Page 5 of Queen of Serpents and Shadows

There was no time for feeling sorry for ourselves. I shoved aside all the fears of failure. We would find a way to defeat the Fae King, even if it meant taking him to the afterlife with me.

“Your highness,”Zane, one of my best scouts bowed, then approached.

“What did you see?”

“They have completely taken the city. None of the dragons are fighting back.” He looked like he was struggling to remain in his human form. His whole body was tense and his hands were shaking.

“You’re certain?” I asked.

“We saw them patrolling. Nobody is in the streets other than their soldiers.”

I shook my head. “They lured our army away to Athos. But they severely underestimate us if they think they’ll be able to hold the city. It’s only temporary.”

Zane smiled and some of his tension eased. “Tell me what you need. I’ll get a team ready.”

“I need all my generals,” I said. “We’re going to make him regret everything.”

Most of my best fighters had gone with me to Athos. We’d been so certain that the battle would happen there, we’d left behind too few men to guard the city. They gathered around me, surrounded by rocks and dirt, a far cry from the expansive war room in my palace.

An eagle flew past and I watched as it dove toward its prey. The large bird rose with a squirming rodent in its beak. By the way the creature dangled, I could tell it was already dead. Nearby, I caught a rustle and saw another rodent dive into a hole, finding safety in the ground.

My lips curved and I looked over at Patro, an old friend who now fought by my side. “Do you think you could draw up a map of the tunnels?”

He lifted a skeptical brow. “You can’t be serious. Those death traps we played in as kids? They have to be collapsed by now.”

“Are you talking about the ancient waterways?” Jasmine, one of my newer generals, asked.

I nodded.

“Those haven’t been used in generations. There’s no way they’re usable.”

“We don’t need them to be usable. We just need at least one route to get us into the city. From there, we can eliminate the Fae King once and for all.” I balled my hand into a fist, imagining myself squeezing the life out of my enemy.He took my city, he threatened my mate, there would be no truce.

“Get me a scribe,” I called.

A younger dragon who’d been standing just beyond the circle of generals scurried away, then returned quickly, panting. He shoved the scribe forward.

“You summoned, your highness?” The scribe looked terrified. I’d argued with my father for years about the waste of having a scribe with us when we fought. He’d insisted it was necessary for someone to record our efforts. I suppose now I was grateful we had him with us.

“I need to make a map of the tunnels under Drakous,” I explained.

The scribe’s shoulders eased and his expression changed from dread to excitement. “Of course! I studied all the ancient maps. I think I have the entire system memorized.”

“That’s incredibly lucky,” Patro murmured.

“Or it’s proof that the monsters who stole our city don’t belong there,” Jasmine said. “The gods are on our side.”

“The gods don’t take anyone’s side but their own,” I replied.

“We’ll just have to make it work on our own,” Jasmine said. “Tell us what you need.”

“I’m going in with a small group. The rest of you, be prepared to take the city as soon as I kill the king,” I replied.

My generals cheered, and for the first time since I left Drakous, I felt hope. The Fae King might be near immortal,but all I needed was to get close enough to use my fire. Nobody could withstand dragon fire.

“You, what’s your name?” I called to the younger man.

“Doren, your highness,” he said.

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