Page 129 of Crown of Slumber

I sprinted forward, raising my hands to stop her. But the dragon looked down on me without recognition or warmth, its animal eyes surveying me as its prey.

“Aurelia!” I cried out, trying to reach the woman who knew me, the one who knew compassion and sympathy. That woman wouldn’t do this. “Aurelia, please! I will stop this, I swear it.”

“No,” Mother said loudly. “I will.” She nodded to someone in the distance, and a faint shriek filled the air.

I stilled, my heart sinking with dread as a pair of soldiers brought out a familiar black creature. Mal. A muzzle was clamped tightly over his snout, and his limbs were bound. A thick net was draped over him, trapping his wings.

Aurelia’s dragon froze, and a guttural moan burst from her.

“Come quietly,” Mother said, her voice ringing with authority, “and we will not harm the beast.”

My eyes grew wide. No. She couldn’t do this. Shecouldn’t?—

Aurelia held perfectly still for a long, tense moment. My heart thundered madly against my ribcage. I wanted to sprint forward, to tear at Mal’s restraints and set him free.

But the line of soldiers standing in my way would cut me down. Mother would order my execution without another thought. I stared at the woman who had raised me. She was unrecognizable now. How much had she plotted without me realizing it? How much of this had she orchestrated behind my back, even as I was enraptured with the idea of marrying the woman I loved?

Energy filled the air, and in a flash, Aurelia had shifted to her fae form once more, trembling in her wrinkled pink dress. I raced to her side, but Mother snapped, “Restrain him.”

Two soldiers gripped me under the arms and hauled me backward, away from Aurelia. “No!” I bellowed. “No, don’t!Aurelia!”

Aurelia’s shoulders shook with sobs, her voice breaking as she cried, “Release him! Release my dragon. Please, I beg you.”

“Not yet,” Mother said, her mouth curling with satisfaction. “I think you’ll find he’ll remain right here with you. You two are bound, are you not?”

Aurelia’s face twisted with rage, even as more tears poured down her face. “I will tear you apart. You think your soldiers can hold me?”

But Mother’s smile only grew, and my chest hollowed with dread. I knew that look. Mother had won. She had one last trick to reveal… I braced myself for the blow.

She withdrew a small pouch from inside her cloak and tossed it. It landed at Aurelia’s feet, spilling open to reveal a smattering of stardust.

My stomach dropped with realization.

“The bargain is now complete,” Mother said, gliding down the courtyard steps, her black gown swishing with her confident strides. “You belong to me now, princess. The bargain you struck with my son demands it.”

I shook my head. “No. You’re wrong.”

“Oh, am I?” Mother’s head whipped toward me. “Tell me again the terms of your bargain. We owed her stardust. She now owes us a dragon, does she not? A dragon with?—”

“The strongest fire,” I finished in a horrified whisper, turning my stunned gaze to Aurelia. Her eyes locked onto mine, wide with confusion, terror, and… betrayal.

“You told her?” she whispered. “You told her the terms of our bargain.”

“Aurelia—”

“Of course he did,” Mother said. “I’m his mother. And you are nothing more than a beautiful woman he thought he was in love with. His ties to me are far stronger than his ties to you, dragon wench.”

The light in Aurelia’s eyes shuddered and died, replaced by something dark and full of despair. When her eyes closed, more tears poured from her eyes.

“Aurelia, it’s not true!” I shouted, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

“I suppose I should be grateful,” Mother went on, grinning widely. “Without this bargain, we never would have acquired a dragon as powerful as you. Becauseyoupossess the strongest fire.” She pointed a long finger at Aurelia, then turned to smirk at me. “Very clever of you to word the bargain like that, my darling.”

“No!” I shouted. “No, I release you from our bargain. Aurelia, Irelease you!”

Mother laughed. “It’s too late for that, Fennick. The terms of the bargain have been met. She has her stardust. And we have our dragon.”

Aurelia unleashed an almighty scream that rang through the forest, echoing in the vast space. A trio of soldiers surrounded her, gripping her arms tightly to keep her in place.

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