Page 25 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

It wasn’t long before we were running again, taking breaks behind shops and ducking between carriages. We cut through alleyways, turning when we heard noise, and hiding behind anything we could find to slowly make our way back through town.

By the time we finally returned to the cave, Ryvin and Laera were waiting for us. I looked skyward, expecting to see a pair of large dragons swoop down to join us. Then I realized how stupid that would be. They’d draw everyone here. “The dragons aren’t joining us, I’m guessing?”

“They can find their own way back to camp. Just like us,” Laera said. “Now, let’s get the fuck out of here before my father’s men find this tunnel.”

This time, I entered the cave first, with the others behind me.

10

Lagina

“You’re goingto wear a path into the marble,” Argus said.

I shot him a glare, but continued pacing. The waiting was driving me insane. I walked over to my desk where Ara’s letter was weighed down with two small rocks. It had been two days since she sent word that Drakous had fallen and she should be here by now.

A knock sounded on the door and I spun toward the sound, my skin prickling as anxiety dripped down my spine. My sisters wouldn’t knock. Only one of the guards would knock.

I waited, lifting my chin in a false show of dominance so whoever was on the other side wouldn’t see the worry I’d been displaying seconds ago.

Argus opened the door and murmured a gruff greetingto the guard on the other side. He closed it quickly, their exchange too quiet for me to hear. When he faced me, my heart fell into my stomach. I knew that look. “Just tell me. Who is it? Who do we have to mourn next?”

“Nobody is dead,” he assured me.

I sucked in a relieved breath.

“The Queen of Konos is here to see you.” His face was pale.

My brow furrowed. Had I heard incorrectly? That wasn’t possible. Why would she be here? “What?”

“She has requested to meet with you and she came with Selena of the Black Opal,” he added. “Selena said the queen comes with pure intentions.”

“Do you think it’s a trick?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure. I’ll support you, whichever way you want to take this.”

“Where is she?”

“Throne room. Alone.”

“Weapons?” I asked, even though I knew she’d have magic she could use against me.

“She’s unarmed.”

There was a good chance I was already living on borrowed time. “Let’s find out what she wants.”

The guards outside my study fell into step behind me as I made my way to the throne room. I’d avoided having formal meetings in the space. It was a place my father had enjoyed using to assert dominance. It was also the place he’d died. Devoured by the magical darkness the Prince of Konoscould wield.

At first, there was a sense of mourning about the space. Now, I wasn’t sure what I felt anymore. The lies and secrets had a way of pushing through the good memories that swirled in my mind. I couldn’t think of one without the other. It was too much to sort through with everything else at stake.

I hesitated in front of the doors, the single guard stationed outside them watching me for a signal to let me in. Once, there’d been several guards here at all times, even when it wasn’t in use. It was another reminder of how far we’d fallen. How weak Athos was. If everyone else failed, we had no hope.

With that reminder, I nodded to the guard, and he opened the heavy door. If the queen of Konos was sent to kill me, perhaps it would be quicker than the death that was likely waiting for me once this war came to a close.

I swept in with false authority, trying to channel as much of my father’s movements as I could. Without turning to face the Konos queen, I glanced her way, taking her in out of the corner of my eye as I made my way to the massive, gilded throne.

She was dressed in a flowing green peplos, a gold circlet sitting atop her silver hair. Her dark skin seemed to glow, that faint, shimmery quality I’d heard some fae possessed. It made me clench my jaw. Someone had told me that if you could see their magic, that was the only warning you’d get before they killed you. It was a sign of power.

The Fae Prince hadn’t had that quality, yet he’d leveled an entire battlefield.

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