Page 227 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

Shouts came from above, various cries for backup, which meant I only had a few minutes to get out of there and find Dianna.

“Miska,” I muttered. “Where was she?”

Roccurem coughed again. “Study.”

“Okay,” I said. “This is going to hurt, but once you get the chains off, find Dianna. She’s in danger.”

Without waiting for his response, I tossed him through the broken door and into the empty shop building across the street, away from the smoke. Perhaps I was helping him, or perhaps I was still mad about how much he had kept from me, the secrets he had shared with my wife. Above the chaos, I heard him land and take a deep breath, sighing in relief, not pain.

I started toward the study door behind the staircase but stopped when guards pounded down the stairs.

“While my first instinct is to beat you all until you explain how you found us and this place,” I gathered power in my palm, “I have more important things to worry about.”

I lifted my hand, and a blast of wind slammed into them. As strong as any violent storm, it twisted the soldiers in a circle. A tornado of gold armor and debris spun, held in place by my power. I threw it toward the doors, tossing them down the road and away from the house. My side screamed, and my legs nearly collapsed from the effort that alone took. I needed to get this done and quickly.

On the plus side, the small tornado had sucked the smoke out with it, making breathing much easier. I ran to the study and threw open the door. Miska lay on the floor by the desk. The markers Roccurem had given her were still in her hand, and the journal she’d been coloring in was opened before her.

I lifted her to me, cradling her small form against my chest. I headed for the door, pulling her closer to check on her. Relief flooded me to feel her heart still beat, and while her breaths were short and shallow, she was alive. I wondered if the smoke had knocked her out, but I didn’t question it further as I stepped out of the broken building. Roccurem solidified from dark mist, whole and unharmed.

Roccurem held his arms out, and I gently transferred Miska to him.

“The gas may have been too strong for her, but she’s alive and breathing,” I said.

Roccurem nodded. “They know where we are, which means they know where she is.”

“I know,” I said, blinking to clear my vision further. “I need to get to her. Did you find her?”

A look crossed Roccurem’s face before he shook his head. “The smoke’s effects are still too strong. I’ll need time.”

“We don’t have time,” I growled. “I’ll send you back to the castle. Wait for us there.”

Roccurem glanced at my side, knowing the wound might slow me down. “As you wish.”

The air blinked in and out as the portal tried and failed to open. The pain in my abdomen doubled me over, but I gritted my teeth and tried again. This time, the portal formed with a whoosh, and I sucked in a deep breath, fighting against the pain. I felt Roccurem’s eyes on me, and I nodded. He turned to the open portal but paused and looked over his shoulder. I felt it, too. Fuck.

I steeled my back, straightening my posture. A group of gray-winged soldiers stood in the middle of the road. At their head stood Ennas. He was the older brother to Milani, the Queen of Trugarums, and one of the most prolific and ruthless generals I’d ever encountered.

“You . . . It’s been you all along. You’re the one she has been protecting, not the fate.” Ennas placed one powerful hand on his midsection and threw his head back as he laughed, his powerful wings flaring behind him. The guards around him did not move.

The way his armor curved around his shoulders always reminded me of talons, and a feather-like pattern was etched into his boots, chest plate, and helmet.

“Roccurem.” My thumb rotated the ring on my middle finger, and silver armor, starting at my toes, raced up my body, stopping at my neck. “Take Miska and go home. I’ll be there shortly with Dianna,” I said.

It was the first time I’d ever seen apprehension from the fate. He stared at the small army in front of us and nodded. “As you wish, but please be careful.”

A half-smirk graced my lips as my helmet formed. “This will not take long.”

Roccurem stepped through the portal, and I closed it behind him.

Ennas curled his lip, gripping his helmet a fraction tighter. “Still so arrogant.”

I cocked my head and summoned an ablaze longsword, pointing it toward him.

“You mistake arrogance for the truth. You are no match for me, not even with all your men behind you.”

Ennas grinned a fraction wider before placing his helmet on his head and securing it under his chin. He grabbed the feather-tipped broadsword from its sheath across his back. “The great and powerful World Ender escapes death itself. I should be surprised, yet . . . I’m not. Want to tell me how you did it?”

I shrugged. “I’d rather just split your head from your shoulders.”

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