Page 22 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

“You monster!” Bahar growled. He moved toward his sister but froze as soon as a group of guards drew their weapons and turned them on the unconscious woman.

“How dare you!” Kabir bellowed. “How dare you treat a member of the royal family this way. Release her now!”

The Fae King moved closer to us, his steps slow and deliberate. “I don’t think you’re understanding what’s going on here. Your household is meaningless. You are no longer in charge or Drakous. This kingdom is mine. And Athos will be next.”

9

Ara

The dragon shifters roared,each of them charging toward the Fae King, but they came up short, freezing in place in front of him. Wearing bewildered expressions, they glanced back at the rest of us.

“Why didn’t they shift?” Vanth asked.

The Fae King held up his hand, a purple stone gleaming and sparkling on his middle finger. “It’s nice, isn’t it? A gift from a friend of mine.” He turned his attention to his children. “You might have stolen your mother’s magic from me, but I found alternatives that might be even better. I don’t even need the power of the gods. With this magic, even they can’t defeat me.”

He walked to the dragons, then shoved Bahar with an unnatural force. The Dragon King fell backward, unable tohold himself upright. The Fae King laughed and his audience laughed with him. This time, it felt a little more like they approved of the joke.

“They can’t shift. This whole room has been warded. I can’t have a dragon sneak up on me and burn me alive.” He kicked Bahar just as he was getting up, knocking the king to the ground again. “What a pathetic mess.”

Shadows billowed around us, darkness quickly enveloping the Fae King. Vanth charged, his blade drawn. The crowd screamed but made no move for the exit. As I backed away from the fight and the increasing shadows, I noticed that the doors were barred, multiple guards standing at them. None of us were getting out of here easily.

Grunting and the sound of clashing metal told me a battle was underway, but I couldn’t see the fight through the thick shadows expanding in front of me.

The dragon shifters were on their feet, but they were only visible for a moment before they were smothered by the darkness.

Laera stood next to me, focused on something I couldn’t see, doing whatever it was that she could to aid our cause.

Guards moved closer, awkwardly staring at the increasing dark cloud. I heard them arguing, trying to decide if they should join the fight, or if they’d accidentally harm the king in the process.

“Enough!” The Fae King’s voice echoed around the room.

The shadows cleared and I saw Ryvin on the ground, Vanth’s blade at his throat. The shifter quickly raised his weapon and turned to find his target. Both dragon shifters were nearby, weapons in their grip. Everyone was breathing heavy.

“Kill the princess,” the Fae King said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“No!” I ran, knowing I was the closest. Guards quickly intercepted me, capturing me and holding me in place.

It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. The dragon princes were running, but they were too slow. Ryvin and Vanth charged forward, even Laera was making her way toward the guards holding the woman captive.

Her head was on the floor before anyone reached her.

The scream of pain from the dragon princes nearly tore me in two. It was as if someone had splintered their very soul. They probably felt like someone had.

“Kill them all!” the Fae King shouted.

The crowd erupted in cheers, the sound deafening.

The guards descended upon my friends and the guards holding me released me so they could unsheathe their weapons.

I pulled a dagger from my thigh and stabbed the first guard in the neck before he knew what hit him. I swept my leg under the foot of the second one just as he pointed his sword at me. He landed with a thud and I didn’t hesitate to plunge my knife into his neck.

Bright red blood coated my hands and arms. I could taste the copper tang and I knew I had to be covered in thestuff. There wasn’t any time to dwell as more guards charged toward me and I had to fight.

The crowd started throwing things, and I had to dodge as I was avoiding the guards coming after me.

My friends were all surrounded, attacking soldiers wearing tunics of various colors. Ryvin stood out in black, making him the easiest to find. His shadows billowed around him, taking down any fae who was stupid enough to challenge him. Vanth was larger than most of the fae he was fighting, and he was taking out two at a time. Laera had a sword drawn and was holding her own well.

With the number of guards who continued to charge Ryvin, I couldn’t bring myself to test out using any of his shadows for myself. I was insignificant, likely not seen as much of a threat as the others. I knew that could work to my advantage and I weaved around the fighters, searching for anyone who was distracted. My kills weren’t dignified. Stabbing them from behind wasn’t going to get me any accolades, but we were outnumbered and fighting for our lives.

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