“Take her to the Queen.” said a low voice. Being blindfolded has caused me to utilize my hearing more than I ever have. The sounds around me are now my sight, and this is unknown territory. I don’t know where I am, who has taken us, or where Ren and Sir Esteve are. I have to stay calm…

Hearing the sound of an iron gate opening, I wiggle my bound arms, the rope surface scratching at my skin. In my head, I count… one, two, three, four, five footsteps before someone pulls me to my feet. The footsteps sound as if they are bare against dry mud. While I couldn’t see anything, I did feel the ground and walls with my hands behind my back. The structure felt like hard clay, cool and dry to the touch.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask as my jailor pulls me forward.

“You will see soon enough. Now be quiet human!”

Now that I have gotten them to talk, I recognize a feminine quality to my captor’s voice. She called me human… which must mean that she is not human. Focusing on her grip I try to feel her hands. The smooth texture of her palms makes me believe that she is wearing leather gloves. A dead-end…

Carefully moving my feet I listen closely to my surroundings. The creaking of a door followed by the muffled sound of drums set a pit of nerves into my stomach. What is this place?

As we continue I feel the ground underneath me change in texture. The sound of the jailor’s feet was now muffled to a soft thud, like bare feet on a rug. To my right, I could hear the crackle of torches. I wasn’t sure how many there were, but there were sounds of new fires the further we walked.

“On your knees.” My captor pushed me down to the hard ground.

“Please tell me, where are my friends?” I speak in the direction of the voice that spoke, but the lack of response told me that she was no longer there. Or maybe, she was just ignoring me.

My ears twitch at the sound of multiple footsteps moving toward me. There are too many to count. Are they soldiers? Maybe Ren or Esteve is with them!

I cross my fingers, sending positive thought to the earth to be reunited with them. The sound of bodies hitting the floor appears next to me. “Who's there?”

Quickly someone from behind pulls me from the cloth covering my eyes. When my vision is restored I am overjoyed at the sight next to me. “Ren! Esteve! You are alive!”

One of the jailors pushes my head toward the ground, keeping my vision to the floor. “Keep your head down prisoner!” This is a new voice, different from the one who brought me here, but female all the same.

Maintaining my head lowered, I see out of the corner of my eye that both Ren and Sir Esteve were bound as well, but like me, their eye blinds were missing.

“It’s going to be okay. Just do as they say.” Ren whispers.

“How can you possibly say that at a time like this?” My attempts to speak in a quiet tone alerted one of the nearby guards. Quickly she came over hitting the end of her staff loudly in front of me. “Silence!”

The loud thud was startling, but after the initial shock, I caught a glimpse of her feet. Red and dark earthy colored scales covered her exposed skin. Sandsperpants! It has to be them. We did it! We found Shepenaput!

“Presenting! Her royal majesty, the Empress of Fire, Queen Kahi-Bahiti!” The drums rolled loudly at the sound of the Queen’s name. The sound waves sent vibrations through my chest. To counteract the nerves of meeting the Queen, I focus on my breath. I didn’t even know there was a Queen of the Sanserpant people. Did Ren know? Was this part of the plan?

“Rise.” A strong regal voice spoke out. With such clarity and authority, it undoubting must be Queen Kahi. Slowly all three of us stood from the ground straightening our posture in front of our dominant presence.

The queen was tall and elegant with a thin and narrow frame, but she had a bold and powerful presence. She wore a gold gleaming dress that ran down to the floor, along with a large bold headdress filled with golden feathers and encrusted with emeralds. Like the guards, she wore no shoes, but her ankles were adorned with thick bands of gold anklets that jiggled with every movement she made. Most interestingly were her bracelets. They were gold, like everything else, but they started at her wrist and stopped at her elbow. They almost looked like gauntlets rather than bracelets.

Her beauty was beyond compare. While I have not seen many Sandsprpnats before, she was extraordinary. Her markings framed the contour of her cheeks perfectly, making her face appear long and prominent. Her wide yellow-green eyes were framed with long fluttering lashes that went for miles. As she blinked, her eye sparkled in the torchlight like diamonds. I was in awe.

