“Way to go, jackass. You just had to screw around with the guard.” Jeremy growled while trying to find a dry spot on the makeshift cell bed to sit on.

  “We’re already in prison. Can’t get double prison. And I did hype him up.” Clyde replied, sitting down on the floor with a sigh.

  “No double prison, but we got basement. Ugh, this place smells like piss.” Jeremy frowned, looking in disgust at the cell they were in.

  No light as there were no windows, even fully adjusted their eyes could not see more than a few feet in front of them. Rats scurried and squeaked from the darkness all around them.

  Clyde didn’t feel bad for taking the blame for their shenanigans on the tower’s top floor, but he did hope they would be brought before the queen soon.

  Their bickering was interrupted by a low groan from the cell next to theirs. All three soldiers turned their heads towards the noise, trying to see the person groaning through the dark.

  The man spoke slowly, his words foreign to Jeremy and Marcel.

  “Gods must watch over the three of you. I was certain wyverns had torn you apart.” The prisoner said, slowly approaching the bars which divided their cells.

  Clyde recognized the man by his voice before he even got close enough for them to see him. “Holy shit! Perriman, is that you dude?”

  “Your luck runs out here. If I wasn’t headed for the executioner’s axe, I’d almost lament your fate.” Perriman said, slowly coming into view.

  The otherworlders recoiled at the sight of him. Albrecht’s face was swollen and bruised to the point he was almost unrecognizable. His hands gripped the bars to provide support for his trembling legs. Jeremy leaned closer, gritting his teeth in disgust when he saw the duke’s fingers missing their fingernails.

  “What’d they do to you, P?” Clyde asked.

  “What I deserved. The only reason I’m still breathing is because the Queen wanted every drop of information I have on you and in regards to our deal.” Perriman said.

  “Damn.” The Warhound mumbled.

  “Hold up. How can you understand him?” Jeremy moved away from the bars and turned to Clyde.

  Even in the dark, he could see the shit-eating grin stretch across the large man’s face. Clyde fished around his cargo pants pocket and pulled out a small, button-sized stone.

  “I nicked this off that guard last night when I yanked him against the bars. He was too busy shitting himself when perra amazona loca burst through the door like a bull.”

  “Give him the crystal, so we can all understand him,” Marcel added.

  “No. He might not wanna give it back. I’ll just relay what he says.” Clyde protested.

  “Give him the crystal. He’s missing his fingernails; I think stealing a translator stone is the furthest thing from his mind right now.” Jeremy took the translator stone from Clyde and handed it through the bars to Perriman.

  Albrecht took it and sighed, before slowly sitting down on the floor.

  “Where’d you get the stone?”

  “Who gives a shit?” Clyde retorted, shrugging.

  “They tortured you for information, Perriman?” The second soldier asked as all three of them sat down. The answer was obvious already, but Jeremy was at a loss for words at that moment.

  “No, they just did it because I was a traitor to the crown. The Queen was very merciful to a wretch like me, saying she would not have my family hunted down so long as I tell the interrogator everything I know.”

  They were silent for a while, just listening to Perriman’s strained breathing. In his mind, Jeremy compared the treatment they received with the treatment Albrecht received, trying to figure out why the two were so different when both he and them were guilty of the same crime.

  “When are you getting axed?” Clyde broke the silence.

  “In a couple of days. Not certain yet, the Queen wishes to interrogate you herself first. We will all face our sentences on the same day, that is all I know.” Albrecht spoke back softly.

  “Hey, maybe they arrange our head baskets right next to one another.” The Warhound joked, making light of the situation.

  “What? Like in order from biggest to smallest? Your dome would be the first to go.” Marcel joined in.

  “Splendid. Means I wouldn’t have to suffer staring at your coconut cranium for too long.” Clyde fired back as they both cackled.

  “You will not face the axe,” Perriman said with a sigh, this revelation catching the otherworlders off guard.

  “Really? How come?” Jeremy asked.

  “They will probably burn us alive or something, y’know? Make a spectacle for the masses.” The Warhound added.

  “No. I do not know what fate the Queen has planned for you three, but it seems to be something brilliant, according to the interrogator at least.” Albrecht explained.

  “How do you know this?”

