The quest has begun with the Huntress sent by the Dragon Queen. The story continues by Leah Moore and John Reppion. Artwork is by Silvia Califano. Sanjulián’s cover has the beautiful Dragon Queen in front of a snarling dragon with another dragon flying above them. The beginning has closeups of bloody hands in a ceremony to the Mistress of the Night! Entrails are dropped into a bowl while the hands reach up sending out swirling mist of skulls. The Dragon Queen from her cobra throne asks what is seen by the oracle. In purple robes and gold finery, the oracle replies that she only sees death.
This shifts to the desert city of Kemet, Capital of the Aegyptian Lands. Kemet was the ancient name for Egypt. We were told about the armies of the Aegyptian queen in the first issue. I love the Egypt-like setting, which might be comparable to Stygia in Conan's Cimmeria, great world building! The shadowy figure walks towards the city gates flanked by gigantic statues of men with headdresses and staves. She wanders the markets as we find out about the ruler of these lands, the Widow Queen Nitocris. The queen had her husband’s assassins found and held their hearts when they died! There was an Egyptian first regent queen called Nitocris by the Greeks.
The red-cloaked Busca the Huntress walks through the alleys. We finally see somber face half-covered in shadows. She looks up looking at a worm’s eye view of the palace. At Terra Drac, there are sleeping tiny dragons, the Dragon Queen asks Grand Vizier Senex about any records. We see outside of Terra Drac, tiny dragons at play, as Senex replies that there is nothing in the scrolls to help them. The queen mentions the death of her sister to the Black Fever which Senex adds that the “true power” may have been lost with her. The Dragon Queen reaches for her temple in pain as there is a tremor that disturbs the young dragons! The mountainous side of Terra Drac begins to shatter seen by some citizens. The queen says that the mother is in danger.
This picks up with the bathing pool of Queen Nitocris, she is undressed by servants and then enters the pool, her elderly advisor tries to reassure her. This is seen in three panels as the queen moves across the chamber to relax in the pool. Excellent artwork. Overhearing the conversation is Furia listening through an open window. The advisor suggests a message sent to the Dragon Queen to warn her. Queen Nitocris thinks it might start the diaster. We see the shadowy form of the Huntress on a ledge, past the city is a pyramid, listening. Queen Nitrocris has finished bathing and says that they must be cautious.
In the dark Land of Lost Souls, the Castle of the Damned, we see the Demon Queen trailing purplish smoke of evil forms from her mouth! Her bluish body is twisted and jewelry flies from her neck that look like it was strangling the queen. She calls the Nethermost and says she will act as their vessel! The Nethermost, a mass of insectoid and cyclopean forms, crawl towards her. The queen is lifted up in the ceremony to free them! We have Senex trying to caution the Dragon Queen, but she is calming the Magna Mater, the dragon causing the rumbling. Her tail swipes the Dragon Queen down, but she is able to calm the dragon.
Another ceremony in Kemet is being perfomed by a priestess and the advisor, a sacrifice of a goat, in front of a sphinx; lion-headed with a feathery mane, claws, and bat-like wings! An incredible vision of a sphinx with the closest version of the beast seen in Gods of Egypt (2016). While it feeds, Busca starts moving towards a wall that has the impression of a stone figure of a dragon. This surprises the Huntress which gets the attention of the sphinx! The advisor interrupts Queen Nicrotis with her two lovers to say that “it has begun!”
He explains that the offering was made at the dragon chamber with the sphinx tearing apart guards! The advisor is overcome with futher news that the dragonstone is missing. Terra Drac and Aegypt are doomed! We see the stone, a sleeping dragon, in the palms of golden gauntlets! Queen Nicrotis orders the city to be closed and guards to search to search for the dragonstone. The Eyrie of Terra Drac, the guards try to hold back the panicked citizens, Senex goes out to try to reassure them.
The Dragon Queen takes the distraction to enter his library. In the skies, the dragons are scattering like a disturbed flock of birds, one man thinks it is an omen, but Senex continues to say there are explanations. A book is read by the Dragon Queen and we see her surprised eyes. There are secrets kept by Senex. At a Bedouin Camp outside of Kemet, Busca thanks a woman for caring for her horse, and then asks if she has seen someone else. She drops a handful of coins for the horse caretaker.
The Bedouin woman says that there was a woman who asked her for horse feed five nights ago. We see Furia the Warrior with her skull helmet is hunched over her horse. The horse caretaker continues that the rider went into a sandstorm. Busca drops more coins and the woman points out the direction and the Huntress says she knows the person she is tracking. Some of the pages jump in the narrative, but the visuals and world building is some of the best sword and sorcery! Queens of the Lost World #2 continues the quest to save the dragons and Kemet, fight the threat of the Demon Queen, and an eventual meeting of the Hutnress and the Warrior!
Five Swords out of Five!
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