Page 157 of Crown of Slumber

I awokein the very room where I had pricked my finger on the spindle—only this time, Queen Sonara was nowhere to be found.

Exhaustion settled deep into my bones, dragging my body down even as I struggled to rise. With a groan, I forced my body upright, trying to shake off the drowsiness of my enchanted slumber.

All I wanted to do was sink back against the pillows and sleep.

Instead, I swung my legs around and tried to stand. My legs wobbled like a newborn calf, and I hissed in pain, gripping the bedpost for support. I helplessly cast another look around the empty room.

No one was here.

Where was Fenn? And Mal?

“Dammit all, Aurelia,” I growled at myself. “You are the Dragon Queen. If you can’t shake off a little sleepiness, then what the hell are you good for?”

I summoned my power—just a kernel of it. I let it glow in my chest, spreading warmth and energy across my body. Flames coiled low in my belly as magic sizzled in my blood.

With a gasp, I straightened, all fatigue and sluggishness leaving me in an instant. I vaguely remembered Rosalina wounding me during our battle, but I felt no pain. There were no lingering injuries. Somehow, I had been healed.

My fingers twitched, eager for me to shift into my dragon form.

But I couldn’t. Not yet. If I did that here, I would destroy the castle.

With renewed energy, I burst out of the room. Apassing servant yelped when she saw me, and I frantically asked where I could find Cela. With a shaky finger, the maid pointed down the hall.

I found my handmaid changing the linens in my old bedchamber. When I entered, she dropped the wadded up sheets with a sharp gasp, then rushed toward me, arms out, as she pulled me to her in a tight embrace. Startled, I held her, touched by her show of affection.

“My lady!” Cela withdrew to look me over, eyes wide and cheeks pink. “Are you well?”

“I am. Can you tell me where my dragon is? And where is Fenn?”

Cela’s face paled. “You have not heard?”

“Heard what?” I asked impatiently.

She quickly filled me in on what had happened. Sonara’s death. Autumn’s army.

And Fenn, racing to head them off.

I didn’t hesitate. In seconds, I was taking off down the hall, flying down the staircase and out into the courtyard. Several servants stared in alarm as I sprinted, trying to put as much distance between myself and the castle as possible.

My heart slammed against my ribcage, my breaths coming in short spurts as I turned back to stare up at the towering turrets of Fenn’s home.

In the Dream Realm, things had been different; there was no risk when I shifted. It was all an illusion. If I damaged anything, there were no consequences.

But here and now, there were people I might hurt. Buildings I might crush.

Sweat trickled down my brow as I assessed my surroundings. A servant drew closer, a question in his eyes, but I waved him away.

“Get back!” I cried. “All of, you get back!”

He had the good sense to flee, drawing other servants with him until I stood alone in the middle of the courtyard.

Part of me knew that the only reason I’d been able to unlock my dragon form was because of the Dream Realm. I hadn’t held anything back. That release, that trust in my magic, was precisely what I had needed.

It was exactly what Mal had told me. To trust my magic, like I trusted him when we flew.

With this in mind, I closed my eyes, and unleashed it all. I spread my arms wide, freeing my dragon from her restraints.

Be free,I thought.

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