  “The man in charge of getting information from me has a very boastful personality and a very loose tongue. I doubt he knows what Her Majesty Kyara has planned, otherwise, he would probably mention it many times, same way he has mentioned my date and method of execution. Both were supposed to be kept from me.” The duke continued.

  “Interesting,” Jeremy mumbled.

  “Yeah, I am kinda curious as to what fiendish method the redhead queen might employ in order to send us to Jesus.” Clyde rubbed his chin and stared off into the darkness, pretending to ponder that question.

  Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the creaking door and light pouring into the dark room. Rats squealed and quickly scurried, chasing shadows back into their holes.

  “Keep that stone hidden, P,” Clyde said as they all backed away from each other.

  Elisia walked in, followed by several other guards who immediately headed for the cell the soldiers were in, opening the door. The shackles on their wrists and ankles were doubled before the guards pulled them out of the cell. Marcel and Jeremy complied, but Clyde dug his feet into the filthy floor, not budging until two more guards walked into the cell, making the total number of men struggling the push or pull the Warhound from his spot four.

  Clyde waited, letting them push and tug with no progress until Elisia’s smile disappeared from her face and was instead replaced by a look of rapidly increasing annoyance that he had become so fond of.

  ***

  Marbella palace was home to the royal family started by Iglaus Xavier Marbella, who built it almost seven centuries ago. Today it was home to Queen Kyara Ikaris Marbella, the youngest of King Tunlis’ and Queen Amara’s three children. As they were being led through the empty halls on their way to the throne room, the soldiers could not soak in the beauty of the palace fast enough. Much like the biggest kingdom of humans on the eastern side of the continent, the palace only grew in size and stability since it was first erected.

  Warm autumn sun poured through the many windows along the hallways. Though the hallways were empty, the otherworlders could feel the curious eyes of the palace’s many servants on them, watching them, peeking through the keyholes and barely opened doors.

  After a walk that felt like it lasted much shorter than they would’ve liked, the heavy ornamental doors opened, presenting the three invaders with a breathtaking sight of the throne room. Clyde couldn’t contain himself, letting out a whistle that echoed through the huge space, his head turning rapidly as he couldn’t decide what he wanted to look at the longest. The room was massive, he thought, one could probably park an entire tank inside and still not feel cramped in the slightest.

  “Eyes on me.” The Queen’s voice boomed through the throne room, her presence demanding their undivided attention.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  She didn’t wear the armour in which they first saw her, instead clad in robes of white, red and golden. Her hair, now unobstructed by a helmet, flowed down to the middle of her back. The way she was dressed reminded Jeremy of Ancient Roman Imperators. Kyara Marbella sat in one of the two thrones on the other side of the throne room, looking directly at them. Even at such a distance, they could see her eyes sparking with an otherworldly orange hue.

  “On your knees,” Kyara said, releasing an oppressive aura through the room, forcing everyone except Elisia and another red-haired man standing next to the queen to kneel.

  The soldiers didn’t know what it was they were feeling, but they sure felt it. Without delay they did as they were ordered, kneeling on the carpeted floor next to each other, with Clyde in the middle.

  “You know why you are here, so I will skip the formalities. Everyone. Get out.” The Queen said, much to the surprise of her advisors and several guards.

  “Your Highness, surely you do not suggest we leave you alone with these animals?” An elderly man argued, motioning to the kneeling invaders with his left hand.

  “You doubt my ability to deal with them should they become rowdy, Sir Roland?” Kyara shot him a disapproving look.

  “N-no, Your Majesty. I, uh, I understand.” Her advisor mumbled and quickly headed for the door, along with the rest of the guards and servants.

  As the doors closed, all those who remained in the throne room were the three prisoners, the Queen and her two guards.

  “They are gone, Your Highness. No one is listening.” Elisia said after making sure no one was trying to be smart and stand just on the other side of the throne room door.

  Without missing a beat the Queen fired off her first question.

  “What were the weapons you were trying to bring through the portal back at Perriman’s dutchy?”

  “Anti-air defences. Three of them.” Jeremy replied immediately.

  “Anti-air? What for?”

  “To deal with the same creatures that fled when you released your overwhelming aura.”

  “Wyverns. Why? Are the flying lizards giving you too much trouble? They don’t usually bother anything that they don’t have to share the sky with.”

  The soldier said nothing, still not looking away from the Queen.

