Zeera
Night after night, Duran returns to me, his face haggard and drawn. Each time he shakes his head, he offers no new information.
"All I've heard is that Amali and Jonah are preparing her to defeat you. Apparently, she has yet to unlock her royal gift," he reports, his voice tinged with frustration.
My outrage grows with each passing day that turns up empty and fruitless.
I can no longer wait idly in the palace while they plot against me. I need answers, and I need them now!
Donning my regal attire, I storm out of my royal chamber and into the common colony. My eyes glow icy blue with barely contained rage. The colony outside the palace mill about, unaware of the storm brewing inside me.
"Who among you has information about the whereabouts of my sister and the traitors?" I demand.
A group of teenagers, seemingly amused by my desperation, laugh and mock my inquiry.
So, it's funny, huh?
My control slips as my power intensifies and lights up the ocean around us. With a bellow that shakes the very ground beneath us, I summon my Hydra. Emerging from the depths, it growls at my side, ready to attack at my command.
This level of power is intoxicating.
My voice changes to a sinister shriek as I lose myself in rage.
"You will pay for your insolence!" I scream, directing my Hydra at them so they may be annihilated.
The sea turns scarlet, heavy with the weight of bloodshed, and chaos ensues as the screams of the dying echo through the night. I turn to the terrified crowd of onlookers, my voice a cold, deadly whisper.
"I will do the same to every last village unless someone gives me information about my sister and husband."
Returning to my room, my fury remains unabated. Duran attempts to calm me down.
"If you're worried that Adri will take the throne from you, don't. You know the colony will never accept her as queen."
His words do absolutely nothing to soothe me. Instead, my anger turns toward him. "Just leave me alone! I need to think."
He refuses to leave and confidently approaches me. It seems our alliance has left him something of a delusional, second-rate king. "Why don't I give you a massage so you can release some of that tension?"
Nearly breaking his arm, I put an end to his vile arrogance and self-assurance. "Touch me again, and I will feed you to my pet."
In my isolation, I formulate a perfectly calculated plan. As evening draws near, I send word to King Adrav to gather all the royal families for dinner in the banquet hall. I have news about the traitors and a plan to detain them. Naturally, every royal member is eager to know what has become of their beloved new king, my sister, and the daughter of the late Princess Kimara. Their desperation to be reunited with these traitors makes it almost too easy.
Instructing my handmaid to poison the wine before dinner makes it easier to execute my plan. I'll simply claim that I have conceived, and of course the fools will be too overjoyed to question it. After their pathetic oohing and aahing, we commence our lavish feast. The wine flows freely as we 'celebrate' the upcoming arrival of another royal.
One by one, my guests sip their drinks, and one by one, they plop headfirst into their dishes. Each one attempting to react but never making it past the usual "What the—".
I rise to my feet amidst the pool of dead bodies, and a cold satisfaction settles over me. Ordering Duran to inform the guards of the tragedy, I exit the hall. With deliberate steps, I make my way to where my Hydra rests. The guards are shaken to their core as the palace buzzes with movement and horns blare after the discovery of the annihilation of the entire royal bloodline.
Pretending to rush to their aid, my voice fills with righteous fury. "The traitors have penetrated our defenses and left our royals massacred in the banquet hall. They must pay for this atrocity!"
Foolish buffoons, already terrified, believe my haphazard deductions without question.
This was just too easy.
With the full might of the troops at my side, the hunt for my enemies is a guaranteed success.
Jonah, Amali, and Adri, prepare to be brought to your knees.