The Tale of Five Heirs

Epilogue II

THUD. The dagger embedded itself in the dummy's heart.

"My Lady Queen?"

Tamara picked up another dagger and ignored the voice. It was annoying how good Skeena was at throwing knives. Tamara couldn't let her get away with it.

"Queen Tamara?"

Tamara threw another knife. It whistled through the air and landed in the X that marked the dummy's left eye.

"Your Majesty, the poor dummy has already died several times over. Princess Rosanna wants to talk to you—something about princes from Fallmar or Dun Redding?"

Tamara groaned. "Trina, tell Princess Rosanna to—" She gasped.

Lara grinned. "Missed me?" she said.

Tamara dropped her spare daggers to the floor and rushed forward to embrace her sister.

"Lara! When did you get here?" she asked after a long moment, wiping away tears.

"Just now," said Lara. "A cadet was going to come get you, but I told her I would go instead."

"Have you eaten?" said Tamara, brushing Lara's hair behind her ear. "We could go down to the kitchens and get something."

"Aren't you the Queen?" said Lara. "Couldn't you just order food from the kitchens, and have the servants deliver it here?"

Tamara frowned. "I suppose," she said. "I don't really do that sort of thing."

Lara laughed. "Of course not, Tamara," she said. "You'll never get used to being Queen. Come on, let's go to the kitchens."

Tamara and Lara grabbed some bread, cheese, and apples, and ate sitting on ale barrels by the brick oven. The head chef shook her head at them but smiled.

"Queen Tamara?"

Tamara looked up. This time it really was Trina hurrying towards her.

"Ah! Queen Tamara! I never get over saying it," said Trina. "Princess Rosanna wants to talk to you—something about princes from Fallmar, or Dun Redding? She's wondering where you went."

Tamara groaned. "I'll talk to her later," she said. "I should get back to my office—" she grimaced "—there's some work I have to finish up."

"Ok," said Trina. "Oh! I almost forgot," she added, snapping her fingers. A few sparks burst across her hand. "Kelvin wanted you to have this." She handed Tamara a book.

"Elves and their Antics: A book of children's stories by Awkwyntch McThumple," said Tamara. "Huh."

Lara was staring at Trina's hand. "How did you do that?" she said, eyes wide.

"What, this?" said Trina, shaping her fingers again, shooting off sparks. "Oh, it's a little trick we all taught each other at the Flaming Swords Academy."

"Could you teach me?" said Lara.

"Are you a fire mage, like your sister?" said Trina.

"Uh, maybe?" said Lara..

"All right," said Trina. "I can try to teach you."

Tamara smiled at them, picked up Kelvin's book, and walked towards her office.

Tamara hated paperwork. She really, really, hated it. On her first day of work as Queen she had hired a fleet of secretaries. But Tamara felt it was a bad practice to approve laws without reading them, so here she was, halfway through a bill on collecting farming tithes and hating every minute of it.