  “I’ve been gathering information on your people ever since we brought you here. You’ve encountered wyverns before, right? When you first launched your campaign on this side of the gates, they gave you quite a bit of trouble.” Kyara said with a sly smirk.

  She paced left and right, manicured finger tapping her chin as pretended to try and remember more information.

  “You have aerial weapons too, don’t you? Things that fly. Things that the wyverns don’t like and attack on sight.”

  Still, the soldiers gave no response. Their silence did nothing to affect the Queen’s mood, however.

  “Come on. I know you three to be a chatty bunch, so why the tied lips now? Tell me, I want to know of the weapons you possess. I want to know if Perriman was insane for thinking he could overthrow me with your help or if the lie you sold him had some truth to it?” She pressed.

  Jeremy smiled.

  “Looking at it now, there is not a chance in hell we could overthrow this kingdom with just 3 Spiders. Hell, you’d probably be able to deal with those yourself.”

  “I see. So, your sights were not aimed at us, yet.” The Queen’s words sounded a mix of assumption and accusation.

  Another short pause, silence filling the throne room as Kyara planned out her next round of questions. The invaders didn’t seem interested in her kingdom, but she had to know what power they truly possessed, should that ever change.

  “The Iron Fortress, it’s an exceptionally powerful weapon. How does it work?” She asked, her tone now softer, more inquisitive.

  “It shoots a metal slug at high velocities,” Jeremy replied matter-of-factly.

  “And I assume that’s your strongest weapon?”

  “On this side of the gate, yes.”

  The Queen was asking pretty much the same questions that Duke Perriman asked when they were making their deal. Jeremy knew there wasn’t any point in telling her anything different from what they told him, since Albrech had already told the queen everything. The soldier had a theory he wanted to confirm ever since they were imprisoned, and so far, every question Kyara asked only solidified his suspicions.

  “Tell me more about it.” The Dragon Soul Queen continued, oblivious to the thoughts swimming around Jeremy’s mind.

  His comrades did not seem surprised by how quickly and honestly their friend answered every question. The many years they’ve spent together had them certain of one thing; whatever Jeremy was doing wasn’t without a reason.

  “Well, the Bunker Buster Cannon, as we call it, was modelled after an older weapon called Gustav. Compared to modern Bunker Busters, the ‘Iron Fortress’ as you call it, is an older, almost obsolete model. We wheeled it over here because of its simplistic design and due to the fact it uses no explosives.” The soldier explained.

  “And why no explosives?” Kyara locked eyes with Jeremy.

  “What’s cheaper to acquire? A barrel of gunpowder or a hunk of iron?” the man grinned.

  The Queen wasn’t sure what gunpowder was, but if it was anything like dwarven black powder, then what he was saying made sense. Thinking how these people still considered saving money while racking up elven casualties for months had her a bit unsettled.

  “And what of other weapons in your arsenal?”

  “The Bunker Buster Cannon seems more than sufficient at this moment in time.”

  Clyde chuckled, unable to restrain himself.

  “A good BBC can bring any kingdom’s ruler to their knees, ay?”

  He laughed, elbowing Marcel a bit too hard, causing the dark-skinned soldier to fall on his side. The other two joined him in laughter as if they had forgotten what situation they were in.

  The joke and the dual meaning of the abbreviation did not go over the Queen’s head.

  She pursed her lips, glaring down at the cackling prisoners. The aura of the Dragon Soul Queen filled the entire room in seconds, this time without any restraint from Kyara. Even the queen’s guard felt their knees buckle under the pressure of her might. Through gritted teeth, the queen spoke to the otherworlders.

  “Do not mistake the way you’ve been treated thus far for benevolence or think me too ignorant to not understand your swinely attempts at humour!”

  “My Queen.” Kargalan, the first of the Queen’s three guards spoke up from behind her, hoping to calm her down before the windows and chandeliers in the throne room gave out from the force of the mana she was releasing.

  The soldiers cackling slowly simmered down before Jeremy once more locked eyes with the furious ruler. Her aura of domination dissipated instantly, seeing that this time none of the prisoners seemed even the least bit affected. The smug look plastered across his face made Kyara want to strangle him then and there, but she knew better.

  “Don’t worry, we do not mistake your behaviour for anything other than what it is.” The otherworlder said with a grin.

  “Do you? And what is it?” the Queen asked, crossing her arms.

