Page 20 of Queen of Legends and Lies
A messenger, panting and wide eyed, nearly stumbles into me. “For you, my queen.” He bows as he thrusts a sealed message into my hands.
I’m not queen yet.“Thank you.”
I pause, noting the Aclaris seal on the envelope. Fearing the worst, which has so often been the case recently, I ease off on my mental dampening, preparing to call the dragons.
Taking deep breaths, I break the seal. The expensive parchment is heavy in my hands. Sensing the weight of every pair of eyes boring into me, I unfold the message. The words scroll across the page in elegant loops.
What were you doing with Knox last night? He’s cold. So very cold. Colder than he’s ever been. The drachen, you know. I fear he’ll die soon. Let’s talk.
X
My breath catches in my throat. Xenon sent this. I can almost hear his conceited voice bouncing around the council chamber. That clever, cruel undertone that boasts he knows something I don’t.
And I have no idea what he’s talking about. Is he torturing Sterling? Does he know his soul was able to reach out to mine?Sterling warned me not to reveal anything, fearing that Xenon might learn whatever I told him. Gods, is he all right?
“Your Highness?” The smugness has leeched from Rafe’s voice, replaced by tentative concern.
Breann’s brow creases with worry. “Is it?—”
“Speak, Lark.” Alannah’s hand finds my arm. Her approach had been muffled by the confusion swirling in my mind.
I lower the missive, and the world comes back into focus.
All eyes in the room lock on mine, searching for a sign, a clue, anything. But before I can figure out a way to explain without destroying Alannah, chaos erupts.
“Fire!”
The single word slices through the tension like a breaking storm. More voices rise up in alarm.
I whirl toward an open window, determined not to repeat my earlier mistake. Outside, the scent of acrid smoke permeates the air.
The courtyard has become a living portrait of panic, the screams and shouts painting a scene I’ve become all too familiar with. Flames dance like mad spirits against the sky, mocking us with their untamed fury.
Xenon, Sterling, fire…they’re all connected, and I’m right at the center.
“Get water! Form lines!” someone yells from below.
“Protect the archives!” another voice commands.
I step onto the window ledge and unfurl my wings.
When I launch myself into the sky, stray thermals jolt my body and attempt to spin me. I apply my training, working with the wind rather than fighting it as I head for the ground.
My heart wrenches. Sterling trained me. He knew war lurked on the horizon and wanted me prepared.
When my boot soles slap the cobblestone, I retract my wings. Behind me, there’s a flurry of activity. Council members,advisors, and palace staff, all united in urgency, followed their soon-to-be queen out the window and into the fray.
Maybe they aren’t completely useless after all.
“Water! We need water!” someone shouts, voice muffled amid the commotion.
“Where are the dragonriders?” another demands, alarm tainting every syllable.
Ahead of us, the stables blaze, flames leaping high and wild like an uncontrollable beast of heat and destruction. Alicorns and horses whinny in terror, fighting handlers in their efforts to flee. A group of water elementals rush to put out the inferno.
For a moment, I’m rooted to the spot as memories flash in my mind. Years ago, when my magic manifested at home, I lost control. The stable caught fire, horses died, and the stable boy lost his legs.
Then a more recent memory surfaces. The Flighthaven trial. When the Tirenese invaded to create the perfect diversion for Sterling to kidnap me. Utter mayhem ensued. A few of the buildings burned. People were injured.
