Page 57 of Bound to the Shadow Queen
Fractures split the ground in the distance, jagged seams spidering across the valley floor. Black and wrong, as if claws had raked the land itself. I wouldn’t have noticed it if the wyverns hadn’t melted the snow away.
The imbalance pressed against me like a hand at my throat. I could feel it in my veins, the mana of Winter fraying, buckling, unraveling beneath me. A bond as binding as the shards-damned ring on my finger.
One more omen. One more warning that my kingdom was slipping beyond my grasp.
My fists curled at my sides. We were too exposed here, and between Noerwyn’s shrieking and the echo of wyvern fire still clinging to the wind, another flight could follow just as quickly. Or something worse.
“Lord Eryx, please escort Lady Noerwyn to the queen’s suites when we return,” I said, my voice low and sharp. “Quietly,” I added with a pointed glare in her direction.
Her eyes narrowed, but for once, she didn’t argue. The group fell silent once more, like every one of them could feel the phantom gaze of a lurking monster that refused to show itself.
Everly
I spentthe rest of the morning with my books, trying to release some of the restless energy at knowing my sister should be arriving today…assuming she was still safe. And that my frost twat of a husband didn’t decide to take her to the dungeons instead of here.
To avoid thinking about that, I organized the spines on the shelf by color, taking comfort in the familiar motions.
Though most of my books were the same, the librarians had sent a single unfamiliar tome. When I went to pick it up, Batty let out her most offended shrill yet. She flapped over to the skathryn compendium I had all but forgotten about, looking between my hands and the book pointedly.
“All right, I’m sorry.” I slid the new book back onto the shelf, next to the journal from the nameless queen and the endless volumes I had requested what felt like a lifetime ago.
Batty’s wings relaxed incrementally as I brought the book on skathryns to the chair by the fireplace in my bedroom. She settled herself on my shoulder like she was perched to read the book with me, and I shook my head, cracking open the small leather tome.
The first several pages were mostly anatomy diagrams, depicting the subtle differences between each Court’s little bats. I dutifully studied them, lest Batty be offended again that I skipped any of it. The next section was a brief overview of skathryns, traits that were common to all four kinds.
“Oh look, it says here you can sing an enchanting song. Want to give it a try?”
Batty opened her tiny mouth…and let out a discordant screech pitched high enough to rupture my eardrums.
“Well. Let’s see what else in this book is a lie, then, shall we?”
But before I could turn the page, the door to my bedroom crashed open. I froze, then hurled myself up from the chair, letting the book clatter to the floor.
Because this wasn’t Draven’s furious surge of mana, and it certainly wasn’t Healer Amias’ subdued knock. No, this was an exuberant sound I knew well, from the only person in this world or the next that I knew in my soul would always be on my side.
“Wynnie.” Her name left my lips like a breath, even before a wave of honey and snowdrops reached me.
I spun to face her, catching the faint hint of sulphur and the coppery tang of blood just as I saw the bandages on her skin.
“You’re hurt—” I didn’t get the words out before her arms wrapped around me.
I was shaking in her embrace, relief washing over me in waves.
No… it was her arms that were trembling. My unflappable, fierce sister, who had faced down an estate full of monsters and blood-drenched halls with a battle cry, was clinging to me with hitched breaths.
“Evy, I thought I had lost you.”
My eyes burned. Hadn’t I thought the same thing? Worried about her, wondering if I would ever see her again…
“Wait, I thought you said I was going to be fine.” The memories were hazy and far away, but I had dreamt of her voice more than once.
“I lied,” she choked on the words. “I was trying to save you with psychological warfare at that point.”
There was a beat of silence before we both laughed.
“Well, it was a solid plan,” I said, finally relenting to let go of her.
“And look,” I continued as she laced her fingers through mine, squeezing tightly like she was afraid of too much space between us just yet. “As a reward, you get to be imprisoned with me.”
