The Shadows That Dwell Within (The Warrior Queens book #1) (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 3 - Victoria

Adelaide stared at the ground. "I don't know how much longer I can pretend to be something I'm not".

"The only thing you're pretending to be is scared. That's not the Adelaide I knew" Victoria said. "Come on. Rosaline is probably about to finish another one of her ludicrous tales".

"Without me?" Adelaide grinned.

When Victoria and Adelaide went inside, Rosaline was still babbling away.

"Guards cornered me; left right and centre. I was trapped and-"

"And if weren't for the courageous Adelaide" Adelaide shouted, jumping on the table with her chakram in the air. "Rosaline would never have lived to tell the tale"

"You weren't there Addie" Rosaline protested.

"And you fought off fifty guards on your own?" Adelaide said.

"I knocked five out with one swing of the golden sceptre and left the rest cowering at my wake".

"Right because that's believable" Adelaide said jumping off the table.

"Enough of the nonsense" Victoria said, as everyone gathered around the table. "The Amitician agents will be here soon".

"Wait. No one said anything about working with Amiticians" Nicholas said.

"We're perfectly capable of finding Erebus ourselves" Penelope protested.

"Look. I'm willing to bet they know Amiticia more than all of us put together. So let's put our differences aside and concentrate on saving Amiticia from destruction" Victoria said.

"Victoria's right" Adelaide said. "But if I hear one bad word about Concordia..."

"Yes yes, we know" Victoria sighed.

The Amitician agents arrived an hour after they were supposed to. Victoria couldn't help but role her eyes. Her father always said promptness was the key to an organised life.

Their AIA uniforms were almost identical to Concordian one but instead of blue their uniform were red. A man with thinning fair hair stepped forward.

"Greetings fellow AIA agents. I am Maxwell. This is my fiancé, Cecelia" Maxwell said pointing to a woman with a mesh of blonde curls. "And this is Raymond".

"And I hope you will delighted to hear that you are in the presence of three of the best agents Amiticia has to offer. We've all been training with the AIA for five years. Raymond even has a degree in demonology" Maxwell said.

The dark-haired man, who Victoria guessed was Raymond, waved off the comment.

"You do not usually express such flattery, unless it is towards yourself" Raymond said.

The Amiticians settled into silence, waiting for the Falcons to introduce themselves. Victoria was about to open her mouth when Penelope piped up.

"We are honoured to be working with you in your lovely country. I hope we can work harmoniously and that one day our countries will follow this amiability"

There were some baffled looks on both sides.

"Well, I hope they fight better than they lie" Cecelia said, which earned her a laugh from her cohorts.

"We're trying to help you. You could be at least be civil to us" Rosaline said.

Maxwell strode over with a smirk on his face.

"Ah, the notorious Warrior Queens. Would their majesties like me to bow before them" He said.

"I sincerely hope the rest of your team isn't this obnoxious" Adelaide said. "We've got a criminal to catch, and that's harder to do with only one leg".