Golden Hue by Zachary Stone Page A

said.
     
    The empress stood up, walked behind me and put her hands on my shoulders.
     
    “I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure all of that happens. I want everything to go well for the three of you,” she said.
     
    She walked back to her chair.
     
    “May I be excused,” I asked. I wanted to join Sarah and Cathy.
     
    “Would you stay just a little longer?” she asked. “I’d like for you to try some dessert.”
     
    Her servants came up and began to take our plates. They replaced them with large bowls of what looked like chocolate pudding.
     
    I lifted my spoon and took a bite; it was delicious – like protein enhanced chocolate.
     
    “How do you like it?” the empress said.
     
    “It’s great,” I said. “It tastes both sweet and protein filled at the same time.”
     
    “It's my own recipe,” she said.
     
    I finished eating and asked what the ingredients were. She mentioned several: hemp, soy, whey, along with the chocolate.
     
    After I’d finished my dessert the queen dismissed the diners, and everyone began to leave.
     
    “May I talk to you, Eli,” the empress asked as I was getting out of my chair.
     
    “Of course,” I said.
     
    She motioned for me to walk with her. We left the dining room and I followed her to a large balcony that overlooked her huge estate. When she sat on a long bench, I did the same.
     
    “Do you have any plans for your future?” she asked.
     
    “Right now, I just want to finish healing, get through this week, and marry Cathy,” I said.
     
    “What about after that,” she said, looking directly into my eyes. The wind was blowing in her light blond hair.
     
    “Probably, Cathy and I’ll get a home somewhere,” I said. “I hope it can be close to my human mother, Sarah, and Cathy's family.”
     
    “Do you have any plans for the future?” I asked.
     
    She laughed.
     
    “I've done just about everything under the sun,” she said. “I've traveled the globe, learned eight languages, mastered five musical instruments, and been married six times.”
     
    I looked at her seriously.
     
    “There must be something you haven't done,” I said.
     
    “I'm sure there are a few things I haven’t tried,” she said. “But when you get my age the world doesn’t seem quite as exciting.”
     
    “But let’s get back on topic,” she said. “What are your plans?”
     
    “To be honest, Cathy is the love of my life, and I want to spend a great deal of time with her,” I said.
     
    “You know,” she said. “If you decided to do so, you and Cathy could spend some time here on my estate. You’d be my esteemed guest.”
     
    “I think I might just take you up on that,” I said. “Once the red room is repaired, I might ask if Cathy and myself could stay there for our honeymoon.”
     
    “I'll be happy to let you use it,” she said.
     
    “Thank you,” I responded.
     
    “Now, there’s something else I want to discuss,” she said. “I heard you killed a witch or at least destroyed her body.”
     
    “Yes,” I said. “Queen Teresa had a friend who was a witch.”
     
    “I didn’t want to alert Sarah to this, yet,” she said. “But the witch's sisters are coming to the dance; two of them are vampires. It’s likely that they’re very unhappy about their sister's demise.”
     
    “Do you think the witch that I exorcised from my friend's body could have taken another host?” I asked.
     
    “It’s possible, yes,” she said.
     
    “I need to let Sarah know about this,” I said.
     
    “You can do so, but please break the news to her gently. She’s a lot of stress on her,” she said.
     
    “May I ask you a question,” I said.
     
    “Go ahead.”
     
    “What’s your name?”
     
    “Don't ever address me by this name in public, but my full name is Emma Kate Sky,”
     
    “I like it.”
     
    “Thank you,” she said.
     
    “I just want you know that I'm going to do everything I can to look out for you, Sarah, and Cathy in