Page 80 of Queen of Legends and Lies
I shake off the crushing fears with a growl of defiance. No. I will not surrender so easily. Not while I still breathe, still burn inside with the need to defend my people. I will keep hunting, keep fighting, until my final moment. And if I fall…I’ll fall facing my enemies, unbowed to the last.
A soft chime rings through the air as my fingers brush the strings of a discarded harp. The unexpected, haunting melody startles me. I stare down at the instrument, wondering how it could still hold music after years of abandonment to time and decay.
Swallowing hard, I glance around, continuing to drink in the eerie scene before me.
The flagstone floor beneath the moss is a riot of color and imagery, depicting the gods themselves in poses both majestic and unsettling. I have a sudden, bone-deep certainty that no mortal hand could’ve shaped those stones, just as no human-made paint could’ve withstood the ages.
“What is this place?” the words slip out unbidden.
“The abandoned Palace of the Gods. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
At the sound of that voice, ice-cold fear snakes around my heart. I’m stuck down here in the bowels of the earth with someone who wants me dead.
And I just handed myself to him on a silver platter.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I spin, my heart leaping into my throat.
The king of Aclaris stands mere feet away, his shoulder-length gray hair framing his unreadable visage in the faint crystalline light.
How did he find this place? Did he follow me?
He’s dressed in a rich burgundy tunic, with a heavy golden torc hanging from his neck. He has his arms folded across his broad chest and his chin raised, showing his throat as he surveys the cave like it’s his own personal kingdom. Or something he’s built himself.
A thrill, mingled with terror, races beneath my skin. This could be the chance I’ve been waiting for.
The perfect opportunity to kill him.
Xenon is armed, a long sword at his waist and his dagger on the other hip. This man might be in his sixties, but I have to remember that he’s still just as formidable as he was in his youth when he led the armies to fight off Kamor’s reign and establish his own. But he seems distracted, his steely gaze caught up with the wonders of the cave. And I can’t blame him.
My fingers twitch toward the short sword at my own belt, every muscle coiling in anticipation. I won’t waste this chance.Can’t afford to, with the hordes gathered along the beach, ready to set sail.
But even as I prepare to lunge, to finally end the threat Xenon represents…something in his unnerving gray eyes gives me pause. A flicker of emotion.
Fear, perhaps.
Or desperation.
Indecision wars within me as we glare at each other from across the glittering expanse, the very air trembling with the expectation of violence.
“Why are you here, Xenon?” I demand through gritted teeth, my voice rough with the effort of holding back the fire that aches to burst from my palms.
One way or another, only one of us is walking out of here alive.
I keep my distance, searching the stone chamber for any sign of drachen lurking in the shadows.
“For you, of course.” Xenon’s laughter rings out, chilling me to the bone as he closes the distance between us with measured steps. “And before you try to go full dragoncaller badass bitch on me again, you need to know that fighting me is useless. You may’ve noticed your power is greatly diminished in here.” He points to my arm, and a narrow band starts to glow around my wrist. “One would think you’d know better than to underestimate me at this point.”
Anger and panic war within me.
The bastard conjured some sort of cuff around my wrist to control my magic.
Is Xenon afraid of…me?
“You never know what we might achieve, Lark. Your ancestor, on her own, managed to kill Narc. Right here. Ending this cave as a meeting place of the gods and her lineage on theTirene throne.” Xenon marches around the table, trailing a hand along the surface. “Together, our power would be unrivaled.”
“Not likely.”
