Page 49 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

Without my leave, I drop to my knees, and my head bows. I gasp, breathing hard against the pressure that forced me to collapse like this. Straining, I lift my gaze again, but the king is all but impossible to look at without a headache appearing behind my eyes.

What choice do I have, though?

"So." King Erembour regards me from his throne. His voice is deep and echoing but ragged around the edges. It's all I can do not to flinch at the sound. "This is the girl who's been causing so much trouble."

The pressure on my back eases, and I cautiously rise to my feet again. I'm shaky but trying not to let on how rattled I am.

So of course I go completely overboard.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I tell him truthfully. "But if I'm causing trouble for the Shadow Kingdom, I guess I must be doing something right."

There are hisses from the assembled crowd. Crushing weight lands on my shoulders again, but I'm ready for it this time. It doesn't push me down. Li growls behind me, and Lord Rook winces.

King Erembour shifts forward in his throne, real anger glinting in his black, reptilian eyes. He sweeps to his feet with a vigor and strength that blindsides me, his black robes billowing behind him, and he raises one clenched fist.

A wave of dark energy sweeps outward. When it slams into me, it steals the breath from my lungs. My hands go to my throat, but there's nothing there to claw at. I gasp, barely able to remain standing. It feels like my eyes are bugging out of my head, like I'm being lifted onto my toes now instead of being sent crashing to my knees, and I'm left all the more helpless.

Because that's what Shadow Dragons do. They suck the life from people, find their weaknesses and press on them. They spread pain and devastation everywhere they go.

The king strides toward me until he's right in front of me, inspecting me even as I'm writhing, desperate for air.

"Even more insolent than I imagined," he spits.

He turns away and drops his hand.

Sweet, sweet air rushes back into my lungs, and I fall to the floor. Gasping, I catch myself with my hands on the cold, stone tile. A hate and a revulsion I've never felt before gather in my chest. I press at the stone, begging it to yield to me. For the magic I created with Jianyu to come to me now, but the rock is silent.

My dragon is loud, though.

As I push myself back up to my feet, she roars and swoops through my chest, her talons cutting, and for a second, I swear she'll burst out of the cage of my ribs and incinerate them all. But something still holds her back.

"Read the charges," King Erembour orders.

A man in a black suit steps forward. He flicks his wrist and a scroll appears in his hands. It's so old-fashioned I want to laugh, but it's clear that these people are deadly serious.

"Count one," the man reads, "assault on implanted Shadow Dragon agents."

"What?" I blink hard. "Li and Atina? They tried to kill me, I'll have you know."

Speaking right over me, the man continues. "Count two, conspiring with an exile of the Shadow Dragon Court."

An exile? Does he mean Rhiannon? Amy's mother--the one who took me in and gave me access to the Shadow Queen's Bracer?

"Count three," the man barrels on, "Heresy."

"Oh yes," King Erembour interrupts, turning back to face me once more. "Your foolish attempt to fulfill the prophecy and lay false claim to the Grand Throne."

"What?" I boggle.

The Grand Throne?

He can't mean...

"Do not feign ignorance of your treachery, your lies." The king's eyes narrow. "Your attempt to claim descendance from all five of the great dragon kingdoms is doomed. You are a false heir."

The assembled court hisses, and I am so freaking confused.

"First of all," I start, "I'm not claiming to be a descendant of anything." My head spins. "Second of all--five?"

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