Page 20 of The Cursed Queen

I quickly put the bottle back in my knapsack, then stepped closer to Andriel, my palms resting on his chest as I looked up at him. "I saw you were being used today. Are you all right?"

Andriel's expression brightened a tad, his hands going to my hips in response. "Worry not, my darling. I can handle it."

"I was the one who rode on Andriel," Virgil said, then quickly brought his hands up just as I was ready to yell at him. "And before you say anything, I had no choice. If I refused, not only would that bring questions I couldn't answer, but someone else would've ridden on Andriel instead. Better me than an eager knight who wouldn't hesitate to brainwash your mate. Besides, if we have any chance of escaping, I may need to ride on Andriel again."

I let Virgil's words run through my mind for a few moments before finally relenting and relaxing the tension in my body. I looked to Andriel, needing to see for myself that he was okay. He didn't seem to resent Virgil as far as I could tell, and Virgil understood the turmoil the dragons must've felt. If there were any knights that I could trust with Andriel, it would be him.

"Very well," I said. "We have a lot to discuss and plan out. We need to do it fast."

Sera

The days leading to the dragon crowning festival flew by like shooting stars. Virgil continued practicing riding on top of Andriel while I stayed in my bedchambers, going through all the texts of enchantments I'd collected over the years. With each passing day that went without me taking my medicine—or rather, the dragonsbane—my magic flow grew stronger. Enchantments that were once too powerful for me to cast were now becoming easier for me to cast.

The flames I concocted also grew with time. Now I could engulf my hands with flames and let it trail up my arms. Over time, the fire changed in color, turning from its normal red and gold color to an amethyst-purple shade. It was beautiful, but I wasn't sure what the color change meant, or if it provided anything new besides appearance.

If I wasn't studying, I either helped mymother with preparations for my birthday and the Dragon Crowning Ceremony, or scoping out the hidden tunnels with Virgil for a quick escape. Thanks to his experience as a druid knight, he knew all the shift change schedules, plus any blind spots around the kingdom.

With everything that needed to be done, I could barely grasp that I was turning twenty-one tomorrow. Everything else was more important than celebrating another year of my birth.Though, this year seemed to have been filled with surprises. Between pretending to be ecstatic around my mother about the upcoming ceremony, and spending all hours of the night studying and planning. I would be up on the podium with my mother, watching the ceremony begin. That meant I couldn't help Andriel and the others out.

"I couldnotgo," I pointed out. "We rush to the stables while everyone gathers at the coliseum and break out Andriel and the other two dragons."

Virgil shook his head. "No, I'm going to need you to go. Doing so will provide a distraction to the queen while I work on rescuing the dragons."

I almost argued that I wasn't going, but something prevented me from saying anything. The knowledge that Mother and I would be alone up on that podium. Secluded enough to talk, and hopefully get some answers. If I was abandoning her and the Zeffari Kingdom, I'd want to face her one last time. To confront her and demand explanations. It may be my only chance since the next time we'd meet would likely be on the battlefield.

"Fine," I relented. "But what of the guards?"

"Don't worry about me, Sera. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but you'd still be outnumbered."

"Who says I'll be alone? Since I'm the best-ranking knight to be promoted to dragon rider, this year, that means I get to pick my dragon first. Once I break the seals off Andriel, he can help me."

That did nothing to ease my worries. So many things could still go wrong, and this was something we could not afford to mess up. But I had to trust in Virgil, and hope that he and Andriel would be okay.

My eyes looked down at the interior map of the castle, but my focus wasn't on that. In less than a day, Virgil and I wouldleave the Zeffari Kingdom with the dragons. Everything would change.

"Sera?" Virgil cocked his head in my direction. "Something on your mind?"

I licked my lips before leaving my head back and sighed. "What do you think the outside world would be like? I never left the kingdom before, much less the Atheynia Region. I know not what to expect outside these walls."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Virgil chuckled, then wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to his side. My head instinctively dropped to his shoulder, relaxing into his embrace. "Whatever is out there, whatever we may face, at least we'll face it together."

A soft smile formed on my lips, happy to have someone like Virgil in my corner. I'd never be able to repay him for all the sacrifices he was making for me. He was leaving behind his entire life. His family. He was doing it for me, and I felt bad that he had to abandon everything.

"Are you going to miss her?" I whispered.

"Miss who?"

"Your mother."

Virgil stiffened. "Of course I will. I could only hope that she'd be fine without me. It's not as if she could come with us."

I almost suggested we could try. I knew he'd fear for her safety once he was gone. Virgil was the only thing his mother had since his father had passed. She'd always greet me warmly when she spotted me around the castle. His mother was another good one. Someone who didn't judge me for my lack of talents. Maybe it was because of my friendship with Virgil. I only hoped his involvement in this escape wouldn't have dire consequences for his mother.

"I may not be as connected to you as Andriel, but even I could feel the worries wafting out of you," Virgil said.

Looking up at him, I noticed the faint stubble of hair peppering his jawline that I otherwise wouldn't have seen from a distance.

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