Chapter Text
"So Shuri." Nakia took a sip of her tea, "How's that dating thing going?"
"Ugh." I rolled my eyes and scrunched my nose, "I swear to Bast I'm trying sis."
My mother sat at the table with us with a smile, "Maybe you should try talking about something other than your work sweetie."
"But everything else is so boring!" I groaned, "Why can't everyone be as smart as me, it takes ages to teach normal people about my tech."
"You are sad." Okoye took a sip of her water.
"I am not!" I nudged her. N'Jadaka chuckled, "You are."
My brother walked into the dining room and placed one of our last dishes in the center, "It's not bad to have preferences Shuri, but you're the smartest person in the world so that kind of limits your options."
I sighed and checked my phone as it had been going off for the last 5 minutes.
>Intruder in Throne Room<
>Intruder in Palace halls<
>High Winds surrounding border<
I shot up from my seat, "There's someone in the palace!"
"What?" Okoye quickly grabbed me and tucked me behind her while I held my mother's hand, she slowly guided us out of the room.
>Mild wind detected in Di-<
Before my AI could finish a human-sized tornado formed on the table. The room was filled with whistles from the wind and what sounded like human moans. The winds settled and the flying objects and food stopped in mid-air. The tornado faded and a woman appeared from the dust, she clutched her side as blood dripped onto the newly cleaned floors.
"Please help me." The woman's hair was floating as if she'd been struck by lightning. The woman fell to her knees and the floating objects slammed into the ground, her coily `hair draped over her eyes.
"Who are you?" My brother spoke.
"I am Queen Iris. I come from a hidden land like yours, Peto Island. My people have turned on me and-" the woman stopped and began violently coughing. Bright red blood dripped from her lips, "I've been poisoned. You have an antidote, the flower."
"You want our most sacred herb?" My mother scoffed, "We've seen other hidden colonies and this doesn't end as you think."
"Please, if I die, my power will grow weaker. My children will be in danger." She slowly crawled towards us as we huddled together. She folded her hands and opened them to reveal a beautiful white Acropolis flower, "I can bring gifts for your majesties."
"Mother, she's in pain." I reached down to her and helped her to her feet, "I can help you in my lab."
I lifted the woman, she was oddly light, and ran her to my lab. She gently placed the flower on my chest and I could feel a sudden pressure around my heart. She smiled, "You are a kind soul."
The woman's hand suddenly dropped, "Tell my children that I still love them."
"Wait- wait- I can help you. Just hang on." I yelped as I pushed the door open to my lab.
"It's okay," she whispered. I placed her down in my lab and demanded Griot run a vital check on her.
"No no. Stay awake." I gently shook her shoulders.
The woman's eyes slowly shut and a smile rested on her face as her wrinkles relaxed. Her skin became pale and cold to the touch almost instantly.
"What happened?" my brother and N'Jadaka both slid frantically into the lab, piling on top of each other from their socks slipping.
"She's gone." My eyes felt dry, "I was too late."