Abandoned (Born From Shadows #2)

Large wooden doors blocked Tatianna from the inside of the mountain, that, and a large group of guards. She had heard stories, so many yet when facing the species, she was still shocked by their height. Most stood to her elbows, the taller one’s reaching her shoulders. For once she wasn’t the shortest one in the room. She had once seen a human who would’ve stood shoulder to shoulder to the Dwarf, but that human lacked the Dwarf’s six finger hand, large nose and ears. That was not something she was expecting.

Spears tipped with Kaddeian steel pointed directly towards her. Archers stood with their bows drawn on top of the steep mountain sides, standing on pillars of rocks. She hated the sight of the stringed weapon.

“Who are you, Elf?” One of the dwarf’s sneered. This one in particular had golden accented armour signifying a leader of some sort, separating himself from the rest of the pack.

Breath, be strong, be everything you’re not. “I am the Ruler of Lyracris, Queen of the Elves’ and I wish to speak with your leader.”

“You are not the Queen; you don’t even look like a Queen. You look like a filthy girl,” the golden one said, “go back to the sewers.” Nylif growled beside Tatianna.

“I am the Queen of the Elves’. If you turn me away now, soon you’ll be begging for mercy. That I promise you.”

“Am I supposed to be threatened? We outnumber you girl. Maybe you Elf’s will finally learn that although you have superior magic and a large wolf, you are not the ones in charge.”

“I am not looking for a fight, I do not wish to slaughter you all so please just tell the Lady of the Night of my arrival and I will forget this conversation ever happened.”

“You are not the one setting this negotiation. I will give you the chance to leave before I order a round of arrows into your arse and drag you down into the dungeons where you will rot for-.” His voice was muted by the sound of the wooden gates opening. Tatianna could see a throne through the darkness of the mountain. A woman sitting on top of it.

The Dwarf guards immediately parted, letting Tatianna into the keep. There were a few dim torches to light the darkness, illuminating the shadows. Besides that everything was dark, her Elven eyesight guided her to the throne. This was it. The source of all her problems right in front of her. She was one conversation away from freedom.

The woman did not say a word, she just stared at Tatianna and Tatianna stared back.

Dark blue dress. Black hair. Blue eyes…the Lady of the Night.

“You are the new Queen?” The Lady said, her tonne very underwhelmed.

Tatianna had spent her entire life looked down upon, she was not surprised by the Lady’s condescending words.

“And you are the Lady of the Night,” she said mimicking the woman’s tone.

“You realise you are not the one in control here, do you not?” The Lady asks, referring to Tatianna’s attitude.

’If you want me dead I would be dead. My tone does not change that,” she replied.

“So you do not care for your life?”

“What does it matter to you?” Tatianna sneered back.

“Enough with the childish remarks, Tatianna, we both know why you are here, and I am not talking about the Fae beneath our feet. You want answers, so ask. A true Queen takes what she wants, she does not wait for another’s permission.”

“That sounds like a foolish Queen,” Tatianna replied.

“Aren’t you? Considering you came in here alone expecting to walk back out that door,” the Lady answered.

“What is your name?” Tatianna asked ignoring the insult, trying to put way all feelings aside to have a civil conversation. Forget the fact that the woman before her had killed children, or at least been responsible for it.

“Belladonna, not that that matter’s,” Belladonna answered. Tatianna started to feel more uncomfortable with each passing minute under the Lady’s glare. “You know, had it not been for your eyes I might have brushed off the rumours as false information. Now that you are standing before me, Tatianna Fiducia, there is really no denying it. Like mother like daughter I suppose, you are both so optimistic.”

Any essence of the wall between her emotions and appearance collapsed at the mention of her parents…her mother. The bitch that left her pup to die. “You knew my mother?” Her question was more to herself, a whisper of the truth.

Belladonna smirked, “Now how could someone not know a person as legendary as her. The Elf who wasn’t an Elf.”

“What?”

“Did you not know?” Belladonna said in a surprised tone. “Your precious mother was the Elfir’s daughter.”