The Queen's Curse Read Online Free

here?’
    ‘No!’ she said a little too loud ly and blushed when she saw the sudden distress on his face. ‘I mean … I’d rather wait. The last thing I want is to upset her by being too eager and early.’
    ‘Very thoughtful of you ,’ he replied in a calm voice. ‘See you later then.’ and he took a step to the right, so she could pass him. She smiled at him and walked on towards her goal. She didn’t have to look back to know that Barkor was still watching her until she disappeared round the corner.
    So far so good. Quite handy to have friends in the castle. Now comes the hardest part; the personal guard shouldn’t be too far away from the queen.
    The walls were old and brown and normally Tirsa would have wondered what those walls might have seen throughout the centuries, if they had eyes, but not now, not today.
    She came to a door with letters written on it. It read; Personal Meeting Chamber. She looked back to see if Barkor was still watching her, but he was out of her view. Hastily she went on.
    There were no windows and the corridor was only poor ly lit by torches placed on both walls. She noticed several other golden doors to her left and right, but ignored them.
    At the end of the hallway she noticed two men standing rigid before a steep staircase. The staircase towards the Tower of the Queen! she heard herself saying in her mind and hoped she was right. It had to be; why would they stand there otherwise? The Tower itself was forbidden to every knight and commander, for it held the queen’s bedroom and entry was only allowed when she asked for you.
    This wing contained the queen’s personal quarters. Behind the golden doors there was a music chamber, an arts chamber and even a library.
    She almost froze where she stood.
    Let’s hope they are just as easy to persuade as Barkor. And she said a silent prayer.
    Her eye caught a faded torch, which she quickly grabbed and hid behind her back. She stepped forward and the guard saw her looming figure coming. Immediately one of them shouted, ‘Halt, who is approaching?’
    ‘Commander Lathabris of the Seventh Company ,’ she responded professionally in a secure steady voice. They stood their ground while one held a flaming torch near to her face. She noticed them nodding at one another when they saw her shoulder pads. ‘Commander … who let you in? You do not have an audience.’ These men also had an agenda in their head it seemed.
    ‘I have come to replace Commander Distoas of the Second Company. He was unable to come.’
    These two men were young and strongly built, and with clever faces, she noticed with dismay. One of them shook his head calmly with cold suspicious eyes. ‘That appointment is cancelled. Yesterday we received a message that King Zoltas himself will come to speak with the queen in private.’
    ‘Yes, and yesterday I personally told Commander Distoas his appointment wa s cancelled until further notice,’ the other guard added. ‘So, Commander, with all due respect, I don’t understand what you are doing here.’
    She felt herself turn crimson and tried to think quickly. ‘Simply because one of the commanders has to accompany the meeting in cases like these. So I’m replacing him.’
    His pale blue eyes got colder when he said, ‘Miss, believe me, I know all the rules there are to know around here and unless we’re told about this I have to deny you access.’
    She knew when she was beaten and she tightened her grip on the torch.
    They must have seen the panic in her eyes for one of them pointed to her arms, ‘Hang on, show me your hands!’ Just as he was about to grab her arm she thumped him hard in his face with her improvised weapon. He collapsed.
    The other one drew his sword and said firmly, ‘Drop that immediately and raise your arms above your head!’ But she was faster again; she thrust into his stomach with all her weight knocking the sword out of his hand with her torch. It was enough to make him fall back against