Free Web NovelThe kingdom received Iris with shouts, excited voices from the balconies, and hands raised toward the sky as the group passed through the capital's main gate.
"Princess Iris!"
"The princess has returned!"
"Victory for the crown!"
"Glory to the royal blood!"
Iris rode down the main avenue without stopping. She was mounted on a dark horse, back straight, white hair falling down her back, with an expression so cold it seemed she couldn't hear any of it.
On both sides of the street, most of the women in the crowd bowed or raised their voices to praise her.
Some young vampire girls watched with shining eyes.
Several minor nobles who had come out just to see her pass wore dark dresses and red jewels at their necks. When they saw the banner behind Iris, they began to murmur with pride.
One of the six vampires accompanying the princess carried that banner. It was long and black with red edges, and at its center it bore the sealed signature of another kingdom.
The elven kingdom.
It wasn't just a banner.
It was proof of a victory.
A clear message to everyone watching.
The cleanup mission was over.
The female guards stationed near the entrance to the noble district bowed at the same time. Their black armor gleamed under the reddish evening light, and their spears struck the ground with force.
CLANG!
"Welcome, Princess Iris."
"Your victory honors the queen."
"Your victory honors the kingdom."
The male guards were also there, further back, quiet with heads lowered. Some held spears. Others kept the crowd back so no one got too close to Iris's group.
Nobody looked at them too long.
Nobody expected them to speak.
Iris passed in front of them without directing her gaze their way. At her side, the six vampires accompanying her maintained a flawless formation. All of them bore combat marks on their clothes. Some had cuts on their sleeves, dried blood stains at the neck, or small cracks in their weapons.
But none of them were smiling.
That was strange.
The capital was celebrating.
The female common folk shouted with pride.
The guards praised.
The nobles nodded with satisfaction.
The signed banner proved the mission had been a success.
And yet Iris's group looked like they were returning from a funeral.
A girl in the crowd held up a small red ribbon.
"Princess Iris! Can you sign this?"
Iris moved her eyes toward her.
The girl smiled with excitement.
Iris didn't smile back.
She just kept moving.
One of her companions looked down.
Another clenched her jaw.
No one said anything.
The noise of the crowd continued until the group crossed through the castle gate. The voices fell away little by little. The applause grew more distant. The sound of horseshoes on stone began to fill the silence.
Inside the castle courtyard, maids, knights, and high-ranking guards waited in two rows. When they saw Iris, all of them bowed.
"Welcome, princess."
"Congratulations on your victory."
"The kingdom is proud of you."
Iris dismounted without help. Her boots touched the ground and her expression didn't change.
The vampire carrying the banner stepped forward.
"Princess, do you want me to take the banner to the victory hall?"
Iris turned her head toward her.
"Yes."
The vampire bowed her head.
Iris looked at the rest of her group.
"The rest of you deliver a detailed report and rest."
All six vampires bowed at the same time.
"Yes, princess."
One of them hesitated before leaving.
"Do you wish for us to accompany you before the queen?"
"No."
The answer was immediate and cold.
"I'll speak with the queen alone."
The vampire lowered her head.
"Understood."
The group withdrew.
The banner moved through the main hallway, carried carefully toward the room where the crown's official victories were kept.
Iris watched it for a few seconds. Then she turned and walked toward the throne room. Two female guards at the entrance bowed when they saw her.
"Princess."
"I've come to see the queen."
The guards exchanged a brief glance.
Iris noticed and her expression hardened.
"What's the matter?"
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One of the guards lowered her head a little further.
"The queen is not in the throne room."
Iris was quiet.
"Where is she?"
"In her private chambers."
Iris narrowed her eyes.
For years, her mother had been spending more and more time away from the throne room.
At first it hadn't been so obvious. The queen still handled important matters. Still gave orders. Still received reports.
But she was delegating more and more.
Retiring earlier each day.
Looking more and more toward the mountain.
Toward the cave.
Iris didn't ask anything else. She just turned and walked toward the castle's private wing.
◇◆◇
Iris knocked once.
No response.
She knocked a second time.
Nothing.
A third.
The silence continued.
Iris waited a few more seconds. Then she opened the door. The queen's room was wide, dark, and orderly.
