• I brushed my hair out of my eyes nervously as Belle fumed, her delicate frame shaking with rage. Her golden blond hair hung slick and sleek down her ivory face, framing and enhancing the effect that her lovely sapphire blues would pop out of her head.
    My stomach heaved as she turned her glare on me, the confined space of the chariot mocking me. Before... before I probably would've laughed at the thought of fearing a five foot two woman like Belle, but now I know that looks are deceiving.
    "Are you sure," She asked me in a brittle voice, for the seventh time. "Positive that Zarenth is under siege?"
    "Yes. Natalie sent out warning to my post up in the mountains. A small group of men escaped and attacked their guards. They then let out the rest of the prisoners.”
    Belle’s face turned an unattractive shade of purple just as we pulled up next to the Royal House. I jumped out of the chariot, two fierce women on either side of me. I shivered as we entered the building.
    “Close your eyes, man,” Belle spat viciously, her voice a shard of ice. I shut my eyes, if only as to not see her face break apart.
    The guards prodded me along, moving quick but sure footedly across the ground. My neck prickled with sweat as I mentally screamed to run. My throat tightened with anxiety and fear as I was led up flight after flight of stairs.
    “Look.”
    I opened my eyes to see the back of Shakire as she stalked through an open door. The woman was striking against the crystalline white walls with her wild black mane and dark skin. I couldn’t help but notice the feel of Amazon that emanated off of Shakire, various weapons clinking on her belt.
    I entered the room warily and my guards broke off, either to one side of the door. I continued on with Belle to the middle of the sanctuary, admiring the mural on the long wall.
    Intricate strokes of black made up a herd of mustangs running across the upper wall. The painting was like an actual thing, captured with paint. Underneath was a shady new world of trees, a lone wolf howling up at a cracked moon, agony etched into his posture. I saw towards the bottom of the wall words written in calligraphy. I read them to myself slowly;

    The nighttime breeze ruffles my fur
    It brings with it the scent of forests & oceans
    The land is a mass of deep green, velvet blue and ebony black
    The beauty breaks my heart
    My howl shatters the moon


    I looked up and my eyes were drawn to a window seat across from me. I blanched when I realized that Mirei sat there, a bare leg swinging softly against the wood as she gazed out the open window.

    She was beautiful. Her skin was white much like Belle’s, but with a brushing of light gold. Mirei’s skin was like smooth sunlit sand. Thick, dark brown hair wafted lightly in the breeze, the light playing in it wildly and illuminating it with streaks of ginger, black, mahogany, and red. Her white dress came down in light, waving sheets.
    Mirei gazed at me suddenly with eyes like gray ocean waters. She continued to stare at me intently, dark lashes framing her eyes. My heart beat picked up quickly, erratically.
    The three women gathered, and Mirei stood silently- tall and slender; the women who ruled the world… the Forbidden Three.
    Shakire spoke first, her voice holding the slight accent I was expecting, “Name.”
    “Mykael Wolfe.” I stepped down on one knee and bowed my head.
    “Business.”
    “There has been a problem in Zarenth.”
    I informed Mirei and Shakire of the battle and of the siege. Shakire’s reaction was much like Belle’s, though more reserved and a little more fitting with her appearance. Mirei’s expressive eyes hardened but her mouth remained unstressed. Not that I was watching her mouth.
    “We shall send reinforcements to the field and join with them to fight,” Belle announced finally.
    “I shall prepare the weaponry rooms,” Shakire added, a gleam in her brown eyes.
    Mirei spoke up next, her voice somewhat deep and very musical. I floated on that voice. “I will go down to the stables and arrange for the transportations. I’ll help set up the drafts with the cannons.”
    The three women exchanged glances and nodded. Belle darted out of the room like a bullet and Shakire slunk off like a stealthy jaguar. I watched as Mirei swayed out of the room slowly. After a moment, I followed.
    Outside the door, I was joined by the two guards. My eyes roamed the halls until I saw Mirei at the bottom of the first flight, staring up at me. Her legs shifted slightly and the hand still on the doorknob squeezed tightly. I flinched when I felt the twisted metal in my hand.
    Mirei’s floating laugh drifted up the stairs.