Drowning in Angst by David Pedersen

Author:David Pedersen [Pedersen, David J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Odysia Press

Unsel

At the behest of a soldier guarding the entrance to the Queen’s Hall, Jintorich and Maarja entered the makeshift throne room. Jintorich could tell that the guards’ awkward stares were making Maarja uneasy—uneasy meaning that the soldiers were lucky to be breathing. His new friend’s patience waned quickly as the city unraveled around them, both bureaucratically, and physically. Cracks appeared in the walls and foundation as the quakes from the sinkholes approaching the castle increased in size and frequency. Every fifteen minutes they shook the resolve of each soldier and citizen in Unsel. Queen Isabelle may have signed over her crown upon death, but she was unable to imbue Princess Alloria with the respect and leadership qualities that Unsel required.

Two soldiers guarded a foot in front of the queen regent’s throne while Vars stood to her right and a short, chubby man to her left. Jintorich was unable to hold back a squeak of surprise at the sight of Alloria, making brief eye contact with an equally stunned Maarja. Weary wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the young woman. She was the second-to-last breath of the terminally ill. A starving animal unable to escape quicksand. The first pawn sacrificed on the chess board. Her hair was thin and wispy, her breasts all but deflated and held tight in an ash-gray bodice that was as plain as a peasant’s. Her skin was taut and sallow, and the mischievous sparkle in her eyes appeared to have been stolen from her, held hostage beyond arm’s reach.

Alloria rested in an exhausted recline as if stricken by a wasting disease. Pity for the young woman stirred in him. The stress from leadership was taking its toll. Vars faced away in disgust, looking formidable in his full gold-leaf-embroidered armor. The man seethed with anger, ignoring their approach to stare at the back of the room. He, too, did not appear healthy, but hid much in pomp. The short man placed a hand on Alloria’s back to urge her up, but she shrugged him off. He looked from Alloria to Vars and sighed deeply before approaching.

“Thank you for your patience, ambassadors,” he said with a polite nod. “I am Wilfred, advisor to Queen Regent Alloria.”

He held out a hand to shake with both ambassadors, doing a respectable job of making it seem only slightly awkward when his hand was three times the size of Jintorich’s, and three times smaller than Maarja’s.

“The queen regent apologizes for the delay,” he stated in a worried voice.

They nodded in unison.

“The Captain Guard also regrets the altercation at the Wizard’s Revenge.”

Vars sniffed, but made no attempt to agree.

Wilfred continued. “We would respectfully—”

“Why are you even here?” Alloria said, her tone a deep pool of exhaustion and disrespect.

Wilfred sighed and closed his eyes as if summoning his reserves of strength.

“We are waiting for Angst, Your Highness,” Jintorich said stiffly.

“You and everyone else,” Alloria said with a shake of her head. “If my champion still lives, he will be making the entrance of his life.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.