Queen Rae of Blood and Bone
September Short Story 2025 - YA Fantasy - A. E. Costello
Queen Rae of Blood and Bone
The assassin twirled his dagger around in nimble well-trained fingers.
“Let’s have a joke,” he said. “If you make me laugh, I’ll grant you a painless death. If I don’t laugh, I’ll enjoy carrying out a slow tortuous death. So? Let’s have a joke.”
Personally, I found this situation rather hilarious myself. Its two nights before the crowning, and my enemies yet make another last ditch attempt to end my life. A joke, huh? I’ve never had the greatest sense of humor. After all, I’ve got an assassin threatening my life right now, and I want to laugh.
“Very well,” I said, my voice cooled. “What a joke it is that you believe you can kill me. I do wonder however, if you can laugh with lungs full of blood. Let’s hear it. Give me a nice bloody laugh.”
The assassin’s cocky smile dropped, and without attempting to laugh, he swung his dagger for my throat.
The blow didn’t connect as the tendons in his wrist snapped, and his fingers spasmed, dropping the weapon.
He screamed but as I said, his lungs filled with blood, and he choked on the gush traveling up his throat. He fell to his knees, coughing out pleads of mercy, while I stood in front of him. I purposefully stepped in his life blood as he curled into the fetal position at my feet.
I said, “Isn’t this funny? You tried to kill me, soon to be crowned Queen of Blood and Bone. With my powers to control the blood of any living thing, that truly is a laugh at the idea of a successful assassination. So who is laughing now?”
I turned my back on the gurgling last breaths of the would-be assassin and called for a maid.
Ten Years Later
I rested on my throne, one hand on the arm, slowly clicking my black iron-clawed fingers. My other palm I used as a chin rest. My eyes stared down like black coal at the peasant on his knees before me. He was pleading about something and I was barely listening.
Ten Years.
Ten years ago today I first sat on this throne, crowned Queen Rae of Blood and Bone, and started my reign of the people in the Underground Realm.
Yet for those ten years unrest had been stirring. I killed all the assassins sent after me to stop my accession to the throne, yet the ones who sent them remained.
“I suppose,” I spoke suddenly, cutting into the peasants tearful chatter. “That you’ve been sent to spy on me.”
The peasants face slackened and the tear production slowed. Caught off guard.
I said, “Sent to see the condition of my court, and seek out any willing to speak against me in exchange for a few coins.”
“My Queen,” started the peasant, his voice not as wet, not as shaky. “No, that’s not.”
I stared at him, red lights flickering to life in the pit of my pupils.
“I wonder,” I said. “How you can tell your employers my secrets, with lungs full of blood?”
With a slow scratch of my claw on the throne armrest, my coal black eyes staring at the spy as his lungs bubbled with hot fresh blood, and a red river poured out of his mouth.
I smiled, listening to the sweet sound of his pleas over the bubbling and gurgling with blood filling up his windpipe. He collapsed into the fetal position, and blood pooled around him.
“General,” I said.
She snapped to attention at my side.
“Yes, my Queen?”
“Gather the Blood Queen’s Army.” I said in a dark order. “We are going to war.”
The End…or To Be Continued?
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
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Until next time, A.E.