Page 41 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

I turned away from him, not stopping this time when he called my name. “Hold on to that gauntlet, Reggie. I’ll be back,” I said.

My arms grew, forming wings, and scales replaced my skin. A roar ripped through the air, my body changing faster than ever before. I cut a path through the sky, my gaze focused on Jade City.

FIFTEEN

MISKA

I knew I was going to die here. I’d never see the massive, stone castles my mom wrote about or the trees that changed colors with the seasons. I would see none of it because of what they did.

They laughed with the queen, sparkling glasses clinking as they spoke of the prize Nismera would reward them with and how Jade City would be the epicenter of the new realms. The laughter and cheer died when darkness spread across the room, blotting out the sun. But it was the roar that shattered glass that made my bones tremble. The sound would live in my head forever. Tables shook, the food rolling to the floor right before she hit. I had never heard anything so loud or felt anything so hot. The world shook, and it was my fault for not realizing they would never accept me; they only used me to drive her away.

Now, death had found us and set our world on fire.

Another mighty whoosh of flames rained down, and more screams echoed through the crumbling halls. I covered my nose and ran faster, heading downstairs. The smell, oh gods, the smell. My eyes watered as I clutched the sides of my dress, allowing my legs the freedom to move.

She let out an ear-splitting roar, and I fell against the nearest wall as the entire place shook. I collapsed against the stone and pulled myself along, running toward the cut-out window.

“Oh, gods.”

My hand covered my mouth in horror. The city had cracked in half and was covered in flames, falling toward the thrashing sea below. My heart pounded in my chest. I needed to get downstairs, take the remedies I could, and find an escape raft. I remembered Sashau and Killie talking about them when they planned to sneak out of the city one night and how easy they would be to steer.

Wasting no more time, I cut a path through smoke, fire, and fear as the world around me continued to end. In the bowels of the palace, the hall at the bottom of the stairs was rarely used other than for storage. Only the elder healers were allowed down here. Shadows danced on the walls, light spilling from one of the rooms. I wasn’t the first to think of this.

“You see what she did and what she brought down on us?” someone hissed from inside the room.

“We have to leave now,” another female voice responded as the walls shook again, almost knocking me off my feet.

No. If they left, I’d be stuck here. Or worse, burned alive like the others.

I hurried, not caring if they saw me or what they said. I just wanted to leave, but I came to a sudden stop when I stepped into the room and saw what they were doing.

Their heads whipped up, the eldest healer, Franzceen, grimacing as she saw me. There were several other healers with her, including Sashau and Killie.

They had satchels slung across their bodies, filled with gold, jewels, and rare herbs. It looked like they had raided the queen’s treasury.

“You’re stealing while the city falls.”

They sneered at me.

“How, out of all the people here, would the most annoying one still be alive?” Sashau snapped.

Two of the girls clutched their satchels as if they thought I would try to steal them. The room shook violently, the entire palace groaning. I stumbled, catching myself against a table.

Everyone steadied themselves and looked around nervously. “We have no time for this. Let’s get to the rafts,” Sashau said.

The rafts. There were only two, and by the looks of things, I wasn’t getting a spot.

My eyes widened, and we all stared at each other for a moment before they turned and ran toward the door. I followed but was stopped by a sharp pain blooming in my face. I yelped and fell to the floor. Tossing my hair back, I cupped my throbbing cheek and looked up at Killie. She stood above me, her hand still fisted.

“You’re not going, freak,” she practically spat. “Stay here and die nobly, unlike your mother.”

Tears pricked my eyes, and I couldn’t fight them. I never fought anyone and knew I would burn here or be swallowed by the ocean.

“Killie,” Sashau called from a door at the end of the hall.

“Both of you, come on. We don’t have time for this,” Franzceen hissed. “We need to—” There was a soft squishing sound, and Franzceen gasped, her face freezing in a grimace. Her arms went limp, and her eyes rolled back in her head. As if in slow motion, she leaned forward and fell to the floor.

“What was that last part?”

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