“A queen does not have to sit idly on her throne,” Frank told her.
“A queen can do much more than that,” Michein agreed.
“A queen must rule,” Sage allowed.
“But she can also save,” Kira smiled.
“Yes, my dear Maria. You can go from world to world whenever you please. You can still do good,” Gramps swept his hand out to the throne, grimacing in the pain of his still-healing injuries.
Maria reluctantly took a step forward, examining the intricately designed seat. She sat down.
It felt…right.
“Do you accept?” Frank asked.
Maria grinned as she looked out at her family. “I do.”
The hall erupted in cheers, the sound echoing loudly off the vast walls.
Sherlock bounded across the carpet and jumped into her lap.
I guess that makes me your king, huh, Maria? the Bloodhound asked with his new grin.
“Yeah, I guess so, but don’t tell Joe,” Maria whispered.
With one arm around her now-howling dog, and the other resting on the hilt of her sword, Maria looked out at the table, at all the faces of those she loved and cared about, those that she’d give her life for.
And on that day, in the resurrected kingdom of Dominion, Maria Apple sat on the throne—not just as a witch or a human but as a queen.
FINIS
The Kacy Chronicles Boxed Set
If you like Boxed Sets, you may also enjoy another Oriceran series, The Kacy Chronicles, written by A.L. Knorr and Martha Carr. Get the entire series as a single boxed set at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited.
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Author Notes - Flint Maxwell December 18, 2017
Well, there it is.
This has been a rollercoaster of a story, both plot and creation-wise. I still can't believe I've written four books in the series. It seems like just yesterday Martha Carr was knocking at my virtual door and asking me if I wanted to be apart of something special, something kick-ass.
Who could say no to that?
I've grown to love each and every one of the characters in the series. Yes, even the villains. I mean, how could you not like a giant spider with glowing green eyes who sacrifices her own people just for the hell of it? Or the Dragon Tongue, who literally have their names because of the way their tongues look.
Anyway, I'll say my favorite is Sherlock, just because he's such a smartass and because he'll eat pretty much anything put in front of him…much like me. Followed closely by Maria, our hero of the tale, and Ignatius, her wizened old guide. But really, answering who my favorite character is is like answering who my favorite cat is—and I have three and they're all jerks and I love them all with my entire heart. Same goes for my pups, who are now just two in number—Lola and Louis.
Okay, here's where I'll insert my heartfelt story about how I came to be where I am now. I know some people don't care for that type of thing. So if that's you, you've been warned.
In high school, I didn't know what the hell I wanted to do. All my friends were scheduling college visits, taking postsecondary classes, applying for student loans, and I'm all like, "Relax, guys. There's still time to figure this crazy thing called life out." And I kept repeating this mantra (mostly to myself) all the way until the principal shook my hand and gave me my diploma and I threw my cap up into the air with all the rest of the graduates. I took some time off to "find myself" after high school, which, in truth, was just about a year to a year and a half of me sleeping at weird hours, playing tons of Halo on Xbox, and working a minimum wage job.
Then I decided, what the fuck, I'll try this college thing out. And let me tell you, 7:00 A.M. classes suck. But I kept going, sometimes full-time (mostly part-time) until it was time for me to get another diploma, another handshake, and another cap to throw into the air—no, I didn't use the same one from high school, though that would've probably saved me about sixty bucks.
Still, though, that mantra. "Relax, guys. There's still time to figure this crazy thing called life out."
I said it so much that it had become a prayer.
Wait, let me backtrack to college. In my freshman English class, we had an assignment that required us to interview someone and write a four page paper about it. I did it. I actually like writing papers—go figure. And the professor called me up to the front of the class along with another student the day she had given the graded papers back. I remember being scared like I was in trouble or something. The professor asked us if we wanted to submit our papers to the campus magazine to see if they'd publish them. For free, of course. I was like "Hell YEAH!" and the professor asked me to please not swear in her classroom. No, just kidding. I didn't curse, but politely said, "Yes, I'd be honored."
Then the semester was over and I was back in my routine of sleeping at weird hours, playing Xbox, reading and re-reading the Harry Potter series, and working my minimum wage job. I'd totally forgotten about submitting my paper to the campus magazine, along with just about everything else I'd learned my entire freshman year. Now, I'd been writing since the third grade, when I wrote and read aloud this weird story about a leprechaun hiding in my shower (that had been well-received by my fellow classmates), but I'd never written seriously until after my professor asked me to submit my paper. I'd finally found something I was good at!
I got the email from the campus magazine sometime before the following fall semester. They wanted to publish it (for free,