Catching my stare, the Queen raised her scaly brow. “What do we have here?” Gracefully she rested her chin underneath her hand.

“We caught these humans just outside the borders of the city. They are from Xosta.” The Queen’s eyes lit up as she set her eyes on Ren.

“They are no ordinary Xostan people. We have royalty among us! Prince Galleren, and his bride Princess Ariella. What a pleasant surprise!” Her words were happy, but her tone was resentful. “Who is your armored friend?” The Queen points to Esteve.

Ren takes a step forward and bows. “That is Sir Esteve, your majesty. He has been my loyal guard for many years.”

“What kind of Knight lets his Prince and Princess get captured? By lowly Sandsperpants no less.” The Queen stood tall, with her nose high in the air. “Your people have looked down on us for centuries sending us into hiding underground. Now you trespass into our territory? Am I supposed to greet you with open arms?”

Underground? It wasn’t until she mentioned it, that I realized there were no windows, no sunlight, not even a gust of a breeze. It was true. We were underground. No wonder the city was thought to be a myth.

Ren stood tall and firm. This was a make or break moment for us. If he gets things right, we could gain them as allies for the fight against the King. “We have come unannounced, and for that, I apologize. Unforeseen events have occurred in Xosta, that put all of us at risk.”

The Queen crossed her arms, tilting her head with skepticism. “Why should I believe you?”

“I have proof. But first I ask that you untie all of us. We are no harm to you, and only wish to discuss the matters at hand like civilized people.”

Queen pondered Ren’s request for a moment. Then looked to one of the guards beside her. “So be it.”

Quickly three of the Queen’s guard approach from behind, swiftly cutting the rope around our arms. As the rope fell from my torso, my muscles pulsed in relief.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Ren bowed his head, pulling a scroll from behind his back. In reaction, the guards jumped to Ren pointing their sharp spears at him. My breath went shallow at how fast they could move. They could kill us easily barely lifting a finger.

“Halt! Bring me what he has.” The guards lift their weapons, one of whom grabs the scroll from Ren’s hand and presents it to the golden Queen. Carefully she unravels the item, scanning the words.

“It is an executive order written by my Father. The slaves of Xosta are overworked and want to replace them with your people.” Ren spoke firm, but the Queen seemed unamused by the news. Closing the scroll she looked down to us like lowly servants.

“And why would this concern me? Our hidden city is impossible to find. We have stayed secret this long, I doubt that King Thybaut would ever find us let alone enslave my people.”

While Ren remained calm and collected, I felt him growing agitated. “With all due respect to your Grace, you are wrong. The King will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He just double-crossed the treaty with Theora, killing their entire monarchy and sacked their city. He will comb the dessert, bomb, and torture any Sandsperant he can find to uncover Shepenaput. King Thybaut must be stopped before the greater threat arrives. The Orc armies are nearly unstoppable, and before we know it they will be on our doorstep. We must ban together to protect the world we live in.” Ren stops and looks directly at the Queen. Taking a knee, he bows. “I humbly ask for the help of your people. To overthrow my father, and stop the Orc armies once and for all.”

With a mischievous smile, the Queen laughs. “You want us to help you? Not only a human but a man at that? Do you know anything about our culture? Look around you. Do you see any men besides yourself in this room? Men are inferior to women in every way. We are stronger, faster, and more importantly, are the key to the survival of our species. Besides, if I were willing to help you, what would I get out of it? Why would I put my best soldiers at risk? How can we trust you to lead us?”

I could see the sweat around Ren’s brow. This is not going well... How on earth are we going to convince her to join us?

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sir Esteve move to the Prince. Gently he rests his iron hand on his shoulder and whispers something in his ear. I couldn’t make out what he said, but Ren seemed to agree to whatever it was. In anticipation I watched Sir Esteve step forward to the Queen.

“You would not be fighting with Prince Galleren, your Majesty. I will be the one leading you into battle.” My heart stopped when I heard Sir Esteve speak. His voice was different…

Slowing the Knight raised his hands placing them around his helm. As he lifted the iron mask, long black hair flowed to his shoulders. Long dark lashes and familiar green eyes shocked me to my core. Who is this?

“My name is Sir Esteve, firstborn Princess of Xosta.”