Page 16 of Draekora

Shaking her head with amusement, Alex quickly sent off a written message, the Medoran equivalent of an SMS, that simply said:

All good here.

See you on Sunday night.

Will try to stay alive until then.

Can’t promise anything once back at academy.

Karter + Finn + Hunter = Death.

A. xx

Knowing she had an early morning and a huge weekend ahead of her, Alex allowed herself five more minutes in front of the hypnotising fire before she dragged herself to bed. She quickly discovered that it was, like everything in Meya, beyond luxurious.

“I could get used to this, too,” she mumbled, closing her eyes and sinking into the softness beneath her.

It was the middle of the night when something pulled Alex from her sleep. One minute she was dead to the world, the next she was lying there wide eyed and impossibly alert. Heart thudding in her chest, she turned her head when she saw movement in the corner of her room, a shadow outlined by the glow of the city from her balcony view.

Alex leapt out of bed, ready to scream bloody murder until the owner of the shadow stepped into the light of the glowing Myrox. Even when recognition hit her, she still wondered if she should scream.

“Queen Niida?” Alex was proud when her voice didn’t wobble, especially considering the fear-spiked adrenaline rushing through her system. “Is everything all right?”

“Is everything…all right?” Queen Niida repeated in her whispery, musical voice. She let out a quiet laugh, but there was no real joy in it. “With you here, how cananythingbe all right?”

Alex felt the temperature in the room drop and she shivered as nervous goose bumps arose on her skin.

“I’m sorry,” Alex tried. “I don’t—”

She broke off when the queen started coming towards her. As much as Alex wanted to retreat, there was no place for her to go, wedged as she was beside the bed and the wall.

“Heed my warning,mortal,” Niida spat, her voice low. “You are nothing.Nothing. I cannot fathom why my son tolerates an abomination like you, nor do I know why my husband indulges Roka’s desire to keep you here and train you like a pet. But what Idoknow is that I won’t endure your presence along with them.”

Eyes aflame, Niida stepped closer and continued, “I don’t care how you do it, but I expect you to make up some excuse, some reason to not come back here after you return from yourvarrungard. Go back to that school of yours, go back to your insignificant mortal life, and most importantly, stay away from my family.”

The queen was already invading Alex’s personal space, but she leaned in further to deliver her parting threat, her melodic voice at odds with the hostility of her words. “I’ve already lost one son because of your race. I won’t allow you to take another from me. If you don’t do as I have asked, you’ll find I’ll do itforyou, with or without your consent.”

Speechless, Alex could only watch as the queen speared her with one final glance before she spun on her heel and silently glided from the room.

Alex wasn’t sure how long she stood there, staring at the door, her body trembling. It took her a while to pull herself together, but when she did, she realised she wasn’t scared—or, she wasn’tonlyscared—she was furious.

“Who the hell does she think she is?” Alex whispered, casting angry eyes around her room in search of anything she could throw without causing damage.

It wasn’t as if Alex didn’t already have enough problems to worry about without adding an overprotective witch of a queen to her list. Didn’t Niida realise that Alex would give anything tonotbe there? She didn’twantto have to train with Roka. She didn’twantto have to prepare herself to fight Aven—a fight that would likely only have one outcome, that being Alex’s death. She didn’twantto have to figure out how to save her best friend, knowing that, no matter how much hope she manifested, the odds weren’t in Jordan’s favour. She didn’twanta part in any of this, and yet she was stuck right at the centre of everything.

So,no. She wouldn’t back down because of the queen’s high-handed threats. Whether or not Niida wanted to believe it, everything Alex was doing was tosaveher son. Tosaveher husband. It was Roka and Astophe who Aven would be coming for first, after all. His royal status could only be reinstated if the king and rightful heir were out of the picture, which would then automatically grant Aven rulership over Meya.

And that was something that couldneverbe allowed to happen.

“Alex?”

Jumping at least a foot in the air, she whirled around just as Roka clapped his hands three times, illuminating the room with a soft light originating from an unknown source.

“Jeez, give me a heart attack, Roka!” Alex cried, raising her hand to her chest.

“I knocked on the door before I let myself in,” he said, looking at her with concern. “Twice.”

Fingers still trembling from her encounter with the queen, she ran them through her hair to hide her nerves. “A Meyarin knock or a mortal one?”

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