“You have stopped speaking. Is there a problem?”
“No, my apologies, My Queen,” Sabrina assured. She proceeded to tell the Queen the rest of her plan. “When the auditorium is attacked, Katie’s powers will ensure that she knows how to save everyone, and she will do exactly that; it is in her blood. By the time the danger is over, she will likely tell those closest to her who she really is. After that, she will return home. Whether she brings her friends with her or not does not matter.”
“Who are these friends of hers?” the Queen asked.
“If I’m not mistaken, by tomorrow night, it will only be Tyson,” Sabrina answered.
“Ah, the human, correct?” the Queen asked.
“Yes, my Queen,” Sabrina said. “He will not matter. His life or death will not factor into the plan. By the time Katie arrives home, John Dimes will be our prisoner and we will have retrieved the item.” Sabrina sounded proud as she said all this. She knew what she was doing, and she knew she was good. That was why the Queen trusted her so much.
“And her mother?” asked the Queen.
“Her mother will put up a great fight, no doubt. She will probably try to save her husband, foolish woman. She won’t understand we need him alive. As I said, we will capture John Dimes and contain him deep in Viscar Mountains,” Sabrina answered. It was clear she had a great strategy. “By the end of it, his wife will be dead.”
The Queen finally stepped out of the shadows. She was tall, her skin a pale gray. Her hair was pure white. She looked unnatural, deadly, and her dark eyes only added to her eerie appearance. The Queen wore a long silver dress that had a slight train. With every step she took, the dress dragged on the floor behind her. Her feet were bare on the cool, stone floor.
A golden crown sat atop the Queen’s head. There wasn’t much beauty in her now, though many years ago there may have been. What made her even more unpleasant to look at was the dark and evil aura that accompanied her presence.
“I must admit that this is good work,” the Queen smiled and showed her teeth, straight but dulled as though ancient. “I always had great confidence in you. But tomorrow you must prove your worth. If anything goes awry, it will be you who pays the price.”
There was a silence that Sabrina relished, although she was being threatened. Sabrina knew the Queen had full confidence in her abilities and was just saying the words. She knew that her Queen was pleased. The Queen smiled again and looked up. She closed her eyes and began to murmur something inaudible. Sabrina waited, watching her Queen savor the moments before their greatest victory.
“Is there a chance that you will fail?” the Queen asked. Her head was facing the ceiling and her eyes were still closed. Her voice was accusatory as if she was expecting bad news. “How do I know that you have worked every step of this out, every move the Dimes family might make, and have ensured our desired result despite everything that might be thrown at us?”
Sabrina answered patiently, knowing that her Queen’s redundant questions were just a test, a test to see if she would break under pressure.
“The plan will not,” Sabrina promised, “I will not fail you, my Queen.” Sabrina took a short bow. She spoke with confidence and superiority, which seemed to calm the Queen. “I have gone through all the possibilities. I hand-picked my most reliable servants for this and have put each one of them through vigorous training. We are exceptionally prepared. The plan will not fail.”
At this, the Queen smiled again. “Excellent. Excellent,” she spoke in barely a whisper, but her voice echoed to every corner of the empty room. She opened her eyes to look at Sabrina, who was standing still. The Queen walked towards her and did not stop until she was right in front of Sabrina. Subtly, Sabrina straightened herself up.
“Sabrina,” the Queen said. “My daughter, Princess of Narque. You have done very well so far, do not make me regret what I am about to do. You were raised as a princess, born as one. You have now truly earned your title. Together, you and I get to set our kind free, set our world free. Long ago, the Dimes trapped us for an eternity. But we will break through. They will perish as we prevail, and our people will live in prosperity forevermore.”
“I won’t let you regret your choices, my Queen,” Sabrina replied.
The Queen walked around Sabrina, inspecting her. Twice she walked around before stopping in front of her daughter again, brushing her face slightly with her hand.
“Of course not,” the Queen spoke so suddenly that if anyone else had been in the room, they would have flinched, but Sabrina remained composed and still. “You will need your own crown, a tiara perhaps,” the Queen gave a small, almost fake, laugh. “But I shouldn’t say it like that. This isn’t some fairytale on Earth, where each daughter is taught that they can be whoever they wish to be. It is untrue, of course. Not everyone is meant to be royalty. But this is real. And we will save our world from the evil that had taken it so long ago.”
“Please, my Queen,” Sabrina said. “There is no need–”
“There will be no need,” the Queen interjected, “For you to call me ‘Queen.’” Call me by my name, or mother, if you so wish to.”
“My Queen, mother,” Sabrina said, her voice not as strong and certain as it had been. “I do not know your
