Page 148

Helen took her seat again. ‘You were a slave?’

‘Only until I was old enough to give birth,’ said the reaper. ‘My master sold me off straight away. Little did they know that I was infertile.’

With the young guardsman still present in the room, the Queen just glanced at Mehlsanz.

‘Anyhow, you should really get some meditating done.’

‘I still do not understand how you could need me to protect you from anything.’

‘Yeah, well. The world is a bigger and scarier place than you yet realize, Your Majesty.’

‘Please do not call me that.’

‘Helen of the House Belgrant?’

‘Simply Helen will suffice.’

‘Okay, Simply Helen.’

‘You...’

‘Sounds like the title of a movie. “Simply Helen. Come along as one woman discovers what it means to be herself.” I bet you’d go see it, too, you generic old biddy.’

‘You are insufferable...’

‘Yeah, you definitely would.’

‘Please return to observing the castle.’

‘Fine. Do your meditation while I’m gone.’

‘Very well.’

The reaper left, and Helen attempted to do as she was asked, but she found it incredibly difficult to meditate with a stranger watching her. Surely, the guardsman must have thought she was sleeping, and the idea that he would then return to his comrades and tell them of how he saw the Queen sleeping on the job was more than enough to disturb her focus.

At length, however, Mehlsanz interrupted her vain efforts. ‘Oh no...’

‘What is it?’

‘I found a wandering soul in the basement. Someone died down here. And recently, too.’

‘How recently?’

‘Hours, at most.’

-+-+-+-+-

Hector didn’t mind the highway so much. The turns were long and gradual, and there wasn’t much traffic this early in the morning. The only bad part was having to avoid road debris. He couldn’t just run over a blown-out tire or a plastic jug and expect to keep control of the bike.