Chapter 25

They had also learnt that for Royal Balls one was supposed to turn up in either a carriage or a vintage Auto.

They all chuckled because they had Henry’s Auto. It was most certainly a vintage model. Henry had told Darcy it had been in his family for a few generations. Darcy had noticed it had a protection spell on it and he had, of course, added his own.

The vehicle actually caused a problem, as it wouldn’t let the valet, who was to park it for them, drive it. Darcy then stunned the crowd when he told the Auto to go home and they would call it when they required it and it happily drove off. Such a spell on a transporter was unheard of.

They had been expecting to be received by the Queen but apparently, this wasn’t to be. In fact, except for Lady Norton’s people they were basically shunned. It was done quite openly as well. Lady Norton had introduced them to one group. While they had nodded hello they had then talked amongst themselves and had even stepped away after the introduction to Lady Norton’s shock.

While she knew some of her fellow Lords and Ladies could be rude, she considered their actions unpardonable and apologised on their behalf. Huntress’s comment that she thought they were the Dogs had not gone unheard. It had also not been well received by some, as they realised she thought even less of them than they thought of her.

When she casually caused drinks to float to her and her group from a tray, when a waiter didn’t stop at them, she shocked many by her blatant display of power. Her group had also realised that Darcy had palmed Speeder off onto Boner and wandered off very early in the evening. They knew what he was doing and didn’t even mention that he was with them.

As Lady Norton and her people thought Darcy was more of an aide, they didn’t think his actions were unusual. They were also under the impression that Boner and Speeder where Huntress’s bodyguards so they didn’t get spoken too much either, which suited them just fine.

Although Speeder did get ogled a lot when it became common knowledge that she was a Shield not a lot of interested males bothered her. The way they stood and watched the crowd also gave the impression that they weren’t to be messed with.

After a tedious hour, proceedings finally got underway as far as announcements went and the presentation of the Queen. The Dogs watched with interest as the pomp and ceremony began, and the Queen was finally seated on the throne, near one end of the ballroom.

The Lords and ladies were then called upon to announce their allegiance to the Queen. As their names were called out, they walked up the short red carpet, knelt before the Queen, said their little bit, kissed the Queens heavily encrusted ring and then buggered off.

After about the tenth name, Huntress caused a scene when chairs appeared behind her and Martin. They sat down with Boner and Speeder standing behind them. Apparently, being seated before the Queen was a faux pas. Huntress didn’t give a shit.

She’d had more than enough of these people, as it was. She saw no reason why she had to stand around for the next hour or two, while they paid homage to a fake Queen. She decided it was time that who and what she was, was understood by these insufferable people. Darcy’s smile only encouraged her.

The Queen said something to one of the men standing beside her chair and he hurried over to Huntress, “Madam, if you don’t remove the chairs, we will have to have you leave the proceedings.”

Huntress looked at him with a bored expression. “You do know who I am, don’t you?” she replied in a frosty voice.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you don’t sit before your Queen without her permission,” the man ground out.

“Well then, since she isn’t my Queen and I also happen to be her better, we don’t have a problem. Actually, we do. Shields, please collect our chairs.” With that, she stood and moved so she was standing in front of the Queen’s throne and at the end of the carpet. She had the boys place her chairs. She and Martin then sat again.

The woman on the throne looked at them in astonishment. She hurriedly looked around the room and the same man again approached Huntress. He growled threateningly, “Madam, leave now, or you will be forcibly removed.”

“Little man let me tell you and those assembled here something. Do you and your Queen wish access to the Quaz crystals in the future?” she said in a loud voice.

The man looked at her perplexed. Huntress stood and looked down on him from her considerable height compared to his, “Yes, you complete moron. I am Queen Huntress of South Dog Island and I deserve, no, I demand greater respect, because I am also the Lord Wizard of Dog Island. Are you going to ask me to stand before my inferior again?”

“But she is the Queen, she wears the items,” he stumbled out.

“What a lot of malarkey. How can she be the Queen, her items don’t even work?” Huntress scoffed.

The crowd was getting quite agitated with her shenanigans and murmured loudly. She then turned and removed her wand. Several guards moved to intercept but she waved at them and they froze in place. Huntress then pointed her wand at the items.

“Magical items, please come to me,” she said clearly. The woman on the throne shrieked, as the vambrace she wore, slid off her arm and headed to Huntress. She looked at the item in her hand and frowned.

“Overlord Lightning, what is wrong with this item?” she asked loudly.

Darcy appeared before her and took the item.

The shocked crowd were wondering what the hell was going on. Huntress shouldn’t have a wand and should not have been able to remove the vambrace from their Queen. The fact she had said she was their Lord Wizard started to filter back through the crowd.

For many, this explained why she controlled the crystals, as this was a Lord Wizard’s prerogative. Darcy’s sudden appearance also shocked many. The six, four gem Mages in the room who had tried to teleport short distances in the past, knew he was powerful if he could do this.

The title she had used for the man, also confused many. What was an Overlord if she was a Lord Wizard? The fact she said she was a Lord Wizard and what that meant, was also starting to be comprehended by many, particularly those who had snubbed her. They had considered her a usurper. Yet, she had removed the sacred items from their Queen as if it was something she had every right to do.

They watched as the tall, handsome man with the strange curly black hair examined the vambrace. “Huntress, I don’t believe this item has worked for a very long time. Vam, can you contact the AI?”

“Yes, Overlord. It informs me that the entity left when the last Queen died,” Vam replied. This caused a shocked murmur in the crowd.

Darcy pointed at the woman, who was now frozen on the throne. “So who is this woman who was pretending to wear the thing?”

“She is Frederica Elders a daughter of the dead Queen. Apparently, the Queen was that disgusted with her children, Mages and Novices she swore none would inherit and they could all go to the Void. Her entity was of the same opinion so she left when her daughter and her husband assisted the Queen to die, using poison.”

“You lie, you lie,” screamed the woman who couldn’t get unstuck from the throne. The crowd were totally shocked by the announcement from Darcy’s arm. The three ruling Dukes and three Duchesses who had the privilege of wearing a vambrace had their AI’s saying. “No, the Overlord’s AI speaks the truth.”

Enough people were close to them to hear these announcements. This caused pandemonium. Everyone was talking over everyone else. They all shut up when Darcy’s voice overwhelmed them told them to be quiet.

“We have two options here. Since this woman can’t be your Queen, then I have to find you a new one or I hand the lot over to Huntress. Personally, since she is the Lord Wizard of Dog Island anyway, I would prefer this option but I think it should be the vambraces decision. If you agree that the vambrace should decide, then please bow your heads.