Page 47 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

"Shh, Gran." The younger woman imprisoned with her tugs here away from the bars.

"Pay them no mind," Lord Rook advises me, advancing down the line of cells.

Li nudges me forward, taking up the rear. I cast one glance back at the women, only to find the older one waving at me cheerily and the younger one staring at me with dark, sad eyes.

What did the old woman mean--I was wondering when you'd be back? A shiver runs down my spine.

Weird as it was, it's pushed from my mind as I'm led past another dozen cells, some occupied and some empty. A phalanx of guards dressed in black armor stand impassively by, though as we reach the exit, four peel off, two going ahead of Lord Rook and two taking up the rear behind Li.

I keep my eyes and ears open as I'm led out into a corridor carved from the same black rock as the prison. From there, my captors follow a twisting path, taking turns seemingly at random. I'm trying my best to draw a map in my head, but before long I'm completely turned around. We finally reach a set of spiraling stone stairs. I'm grateful they didn't bind my hands as I grip onto the railing. We climb three flights, and I'm winded by the time we reach the top, my body and mind both still weak after Li's attack.

I'm snapped back into sharp alert as we exit the stairwell and emerge into a different part of the building entirely. The rooms in this area still hewn from the same black stone walls, but unlike the subterranean levels, they're polished to a high shine. Pale, cold sun leaks in from high windows, but the weak light does little to dispel the darkness. Everything feels old, from the ornate, antique furniture to the tapestries, woven to show gruesome scenes of dragons devouring humans and laying cities to waste.

These are definitely some fancy digs. My stomach tightens as it dawns on me that we might be in the Shadow King's Citadel. That ancient castle stronghold where we were always told that Shadow Dragons took their victims--never to be heard from again.

"Do not speak unless you are spoken to," Lord Rook warns me, continuing on into an adjoining corridor.

I nod, working to keep up. As we pass a set of closed doors, I stagger, though. A dark power reaches into my chest and yanks. The magic feels sharp--like chewing on glass, or a silent, screeching note that hurts your ears and vibrates your bones. I put my hand to the wall to steady myself, but Lord Rook instantly knocks my arm back down. True alarm crosses his face before his expression evens back out.

"Touch nothing," he says sharply.

"Got it," I manage. I glance back at the set of doors again. A whole series of magical locks glow with power, securing them. They're inlaid with glass, though, and through the small windows, I think I spy rows of shelves laden with spheres. Before I can look any more closely, Li shoves me, and it's all I can do to keep my balance.

The further we go, the more elegant the decor becomes. Security becomes tighter, too, until we reach a big receiving room with dozens of guards standing at attention.

"Sit here." Lord Rook points at a set of black velvet cushioned chairs positioned against the wall. He doesn't wait to see if I followed his command before striding ahead to speak with the biggest, burliest guard of all.

Exhausted, I sink into one of the chairs. It's hard as a rock.

I'm too far away to hear what Lord Rook is saying, but the guard he's talking to snaps his gaze to me. His eyes are black and swirling with magic. I can practically see the dark wings of his dragon flapping through his irises; can almost smell the black smoke.

There's a commotion back by the door, though, and I turn my head to see what's going on. Yet more guards march into the room. As they stride by, I catch a glimpse of a woman in their midst. She's dressed in a long, black gown, with a silver tiara on her head set with glittering black gemstones.

My breath catches, and before I can stop myself, I gasp, "Princess Aria."

Aria's head snaps around, and her gray eyes meet mine. A jolt of pain lances through my chest.

Her features are delicate, her face almost gaunt. But her eyes...

They're Storm's eyes. This is definitely Aria--Prince Storm's younger sister. The Air Kingdom's princess who disappeared for years, only to return on the eve of the Emergence.

Memories of that awful night assault me. Aria was there when Prince Storm and I were discovered. Scattershot jolts of pain lance through me. In a single moment, my heart was broken, and my life as I knew it shattered.

But before we gave into passion--before we said goodbye the only way that we knew how...

Storm opened up to me. For the first time in our sham of a relationship, he confessed his deepest regret, his most secretly held shame.

He held himself responsible for Aria's disappearance. He couldn't protect her--just like he couldn't protect me. He seemed so pained.

Only it was more than that. She was back, and his father had some sort of plan he was putting into motion. Storm was trying to stop it, but he felt hopeless.

Is this what he was talking about?

Is it by their father's design that Princess Aria is here? Deep in the heart of the Shadow Dragon Kingdom? Dressed in Shadow Dragon finery?

A flicker of something unnamable passes through her gray eyes. And then she's looking away. Utterly ignoring me.

And Li is in my face. "You do not address the Shadow King's fiancée."

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