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One by one
They will rise and rule
And cleanse the realm
From those too cruel
As soon as I’m done reading the last words, the tomb rumbles again, softer this time, and a strange song floats through the air. Whispers float along with the music, too convoluted for me to make out at first. After concentrating for a minute, though, I can make out what they say. A promise, a promise, a promise for the curse we made.
I think back to the story Carmen told me, the very first day I met her, about the five queens cursing the land. This inscription must be some kind of remedy for the curse.
The words continue to cycle, lighting up then darkening again, causing the room to brighten.
I sit down in the center of the room, watching the inscriptions. My stomach rumbles, and I abandon the light show for now. I pull my bag close to me and take out some food. As I eat a soft roll, I study the statue of Queen Selene.
“Did you know Queen Selene, Nava?” I ask.
She doesn’t answer, so I take another bite of my food. She’s still there; I feel the slight pricks of her legs as she moves down my neck to my shoulder. She still doesn’t answer, so I shrug and turn back to the statue.
It’s interesting to me that even though Queen Selene is a vampire, she is holding a sun. I slide closer to her statue, examining it further. The cut of her dress seems simple but elegant. There are four lines on her chest at the top of her dress. I examine the lines, but they do not seem to make out any shapes or recognizable objects.
I stand up and study her face. There’s nothing unusual or significant about it. She definitely doesn’t look like the woman in the mirror asking me to find her. In fact, none of the queens do. I put my hands on my hips and stare at the statue, my lips pursed. “I wish I knew more about these queens.”
The inscriptions light up again, and I scramble back to the door as the floor wobbles, crouching down. A loud screaming pierces my ears, and I slam my hands against them to muffle the sound. The inscriptions burn brighter, and I shut my eyes.
I shake as the room continues to rumble. All of a sudden, everything is calm and quiet, the words glowing only slightly, my light orb still floating in the air. I crack an eye open to see if anything in the room had changed and gasp at the figure standing before me.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
My mouth continues to stay open like a gaping fish as I stare. The woman in front of me looks back, then smiles. She crouches in front of me and puts a finger under my chin, raising it up and closing my mouth. “I thank you. It is about time someone visits. What is your name?”
“Penny,” I squeak, my eyes wide. “Who are you?”
She tsks and looks disappointed. “Queen Selene, thank you very much.”
My mouth drops open again. Now that she says that, she does bear a remarkable resemblance to the statue. Her hair reaches down to the middle of her back, a midnight color laced with silver. Her eyes are a warm golden color, like the sun during summer.
“Are you… are you a ghost?” I ask hesitantly. My other sight sees shadows swirling around her, but a glittering gold intertwines them.
She shakes her head, lowering herself to the ground to sit across from me. It takes everything in me not to move farther away, the air of confidence and power surrounding her palpable. “It is complicated, the afterlife. I am not a ghost, yet not alive as you are. Let us say I am visiting from beyond.”
I’m even more confused than before, so I simply nod. Unsure what to do, I am momentarily distracted by my half-eaten roll that had fallen to the ground. Taking deep breaths, I pick it up and dust it off.
“Oh, may I have a piece, please? It’s been a long time since I ate human food.”
I raise my eyebrows and hand her the roll. She takes a bite and sighs. “I do not need to eat, but it is entertaining every now and then.”
A grin splits my face before I sober up again. “What are you doing here?”
She lifts her shoulders slightly before letting them fall. “You called, and I came.”
Nava skitters down my arm and heads toward Queen Selene.
My heart jumps and I reach forward, trying to catch her, but Nava is too quick and is on Queen Selene’s hand before I can blink. Queen Selene lifts Nava up to her face and smiles widely. “Nava, dearest. You are still here?”
I am my queen, she says.
Immediately, Queen Selene’s eyes snap to mine, narrowing in suspicion. “Why is Nava with you?”
