Page 98 of Queen of Legends and Lies
“Tell me about it.” I blink hard, trying to regain my equilibrium as falling ash encapsulates me from every direction.
It’s not just the physical toll of the fight that’s wearing on me or the drain on my magic reserves. I gaze around at the destruction. The shattered stone, the scorched earth, the oily black puddles that used to be drachen. Everything being slowly buried in growing piles of ash.
My heart sinks into my stomach.
We won this round. But at what cost? Who did we lose today?
Sterling’s arm slides around my waist, pulling me close.
“What are we going to do?” Defenders and observers alike are staring, as if seeing us for the first time. “The drachen keep getting stronger. If Narc completely awakens again?—”
“We’ll find a way to stop him.” His jaw is set, his resolve shining through the exhaustion. “We have to.”
I nod. He’s right. We don’t have a choice. The fate of the kingdom, of the whole world, rests on our shoulders.
But what if we’re already too late?
As I stand here amid the wreckage, my knees shake. Dread weighs on my heart.
Royal guards drop down and run up to join me, forming a solid wall at my back. Dragons snort and stamp as they land in the paddock, lashing their tails. Heads swing low, hunting for any signs of survivors. Their eagerness to keep fighting has everyone giving them a wide berth. All the way up to the third-floor balconies, people peek out from behind heavy curtains.
Some people are still screaming and running, their faces contorted with fear and confusion. And anger. So much anger. Directed at me, at the guards, at the drachen, at the world.
Sterling’s arms tighten around me as the palace guards converge on us, their armor clanking.
I scan their faces, searching for Rhiann, but she’s disappeared from the balcony. The dutiful Lady of the Bedchamber no doubt hustled back inside to manage the chaos. Or to care for the child she was protecting.
A pained groan prompts me to turn my head.
Alannah slumps against a guard, her lined face ashen, her knees shaking like they might give out any second. Grabbing Sterling’s shirt, I spin him around to face her.
He curses under his breath. “I have to help her. Will you be all right?”
“Of course.” I nod, trying to project confidence I don’t quite have. “Go. Your mother needs you.”
He kisses my forehead, then sprints toward her, calling orders to the guards as he goes.
I watch him, heart clenching with a mix of love and concern. In moments like this, I am reminded of why I fell for him in the first place.
The rustling of wings alerts me to Agnar’s presence. He drops to the ground beside me, blue eyes scanning me from head to toe.
He scrubs a hand over his soot-covered face, revealing the faint dusting of freckles on the bridge of his nose. “You hurt?”
I shake my head, shedding fine flakes that had settled on my hair. “I’m fine. The drachen?”
“Dead. They showed up all at once. Fuckers nearly wiped out the west wall before Alannah managed to blast it up and break it apart. I guess she was just out for a stroll and was right there when it started. Only a few were able to take shelter under the wind shield she put up.”
If she hadn’t been there…
I shudder and push the thought away.
Can’t think about almosts and might-have-beens. We survived. That’s what matters.
Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders, ignoring the fatigue dragging at my limbs. There will be time to rest later. Right now, my people need me.
I shift to face the guards, wings flaring out behind me, the dark brown feathers glinting with hints of burgundy and gold in the sunlight as I waft them to dispel the settling soot. “Get word to the healers. We’re going to need them. Have water users wash this mess away. And send scouts to the guard towers in the south. I’d like to know how so many drachen congregated to attack without us noticing.”
The guards salute and disperse, already shouting commands. I release a slow breath. This is obviously Xenon’s doing. Lashing out over our intrusion into his lands.
