The podium blew up into tiny glass pieces that blasted the entire balcony. I watched anxiously waiting to see if Reia would appear beside me. The people on the balcony were pelted with shards of glass. One of the guards called for a medical team and an arson specialist to the scene. Panic and confusion reigned over everyone on the balcony, yet no soul joined me on this side of the veil. Some women were crying, and the guards were scattering around to gain control of the situation. Jaden Dee stared at the chaos as the crowd roared below into a stampede when someone moved out from behind a large, stone griffin statue.

A gun fired in the air, causing everyone to freeze on the balcony, and I felt her resilient presence amid the chaos below. The cameras were still rolling as the shooter stepped forward. “Ashlanders, calm yourselves!” The voice of General Brown called out. “There is no need to panic. Queen Reia Ashland is right here.”

A disheveled-looking queen stepped out from behind General Brown. Her hair was a mess, and her makeup was surrounded by smudges of blast powder. Still, she was regal in her stance as she walked toward the balcony’s edge. “Breathe citizens of Ashland. General Brown pulled me from the podium when we heard a slight whistling noise. No one has died. Some people appear to be injured. Here’s what I need from you, my loyal citizens. Go home and rest while General Brown and a team of specialists investigate. Keep your family safe while I take care of these sweet young women and my dear employees.”

Jaden Dee scrambles to his feet after a production assistant snaps him back to reality. He still looks shaken, but he stands next to the queen. “You heard your queen, Ashland. Go home and keep your family safe. Ulrika Huffman will be back here at the palace with an update this evening.”

The camera zoomed out and shut off allowing the queen to turn her attention to the people on the balcony while General Brown had the crowd below dispersed. Jaden Dee watches Reia as she personally checks on every person on the balcony except him. Something about the queen ignoring him bothers him to the point he interrupts the queen as she is speaking to a medic.

“Well, you seem well, your majesty.” Jaden Dee’s voice was laced with sarcasm. I waste no time giving him more phantom slaps to the head.

The queen’s body shivered at the unwanted intrusion. I am now kicking this ass of the man in the balls. Will it leave some sort of phantom curse on him at least? I hope so. What was this man thinking just sneaking up on her after she had nearly died? “I am thankful to be so,” she retorted. “Although you seem a bit shaken, Mr. Dee.”

“Hard not to be shocked when the queen nearly dies just a few feet away from you.” He sneered.

That’s it! Brown, get over here and punch this guy! I called to General Brown as he was busy escorting the crowd away from the palace. Stupid veil.

“My, my, Mr. Dee. I think that glass may have sharpened your tongue in that blast although you appear to be physically fit, unlike Miss Kezia Ballister with glass shards deeply embedded in her arms or Nigel Fey with the shard in his eye. That man may lose his sight after today.” Queen Reia challenged Jaden Dee with a knowing glance. “Thank the Creator for your good health, Mr. Dee. Others wished they had been as lucky as you.”

Hell, yeah, Reia! I cheered.

Jaden Dee's smug expression morphed into embarrassment and shame. There was no way to make the queen look bad, but Jaden Dee had wanted to try. He believed the queen was as fake as he was all the time. I heard him gossiping with Ulrika Huffman at the charity events Reia attended. ‘There’s no way a woman with such stress, grief, and paranoia could be this collected all the time.’ He would say when he saw her. Jaden Dee decided he would find the crack in her facade during the competition. ‘It shouldn't be hard since someone was out to kill her.’ Jaden Dee had joked about Reia.

“I suppose I have experienced a bit of luck today, but I am sure it won't last. Luck is fleeting for everyone. We all run out eventually.” Jaden Dee shook her hand without permission and gave a small smile. “See you soon, your majesty.” He turned and left the balcony.

The queen turned back to the medics discussing the injuries that occurred. Kezia had glass embedded in her arm. Pippa had one shard in her neck causing some blood loss. Aziza needed a few stitches on her forehead because a large shard managed to fly right at her. The rest of the bunch had nicks, scratches, and glass in their hair.

“Helen,” Queen Reia shouted to her maid.

“Yes, my lady.” Helen bowed as she approached. She was about ten years younger than Reia with fair hair and an olive complexion. Her face was quite plain, but she was peppy and hardworking. Poor Helen had been the only one Reia had let by her side after my death. I wish I had a way to thank that woman for sticking by Reia all this time.

“Call the girls chambermaids. Have all the girls bathed, given fresh clothes and supper in their rooms. Have Captain Thomas station guards at their doors. They do not leave their rooms. I need to protect the girls as much as possible.” Queen Reia commanded. Her plan would allow the queen to watch the girls for any suspicious behavior as well as protect them. What did Reia suspect of these girls?

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“It shall be done, my lady.” Helen nodded and rushed off.

Queen Reia left General Brown in charge on the balcony while she headed to her study With four of her guards. I could hear her heart still racing from the explosion. Was it only shock or did she need a medic herself? Reia had no way of knowing as she continued down the grand halls with large windows and cream-colored walls. The carpets were navy blue and the curtains were a sheer gray to let the light in. The only pops of color came from artwork her family had created over the last century. Reia had always commented on how ‘it felt weird to know how she connected to the past generations when she couldn't bring about the next.’

