Page 50 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“Are we boring you?”

“Slightly, but I have to piss. So I’ll be back.”

Isaiah cut his eyes to me as if he was about to stand. My brother could pick up on even the slightest lie that slipped past my lips.

“I’m fine. I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

He flipped me off but smiled before he sat back fully in his chair.

I left the war room, and the voices flooded the room once more, The Order telling her about another outpost that was hit. I walked past the guards she had standing watch at her door and went downstairs. Once I knew for certain no one was following me or watching, I opened my palm, and a swirling portal of black ringed by fire greeted me. I stepped through into the lower levels of the golden palace. The stone and darkened hall was such a harsh contrast to what she portrayed upstairs. I’d known Mera my whole life, and this place was the perfect representation of her. Her fake smile hid horrors and the darkness resting just under her skin.

Her war drapes hung on every mantel as I walked deeper inside. The hall opened into a massive foyer. A large, twisted stone sculpture took up the middle, the beast and man locked in battle, coiling around each other.

The sound of footsteps reached me, soon followed by voices. I backed up, slipping into the shadows as they passed, lost in conversation. They were headed toward the room I was interested in. I waited until they had disappeared before following. I knew where she kept her fates, and it damned well wasn’t in the room I saw her leaving the other day.

I passed by an archway to my left, striding through the one on my right and making my way down the stairs. My gut had never led me astray, and right now, it screamed about that godsdamned room. I stopped as soon as I reached the bottom. The twisted doors were locked, but the two men standing guard were what made me curse.

Guards that were not there yesterday.

“High Guard,” one said. “Can we be of service?”

Fuck. I could easily kill them both and find out what was in that room, but then she’d know. This was her testing my loyalty and trust. If two of her guards came up missing, she would be on high alert. Double fuck.

“I was . . .”

My words drifted off as their eyes rolled back and their bodies slumped forward in a heap. Green mist swirled around their heads.

I turned, realizing I wasn’t alone.

“Camilla?”

She lowered her hands, her emerald magic drawing back into her palms as she stalked forward. “What are you doing?”

“Me? What are you doing?” I hissed. “Those guards—”

“Are sleeping and when they wake up, they will think they slept on the job. They will never speak of it because if she finds out, she’ll rip their heads off.” Camilla shook her head at me before grabbing my wrist and attempting to make us leave. I didn’t move.

Camilla jerked before spinning. “We have to leave.”

I yanked my hand free. “We don’t have to do anything. I need to find out what’s behind those doors.”

“No, you don’t.” She sounded exasperated.

I took a step forward. “What do you know?”

We both stopped as footsteps sounded nearby. She curved her lips inward, clearly pissed, and turned from me. “Fine.”

She shoved the guards from in front of the door and reached for the handle. “Are you coming or not?”

I shrugged and followed her inside. Once the door clicked behind us, sparks of tiny light erupted from the ceiling, dancing around above, illuminating the place.

“You’re lucky they are in that meeting. Usually, this place is crowded too.”

I swallowed as I looked around the room. Metal tables took up each corner, machines and wires hanging above them. A hallway branched off and disappeared around a corner. Camilla walked around, looking at the shelves holding myriad jars and tubes. I strode over, glancing at the ones with different liquids, but the tables spread out in the neighboring room made me pause.

The stench of rotting flesh made me cover my nose. I had been on battlefields and seen the worst, but this . . . There were so damn many, and they had been here far longer than they should have. Stalking forward, I moved the tarp off of them. Parts of corpses were spread over the tables. Some still stared at the ceiling with dead, cloudy eyes, and some had no eyes at all. Others were in parts, cut into perfect squares as if the body was forced between some kind of net. Mutilated corpses of all kinds, including some of her generals.

“What is this?” I asked, looking at Camilla.

---