Kingdom of Orator

Chapter One

The river ran backwards on the day the Queen vanished.

When she stepped over the invisible boundary of Orator, everything changed.

Queen Raina murdered my family on her way out, slashing their throats with her sword like they were just bushes in her path. I was searching for her with a fervour that felt like fire, as I had been for the past five nights.My armor was polished, and I had weapons hidden in every crevice of it. I was ready.

Lurking in the shadows, I knew exactly where to find her once I sniffed the humid air. I was no stranger to hunting prey, especially prey that smelled like magic. I heard a crunch in the leaves, and my eyes squinted into the darkness. Before they could adjust, someone had put a cloth over my mouth.

And I was asleep.

~

My name is Andweh and I am a 25 year old prisoner in the Queen’s palace of Orator. Not only am I enslaved, but I am the forced groundskeeper, chef, and hunter of the place. But I don’t hunt food to make, I hunt fairies. Yes, real fairies with wings, but the kind that will puncture your esophagus with their nails, and blow out your eardrums while doing it.

I hunt them to keep the population at bay, as per the Queen’s insistent whining. Fairies are the ones who quietly control everything. The economy, the food, the military, the job market, all influenced by the creatures who hide in the shadows, who make houses that are nestled far into the trees.

I am half fairy, and half witch. The Queen knows of neither, and I intend to keep it that way.

I oftentimes need to remind myself of this secret heritage as I sweep the forest for fairies to kill. It keeps me grounded, and also disconnected in the way that I need. I don’t know these people, don’t look like these people, but they are my people.

My boots crunch the orange leaves in the forest as I walk around with a nonchalant air of arrogance. They never seem to notice me if I look confident and like I am headed somewhere with a purpose (which I rarely am). I hear my earpiece make a faint noise, alerting me that the Queen has an incoming message. I press the button above my ear and listen to her squawk like a bird at me.

“Andweh! I need you to prepare a feast for twelve tonight. I’m craving duck. Oh, and a dead fairie at my feet.” The sentence ended abruptly, and I could tell it was a bad day for her. Ever since she came back and the balance did not restore, she has become fully evil. Now we deal with a backwards river, crunchy Summer leaves, and a relentless Queen.

Looking to fulfill the last part of her to-do list, I scan the woods for anything that could be moving. I see an iridescent shimmer out of the corner of my eye, and turn to follow the sparkle with a silent stare. Two little girls are playing in a pile of leaves, one of them giggling quietly as she gets leaves tossed into her golden hair.

I turn away, the pit in my stomach telling me that they simply aren’t an option. As I make a step to head back towards the castle, my face slams into something hard.

“Fuck. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I stare face-first into the eyes of the first wizard I have ever seen. And he is strikingly handsome.

“Ummm, you got the wrong gal. ‘Scuse me.” I peel my eyes away from his face and dart them towards the forest floor, hoping he won’t notice that I recognize what he is. Making an attempt to walk around him, my footing falters, and he gently grabs my arm with large, human-like hands. I again look up into his eyes, eyes that are the color of the moon.

“No, I don’t have the wrong “gal” Andweh. I’m just going to come out and fucking say it. You are the last witch alive. And I am the last wizard.”

My knife slips out of my hands and onto the ground, as I realize why my eyes are also the color of the moon.