The curtains were open, letting in the evening light. There were elegant furnishings, an enormous bed, several shelves with ancient books, and a table covered in sealed reports.
But the queen wasn't at the table.
Nor in the bed.
She was sitting on a stool in front of the window, still, with her back turned, looking out into the distance.
Iris followed the direction of her gaze.
The mountain.
The Forge Cave.
Iris felt her fingers tighten.
She said nothing right away.
Neither did the queen.
For several seconds the silence was heavier than any greeting, but at last Iris inclined her head.
"Mother."
The queen took a moment to respond. Then she turned her face just slightly.
"Iris."
Her voice was still soft and elegant as always.
The queen smiled, but that smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You're back."
Iris raised her head.
"The cleanup mission in the elven kingdom was a success…"
The queen turned a little more, though she didn't get up from the stool.
"I heard before you reached the castle. The people were quite excited."
Iris kept her back straight.
"The signed banner is already being taken to the victory hall."
"Good."
The queen looked toward the window again.
"You've done well."
Iris didn't respond right away.
That sentence should have made her feel something.
Pride.
Satisfaction.
Relief.
Anything.
But she didn't feel any of that.
She just looked at her mother's back.
"Thank you."
The queen kept her gaze on the mountain.
"Were there casualties?"
"Two serious injuries. No deaths."
"Then it was a clean victory."
"Yes."
"Did the elves hand over all the names?"
"Not all. Some escaped before we arrived."
The queen closed her eyes slightly.
"As always."
Iris pressed her lips together.
"But we obtained enough evidence to dismantle the main group."
"That will be enough for now."
The silence returned.
Iris looked at the window.
The cave was visible in the distance.
"Mother."
The queen didn't turn.
"Yes?"
"Why is no one allowed to approach the Forge Cave?"
The queen's smile slowly disappeared.
"We've discussed this."
"But…"
"Iris."
The queen's voice stayed soft, but the air in the room changed.
"You've just returned from an important mission. You should rest."
"But I want an answer."
The queen finally turned her head toward her, and her red eyes fixed on Iris.
"This is not your concern."
Iris felt anger, but breathed several times to steady herself.
She wasn't a child.
She couldn't shout just because her mother refused to answer.
She tightened her fingers, let them go, and lowered her head slightly.
"Understood…"
The words came out controlled despite the irritation she felt.
But there was nothing more she could do.
After all, the queen was the one who ruled this place.
Iris turned as if to leave, but a furious voice spoke from her hip.
"I don't understand."
Iris stopped.
The sword at her hip vibrated.
A dark gleam came from the blade.
In an instant, Eleonora took human form beside Iris.
Despite being without clothes, with her black hair falling down her back and an expression full of rage, neither Iris nor the queen looked surprised.
Eleonora pointed her finger directly at the queen.
"You said Matt would be out of that damned cave in less than a year."
The room fell silent.
Iris closed her eyes for a moment.
'Eleonora…' Iris thought with resignation — but she wasn't going to stop her, because she wanted to hear the answer too.
Eleonora took a step forward.
"A year. That's what you said."
The queen looked at her without moving from the stool.
"Eleonora."
"No!"
Eleonora's voice trembled, but not from fear.
From rage.
"Don't speak to me like I'm stupid. It's been almost three years. Almost three damned years with no news. Almost three years staring at that mountain as if that's going to make him come out any faster."
Iris clenched her jaw.
The queen didn't respond right away.
Eleonora kept going:
"Is it truly impossible for someone else to enter while a trial is still active?"
The queen narrowed her eyes.
Eleonora clenched her fists.
"Is there truly no way to break the entrance? No ritual, no gap, no old rule, nothing?"
The queen raised a hand — not a large gesture, just a small downward motion.
The air dropped.
Eleonora's eyes went wide.
THUD!
Her knee hit the floor. Then the other. The gravity pressed down from above, forcing her to kneel before the queen.
Iris took half a step forward.
"Mother."
"Stay where you are, Iris." freēwēbnovel.com
The queen's voice didn't rise.
It didn't need to.
Iris stopped.
Eleonora pressed one hand to the ground, gritting her teeth. Her shoulders trembled under the pressure, but she raised her head anyway.
The queen spoke calmly.
"Calm down."
Eleonora breathed hard.
