Page 49 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

We couldn’t leave. We had to find this sorceress and figure out how to destroy the gifts she’d given my father. I slid my sword back into its sheath and marched toward one of the melting trees. When I reached out to touch it, my fingers went through it. “It’s an illusion.”

Vanth grunted, then approached another tree. His hand went right through the melting trunk. “She’s trying to scare us away.”

“Then we’re getting closer to her.” I retrieved my sword again, then continued forward. Vanth was behind me and the two of us fell into familiar habits of assessing the space around us, pausing on occasion to give a longer look. We’d been in so many battles together over the years that we didn’t need words. Even if I didn’t want to be here doing this, I was glad he was the one by my side. I probably trusted him more than I even trusted Laera.

Something screeched, making the hair on my arms stand on edge.

“That wasn’t you, was it?” I asked the shifter, trying to diffuse the tension.

He handed me his weapon. “I think it’s time I change forms.”

I sheathed his sword so I could hold it for him, then covered him while he shifted. The huge gray wolf next to me bared his teeth, releasing a growl. His superior senses were catching something I missed. “Show me.”

He took off, and I followed at a run, charging toward whatever was waiting for us in this sorceress’s playground.

We wove around the melting trees, even though we could likely charge right through them. As we moved, the forest began to flicker and fade. Some of the trees were transparent, giving away their false nature.

Just as the trees vanished completely, leaving us on a shrub covered rocky surface, a beast came into view. Withan ear splitting roar, the monster swept in. Its enormous body and leathery wings were reminiscent of a dragon, but its head was that of a giant eagle. The monster cried out, the sound making my bones vibrate.

The creature flew at us, snapping its sharp beak and flapping its enormous wings. Vanth reached it first, not hesitating to attack. He launched himself at it, digging his claws into its scales and clamping down on the elongated neck.

It twisted, throwing Vanth like he was nothing more than a nuisance. It charged at me and I attacked, dragging my sword along its chest. The monster seemed irritated, but wasn’t injured by my steel. The dragon scales were protecting it.

Scrambling back, I knew we’d have to be smart about the way we defeated this beast. This creature shouldn’t exist. It was an abomination. Either bred or magically created.

“Distract it,” I called to Vanth.

The shifter moved with precision, charging toward our foe. He growled and snapped, attacked and fled, before striking again. The monster was turning in circles, trying to bite or claw at the smaller threat. Vanth was faster. And he was practiced in battle. He was so much deadlier than the monster realized, but he needed help.

I called my shadows, easily bringing them to the surface until they twisted and swirled around me. They flowed and undulated, a familiar part of me that obeyed my commands. For years, I’d hated the dark power Icommanded. There had been too many accidents when my magic first manifested. It was a risk to even be in my presence for nearly a decade. If my emotions got the better of me, everyone paid the price.

Eventually, I embraced the fear I commanded. With that confidence, I owned my shadows. And I used them in horrific ways to ensure my father’s power. I was the monster everyone accused me of. And I enjoyed it.

Now, I reached for that depth. That slightly unhinged part of me that wanted destruction. The part that reveled in the fear I could command.

“Run!” I screamed, trusting that Vanth knew what I meant.

The shadows exploded from me just as the wolf passed me, taking shelter behind me.

Darkness consumed the monster, the shadows weaving around the creature in an impossible web of death. It cried out, but quickly turned to a strangled, gurgling sound as the shadows tightened around my enemy. Soon, there was no sound at all, and the shadows flattened, having destroyed everything in their wake. A soft breeze blew, causing the shadows to move and flow like smoke from a fire. They skimmed over the rough ground, killing anything green and growing before they faded away completely.

The space where they’d been was barren. The monster was gone. The plants were gone. A dark stain on the rocks remained as a reminder of what was.

“I forgot you could do that,” Vanth said.

I looked over to see the shifter pulling on his clothes. I retrieved his sword and handed it to him. “I used them in Athos. The day they attacked us.”

“They weren’t the same kind of shadows. Those were targeted. You spared all our men and Ara. What you just did would have taken us out.”

“It was necessary,” I said, my voice clipped. I could still feel the lingering anger making all my muscles tense. The place I had to reach to use those shadows was dark, even for me. It came at a cost.

“You shouldn’t do that again,” he warned.

“I don’t recall asking your permission, shifter,” I spat.

“Be as pissed at me as you want, but you bring this Ryvin home to Ara, you might as well be saying your goodbyes,” he warned.

Ara. Her face appeared in my mind, a reminder of what I had to lose if I ever returned to that place I’d occupied for so long. It had been a battle to bring myself out of that place. To find my own identity after being my father’s weapon.

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