It wasn’t long before Reia reached her study one floor lower than the balcony. Her study was covered in books like a library except for her greenery wall. She had opted to choose a study without a window when she first started her reign, but she still wanted to have plants in her office. I had a wall of plants put into her study, which included a young lover’s willow tree, her favorite. About twenty years ago, she planted the lovers’ willow in the royal garden because it got too big for her study. Everything in this office reminded her of me it seemed, making her look comfortable. We had grown to love each other though our marriage had been one of convenience at a time when Ashland was still rebuilding the last few districts. Our marriage had secured the necessary trade routes that made Ashland successful today. I had been the third son of the Kingdom of Jerius, so a political marriage was my only chance at sitting on the throne, but I had never cared about being a king. All I cared for was my wife and our people. My death had been a shock to all.

Booming sounds from the ceiling above pulled Queen Reia out of her thoughts. She could hear the rumble of feet above her as the palace staff tried to get everything under control. How had everything gotten so out of hand so fast? The competition was only beginning. Reia was well aware of the danger in her life and the looming threat that followed her like a shadow since I died. She had nearly died again. Last time, she had been paralyzed and forced to hear her husband’s murder. This time, General Brown had saved her life with his quick thinking. Why didn’t she react to the whistling noise when it started? She must have thought it was all the production equipment around her. She was still unfamiliar with it all.

“Queen Ash,” a cool voice whispered from the corner of the room. A voice I knew well.

Reia turned to the familiar voice after locking the door to her study behind her. She didn’t want a single person to see this man in her study. This man in all-black armor with a hooded cowl kneeled before Queen Reia although she wasn’t surprised by his presence. The man was one of the Guardian Shadows of the Kingdom of Ashland, which was a group of guards that no one knew existed. The man in front of her had no name, no family, and no connection to the normal world other than the ruler of Ashland. “You may speak, Tom.” Tom was the name Reia had given him when she had first met the Guardian Shadow after my death.

“Thank you, my great lady,” Tom bowed his head in respect to her. “I apologize for not finding that bomb before the announcement my lady.” Reia nodded her head in acceptance. “Your attacker hid the bomb in the frosted ice base of the podium, which lulled us all into a false impression that the balcony was secured. We are working on the who, what, and why of the situation, but the Queen’s Challenge has tripled our number of suspects against you, my lady.”

Queen Reia shook her head. “Tom, we discussed this. My husband’s killer is likely still a threat to me, and the only way we will get ahead of the murderer is if we allow him to mess up. The Queen’s Challenge is doing exactly what it intended to do, which is painting a bigger target on my back.” Reia walked toward her desk. “A trap is only as good as its bait, Tom.”

That was the plan? She wanted to catch my killer by making herself an irresistible target. If I hadn’t watched her grief nearly killed last year, I wouldn’t understand her motivation at all. Helen had managed to get Reia some help before she completely wasted away, but I did not approve of this plan of hers.

Tom’s thick eyebrows scrunched up at her words. The queen had been in serious danger today, which had been his fault since he missed the bomb during this morning’s balcony sweep. “But, my lady…”

“No, Tom,” Reia hushed the man. She stood behind her black desk with her palms on the desktop. “The Guardian Shadows could only find clues that my husband’s murderer had been hired by a noble of Ashland based on the word of the cook who poisoned my food. Then, the damn cook slipped on some water before hitting her head on the corner of a metal table, killing her instantly. What kind of luck was that? No one else could learn anything about the whole ordeal no matter how hard they tried. What else should I do? Replace my whole palace staff? Nope. I couldn’t guarantee the loyalty of new employees. Leave it to the authorities? Well, I tried that, but I am not any safer than I was beforehand, and I still know nothing about the attack. My biggest question is why was my husband killed while I was poisoned to be paralyzed. Why didn’t they kill both of us? Did the killer get what he wanted? I have more questions about the whole event, but you already know them, Tom.” Reia’s head sank. The Queen’s Challenge was her only opportunity to try to uncover the secrets behind her husband’s murder, however, it was devised to find Ashland an heir, which the kingdom needed to move forward. Sure, precedent would just have a kingdom-wide election to determine the next monarch, but she knew whatever noble attacked her was trying to get control of the crown. Reia wouldn’t let that happen. “It seems you will have plenty of opportunities to find clues and solve both my attacker's problem as well as my husband’s murderer. Everything will be fine in the end.”

Tom nodded. Queen Reia could barely make out his expression under the cowl, but she could tell Tom was worried. Reia wasn’t going to let that stop her. Two years of waiting and unanswered questions was enough to cause a woman to lose her mind. Therapy had done wonders to quell her grief, but she desired freedom from assuming that I was dead because of her. I had come home early to spend time with her after constant business trips had kept them apart for almost a month. If she hadn’t asked me to return sooner, maybe she would be…dead. Reia had no answers. She managed to work through most of her guilt of not being able to help or stop the murder that night, but she still felt responsible for my murder in the end. It was her own personal hell.

“I will work on it at once, my great lady,” he bowed before fading back into the shadows of the corner of her study.

When she was sure he was gone, Reia sat in her chair and allowed her head to collapse on the desk. No one could have predicted what had happened that day. Why did her adversary have to start using bombs all of a sudden? If the attack had been successful, Reia would be dead. Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest. The shock was wearing off, and Reia had begun to feel the weight of her near-death incident. A few tears escaped as she just stared down at her messy desk. My phantom presence blanketed her physical one in an embrace. “I almost…died…again,” she whispered. Before she began to spiral about death, she finished her sentence, “But…I survived, again.” All of her tears streaming down her face had gone from grief to satisfying relief. Reia was alive, and she was determined to stay that way.