Page 111 of Queen of Legends and Lies
Sterling comes back into the hall, nodding a terse greeting to the new arrivals. “Clear. No sign of either of them in Serle’s room.”
Understanding and anger dawn on Leesa’s face as she and Agnar fall into step beside me. “How’d she get past the guards?”
“Moise drugged them with eyril.” The betrayal stings like nettles under my skin. “I was a fool to ever trust him.”
She shoots me a sympathetic glance. “You had no reason to believe he was a traitor. No need to beat yourself up about it.”
A second after we burst into the council room, my heart sinks. The circular chamber is deserted, several chairs toppled in haste. The curtains dance in the breeze from the open windows, and papers are strewn across the massive table.
The scene tells the tale of a panicked exit. They knew we would come here.
A leaden realization drops into the pit of my stomach as I voice all our fears aloud. “They’re escaping the city.”
I stride to the nearest window, scanning the palace grounds below. My breath catches when I spot them in the fire paddock. Celeste, Moise, and Serle prep Dame, Chirean, and Tanwen for flight.
A flicker of hope ignites in my chest.
The dragons…of course!
I reach out with my mind, tapping into the familiar connection I’ve formed with the magnificent beasts over the last several months.
As soon as I do, searing agony lances through my skull.
I stagger back from the window with a cry, barely catching myself on the stone sill. It’s like touching a serpent covered in oil. A maelstrom of chaos and wrongness and corruption floods my senses.
It’s absolutely vile.
“Lark!” Sterling is at my side in an instant, strong hands gripping my shoulders. “What is it?”
I can barely choke out the words past the bile rising in my throat. “The dragons… Something’s terribly wrong. Worse than the enslaved Aclarian dragons.”
Dame, Chirean, Tanwen…they were with us in Aclaris, when the drachen attacked. And again at the palace.
Horror pools in my stomach.
Oh, gods. They’re corrupted.
I failed them.
I failed my dragons.
High overhead, so high I can’t make out their shapes, I know the rest of the Tirene dragons are circling. Even a few of the Aclarian dragons are up there.
Emotion stings my eyes as I force myself to look back at the paddock, at the creatures I thought I knew so well. Their eyes, once golden and vibrant, are now black and desolate.
“I think the drachen corrupted them…or maybe Celeste did. And I never saw it coming.”
Sterling’s grip tightens on my shoulders, his expression hardening. “This isn’t your fault, Lark. None of us could’ve known.”
But the guilt still churns in my gut like sour wine. Some queen I am. Oblivious to enemies infiltrating my own council. To my own dragon allies. And now those I’m sworn to protect are in danger because of my ignorance.
In the paddock below, Celeste, Moise, and Serle have mounted up. The dragons spread their massive wings, the membranes pulsing with sickly veins of red. Their poised to take flight.
Ready to escape with their traitorous riders.
“We can’t let them get away.” I extract myself from Sterling. The dragons may be fast, but so am I. If I can just stall them long enough…
Agnar must read my intent because he jerks his head toward the dragons. “Go. We’ll rally the guards to help pursue them.”
