Page 92 of The Shadow Heir

Then I saw blood.

Red dotted the floor and flashed on the hint of blurred gray steel. I couldn’t tell whose sword it was. I thought I might be sick, so I turned and held my head over the window ledge.

From this high, the surrounding peaks and the valley between them opened like a spread map before me, illuminated only by the light of the slim moon and host of stars. Above the howling wind, the drumbeat of dragon wings pounded in the air.

A smile broke across my face.

“There you are,” I said as the pale peach dragon arced down into view around the corner of the old castle walls. The creature shrieked as it saw me, its large nostrils flaring. “Come to finish what you started?”

I backed into the ballroom, shaking so hard with nerves I thought I might collapse. Ariana wove through the crowd and rushed to my side.

“What are you doing?” She stared at the dragon as it circled outside.

“Inviting the final guest.”

Ariana gasped as the dragon pinned its wings to its sides and shot through the open window over our heads.

The entire room broke into chaos.

Servants screamed. Tables flipped as fae launched themselves into the air to flee the one creature they feared. Shadows dartedhere and there, slipping out the windows like rising smoke. Above the din, I listened for the sound of clashing steel, but I couldn’t discern where the fight had moved.

“Down here!” I shoved Ariana forward and dove beneath a table.

A second later, a massive, clawed foot hooked the side of the table and ripped it away. I screamed and collapsed to my knees on the hard stone floor.

The dragon’s loud breathing threatened to throw me into a blind panic. But just as my body was giving way to fear, I caught sight of Cas. He stood on a table, sword in hand, shadowy wings outstretched behind him. He had blood splattered across his cheek and chest, but I couldn’t tell if it was his. I couldn’t see the king.

Cas launched himself into the air and landed with a thud between me and the dragon.

The dragon inhaled, the rattling sound an indication of the impending fire.

I scrambled to my feet, digging through the folds of my dress.

“Here!” I shouted, hurling the uncut stone into the air, away from Cas.

As predicted, the dragon’s attention followed the stone. It opened its mouth and caught the jewel with asnapof its jaws.

Cas’s frame shuddered slightly. “If it swallowed that stone, there is no surviving its flames.”

I nodded, but my feet were lifting off the floor as magic drew me toward the Shadow King, who flashed into view at the far end of the room. Then his magic flung me out the window.

“Cas!”

I landed on my back on a hard surface. The air blasted from my lungs, and for several seconds, I couldn’t draw a breath. My eyes stared up at the starry sky. Freezing cold air lapped overmy body and whistled in my ears. I writhed back and forth, desperate for air to enter my lungs again.

With a jolt, I recognized the courtyard where the dragon trial had taken place.

Quickly, I rolled over and rose to my knees. My lungs finally expanded, and I sucked in a breath. The king had dropped me out here like an offering, clearly assuming the beast would follow me. The king must not have seen me repay the creature. It had no reason to be angry with me anymore.

Suddenly, Cas’s limp form slammed down on the stone beside me. A shriek tore from my lungs.

I lunged toward Cas, but wingbeats overhead made me freeze in place. More dragons than I could count circled in the dark night sky. I dropped to my ankles, instinct prevailing, and raised my arms over my head. My dancing shoes clapped loudly against the stone.

The nearest dragon extended its talons toward Cas, but then it flapped its massive wings and rose higher, curling its claws back in. Its narrow face and terrifying eyes watched me intently, as if waiting for something. It was the largest dragon I’d ever seen, its massive blue shape barely discernable in the dark.

“Cas,” I sputtered, studying his unmoving frame. The arms splayed before him were entirely black. “Cas!”

I took one step forward, but a growl from the large dragon stopped me.

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