Chapter 136

“Does…” I whisper, my eyes still fastened to Orion as my eyes move over him, feeling the powers that radiate from him now. “Does that mean you have all of the powers of Darkness too? From…from the wish?”

“No,” Orion murmurs, looking down at his hands and flexing them, experimenting with the feel of his new magic. “That power died with him. The wish,” he says, glancing down at his kneeling bride, “was wasted, in that effect.”

I smirk a little, glancing at my fellow Contestants, who still just stare over at us in shock, thinking that I’ll deal with them in a moment. I wave a hand, returning the voices that Laila took away, and they burst into whispers with each other.

But I ignore that, knowing that I have someone else to deal with.

I look down at Beatrice who just sits staring at us, wide-eyed, realizing that she’s completely at our mercy and in deep trouble since she sided so completely with Death. “So,” I say, crossing my arms and tilting my head as Laila and Anton finish up their little conference, coming to stand with Orion and I. “What are your plans for your new wife?”

“Oh, that’s finished,” Orion murmurs.

“What!?” Beatrice bites out. She snarls a little, shaking her head vehemently at Orion. “But you can’t – I was promised –“

“I can,” he says, dry, passing a hand between them like a blade. “Our ties are severed, Beatrice. I divorce you, completely, with no rights.”

Beatrice’s face pales as she realizes that she lost everything she hoped to gain in her gamble. I feel the crackle of magic and know, perhaps as Anton and Laila cannot, that whatever magic marriage pact Death formed between them is now broken.

I go to one knee before Beatrice, realizing that she’s not going to stand up and look me in the eye. Slowly, I think terrified, she turns her face to me.

“I’m sending you home, Beatrice,” I whisper. She sucks in a sharp breath, I think shocked to hear that her death is not coming next.

“Wh…what?” she asks, all breathy and low.

I nod, confirming what she hopes is true. This vengeance – it’s too little and petty for me to care about anymore. “I’m sending you, alive and intact, to your home world, wherever that is. But you are banished from this realm until you die. Do not come back here. Do not even think to tread upon my attention for one more moment in my life. We will part forever and that will be enough. Yes?”

She stares at me for a long moment, I think her mind working slowly through its shock to process my words. “Y-yes,” she whispers, nodding vigorously. “Yes. Um. Thank you. Yes.”

I nod slowly, holding her gaze, and then she disappears – sent back home with nothing but her shame.

“Well, that was kind,” Orion says, dry.

I look up at him, smirking a little. “Did you think I would be so cruel as to punish her?”

“I think you can be cruel when it’s useful to you,” Orion says, smiling slightly.

“Juniper has a good heart,” Anton says, frowning at Orion, defensive. I stand as I look between them, knowing that Orion’s right and hoping that Anton is too. I reach for Tony and he takes my hand, stepping to my side.

“I’m going to deal with this,” Orion murmurs, reaching for his father’s shade and glancing over his shoulder at the Contestants. “You good here for a minute?”

“Don’t want to say goodbye to your girlfriends?” I ask, laughing a little, low and ironic.

Orion just smiles and gives the group of contestants a deep bow before reaching for his father’s ghost, gripping it somehow in his hand and vanishing away with it to the Deadlands.

Laila comes to stand at my other side and I look between my boyfriend and my priestess for a moment before waving the contestants forward. They hesitate, I think frightened.

“Oh, it’s still me,” I say on a sigh, shaking my head at them and snapping my hands to my hips. “I’m not going to bite.”

“Yeah, we’re not afraid of the bite – we’re afraid you’re going to do that beam of light thing,” Alexandrica calls out, her blonde friend pressed close to her side. “And like…reduce us to piles of ash.”

I burst out laughing, Laila and Anton joining in. Smiles flicker on some of the girls’ faces as they start to relax. I wave them forward again and slowly they start to walk over as a group.

“I’m sending you home too,” I say quietly, doing my best to look each in the eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed that you didn’t get the wish.”

They murmur a variety of responses back to me, most of them relieved. One by one they step forward and I take their hands, pressing kisses to their foreheads and in doing so imbuing them with a little Goddess luck that I hope will bring them good fortune in their lives to come. I give Cadence a little extra and she gives me a long hug before she goes.

At last the only ones left are Alexandrica and that nasty blonde who is her special friend. They stay back, though, I sense not quite ready to leave. I arch a brow towards them, curious.

“Um,” Alexandrica says, looking over at her friend. “Can you send us together, please? To my world?” She reaches out, taking her friend’s hand, squeezing it tight. They both smile at each other, worried but hopeful.

My other brow raises alongside my first as I realize that ‘friend’ isn’t quite the word, is it?

“Oh,” I say, nodding and then bursting into a wide grin. “Um, sure. If that’s what you want.”

They both nod their vigorous agreement and I laugh, reaching for both of them at once.

“Sorry I was such a bitch,” Alexandrica murmurs as I press my kiss to her forehead.

I laugh and shake my head. “I’m not. I wouldn’t want you to be anyone except precisely who you are.”

She grins a me, a bit wicked, and I turn to the blonde next, bestowing upon her the luck and kiss as well. I sigh when they go, pleased at the work, and…well, kind of pleased that even if I didn’t banish Alexandrica that I’m not likely to see her ever again.

I turn back to Anton and Laila, my eyes focusing on our Selkie Princess. “Well? And what do you want, your highness?”

