The next weeks are all about ‘being Queen’. Not only am I new to the job, but I now possess Dwarven magic, on top of my Human half; that makes me more than just a little suspicious to the very tradition-oriented Elves.

I look at Miri and sigh. I really want to scream, but I stay ‘calm’ as I say, “I don’t know what to do with them; I did not ASK for this…and they didn’t object during either coronation!”

She shakes her head and says, “Give them time, Your Majesty. They were willing to accept you as your Mother’s Daughter, since she was a trusted Queen—even though she did go a bit rogue and marry a Human in their eyes. When you came back from the Dwarves with new powers, it made them even more wary. I think it is understandable. You just must remain patient and show them that you only have the Elves’ best interest at heart.”

Aunt Lothi nods her head and adds, “Miri is correct. I have also explained that you did not ASK for the Dwarven powers. Unfortunately, that has made some even more suspicious. They say that you can’t be trusted, since we really don’t have a full grasp of what was done to you. It is old magic, which makes it both very powerful and very mysterious.”

Mori speaks up, “I can’t even begin to fathom it. You are now completely shielded from me, unless you intentionally open yourself up to me. It is both disconcerting and very comforting. I do not believe that even Drakyre will be able to ‘scan’ you. That does make you appear to be a threat to many, though. How do they know you won’t become as bad as he is…? I am not saying I believe you will, you understand…”

I fight back tears of frustration. It is SO unfair! I only want to be a good Queen, not that I WANT to be Queen… I take a shaky breath to settle my nerves and nod to my closest friends, family, and advisors. It is time to hold audiences and court to settle disputes.

As we walk to the audience room, Aunt Lothi says, “The very fact that this IS bothering you, speaks volumes. Give them time…”

We enter and I sit for my first ruling of the day…

After three weeks of this, I can’t take it anymore. I need a break…

I summon Aunt Lothi and say, “Lothi, I am taking Miri and Mori on a small trip to the borderlands. I have been practicing all brands of my magic…and need to put it all to the test. I want to be away from here to do so; to keep rumors down… We should only be gone a week or two. Please take care of business for me while I am gone.” I hug her and go to gather Miri and Mori.

A day later, we are camped right on the border to the Bufferlands and the Dark Realm—I am fairly sure that no Elf will come here.

The first day, Mori and I spar magically. Miri and I spar physically and have an arrow-shooting competition. It feels good to just unwind. An hour after dark, my whole body begins to tingle…and I get the vision of a band of vampires just on the other side of the Golden Veil. Startled, I look at Mori and she nods that she had sensed them, too.

I say, “I have never sensed them like this… I can actually ‘see’ them.”

Mori says, “I have heard of such. It is an ‘old magic’ ability. Some Elves can tap into the forest and ‘see’ things, using the plants’ and animals’ energies. Since you have not exhibited this ability before, it must have something to do with the Dwarven magic.”

I nod and concentrate. It does not take long for me to identify the source of the ‘vision’—the very Earth itself; more specifically the river sand that the vampires are standing on.

I decide to try an experiment. Both Miri and Mori attempt to dissuade me, but I remain firm in my resolve. I turn my protective shield pitch black, tap into the Earth for reserve energy, and turn my shield up several notches. I cross though the Golden Veil into the Bufferlands and walk the several hundred paces to the river that the Vampires are sitting by. They are technically still in the Bufferlands, but very close to the Dark Realm border.

It is unusual to find more than one vampire in one spot. Here, there are five! I find this very disconcerting—something is up to make them gather into a band this way. I try and listen in on them, but they seem to communicate telepathically. There is absolutely no indication that they realize that I am here; even though, I am within ten paces of them.

Five rapid-fire, dragon-blood tipped arrows later, the vampires are ash settling on the ground. Ash that I can now sense. I pick up my arrows and slowly walk back to the Veil.

Mori and Miri are beside themselves, especially since I was very clear that they were NOT to follow me through to the other side.

Mori asks as soon as I come through, “What happened to them? I no longer sense them.”

I reach out and feel the Dark Energy draining from the ashes—leaving behind only the true essence of the original Humans from before their change. I tell Mori and Miri what I know.

Mori says, “I found it disturbing to sense a band of them, as well. You say there were five and they were getting along?”

I say, “Getting along is maybe too generous, but they were not going after each other’s throats… If Drakyre is expending enough energy to make vampires peacefully coexist, there MUST be a reason. And why so close to the Elven Realm?”

The next night, there is a large pack of werewolves not far from where the vampires had been the previous night. I repeat my performance of the night before, including the warning body tingle.

There is not anything particularly disturbing about werewolves being in a pack, but the fact that they are in the same spot as the vampires were—sniffing as if they are looking for them—is VERY disturbing to me.

I cross over into the Bufferlands and make my way to the pack, once again shrouded in complete blackness. There are fourteen wolves one minute and fourteen piles of ashes the next.

Almost predictably, the next night there is a band of zombies milling around the same spot—seemingly confused that they are alone. There are way too many for me to stealthily dispatch myself, so I stretch the boundaries of my black shield to be large enough to include Miri and Mori. I wait a bit to see if I can hold the shield and barely notice the extra energy drain.

We cross over into the Bufferlands and quietly walk together to the spot the zombies are conglomerating in. There is enough time to see the confused look on the last of the zombies as arrows and blue balls of energy shoot from seemingly nowhere. The look does not last long, since they are quickly dispatched to dust.

Miri and I gather our arrows and we all cross through the Veil into our own Realm.

We sit and discuss theories as to what may be going on. Of course, we have no idea…

The next night, my body starts tingling so strongly I nearly pass out. I look at Mori; she is deathly pale. Even Miri, who has some developing new Elven powers of her own, is very disturbed by something.

Then the ‘vision’ comes to me of a very handsome, but very cruel-looking, Human on a black stallion. He is so consumed by Dark Energy that he is nearly total blackness to my senses. He is approaching the same spot on the river.

Mori mutters, “It is one of Drakyre’s Twelve—a Dark Rider…”