Page 121 of Queen of Legends and Lies
The words trickle through the crowd like a collective sigh of relief. A few ragged cheers go up, but they quickly peter out.
I should feel victorious. Triumphant, even.
We defeated the traitors and saved our kingdom from their vile machinations. But I’m simply hollow, emptied out by grief and loss.
How many more will we lose before this is truly over? How much more blood will stain these ancient stones?
As if in answer to my unspoken question, the clash of metal on metal erupts from within the palace walls.
My heart seizes as adrenaline pulses through my veins.
“The well,” I breathe out in horror. “Others have been corrupted too.”
Chapter Forty
Smoke stings my eyes, and hot tears stream down my cheeks as I step over the charred remains of both corrupted and uncorrupted bodies throughout the courtyard.
“Lark. We need to move.”
I turn to Sterling. His face is a mask of thick, wet soot. Despite everything, my heart still flutters at his closeness.
“Not yet. Bastian…” I hasten toward where my brother’s body lies, halfway between the palace and where the dragons are slumped.
Sterling follows a pace behind me, giving us both some room to grieve.
A few feet away, Agnar barks out orders, demanding healers and sending off flyers to set up a secure perimeter. Proving yet again how much of a friend he is.
Have I ever told him how much he means to me?
From a distance, I can tell Bastian’s hazel eyes are closed. Despite the pool of blood seeping from his head, that sight gives me a glimmer of hope.
Dead eyes don’t close. They stare.
I’m running before I can even think and dropping to my knees at his side. His head wobbles, and miraculously, the muscle along his jaw clenches in pain.
“Bastian!” I rest a hand on his shoulder, careful not to jostle him.
He groans. Another sign of life. More than I dared to wish for.
“What’s wrong?” Leesa’s voice is accompanied by the stamp of approaching feet.
Relief blooms through the shock. “Bastian’s hurt, but he’s alive. His head…” I’m not sure if I should touch him, move him, or leave him lying still.
Sterling kneels beside me, leaning over to inspect my half-brother’s bleeding head wound. “That’s a deep cut. But the skull’s intact.” He grabs for his shirt, then stops as his hands encounter the layers of dirt and soot left on him from the fight.
When Leesa reaches us, her hands flutter over Bastian. “What happened?”
Sterling rips his filthy shirt off his body and uses elemental magic to clean most of the debris off the material. He hands the shirt to Leesa. “Press this against the wound. Hold it as tight as you can. Keep pressure on it so the bleeding will stop.”
“He was hit in the head with a rock. It was really bad. Sent him flying and not with his wings…” I trail off once I realize I’m babbling. “I thought the blow killed him, but?—”
“But he’s not dead.” Leesa’s words are fierce. “And he’s strong. He’ll be okay. I’ll take care of him. You need to see to everyone else.”
How can I leave my family when danger still lurks? When my brother’s lying in a pool of his own blood?
Desperate tears begin to form in my eyes.
Sterling’s hand on my arm stops their downward spiral. “You don’t need to heal him, it’s just a flesh wound. His skull is intact,and he’s breathing easily. The sooner we get things settled, the sooner we can get the healers out here safely. And I don’t think anyone’s going to get past your sister at the moment.”
