[ Fantasy / Romance / Book 1 ] In Pyxis, a city of fairies at the icy border of civilization, Queen Andromeda intends to reach into the modern world of humans and kill everyone associated with her ex-husband, Scott MacRae, the King of the Unworthy...
Once dressed, the queen dismissed her servants with a single backhanded wave and sat down at her vanity table. She ran a comb through her dark hair and couldn't prevent herself from staring at the web of black scars on the left side of her face in yet another mirror. Although she tended to break her mirrors with childish regularity, her servants were required to replace them as soon as she left the room. She needed a daily reminder. She had to see, every twist and turn of his treachery. It was sustenance to her.
The scar, caused by poison, inflicted with magic—his magic—it was unendurable, beyond the hideousness of her reflection. When she closed her eyes, she could feel the skitter of imaginary spiders and smell the burning of her own flesh as if the wound were fresh.
She slammed her comb down and took a deep breath. When she was calm enough to move, she went to find her general.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
General Cygnus Gustave was pacing the floor of the Strategy Room, practicing aloud what he would say to the queen. He hoped she would consider his news valuable even if the King of the Unworthy lived on, undiscovered.
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Before he had chosen the right words, Andromeda blasted through the room's double doors. With a fluid motion, she pushed them backward as she propelled herself forward. "How dare you disturb me at this time of night, Cygnus!"
The general waited for the doors to slam shut from the momentum before he spoke. He braced himself for the crash; even so, he twitched in response.
"Your Excellency, there is a new development. . . ."
She flew by him in a blur and coasted toward the ground. But her pointed high heels never touched down. In a whir of gown and body, she swooped into her throne at the head of the mosaic stone table with the precision and flare of an artist. "Has he been found?"
"No, not exactly, but—"
"Then leave at once. We'll recommence when the answer is yes."
"Please, let me finish!" Cygnus roared, though immediately he regretted raising his voice. "There is relevancy, I promise," he continued, correcting his tone, lowering his volume. "We think we have found one of Prince Rigel's—"
"I hardly think Rigel is still worthy of that title," the queen interrupted again.
Ex-husband was certainly not a term he could use, even though it was both concise and accurate. He was rather fond of his tongue and preferred to keep it in his mouth where it belonged. "The King of the Unworthy, if that should please you more!"
He waited for her reaction, expecting praise or a sign of appreciation. Other than a slight raise of one eyebrow, her expression remained the same. A frown appeared to be chiseled into her stone-cold face and her focus seemed inward. It was impossible to compete with the King of the Unworthy for her attention, even with unprecedented news to share.
