The first queen is sitting on air when I see her several feet from me. Her green dress is draped around her, as the colors of the sunset fill the air.
“Your life is in danger,” she says.
“That much is clear.” Though it's thrilling to have people attack me.
“Your conclusions are dangerous. I thought we moved past this point.”
I feel her prodding. Looking for something in my mind. I close it down, not wanting her to intrude. “It's fine. I'm well trained.”
“It's easy to tell that's the case.”
“What would you have of me?” I ask.
“Have you made any decisions regarding the changes you want to make?”
I sigh. I wish there was a place to sit.
“You can sit. Think of a chair being underneath you, and it will be.”
I do as she says. Surprisingly, it works, though there is nothing but swirls of color under my feet. “Where are we? Is this a dream?”
“No. This is something more than a dream. A place in between dreams, life, and death.”
“That doesn't make any sense.”
“It does, with magic.”
“Do I have magic? Is there a way to learn it?” I ask.
She regards me solemnly. “You have much power.”
“And can I learn to harness it? Can I cast spells and make things like the Mortum Tura?”
“Did you decide what to do about the laws? What direction you're going to go in, as queen?”
Why doesn’t she answer my questions?
“Why don’t you answer mine?”
“Very well,” I say. “I've not decided what direction I want to go in. I want to help the people. To be a good queen. But I don't know how to do it. I don't want to make a mistake.”
She stands and walks toward me, but stops before she gets to me. “It's all right to make mistakes.”
No, it isn't.
She reaches out, like she wants to touch my shoulder, but I flinch away.
With a sigh, she sits back down. “I promise you're safe here. You can make mistakes. Everyone does—even a queen.”
“Was that what happened with the last queen? Deedra? Did she make a mistake in raising taxes?”
“Is that what you think?”
“I'm asking what you think.”
“I'm here to guide you. But yes, Deedra did raise taxes.”
“Was it a mistake, though? Did you council her for or against it?”
“Let's just say Deedra listened to me less and less, during her reign.”
“Why?” I want to know. Want to understand.
The first queen looks somewhere over my shoulder. “It's hard to explain, but I'll try. Deedra was a very headstrong girl. Despite wanting to end her life, she quickly changed. She knew what she wanted, and that was power. It’s something the Mortum Tura can’t overcome. I tried to stop her—to guide her to a better way of life—but it couldn't be helped. Sometimes queens are like that, despite my precautions. Usually I can find a woman who is after what’s best for the people, and not for herself, but it doesn't always happen. Like in Deedra’s case.”
How sad that must be—to make a way for your country to not be ruled by power-hungry people, only to have one come about anyway. “Did you try to connect with her like you do with me?”
“I tried, but I fear I failed.”
“Even queens make mistakes.”
She smiles at me, soft and genuine. “Exactly.”