  “Fear.”

  The word echoed through the throne room, followed by absolute silence.

  “Fear? Me, afraid of you?” Kyara scoffed, looking over her shoulder and rolling her eyes before looking back at the man.

  “Spare me the theatrics you use on your servants, sugar. You ain’t no fool, Your Highness. You have a plan for us, otherwise, we’d probably end up like Duke Perriman or even dead.”

  “And you think you have figured out my plan?”

  “Which execution method takes over a week to arrange? Beheading, burning, gladiator fights, all that can be arranged in a matter of days. Fuck, maybe even less, considering we are enemies of the crown.” Spoke the soldier, the smile never leaving his face and his eyes never leaving Kyara’s.

  “Even your lap dog has treated us like fragile doves, much to her visible displeasure.”

  Elisia frowned when he mentioned her.

  “You do not intend to kill us at all, do you? Not directly of course. And not here either.”

  Kyara Marbella just stood in front of the three soldiers, glaring at Jeremy silently, feeling exposed and pushed on the defensive. She recalled Perriman’s interrogation, the way he described the otherworlders. At the time she dismissed his warnings about their cunning, perhaps had she heeded his advice she could’ve played her hand better. The Queen shook her head, it did not matter now, her sentence would not change. Gathering her thoughts, Kyara spoke again, her voice calm and in control.

  “You are correct. You will not meet your end here. We have informed the Vatur kingdom, our good neighbours of your capture following the wyvern incident. They requested that we deliver you to them for execution, as a way of mending the lost trust following Duke Perriman’s betrayal.”

  Jeremy did not lose his grin. The Queen’s admission made him grin even harder, baring his teeth at the woman. The treatment, the lack of torture, the restraints in spite of provocation and finally, transferring their execution to someone else, perfect. The Queen’s plan truly was perfect and just as he thought it would be.

  “An opportunity you welcomed without hesitation, right?” He asked.

  “Of course. Perriman’s treachery almost drove a wedge between our two kingdoms. It is my duty as Queen to deal with him, but you are their enemies first and foremost, it would be bad diplomacy to refuse their demand.”

  The soldier turned to his comrades and nodded, and they nodded in return as if saying the Queen’s words were making sense.

  “You are well informed. You know we came to Albrecht as emissaries, representatives of our people, per his request of course. And executing emissaries is a declaration of war.” Jeremy said slowly, looking up at the queen.

  “You’ve been gathering information about us since we were captured. You know of our first encounters with the wyverns, so I can safely assume you know what the elves did to kick this whole shit off.”

  “The emissaries,” Kyara whispered.

  “Mhm. We kind of don’t like having our unarmed diplomats imprisoned or killed. I doubt any nation does, if I’m being honest.” The man continued, the other two just nodding in support of his argument.

  “Preach your truth, brother,” Clyde added.

  “Mhm.” Came from Marcel.

  “This interrogation has provided you with nothing you haven’t already gotten from Perriman. We fed Albrecht a load of horseshit, just to get him to agree to give up access to the gate. You know that already too. If there is one thing that was true, in all the information he has given you, it’s that the weapons you see on this world are a mere fragment of what sits ready on the other side of those gates. Waiting.” Jeremy continued, his voice straight and cold, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

  “I’d applaud your brilliance if my hands weren’t cuffed together.” Clyde laughed.

  “By having the elves kill us, any rage and vengeance they invoke in our people will fall solely on them.”

  Jeremy could see the hesitancy on the Queen’s face as she thought about everything that was said. To help paint a more accurate picture, he simply added.

  “The distance from the Iron Fortress to the Home Tree is only half of the weapon's maximum effective range. Sure, it can’t reach all the way to this city, but there are many towns and villages on the border of Marbella and Vatur that fall well within that range. And iron slugs are cheap.”

  “Hah! Do you think I, Kyara Ikaris Marbella, fear you? That I would not rise to the challenge that your people would present?” The Queen smirked.

  “Kyara Marbella would not hesitate to accept the challenge our military poses, no doubt about it. But the Queen of this kingdom would.” Jeremy replied, driving the final nail into the coffin that was Kyara’s fa?ade.

  “I’ve been dealt a losing hand from the start.” The Queen thought, walking back to sit on her throne, waving a hand at Elisia.

  “Get them out of my sight.”