The Queen's Bodyguard

By Taylor A. Green

When vengeance and passion clash

Rae believed herself a powerful goddess until a demigod enslaved her people. The moment she came for his head, he escaped into a world where she had no powers. Forced to take on mortal form, Rae lost track of the demigod in the vastness of an unfamiliar planet. To make matters worse, the demigod found a path to divinity. All he needed was to consume the lifeblood of three Keys, scions of the world's long-dead goddess.

 

When Rae discovers that the queen is one such Key, she disguises herself as a member of the queen's guard to watch and wait for the demigod to strike. She's not the only god in disguise, however. Caiden, leader of the enemy pantheon, has also gone undercover to snatch the demigod away as soon as he Ascends, to strengthen his pantheon's position in the heavenly court.

 

The demigod can't achieve godhood without the queen's blood, and Rae won't sit back and let the queen be murdered. But she's caught the queen's eye, and as they spend more time together, Rae develops feelings for the queen that make her thoughts a muddied mess. When the failed assassination attempts start mounting, she'll have to master her emotions to keep the queen alive and her worshippers free from eternal slavery under an unforgiving god.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Taylor A. Green
• Release date: Mar 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393238348

Book preview

Part 1: The Pursuit

Afire crackled in the hearth. Tongues of flame cast serpentine shadows on the cold brick walls, and the light danced off the rough beams of the rafters. Crimson drapes, dark in the night, were tied back from the canopy window, which let the cool moonlight cast its glow on the cradle in the middle of the nursery. 

Tucked under the covers was a sleeping princess. Her small breaths lifted her pale blankets up and down. Soft snores mixed with the pops and hisses of the burning logs, giving the night a calming rhythm.

A drape detached itself from the wall and glided over to the cradle. Green eyes glowed beneath the hood, watching the baby sleep. A board creaked outside the room, and the eyes winked out. Cloth rippling, the drape darted back to the wall, melting into the backdrop of the room. 

The nursery door opened, spilling torchlight into the room. A tall, thin woman in purple silk robes pushed into the room. A silver circlet sat on her head, cushioned by glossy, long black hair that accentuated her regal look. 

Rae? Are you in here?

The curtains rustled as the robed figure detached itself from the wall. She pulled her hood down and bowed. Dark hair cut in a bob fell into her face, which was thin and angular. Though her eyes flickered, they no longer glowed. Yes, my Queen.

I thought I might find you in here. Valkira, the queen, smiled and entered the room, pulling the door shut behind her. How is my little Kira?

With her mother’s eyes and her father’s nose, last I checked. And when she matures, may she have her parents’ good graces as well.

The queen muffled a laugh. Charmer.

Rae ducked her head. 

Caiden will be by shortly to relieve you. When he arrives, come to my chambers. The queen rested her hands on the cradle and smiled down at the princess.

Rae frowned at the queen’s back. Caiden, Your Grace?

The queen nodded. Her personal guardian. She looked up at Rae. Don’t you remember? The king selected him on the day Kira was born.

Rae shook herself and smiled. Of course, Your Grace. Speaking of His Highness, when will he return?

The negotiations with the Medens have gone well, but longer than expected. The queen glided across the floor to stand next to Rae Folding her hands before her, she stared out the window at the radiant moon. Last I heard, they wished access to the Fountain. Their oases have been drying up, and without a consistent supply of freshwater, they fear extinction. She frowned. It must be dire indeed if the Medens are afraid that their Mother Desert would abandon them to die of thirst.

Are the rains not enough?

The queen shook her head. Without the oases, they’d be reduced to harvesting the dew, and they can’t collect enough from that to water their people. The only other dependable source is our Fountain of the Goddess, and only we have access to that.

The Goddess has truly blessed the Pyleans.

She has, and she has given me many blessings as well. She strode across the room. Hand on the door, the queen smiled back at the crib. She is the future of our people. I’m glad she’s in such safe hands.

I’m honored to have earned your trust.

Valkira smiled and slipped out of the room.

Rae went back to prowling the room. Eyes on the sleeping princess, she melted back into the curtains, the heavy cloth masking her movements.

Yes, the princess truly was the future of her people. She would be the next Mind Key, when her mother passed her power onto her. It wasn’t much power, divinely speaking, but it was something. From what she’d found, before world-hopping after the demigod, the Keys were the descendants of the world’s primordial Goddess, who’d split her powers among three lines. The Body, Mind, and Soul Keys. 

Whoever reconnected all three could claim full godhood, and she was sure Grimshaw, the demigod, not only knew about it but was hunting the Keys down so he could Ascend. When he’d moved against her people, his mortality had been his only weakness, and if he cured himself of that, he would have an eternal stranglehold over her people. So he would hunt the Keys down and claim the full power of the Goddess for himself. 

Rae was counting on it.

With the Mind Key under her watch, she only had to wait until he made his move for the final piece, and then she would ambush him and permanently remove him. But Caiden was a wildcard she hadn’t expected. She’d figure out why he was here, and then she’d deal with him. 

She smiled. Or maybe she could coerce him into helping her slay the demigod. While she wouldn’t mind claiming the kill herself, a dead usurper was a dead usurper. 

THE DOOR CREAKED OPEN, and a guard in plain brown robes entered.

What are you doing here? Rae hissed at him.

Caiden paused, firelight flickering on his face. I could ask you the same. I thought you didn’t care for your father’s experiments.

Normally, I don’t. But they don’t normally throw my people into slavery and butcher them to feed the bastard who fathered me. She glared at him. Now get out.

Not yet. He held up his hands. You couldn’t drive him off?

Grimshaw proved to be far more trouble than I gave him credit for. He’s only a demigod, and he can already world-hop. Rae shifted to put the fire at her back while still facing Caiden. 

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