Page 9 of Queen of Stars and Shadows

Owyn shrugs. “I don’t exactly see anyone around to protest.”

It seems wrong to take them without asking, but it’s not as if we don’t have a vital task at hand. We spend a few minutes saddling and bridling four of the horses with tack from the barn next to their paddock, and then we head onto the road heading north. We urge the horses into a canter.

Before too long we’re in another forest. An hour passes, then two. I can’t help thinking once again how surreal it is that I’m traveling in the realm I grew up in, the realm I spent my entire life in up until three fortnights ago. A realm I never truly belonged to. A realm I saw only through gilded palace gates. Now I’m back, queen of another realm, and trying to save both from my enemy.

I’d left this place as a girl in so many ways, and it seems I’ve lived a whole lifetime since then. It can’t all be for nothing. Ican’t have come this far, fought so hard, loved this deeply, only to have everything taken away from me. My throne. My family. My friend. And now the man who sets my soul afire.

Ican’thave.

“They’re up ahead!

Asher’s sharp voice cuts through my thoughts. Something in his tone makes me look over at him astride his black horse. His eyes narrow and he leans low along his horse’s neck, growling and kicking to urge him into a gallop. They shoot off like an arrow, Zara right on his heels. Owyn throws me a look and we follow.

A few moments later I realize what Asher must have heard before anyone else—above the beat of our horses’ hooves, a chorus of piercing shrieks fill the air. As we draw closer, I hear something else, too, the sound of snapping branches, the clang of weapons. My heart gallops on my chest in rhythm with my horse’s movement as we plunge down the forested path.

The road abruptly opens into a small meadow, and the sight before me takes the breath from my lungs.

Chapter Five

Sarielle

Ahalf dozen menand women stand in the center of the meadow, some astride horses, others on foot. They have weapons in hand, fighting off more than twice as many winged nightmares. Several human bodies already litter the ground, crimson pools of blood surrounding them.

I pull up my horse, wheeling her around in a circle. As we move, I raise my hands and call on my magic. My heart skips a beat as my power responds sluggishly, a weak jolt of golden light moving across the melee to zap one of the nightmares. What is wrong with my power? This can’t still be an aftereffect of the magical bonds.

But I don’t have time to contemplate it further. Panic spikes through my veins as the nightmare I’d hit turns its head and pins its gaze on me. It leaves the man it had trapped on the ground, which gives me a slight pang of satisfaction, but in the next moment it’s flying at me, rage burning in its bright green eyes. I become aware of my surroundings in acute detail as time slows. Asher and Zara are in the midst of the battle, magic flashing around them. Owyn is off to my right, skirting the perimeter of the chaos, taking shots of his own, drawing the attention of the nightmares away from the people in the center of the meadow.

No one sees me, alone on the perimeter, my magic failing me as a furious nightmare bears down on me.

There is no one to save me but me.

I dive off the back of my horse, rolling as I hit the ground. My hands go to the dagger in my boot, saying a silent prayer of thanks to Uitan. As I untuck from my roll, I feel the wind from the nightmare rushing up behind me. I twist, rolling onto my back. The thing is right above me, teeth and claws and death looming in my face. The heat from its breath hits me, a hiss of triumph rising from its throat.

My inner nightmare rushes to the surface and I drive my dagger into the thing’s heart, pushing it in until I feel hot, black blood flow out over the hilt and onto my fingers. That dark part of me relishes the blood of my enemy, and a feeling of triumph spikes through my veins.

“My Queen!” the nightmare rasps as its eyes widen, and then the life fades from them.

As it collapses onto me, I shove hard, rolling its body to the side. Shaking, I climb to my feet and lift my dagger, prepared to charge into the fray. But Zara, Asher, and Owyn have made quick work of most of the nightmares, and the few remaining let out harsh cries and fly off into the sky, abandoning their dead.I feel a snarl from my inner nightmare as she watches them go, but then she retreats deeper within me.

Owyn runs toward me. “Are you okay?” He slides to a stop, his blue eyes searching mine in concern.

I nod, trying to stop the tremor of adrenaline racing through my veins. “I-I’m fine,” I stammer. “It… my magic…” Which is only part of the problem, but I’m not going to share the rest.

His eyebrows scrunch. “What about your magic?”

“It was… I couldn’t summon it. It barely responded.” My chest feels like there are iron bands strapped around it, crushing my lungs. Everything else is falling apart, and now this? It seems nothing could possibly get worse, but clearly I’d underestimated the cruelty of fate.

Owyn reaches out and rests a hand on my shoulder, giving me a squeeze. There’s an odd look in his eyes as he looks at me, and I drop my gaze. He lets his hand slide down, too. “I wonder…”

“What?”

“You used a great deal of power to widen the rift so we could come through into Eldare. Your magic is wound into the rift, and that might have a draining effect on your powers.”

A frown tugs at my lips. “Well, what in the dark goddess am I supposed to do? I can’t possibly rescue my friend and win back my realm from Avonia without my magic working properly.”

“We’ll figure something out, Sarielle. I promise.” He takes a step closer to me. “I didn’t wait twenty-two years for you only to have us fail now.”

Movement behind him catches my eye and I see Asher embracing a tall man with gray hair. It must be Uitan’s husband. I move toward them, trying to ignore the fallen men and women around us. At least there are bodies of the enemy now, too. I can’t help but feel responsible—these creatures had come frommyrealm. And if I was strong enough, they would have no choice but to obey me, whether they wanted to or not.

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