Page 12 of Battle of Evyndral

“Yes, Your Highness.” Thran returned to the bottom floor of the castle using the hidden passageways. When he entered the dining hall, it was void of living bodies. He continued outside where Queen Zarina was holding Melisandra’s head aloft.

“Your queen is dead. If you do not wish to join her, throw down your weapons and surrender.”

“You are not our queen!” a stupid dark yelled.

Zarina, who had sheathed her sword on her back, produced a dagger out of thin air and sent it tip over hilt into the male’s eye. He fell to his side where he lay, unmoving. The dark who remained tossed down their weapons and dropped to their knees. Thran searched the hill for Elle, but it was empty. He took off running that direction in case some of the Und?nthú were trying to escape. As he ran, he called out to several of the guards to join him, then explained where they were going. When they reached an open area outside of the trees, they encountered several wagons and a bunch of horses. Unopened crates were scattered nearby, most of them empty. Some still held arrows, and Thran recognized them as those of the Und?nthú which could incapacitate dragons.

“Help me with these crates,” Thran instructed.

“What about the horses?” Josan asked.

“Leave them for now. We need to secure the weapons.”

As they returned to the castle, Thran kept his eyes peeled for both Elle as well as any dark fae who might be hiding fromQueen Zarina. They didn’t encounter either, and Thran prayed his little sister was safe. By the time they returned to the field in front of the castle, the dark fae who surrendered had been bound by Zarina’s magic and sat unmoving. That didn’t surprise him, though. Each one had broken the treaty, even if they’d done so on Melisandra’s orders.

King Titus stood at the top of the stairs, looking out over the crowd. The dragons who had been flying landed, then shifted and strode toward their king. “Can we torch them?” Queen Penelope’s brother asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Queen Zarina answered. “Goddess D?nthú has plans for them all.”

“And what is that?” the dragon king asked as he approached.

“She is transporting them to a realm where they will live the rest of their days. They will be watched over by my brother,” Zarina seethed. “Those dark fae who weren’t involved will fall under my rule going forward. You have my sincerest apologies, King Titus. I will ensure this never happens again. With the dark under my rule, I will recount what happened this day. They will understand that even threatening a dragon will be a death sentence. I will also ensure every dark weapon is removed from Winterhaven and Autumnvale, then destroyed.”

“You have my gratitude, Queen Zarina.”

Thran approached the queen and bowed his head.

“You did well today, Thrandyr of Summerland. Many of our fae are alive because of you.”

“Thank you, My Queen.” Thran raised his head, meeting her eyes. “My little sister, Elledan, she’s out there somewhere. I saw her on the hill with the archers, but she didn’t aid the Und?nthú. Instead, she helped us by aiming at the enemy and missing on purpose.”

“Find her and bring her to me.”

“Yes, My Queen.” Thran walked the rows of dark fae, searching each face, but none were Elle. He scanned the trees for Novus, wishing the raven would show itself. Thran continued looking all over Evyndral for both Elle and the bird. The sun sank, giving way to their twin moons, but he continued searching. None of the horses had been taken, and all the wagons were where he left them. Thran’s body was worn and his heart heavy when he returned to the castle grounds, praying Elle had escaped.

The bodies of the dark fae who fell in battle had been placed into a pile and were now burning. Queen Zarina was no longer a bloody mess, looking as regal as Queen Penelope. She and King Titus stood with Thran’s queen out on the field, and the dragons were flying.

“There you are. I take it by the frown you didn’t find your sister?”

“No, My Queen. It’s as though she disappeared.”

“What is her element to call on?”

Thran once again had a twinge of hope, when he admitted, “She doesn’t have an element, but she can use the shadows to hide. It is possible she escaped and headed toward Summerland.”

“You will find her. I have no doubt. For now, would seeing your other sister enhance your mood?”

“It would my Queen.”

“Then look behind you.”

Thran turned as a portal opened. Cassi and Yari came through first, followed by Rhoan. Just before it closed, a gray mass went through to the other side. He could have sworn he saw Elle, but that was probably wishful thinking. The portal snapped shut, and a dark fae landed on the ground without his head. “What in D?nthú’s name?” Everyone turned to see whathe was looking at, and Rhoan pulled his sword. The prince strode to where the body lay, toeing it with his boot.

Queen Zarina approached, staring at the body. She stared at the space where the portal had been. “That’s not good,” she muttered. Then with the wave of her hand, the body disappeared.

Thran had a bad feeling about the shadow in the portal as well as the queen’s ominous words, but Yari snagged his attention. “I have so much to tell you.” She latched onto his arm, dragging him away from the crowd. “You are not going to believe the realm Queen Zarina sent us to.” A familiar croak trilled behind them, and the twins turned to see Novus pecking the ground where the dark fae’s body had fallen. The raven looked at them and croaked again. If Thran didn’t know better, the bird sounded sad.

“Yari, Elle was here. She aided the D?nthúlú, but now I can’t find her.”

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