For The Whored: Beyond Ch. 30

Katie shook her head. "I'll take breaks. All I have to do is a little here, a little there, and I'll make progress, you'll see."

--

Elunara stalked through town, angry and determined. She recognized that emblem, and that bastard would pay. At the training yard, she signaled Mark. When he jogged over, she held up the emblem. "Where is he?" She growled.

"What did he do?"

"I'll let you know."

"Might be home right now, he's not on duty today."

"He got a set group of buddies?"

--

The man groaned and rocked his head back and forth. Wincing, his lashes fluttered as he tried to open his eyes. When his brain registered the form sitting in front of him, he jolted. "Your majesty!" He tried to stand but found himself bound. Struggling, he realized he was tied to a chair.

"Here's how this works... you lie to me; I slice you into ribbons. You tell the truth, you may yet live."

Swallowing, he froze in place. Her temper was legendary, her dagger lethal. Nodding, he stared at the angry Queen sitting before him.

"So, tell me, Lucifra... Why did I find this at Sunwood's?" She held up the emblem.

"The Tauren?"

"Yes, the Tauren." She fiddled with her dagger. "Don't test my patience."

"Of course, ma'am. I would never."

"Answer me."

He swallowed. "Jake told me that Sunwood attacked him and his buddies. Asked me if we would go get some payback."

"You and who else?"

"Me, Tonya, and Randall."

"So, it was six against one unarmed, unequipped Tauren?"

"How... How did you know there were six of us?"

Elunara narrowed her eyes. "So, you and your friends helped Jake and his friends nearly kill my friend?"

"We didn't try to kill him! Just teach him a lesson! Put him in his place!"

Lightning fast, the dagger shot out, cutting Lucifra in the face. "You're in a world of shit. The only reason I don't go for your throat right now is that you're the least of my problems. You will take whatever money you have and you will buy my friend some replacement flowers. That is only the beginning of your punishment. I have already informed High General Mark, that if you live, you will work harder than you ever have in your life. Report to Tonya and Randall that they are to do the same. I have to fry Jake's ass."

--

Intent on her target, Elunara stalked through town. Jake was the same fucker that had Tina in knots that day that she lashed out on Grogek. Jake was a notorious skirt chaser and had a taste for younger flesh. How he was still married was anyone's guess. At the house, Elunara pounded on the door.

When the door opened, Elunara eyed the bruise on the woman's face.

"Oh, your majesty." The woman curtsied.

"Is your husband home?"

The woman hesitated as her hand went to her face. "Y-yes."

"Leave."

"What?"

Elunara jerked a thumb behind her. "Go buy something pretty. Tell them Elunara is paying for it."

Wiping her hands on her apron, the woman shook her head. "But, I don't understand."

"That is a royal order."

"Yes ma'am!" The woman scrambled out of the house, pausing only a moment to look back with worry.

"MARIE!" Screamed a voice from the back of the house. "Where's my dinner?!"

Elunara slammed the door behind her and followed the voice.

Jake hesitated, but then crossed his arms and cocked a grin at Elunara. "What brings you my way?"

In a flash, she was at his side, holding him by the throat and dangling him above the floor. His legs kicked weakly against hers. "I think you know the answer to that." She growled.

"I don't care what the little bitch says." He coughed. "She was asking for it."

"Wrong answer." She plowed her fist into his stomach and dropped him to the floor. He gasped and held his stomach. Grabbing him by the hair, she yanked him up and pulled her dagger. "I want the name of your little friends."

Jake spit. "Fuck off."

"Wrong answer." She yanked him up and kneed him in the groin. As he doubled over, she shoved her dagger into his rib. Yanking out the dagger, she began to stab him in random locations, always careful to not puncture any internal organs. Shoving him bleeding and bruised into his chair, she grabbed him by the hair again and held the dagger to his throat. "Names."

"Portly and Hangus." He gasped.

"Good boy." She let him go and stepped back.

He gasped and tried to grab parts of his body. "You're crazy." He sputtered.

"You attacked my daughter. For that, you die." She grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back, raking her dagger across his throat. Dismissing her dagger, she shoved his head down on the table. "Gee, I'll have to apologize to your wife for the mess."

Once outside, she summoned a guard. "Dispose of that trash." She jerked her head back towards the house. "I have more pests to rid the world of."

--

Up in the Keep, Elunara flopped down in her office chair. "Now I think I'm ready to tackle those housing contracts."

Varian eyed her. "Why is there blood on your shirt?"

"None of it is mine."

"Why. Is. There. Blood?"

Elunara sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. "A trio of men attacked Katie. I had a little... execution party."

Varian stared at her. "You..." Burying his face in his hands he groaned. "Elunara, that is NOT how we do things here."

"Rapists deserve to die. Trying to rape my daughter deserves the nastiest death I can procure. Besides, it was quiet, and now Katie doesn't have to stand trial."

"You know Katie would not stand trial."

"No, but she'd have to face her attackers in a court and try to prove it was them. I didn't want her to have to do that."

Taking off his gloves, he rubbed his eyes. "Elunara, by all that is holy... even you say that a person is stronger when they face their foes head on. You could have at least sent them to trial and then executed them. It is not justice to be the judge, jury, and executioner."

"I'm queen. I'm already all three of those things."

"You're also exceedingly difficult."

A knock on the door had them both looking over. Anduin stood there, a frown on his face. "There is a woman here claiming Elunara killed her husband?"

"That would be me." Elunara stood up.

Anduin's eyes went wide. "You killed someone?"

"I've killed a lot of someones. They deserved it." She pushed past Anduin and went into the throne room.

"You killed my husband!" The woman wailed.

"Ms. Marie, your husband sexually assaulted my daughter."

"He would never do such a thing! He was a good man, and now he's dead."

Elunara put her fingers to her eyes and sighed. "He was a shithead, a womanizer, and a pervert. He tried to have sex with my then fourteen-year-old daughter Tina, and then he sexually assaulted my newest daughter Katie. He was not "a good man". Hell, look at what he did to your face."

Marie put a hand to her cheek. "It was my own fault, I..."

"You what? What did you do to deserve a whack to the face like that?"

"I... I don't know. He was just so angry, and I was in the way. I'm always in the way."

Elunara shook her head. "This is what I'm talking about. No man should ever hit you just because he fucking felt like it. Listen, move out of that house, find another little place, and find you a decent man. Not one who will knock you around."

"Where is this Katie girl? I want to speak with her."

"Leave Katie alone. She's hurting and healing the only way she knows how."

"She's lying!" Marie stomped her foot.

"What did you say?" Elunara's voice was low and deadly.

"My husband would have never done such a thing! She lied. Everyone knows you would do anything for anybody if they just used the right words. Accusing my husband of such a heinous crime would get her anything she wanted."

"And what would be the benefit of that?"

"To punish my husband!"

Elunara hesitated and rolled her eyes heavenward. "Punishment for what?"

"I... I don't know. He was a good man. Faithful and loving. She must have been after something from him. He must have refused her. That can be the only explanation."

"And people say I'm crazy." She shook her head. "Your husband fucked anything that winked at him, and you refuse to see it. He has been caught many times with his hands in places they shouldn't be. And here you are ignoring that."

"He... maybe he had some indiscretions... but he'd never attack anyone! He was innocent as a lamb."

This time, Elunara choked on her laugh. "What in the hell are you on, lady?"

"I'll prove it. You'll see." Marie turned and stomped away.

Varian sighed and shook his head. "This is why we needed a trial. Enough evidence and she would have been run out of town for those accusations."

Elunara shook her head. "She's... misguided. Let her try to find her evidence. She'll come back apologizing."