Laila’s face falls in surprise. “What?”

“Do you want to go home?” I ask, cocking my head.

Her eyes go wide. “You…you want to get rid of me?”

Before I can answer, Orion reappears. We all turn to him and surprise runs through me in turn to see that he’s brought ghosts with him. But sadness and joy replace my shock when I see that it’s the shades of the girls who died during the competition, all returned to consciousness, all looking around warily and in confusion.

“Thought you’d want these ones too,” Orion murmurs, stepping to Laila’s side and crossing his arms over his chest.

“What’s…happening?” Mahina asks, her voice tremulous.

I move forward towards them, gathering them all around me and making them as corporeal as I can, bringing them as close to life as I’m able. We take a moment to reconnect and tears come to my eyes as the girls remember their horrible deaths, as they begin to realize again that their lives are over.

Their tears begin to subside, though, as I offer them the same choices that were available to Blythe. That they can wait in the Deadlands for their families to join them, or then can return to their worlds, born again. I apologize, profusely, that I can’t do anything else.

“It’s okay, June,” Mahina says, smiling softly at me, her hair shushing against her cheeks as she shakes her head. “Thank you for doing this. I am…so grateful to have the choice.”

I nod to her, knowing it’s not enough but glad to be able to give them something. One by one the ghost girls come forward and tell me their choice. Some Orion vanishes away back to the Deadlands to wait in peace. Others I send along to Life’s temple for reincarnation, Orion sending a little mental nudge to Life – to whom he is now connected, apparently – to attend to them as soon as she can.

Finally, though, it’s just the four of us here on this silly platform in the wastes.

I sigh, returning my hands to my hips, looking around at them. “Well?” I ask.

“Well, what, all powerful Goddess Queen?” Anton asks, smirking and stepping close to me like he can’t resist, slipping an arm around my waist and tugging me close to his side. “We’re kind of waiting for you to tell us what you want to do next.”

“Nah, Laila first,” I say, beaming up at him for a moment and then turning my eyes back to my friend. “Orion’s already home, and Anton’s tied to me,” I say, cocking my head at her. “But Laila, if you want to –“

“No!” she sputters out, stumbling a few steps towards me, shaking her head so hard her pretty blue-green hair flutters out all around her. “No, Junie, don’t make me go! I want…I want to stay here! And help! I mean…” she bites her lip. “It will be nice to be able to visit home. But I want to stay with you all. You…are my family now.”

I reach for her and Laila comes close. We wrap each other up in a warm hug. “Of course I want you to stay, Lai,” I whisper, my cheeks flushing with happiness. “I just…wanted you to choose for yourself.”

“Good,” she growls, giving me a squeeze. “If you kicked me out now when you’re just getting started I’d be pissed.”

I grin at her, laughing and stepping away.

“Well?” Orion says.

Laila and I turn to see him standing a few feet away. I blink when I see that Orion’s somehow conjured a throne out of somewhere and that Anton and Orion are standing on either side of it. Ornate and iron with curving, smoky lines –

I exhale slowly, instantly aware of what this is.

The Underworld Throne. The Seat of the King. Or, in this case, the Queen.

“June? If you’ve staked your claim, time to take your rightful spot.”

“Whoa,” I whisper, kind of…awed. But then I frown at Orion. “But…don’t you want it?”

“Not really,” he says, glancing down at it. “I’ve already got Death’s duties, I’m not sure I’m interested in running the Underworld as well. I think…you earned it June. The throne is yours if you’ll take it.”

I exhale slowly, a little shaky.

“Your highness,” Laila says, her voice lilting and fun. I laugh and shake my head at her. Then my eyes move down to the knife still in her hand.

“Here,” I say, reaching for it.

Laila hands the all-powerful weapon to me without hesitation.

But I hold it steady in my hands, moving it back towards her. She flinches away for a second but I shake my head and then lay it flat against her breast. I move my eyes to hers.

“You are the knife now, Laila. It was your wish. The power belongs to you.”

Slowly she exhales and nods. I press the knife tighter against her skin and watch as it shimmers and then shifts, moving to another state of reality as I press it hilt-first into Laila’s chest, subsuming it into her being but not hurting her at all.

Laila stumbles back for a second but then catches herself, her eyes fluttering shut at the swell of new power that enters her body. When she opens her eyes again there’s a faint line of silver around her pupil. Precisely the same color as the knife. Slowly, she smiles at me.

“You good?” I ask, grinning.

My friend laughs. “I’m good, June. Now go – your throne awaits!”

I laugh too and together we turn, walking towards the very ornate chair. Laila skips a bit ahead of me, moving fast to Orion’s side and leaning against him, slipping her hand in his as she beams up into his face.

I move to the throne, my heart pounding, my breath short. I turn so that my back is to it and reach out.

As one, Orion and Anton each take a hand. I smile at Orion first but then move my gaze to Anton, fastening it on his face. He’s the one I truly want to share this with, after all.

“My Queen,” Anton murmurs, ducking his head in a little bow, pressing his free hand to his chest.

I grin, wild and free, and then slowly take my seat.

A pulse of magic goes out into the land, spreading the word far and wide that it’s mine now. That I am the Queen.

I bare my teeth at this world, ready to take it on, ready to make it better for everyone who lives here and passes through.

And then, full of hope with my friends at my side, I begin my rule.

THE END.