The queen continued:
"Both of you will continue to do your work."
Iris felt something tighten in her chest.
The queen looked back toward the window.
"Matt will come out soon."
Eleonora let out a short, dry, bitter laugh.
"That's what you've been saying all these years."
The pressure increased.
Eleonora gritted her teeth, but didn't lower her head.
"I'm tired of hearing it."
The queen looked at her again.
Iris said nothing.
She couldn't.
Eleonora kept speaking even under the gravity.
"You can sit here and stare at that cave every day if you want. You can say he'll come out soon. You can keep repeating it until the castle turns to dust. But I'm not going to keep waiting."
"Eleonora," said Iris, this time in a quiet voice.
Eleonora didn't look at her.
"I'm going to find a way in."
The queen watched her with a colder expression.
Eleonora smiled with fury.
"And if there isn't one, I'll make one."
The room went silent.
Eleonora raised her head a little more.
"I'm confident I can break through anything. Even if I have to split that damned cave in half."
The pressure in the air grew heavier.
Iris felt her own breathing slow, even though the gravity wasn't aimed at her.
The queen slowly rose from the stool.
"You're going too far."
Eleonora didn't look away.
"Maybe."
"Do you forget who you're speaking to?"
"No. I remember very well."
Iris opened her eyes slightly.
Eleonora was going too far.
But before the queen could respond, something happened.
A red line appeared in the distance.
It wasn't large at first.
It wasn't an explosion.
Just a thin, vertical line of red energy crossing the sky above the mountain and piercing down through the roof of the Forge Cave.
Iris saw it through the window and went completely still.
Eleonora saw it too and her expression changed immediately.
The rage disappeared for a second, replaced by pure surprise.
The queen turned her head toward the window and her eyes opened wide.
The red line held for a moment.
Then disappeared.
The silence it left behind was absolute.
Iris couldn't speak.
Neither could Eleonora.
The queen took a step toward the window. Then another. Her face no longer held that usual controlled calm. For the first time in a long while, Iris saw something close to genuine surprise in her mother's eyes.
"That…"
The queen didn't finish the sentence.
Iris felt her chest tighten.
That energy.
That color.
That pressure.
It wasn't a normal signal from the cave.
She had never seen anything like it.
And yet she understood it.
Matt.
It had to be Matt.
The queen threw the window open. The air swept into the room and the gravity pressing down on Eleonora vanished instantly.
Eleonora fell forward, catching herself with both hands on the floor.
Iris barely looked at her.
The queen was already climbing into the window frame.
"Mother."
The queen didn't respond. Her black wings spread out with force.
Fwoosh!
Then she leapt.
Iris ran to the window, but the queen was already in the air, flying straight toward the mountain.
Iris stood there watching her figure grow smaller.
Her mind took a second to start working.
Then another.
Matt was still alive.
That was the only explanation her mind would accept.
No member of royalty had ever taken this long.
No one.
As far as Iris knew, even the longest trials had never exceeded a year and a half for royalty.
But Matt…
Matt was less than a month from three full years inside.
Three years.
Iris had considered many possibilities during that time.
At first she thought he'd come out quickly.
Then the first year passed. Then the second, and the silence continued.
Iris had started to consider that maybe he had given up.
Not died.
Not necessarily.
Given up.
Maybe Matt had understood that it didn't matter what weapon he obtained. It didn't matter how powerful it was. It didn't matter how strong he came out of the cave.
The queen was still there.
Iris was still there.
The kingdom was still there.
And his human family was not.
Not forever.
Maybe Matt had understood that, now or eighty years from now, when everyone he loved had died, only the queen and she would remain.
Maybe that had broken him.
Maybe he had sat down inside the cave and decided never to come out.
Iris gritted her teeth.
Eleonora got up with difficulty behind her.
"What are you doing just standing there, idiot?"
Iris didn't respond.
Eleonora walked to the window, still breathing hard from the pressure.
"Follow the queen!"
Iris turned her head toward her.
Eleonora's eyes were wide, filled with an emotion she wasn't trying to hide.
"Iris!"
Iris ground her teeth. Then stepped up to the window frame and her wings spread.
Fwoosh!
Eleonora returned to her sword form in a dark flash and secured herself at her hip.
Iris didn't wait any longer and leapt.
