendari Royal Guards stood there gawking at her with halberdsclenched in their fists. She quickly enabled her aura vision to seeMentarin. Two of the guards were possessed.
‘Hello guards. I thought you had all deserted thepalace.’
‘Not likely.’ said one of them vocally.
‘It’s our job to keep the palace safe. We heard a lot of noiseand came to investigate.’
One of thepossessed said using mindspeak.
‘So we have found you bitch Warden. The Lord will be pleasedwhen we kill you.’
Aquitaincasually continuing to wash herself replied.
‘I am the Queen of the Trixies. Behind you are more than fiftyTrixies. If I chose to call out they would be quite upset if theirQueen was disturbed during her bath. I dare say none of you wouldsurvive to see tomorrow.’
‘I also have the ability to see people possessed by spiritcreatures calling themselves Mentarin. Two of you are currentlypossessed. I would suggest that the four of you that know that youare not possessed should immediately throw down your weapons andretreat to the throne room where the Trixies will ignore you. Theother two, I wish to cleanse of their parasites.’ as two spiritblades extended from her hands.
‘The bitch is trying to confuse us.’ said one of thepossessed. ‘She’s a shape changing witch. She’s not Elendari she’san animal. We shouldn’t let animals like her pollute the fountain!Let’s kill her.’
One of theguards not possessed was not as confident.
‘I don’t know about this Ven, there’s an awful lot of houndsdown there and she hasn’t really done anything wrong.’
‘Is there a problem, your Majesty?’ asked Bellen backed up byanother fifty Trixies standing about twenty paces behind the sixguards.
‘I will say again. Four of you are not possessed and theyshould immediately throw down their weapons and will be given safepassage through the Trixies. The other two I will deal with.’ Sheshouted ensuring that Bellen could hear her.
‘I am behind you to the left.’ said the voice of Yllandril.‘We have troubles but I’ll tell you later. What do you want me todo?’
‘Take care. Stay back, I may not be able to control all ofthese hounds. They have just fought a great battle and are tiredand irritable. Let me handle this.’ said Aquitain.
Three of theguards swung around to defend against the Trixies.
‘Have the Trixies ever gone against the guards.’ askedAquitain trying to avoid a fight.
‘They are peace loving. They want four of you to survive.Throw down your weapons and you will survive. I will try to savethe other two.’
Suddenly, itall happened, two threw down their weapons and ran towards theTrixies with their hands held high, two more attacked the Trixieswith their halberds and the two possessed ones ran towardsAquitain. She quickly created a hardened air barrier several pacesin front of her. The two possessed guards smashed into it, stoppeddead and were overrun with hounds, which tore out their throats inseconds.
The Mentarinspirits then moved into two of the hounds, which promptly attackedAquitain. She managed to slash one with her spirit sword but theother dived for her throat and took her down into the fountain.Even though she had had armour to the top of the throat the dog waslarge and had a very good grip. She felt herself go weak as the dogtore into her throat blocking off the air and ripping her throatveins and arteries.
Moments laterYllandril came leaping through the air landing on the hound’s headand it exploded in a shower of brain and bone fragments.
She pried thedog’s jaws off her neck as blood
