Page 16 of Queen of Legends and Lies
It’s time to trust my own instincts. To tug on the threads of fate with my own hands.
Free will. The concept is both a gift and a burden. There’s no divine playbook, no celestial cheat sheet. Just me, my magic, and the weight of an impending war on my shoulders.
I pick up the jar, noting the emptiness inside. Nyc accepted my offering.
The ramparts are chilly under my palms, the stone a silent witness to both the glory and the terror that has unfolded below. I lean forward, peering into the courtyard. Only weeks ago, chaos reigned here when drachen turned the royal ground into a slaughterhouse.
Now, every night, torchlight—a beacon of false security—battles back the darkness.
I remember the screams, the coppery scent of blood that hung like a weighted shroud over the palace. It’s the kind of memory that claws at you, leaving marks no one else can see. My fingers curl into fists, nails digging crescents into my palms. The light is just a stopgap, a desperate measure against an enemy we barely understand. Narc’s shadow looms large, an ever-growing threat, and if we don’t act, really act, all this will be ash and echoes.
Maybe the council has a point. We’re staring down an invasion, and I’m standing here without a plan. They’d want me marshaling troops, fortifying walls.
Then there’s Sterling.
He’ll be leading Xenon’s forces, his eyes as cold as the magic he wields.
I can’t go through that again.
Facing him like that, while he held the other people I love hostage and killed one of my friends, is something I will never forget as long as I live.
A choice, stark as the contrast between light and shadow, lies before me. Lead my people or save the man I love. I know what they expect of me—the crown princess, the commander, the woman who holds the fire in her veins—but my heart tells a different tale. It’s pulling me towardhim. Toward danger and uncertainty.
Maybe it’s selfish, maybe it’s foolish, but I can’t let him be just another casualty in this game of gods and monsters.
“I’m going to get you back, Sterling,” I promise, even though I know he can’t hear me. “And I’ll prove to them I’m not just some figurehead.”
With renewed determination, I turn my back to the courtyard and its deceiving tranquility. If I’m going to do this, ifI’m going to dive headfirst into the abyss, I need to be ready. No more second-guessing, no more hesitation.
I need a real plan.
My heart pounds out a fast-paced rhythm as I descend the spiral staircase. With every step, my determination sharpens like a blade. The plush corridors of my suite loom before me, unfamiliar and, despite the size, suffocating.
Even my rooms were not mine to choose. The council ordered the change, and tradition dictated where I would end up.
I fling open the doors to my chambers, the heavy wood slamming against the wall with a satisfying crack. My hands are quick as they rummage through the wardrobe, discarding the delicate fabrics meant for royalty.
At the bottom of my wardrobe, I find a full, neatly folded dragonrider’s uniform. Right next to it is an already packed travel bag. Leather leggings, sturdy boots, and gauntlets lined with firefeathers to protect me from the flames of my dragons.
Rhiann, you never cease to amaze me.
Quickly, I strip off my fine silk dress and toss it onto a chair. I can’t make a mess for Rhiann and her maids to clean up when she’s done so much already. Stepping into the breeches, I’m not surprised they fit perfectly. Nor am I surprised when I open the bag to find a sleeping roll, a change of clothing, a waterskin, and a tin of dried meat.
Everything I need to fly to Aclaris.
“Lark?”
I startle, heart hammering against my ribs as I curse these quiet-footed palace dwellers. Spinning around, I’m ready to snap at whatever servant has entered my rooms unannounced.
Eldor Gentry stands framed in the doorway, his face unreadable.
“Good afternoon, Grandfather.” This is the first time I’ve called him by this name, and I have to admit, doing so feels good.
Shock bleeds across every line of his weathered face. “Hello, Granddaughter.” His surprise slowly melts away, and his lips kick up in a rare smile.
I return the gesture. In this moment, there’s an unspoken shift between us.
Though we haven’t spent much time together, it feels like I’ve known him my entire life. We may have gotten off to a rocky start when he drugged, kidnapped, and tied me up in his cottage, but I’ve since realized his intentions were pure. Eldor didn’t know who he could trust in the palace, and he didn’t want to risk someone overhearing our conversation.
