Page 26 of Queen of Legends and Lies
Anxiety glides over me, and I shift my weight, the memory of last night’s intense connection surfacing in vivid flashes. “Sterling and I, we connected somehow, in a dream, or…maybe something more. It was almost like a surge of power. Of magic.My fire. His water. When I woke, my candles were lit, even though I’m certain they weren’t when I went to bed.”
Bastian raises an eyebrow and glances at the others. “Sounds like you think it wasn’t just a dream.”
“Maybe. But it’s more than that.” I trace the patterns of ash on my arm, a physical reminder of the intangible forces at play. “Eldor suggested our powers might’ve merged…gotten interwoven somehow. And now,” I sweep my arm, “this mess has happened.”
Leesa’s eyes widen in understanding. “You mean your magic could’ve caused this?”
“It’s possible.” Could the dream have triggered my loss of control? “But how? Why?”
“All valid questions. But until we have answers, try to refrain from summoning powers in your sleep.” Bastian is his typical, practical self. “For now, we should focus on what comes next.”
“Right.” I nod, forcing my shoulders to square against the weight of uncertainty. The truth scratches at the back of my throat. “Is that even possible? Merging powers?”
Agnar and Bastian exchange a glance, some silent conversation passing between them.
A laugh tumbles from Leesa. “With you, anything’s possible.”
She has a point. “True. Trouble is, I’m not sure that these things that happen to me, or maybe because of me, are always good things.”
“You’re too hard on yourself.” Leesa puts a hand on her hip, reminding me so much of our late mother. “Tirene is lucky to have you. You need to remember that.”
Leesa and Bastian resume helping with the cleanup, leaving me alone with Agnar. Numbness settles in my chest as I survey the destruction. I tell him how the council received intelligencethat an army of corrupted was spotted near the borders of Tír Ríoga.
He takes this new development well, his face unreadable. “Worried about it?”
I shrug, trying to maintain composure despite the gnawing anxiety. “I don’t like what Nyc said about the large armies getting even bigger.” I chew on my lower lip. “What if she’s talking about Xenon invading and corrupting another kingdom? He could use all those people against us.”
Agnar grunts. “Would be good to know something about it, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes.” It’s not just about the immediate threat. It’s about the lurking, unseen dangers we haven’t even begun to comprehend.
For a long moment, the only sound is the distant crackle of dying flames.
Then Agnar breaks the stillness. “So, are you going to the Council Tower to talk, or are we going to actually do something?”
His words linger in the air like an unspoken challenge. My fingers twitch at my sides, itching for action, for a chance to make a difference beyond the confines of stone walls and stifling chambers.
Another gilded cage.
“Let’s do something.”
Without waiting for his response, I head for the fire paddock.
Chapter Ten
In the cool night air, we glide over an inky black sea that stretches endlessly beneath us.
After some time passes, water becomes land again. On the backs of dragons, we peer down at sandy beaches that quickly change to open fields, which morph into craggy mountains. So far, we haven’t spotted any suspicious activity. No docked boats. No armies on foot, corrupted or otherwise. No drachen.
So, we keep flying.
There’s no need for words or any kind of signaling. My abilities allow me to feel everything my dragons feel. Despite his wariness, Mygist returned, and his eagerness and alertness bubbles inside me.
I grip his ridged back tighter. Even in the dark, the land below is breathtaking.
“Nothing yet. Let’s fly a little farther north,” Agnar calls out from Kaida’s back, his voice cutting across the sky. The black and blue dragon blends into the night sky nearly as well as Mygist does with his solid black scales.
Both dragons sense the promise of battle, their instincts roaring as loud as the rush of wind under their wings. Kaidasnorts a puff of steam into the chilled air, and I catch his excitement.
