Part 20 (1/2)

Then the longsword that was free of its binding took his head off at the base of the neck in a practiced swipe, so quickly executed, I felt the breeze at its pa.s.sing.

Queen Clara was released from the vise grip of the dead Prince forever.

She did not know it, her consciousness slipping away even as Matthew bent to catch her against him, his long sword tip stabbed into the earth of the tunnel.

He looked ready for anything.

No matter what.

No matter how many.

CHAPTER 12.

I watched the Band turn their attention to the angry mob that had filtered through the tunnel where they stood, all but Matthew.

He had eyes only for the dead Queen, minus an arm, ready to s.n.a.t.c.h the unconscious Clara out of his arms.

Jade rushed to his side. ”I'll hold her while you...” she couldn't finish it. I knew Jade saw what his intent was. Death Intent. He wore it like a coat of armor, he'd killed before. I could see it as he walked toward the dead Queen. She knew it too, hissing at him as he made his way to her.

He never broke stride.

I looked at Jade and she met my stare. I could feel what she felt.

Jade could feel the Evil. The Queen had been evil.

Evil in life.

Evil in death.

Evil.

I let him go about his business and turned my attention to the other big a.s.s problem on the list. There were so many I was getting distracted.

I found the Zondorae brothers easily.

Mewling within the circle of the dead.

My dead.

I smiled and strode to where they were.

The Zondorae brothers were covered in their own puke. It probably almost masked the scent of the newly dead that surrounded them.

Mostly.

It was raw corpse or vomit... but the puke was closer to their noses.

”Hi guys!” I said almost cheerfully. My sympathy, zero.

They scowled. I watched their expressions ask if it could be any worse.

Probably not. Although, they could be dead.

My dead.

I smiled and their expressions went from fear to anger.

”Oh yeah, it's gonna get exciting for you chumps,” I said in a conversational tone.

The corpses tightened their hold, reacting to my state of mind like a ripple in the water going out, out... and endlessly on.

One gave a long lick of Gary's ear, the smell of the decaying tongue causing the scream he had held in check to escape his mouth in a wail that pierced the silence.

It was the catalyst for the panic which began to sweep the tunnel.

I jumped when I saw the crowd swell and surge everywhere as my eyes sought Jade.

”You're safe,” I saw Jade say and relaxed only to tense again as the mob flowed toward us.

I watched Jade and Queen Clara notice Matthew doing the hack-a-thon on the dead Queen, her rotting flesh flinging itself like gruesome and bloodless rain around us.

The dead did not bleed.

My heart clenched in my chest when the small Queen slid a dirk out of the strange boy's clothing she wore and headed toward the dead Queen.

I didn't have to be a brain surgeon to figure out her goal.

She'd never meet it. The dead were stronger than the living.

Wanting to end them wasn't enough.

I jogged to meet her, grabbing Jade as I did.

The dead Queen laughed out of a mouth with loosened teeth as Clara's protector took pieces of her flesh with his small knife.

I knew she didn't feel pain, she staggered toward Clara, ignoring his a.s.sault. Instead, she focused on Clara, hatred a mask on her face. Even in death, it was a window to who she'd been.

Queen Ada smiled with purpose, she knew Clara, reaching for her just as Matthew looked behind him and saw the woman he protected approach the dead Queen who would not stop until she harmed Clara.

Note for future: insane zombies were intent on one thing.

Murder.

Why the dead Queen wanted to kill Queen Clara was a mystery but I wasn't going to let the zombie I'd raised kill the ones that we'd come to save.

Clara and her people.