Pickup Styx by Liz Schulte

Author:Liz Schulte [Schulte, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leaping Lizards LLC
Published: 2013-09-30T04:00:00+00:00

Thistle turned out to not be too far from the castle. If the elverpige made it there, it would practically be in my backyard. Jessica and I decided to walk there to make sure we didn’t draw any further attention to ourselves. As we neared the edge of the castle grounds, the angry chant of the protesters grew louder.

“What is that?” Jessica asked.

“The people who don’t want Selene as their queen.”

She blinked. “You mean there are actual protests and not just. . . ” She trailed off as the crowd cheered.

“I don’t want Selene to know about this. Not yet.”

She pursed her lips as the guards opened a small gate at the corner of the property to let us through. This way we could bypass the main mob that stood at the front entrance with their signs: “Not Our Queen,” “Go Home Half-Breed,” or my personal favorite, “Change Happens To The Weak.” Jessica gasped as we walked through. The crowd had a fake body hanging from a noose with a sign around its neck that said “Traitor.” I sighed and put a hand on Jessica’s back, leading her away more quickly. They were really worked up today.

“I think you’re right not to tell her. Selene’s been through an awful lot.”

“The council thinks she needs to go out and meet the people so she can win them over.”

Jessica tilted her head. “She’d be good at that, but”—she glanced back—“I don’t know if they want to be won over.”

I nodded. “They seem to forget they’re talking about a real person with feelings and struggles. They turn her into a heartless villain in their minds and feed their own hate.”

“Maybe the two of you should have left. Is being king worth all of this?”

I had offered to give up the crown for Selene, but she’d said that I’d regret it. I didn’t believe it at the time, but the longer I was Erlking, the more I understood what she meant. My life had always been meant to be one of service to my people. Even now that they hated her and didn’t love me, I still felt beholden to them. “I think it’s worth it. Selene and I could do so much for this kingdom. More people need our help than fight against it.”

“Then I’ve changed my mind. You need to tell her. She needs to know how they feel so she can deal with it. Selene isn’t fragile. Don’t treat her like glass. She won’t appreciate it.”

I nodded and opened the door to Thistle for her. The casino was crowded, but people pretty much kept to themselves. Vampires, jinn, demons, succubae, and incubi wandered the room otherwise filled with innocents. I moved closer to Jessica, concerned that I wouldn’t be able to hold the mask on her well enough for this crowd. The space looked just like it had in my mind. I led her to a table with an opening. I felt eyes on me, but I hardened my stare and tightened my grip on Jessica.

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