Chapter 245: Sara, You Must Watch the Way You Speak to the Queen!

In the heart of the ancient Spire, within a hall that was not overly grand yet carried an undeniable air of solemn dignity, the air hung heavy with tension.

The walls, woven seamlessly from thick, twisting vines and sturdy pieces of tree bark that had been meticulously shaped and reinforced over countless generations, rose upward in a natural yet majestic curve.

Intricate symbols, carved deeply into the living wood and glowing faintly with residual primal energy, told stories of old battles, sacred oaths, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood that defined their people.

These markings seemed to pulse subtly, as if reflecting the storm of emotions swirling through the chamber.

Around a large, oval-shaped table—its surface polished to a mirror-like smoothness from years of careful tending, exuding an aura of quiet nobility and authority—several dark-skinned women of the Amazon tribe had taken their seats.

Their postures were rigid, their faces etched with deep, gloomy expressions that spoke volumes of worry, frustration, and unspoken fear.

Not all had chosen to sit, however.

A number of them remained standing along the edges of the hall, their powerful arms folded tightly across their chests in a stance that radiated both vigilance and barely contained agitation.

The atmosphere was thick, almost suffocating, as if the very vines on the walls were tightening in response to the collective unease.

Among those who stood, one figure stood out with a fury that burned hotter than the rest.

Her eyes, sharp and blazing with unrestrained anger, fixed upon the woman seated at the head of the table—the larger, more ornate chair reserved for the queen.

The disdain in her gaze was palpable, cutting through the room like a freshly sharpened blade.

This confrontation unfolded in the wake of a devastating loss: Elara, the revered queen of the tribe, had somehow misplaced Benjamin during their journey home on Auralis.

The disappearance had been sudden and inexplicable, leaving a void that now threatened to fracture the harmony within the Spire.

When Elara finally arrived back at their sacred home, accompanied by her loyal companion Marina, the very first person to greet them was Sara.

The encounter carried an initial layer of formality, but it quickly dissolved into something far more charged.

“Welcome back, my queen,” Sara had spoken at first with a tone of deep respect, lowering her head in a graceful bow that reflected her position and long-standing loyalty.

Her voice had been measured and deferential, as was customary when addressing royalty.

Yet, as Sara straightened and allowed her eyes to sweep across the duo that had returned, she immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.

A shadow of confusion crossed her features, followed swiftly by a growing sense of alarm.

Her brow furrowed, and she could no longer hold back the pressing question that burned on her lips.

“Where is Benjamin?” she asked, her voice carrying a hint of urgency that bordered on accusation even then.

The weight of recent events—events too chaotic and overwhelming to dismiss lightly—had left no room for delay or casual explanation.

Word spread rapidly through the Spire, and before long, the decision was made to convene this urgent strategic meeting.

What began as a simple homecoming had transformed into a gathering heavy with implications, where every sister present understood that the absence of Benjamin was no minor mishap but a crisis that could shake the foundations of their world.

Now, in the present moment inside the vine-draped hall, the figure directing that intense, disdain-filled stare directly at Elara was none other than Sara herself.

Her usual composure had shattered entirely.

She was in no mood to entertain reason, explanations, or attempts at pacification.

The fire in her eyes reflected a depth of emotion that went far beyond mere duty or tribal concern.

“Some queen you are!” Sara’s voice erupted suddenly, echoing powerfully off the curved walls of the hall and reverberating through the intricate symbols etched into the bark.

Her face twisted with raw, unfiltered rage, every muscle tense as she pointed an accusatory finger toward the head of the table. “How in the name of the ancient spirits does one even manage to lose a person of such importance? Especially when he was sitting right there beside you the entire time, close enough to reach out and touch!”

The words hung in the air like a challenge, sharp and unrelenting.

From her position standing protectively beside the still-calm Elara, Marina’s voice rose in immediate defense, firm and authoritative.

“Sara, you must watch the way you speak to the queen!” she commanded, her tone laced with warning yet controlled. “We have already explained the full details of what transpired to you in clear terms. It was a circumstance far beyond the control of any one of us here. Please, I implore you… calm yourself before this escalates any further.”

But Sara was having none of it.

She stomped her foot against the earthen floor with such force that the impact seemed to send a tremor through the nearby vines.

A wave of bloodlust, thick and almost visible in its intensity, began to fill the space around her, charging the atmosphere with dangerous energy.

“I refuse to calm down!” she shouted back defiantly, her chest heaving with emotion. “You stand there asking me to compose myself while the love of my life is MISSING? Gone without a trace! In fact, I demand to know; what exactly were YOU doing when all of this unfolded, Marina? Benjamin suddenly vanished from the sky itself, disappearing right before everyone’s eyes, and the two of you—fully grown, capable women of the Spire—simply sat there and allowed it to happen? What a profound shame this brings upon all of us!”

The accusation cut deep, stirring the air with even greater tension.

Marina’s dark, piercing eyes began to narrow dangerously in response, a subtle but unmistakable aura of dark energy starting to emanate from her powerful frame.

“Sara, regardless of your respected position within our lands…” she said slowly, her voice dropping into a lower, more threatening register, “I will not hesitate for even a moment to strike you down if you continue to speak ill of her Majesty in such a disrespectful manner.”

The threat lingered, heavy and sincere.

“Let her Majesty speak for herself!” Sara roared back with equal—if not greater—intensity, her voice booming as she whirled to face Elara directly.

She refused to back down, her entire body language screaming defiance.

Throughout the heated exchange, Elara had remained almost unnaturally composed.

She sat with her hands clasped tightly together, elbows resting firmly on the smooth surface of the oval table.

Her silver-grey eyes stared fixedly into some distant, invisible point far beyond the confines of the hall, as though she were gazing into another realm entirely.

Her expression revealed little, a mask of regal calm that only heightened the frustration of those around her.

“Tell us, the sisters of the Spire,” Sara continued, her voice rising once more as she addressed Elara, “why you would dare to take something so incredibly precious—something we all hold dear—and boast about it, flaunt it before the eyes of other nations and tribes, only to fail so miserably at protecting him when the moment of true importance arrived!

“You are the one responsible for this disaster, Elara! You lost my Benjamin because of your own carelessness and because you allowed yourself to become far too absorbed in your own sense of pride and superiority! Perhaps it was all a grave mistake that he ever came to our lands in the first place?”

A profound silence descended upon the hall in the aftermath of Sara’s outburst.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep