Page 48 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

"Fiancée." The word falls out of me like an echo, and my ears are ringing.

Oh, Storm, I think. You absolute fucking asshole.

Is this what he was talking about? What he was hiding?

Were the Shadow Dragons already in our midst, even then?

Unbeknownst to us all...

Was the Air Kingdom actually the first to fall?

Chapter

Eleven

EMBER

For better or worse, I don't have long to sit with my thoughts. Within ten minutes, the big, burly guard is nodding at Lord Rook, who in turn nods to Li and me.

"Come," Rook tells us, voice imperious. "It's time."

Cold terror threatens to sweep over me once more. If there weren't twenty soldiers between me and the exit, I think I might try to make a run for it. As it is, even I know that that's a suicide mission.

With as much dignity as I can muster, I rise and follow Lord Rook through the door.

Inside is what I can only describe as a throne room. I shudder. That's one more point toward my theory that this is in fact the Shadow King's Citadel.

The room is hewn from even more black rock. At least another couple dozen guards line the walls. More stand sentry at the entrance we're currently passing through, while even more are stationed at another door at the very back of the space. My heart thunders; I've never been particularly claustrophobic, but being trapped in here makes me feel closed in. Like prey.

And holy hell, there are a lot of predators standing around. People in antique finery sit in posh, velvet-lined chairs on both sides of the room. They're hard to look at--literally. Stared at head-on, they appear to be just normal people, but glimpsed in my periphery, their faces seem to melt and morph, revealing gaunt, decrepit visages.

My stomach turns, and my stride falters. My skin is crawling with unease, and the low hum of my bracer is becoming a harsh static, vibrating the base of my skull.

We come to a stop, and Li's hand presses on my shoulder, and it takes all my will not to jump out of my skin or swat him away.

"Kneel," he hisses.

Oh, fuck that shit.

But it's in that moment that my gaze lands on the focal point of the room.

The throne that makes this a throne room is a monstrosity. Glittering black rock, set atop a foundation of what I can only assume are human bones that have been encased in stone. The entire structure glows with dark energy, pulsing almost. It's huge, too--but then again, it would have to be.

Seated on the throne is none other than the Shadow King himself. King Erembour is a giant, with pale skin and long gray hair. He's dressed in flowing black robes, with a black crown and black jewels draped around his neck. When I look at him, my eyes hurt, the corners of them starting to water. The double-vision of the handsome man superimposed on the gruesome, decaying flesh beneath is too much to behold.

I avert my gaze out of pure self-preservation, but there's nowhere safe to look.

Beside the king's throne is a smaller one. Princess Aria perches on it, deeply out of place even in her ink black gown. Her expression is utterly placid, which is somehow even more unsettling than it would be if she were panicking.

My chest craters just a little bit more. Storm would be crushed to see his baby sister like this.

Not that I care what Storm thinks. He failed Aria just like he failed me. But I can't help the twinge of empathy. If this is the fate he was trying to protect her from...

Can I blame him?

The answer is yes, obviously, but my heart softens just a smidge.

I have to re-harden it immediately, of course, as Li pushes more firmly on my shoulder. King Erembour's black eyes connect with mine, and another shudder of revulsion moves through me. My legs buckle.

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