[i]Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck around through the Queen of Nothing Lore book! I’m so grateful and humbled by your support. Things have been tough behind the scenes, so it has taken longer than normal to complete this book, but this page is the final installment! Thank you for sharing this journey with me, and please enjoy the conclusion to Queen of Nothing :) —Shadow[/i] Phylaks’s iron grip tightens around Shadow’s forearm, wrenching her away from a safer place; wherever that is anymore, Shadow doesn’t know. A snarl slips out between her teeth, her frustration and anger boiling over. “I’m not doing this today. Let me go!” she demands, tearing herself from the warrior’s talons. Blood blooms over the meager wrappings covering her body. The fear is still present. It makes her tremble. But it’s not enough to stop her today. Phylaks is quick to respond, lashing out to send the defiant hunter to the floor. Hardly capable of pulling herself to her knees, Shadow struggles against the cold metal. Rib cage showing through her flesh, she fights for air. “The more you struggle the worse this will be for you,” Phylaks warns. Oddly enough, Eramis waves her council member away with a lower hand. Though she’s hunched in pain, Shadow keeps her gaze locked with Eramis’s. Blood drips down her forehead. She quickly blinks the hot liquid out of her eyes. “The machine-spawn forgets her place. She forgets she [i]asked[/i] to be welcomed into Riis Reborn…” Shadow is silent. “Have I not provided?” Eramis’s imposing figure towers over her. “Not only have I allowed you into my city, but let you remain alongside your “mate”.” “You have treated us both [i]terribly.[/i]” The hunter’s voice wavers. “You separated our family—“ “Hah! And what would you have done in my position?” the Kell interjects, her voice filled with contempt. “Sat back and allowed old allegiances to reform? Would you have them plotting behind your back, and rise up against you? You are a mere child—“ “Forgive me for my lack of knowledge in battle tactics,“ Shadow snarls. “I didn’t choose this life. Some of us prefer to negotiate and make peace instead of fighting and controlling those around us.” Eramis allows a long pause to draw out between them. “What’s the matter with you, defect?” she finally says quietly, shaking her head. The armor plates crowning her head catch the light and reflect it back into Shadow’s eyes. “Pathetic, abandoning your own people to chase after Variks the “Loyal.” There’s nothing special about that traitor. No one loves him.” Shadow’s jaw clenches. [i]“I do.”[/i] “No one else would! You’ve lost your mind!” She shrugs off Shadow’s words in disgust. Shadow trembles now, not in fear, but anger. “I [i]know[/i] him. He’s more than—“ Eramis looks down on her, condescending. “Child, I’ve known Variks far longer than you. I could tell you story after story of his failures and shortcomings.” “It doesn’t matter,” comes Shadow’s swift reply. “I’m the only one who [i]listened[/i]. You’ll never know him like I do. [i]No one[/i] knows him like I do.” “And I wouldn’t [i]want[/i] to know him in the ways [i]you[/i] know him!” Eramis turns her back on the former guardian. “Apologies…” Shadow’s voice drops, sinister and quiet. “I almost forgot… Your mate was close with him as well… wasn’t she?” A gasp escapes her as Eramis strikes her across the face, the blow echoing off the walls. The salty tang of blood fills Shadow’s mouth; stars dance over her vision. Focusing on the patterns of crimson decorating the floor keeps her conscious. Eramis is silent as she crouches down to eye level. Phylaks finally steps forward, as if to pick her up and finish the job. Eramis raises a hand calmly. “No. She’s mine this time.” Coughing, Shadow watches Phylaks’s reluctant exit. She and Eramis are left alone. The hunter pushes herself up on one shaking arm before continuing. “Would you have followed her?” [i] “What?”[/i] “Athrys,” she wheezes. “Wouldn’t you have followed her to the end of the universe?” Shadow stares deep into the Kell’s two remaining eyes, her tone softening. “Don’t pretend you don’t understand me.” Those eyes light up, but she can’t place the emotion behind them. Despite this, something passes between the two of them in this moment. An understanding? Sorrow and loss? Anger? Love? “She was gentle, and kind… You loved her for that. So is Variks—“ The moment abruptly ends. Eramis seethes. “You [i]dare[/i] compare them?” Shadow blinks. “Why do you think they got along so well?” The question is light, unmocking. All four hands clenched, Eramis leans closer to her. “Listen to me, ‘Brave One.’” She uses Shadow’s eliksni name mockingly. “Athrys never returned Variks’s affections. What are you trying to prove? How pathetic he is?” she scoffs, faux confidence and satisfaction dripping from her words. Shadow ignores the jab, pausing. “Would Athrys want all this?” Eramis’s claws close around Shadow’s throat. “How dare you speak of her to [i]me?[/i]” the Kell roars. Though she’s desperate for air, choking, the hunter maintains eye contact with Eramis. “[i]I should snap your neck, traitor’s plaything.[/i]” The former Devil releases her fiercely. Shadow pulls in a deep breath of air, fighting to control her anger… and more than that. Her pity. Her deep sense of loss. If only Eramis wasn’t so blind. What could they have accomplished here? If the Dark Kell hadn’t fallen to temptation. If she had kept her word. If she had given Shadow a proper chance. “You listen to me, ‘Eramiskel,’” she wheezes. “You are going to stay like this. Haunted by your past. Letting it control you. Allowing the darkness to play its hand through you… You won’t change.” Unsteady, Shadow struggles back to her feet. “But I… am going to move.” Eramis follows suit in standing, but makes no attempt to stop Shadow as she turns away. “Pah! You’re not going anywhere. The future of the eliksni is in [i]my[/i] control now.” Shadow glances over a shoulder. Was that surprise in the depths of Eramis’s gaze? A grudging respect? Glowing eyes wander over the hunter as she limps through the door, bruised and bloody. Shadow’s voice is as cold as Europa’s ice. “[i]Watch me.[/i]”