Page 3 of Crown of Slumber

Samiria was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Tell me what you know of her.”

I bristled at the command in her voice but obeyed. “I onlycaught a glimpse of her. Blue scales, just like Azure. Wherever the mother is, she’s been badly wounded.”

“And how do you know that? Did you see her get hurt?” Samiria’s silver eyes glinted as if she knew something I didn’t.

“No, but I heard her scream. Felt her pain.”

Samiria’s eyes seemed to burn with intensity. “You felt it?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t explain it. But hearing the shriek of that poor dragon filled me with a devastation so potent I couldn’t breathe.

Samiria nodded slowly. She was the only person who fully understood my connection to the dragons. “How long ago was this?”

“Two weeks ago.”

Her wrinkled lips pressed together in thought. “The hatchling doesn’t have much time left then.” She looked at me, her gaze sharpening. “Azure is a Blue Amethyst. They are a rare species I have only encountered once. The hatchlings can only survive by feeding on droplets of the mother’s blood for the first year. Only then can their powers manifest.”

My eyes widened. “Powers?”

Samiria nodded. “Yes, Blue Amethysts have magical powers. Some can share visions of the future. Others can read minds. I believed all the Blue Amethysts had perished long ago, but…” She trailed off, gazing sadly at Azure. “Clearly, I was wrong.”

“There must be something we can do for her.” I knelt to the ground, bringing my palm to Azure’s small snout as she whimpered in pain. “Can’t another dragon’s blood suffice?”

“Sadly, no. Other dragons do not possess the same magic she does. A Blue Amethyst is tethered in life and death to the magic flowing through their veins. Much like the fae. Much like us witches. If her magic dies, so does she.”

Tears burned in my eyes as I stared helplessly at the small dragon, who arched her neck and moaned. “Please,” I begged, turning to Samiria. “Isn’t there some kind of spell you can cast? Some magic you can give her?”

Samiria stared at me, her otherworldly eyes drilling into me as if trying to convey some hidden meaning. After a long moment, she said, “Blue Amethysts are born of the Star Court.”

My head whipped toward her in shock. “The Star Court? I thought all dragons came from here.”

“Oh, child, the dragons once wereeverywhere. Long before fae kind came into being, they were the dominant species. You would be surprised to learn just how many dragon species originated from the Star Court.” Her shrewd eyes seemed to glimmer at me, as if she knew something I didn’t.

“If she is from the Star Court, then how did she end up here?”

“That I do not know. But a dragon feeds on the magic of its ancestral land.” She leveled another significant look at me.

My stomach hollowed. “You’re saying… she needs to be in the Star Court?” The Star Court was the home of two kingdoms: the Court of Twilight, a place where humans and fae coexisted, and the Court of Midnight, who had already tried to take my dragons once before. The same court who had blinded Mal’s eye. “Samiria, they willkillher.”

“The sage before me spoke of a magical substance called stardust,” Samiria continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “It is rumored to be found in the rivers of the Star Court.” She looked at me again, her eyes heavy with an emotion I could not place. “If such a substance exists, it is likely the only thing that can save this dragon.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat, glancing down at Azure once more. A single tear leaked from her eye, and my heart twisted with agony. “If I enter the Star Court without invitation, that is grounds for war,” I said softly. Even entering the Court of Twilight would be risky, as they had openly declared their alliance to the Court of Midnight. The Summer Court and the Court of Midnight had been feuding for centuries. After their attack ten years ago, we had reached an armistice, but it was fragile. One wrong move, and battle would commence once more.

Mother and Father would never allow it.

But… perhaps, as queen, I could find a way.

Samiria’s mouth quirked as if she’d sensed the direction of my thoughts. “I am only conveying to you what I know. I bid you farewell, Your Highness.”

Without another word, she lowered her hood and withdrew from the crater, retreating into the woods until her cloaked figure vanished completely.

I bracedmy hands along the stone balcony of my chambers that overlooked the winding river below, lined by braziers emitting silver flames. The light cast an eerie glow on the water, making it appear like a shimmering snake that rippled in the night. Below, the chatter of townsfolk milling about during the kingdom’s Nightfire fete echoed, filling the air with a delightful babble that mingled with the rushing waters.

Ordinarily, the sound would bring me joy.

But not tonight.

Tonight, my gaze was pinned on the flickering embers of three of our braziers. The Nightfire was dying, and we didn’t have the oil or the magic to start it up again.

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