Page 56 of Queen Takes King
Of course. It would be fitting revenge against the god of light if I gave his power to his greatest enemy, Leviathan. I had no bond with him, but I could point in his direction. I knew exactly where we needed to go in order to find him. Focusing on the liquid sunlight swirling in my right hand, I willed myself south with every drop of golden magic. I pictured the great beast in the dark, chains rattling, claws scratching aimlessly against the stone. Sunlight never reached so deep or so far beneath the earth, so this would probably hurt his eyes. If he was even awake. Hopefully I could drop the golden ball of light onto him and be gone before he even realized it’dhappened.
I didn’t move physically, but my awareness flew through time and space. I saw the steep cliffs of the mountain. Water cascaded over me as I passed through a crisp, cold waterfall. Deeper, and faster, now, I flew through the dark, homing straight tohim.
“It’s youagain.”
I froze at the deep, rumbling tones of his voice. I’d never heard him speakbefore.
“What do you want with me this time? Did you come to torment me with what I cannot have, while I lie chained another thousandyears?”
“I have a gift for you,” I whispered, holding the ball of light out in front of me to light my way. Wet, black stone glistened in the soft light. Something crawled in the darkness, the sound of scales rustling overstone.
“You stink of Ra. Get the fuck away from me before I eatyou.”
“Ra tried to killme.”
He chuckled, a luscious, low laugh that did crazy things to my very healthy libido. It felt like he’d reached deep into my belly and strummed a chord. “Yet you’re still here. Either you’re very good,” and his tone said he meant very, very bad, “or the stick-up-his-butt sun god is getting lazy in his oldage.”
“I prefer thefirst.”
He blew out a deep breath, a beast-like pant so at odds with his smooth, chocolaty voice. “Maybe. Maybenot.”
“Maybe you’ll find out foryourself.”
He let out a long hiss. “Maybe so. Or, like I said, maybe I’ll eat you. It’s been a fucking long time since I had anything but rats and worms to sustainme.”
“Which is why I’m bringing you this.” I sent the ball floating forward though I couldn’t see exactly where he was. “Is this enough to freeyou?”
The golden ball winked out of sight a second before the clash of teeth warned me that he’d engulfed it. A low rumble shook the ground beneath my feet. Rocks and pebbles rained down and I fell against the side of the cave. My first panicked thought was that he’d broken free and was going to bring the whole fucking mountain down onus.
But then I realized he waslaughing.
“You think this is enough to free me? That was a taste. Just another torment you’ve broughtme.”
“What will freeyou?”
Chains clattered on the stone and I had a sense of something dark and large scuttling toward me. I trembled, my heart pounding, but I didn’t move. I wouldn’t run. Not from him. Not from anything. Neveragain.
He crashed at the end of the chains, inches away. I could feel the strength radiating from his body, an impression of exactly how massive he was. He made Rik’s rock troll look like an action figure a kid would play with on thefloor.
“You. You will freeme.”
“How?”
“The fuck if Iknow.”
He sucked in great bellows of air, blowing my hair around. His head lowered as he breathed in my scent. Myblood.
Something brushed my belly. His tongue maybe. I trembled, scared, but also turned on. I didn’t want to be eaten or bitten by whatever monstrous dragon-serpent thing he was… But for all his threats, I had a feeling he’d much rather eat meout, than actually eatme.
“Give me some of this power and that might be enough to allow me to shake the foundations of theworld.”
I closed my eyes and pictured my room, both around me, but also thousands of miles away. Blood shimmered all around me. On me. I opened myself to that blood and called it home. All of it. Everydrop.
Magic rushed through me, lifting me up, tossing me about like a tornado swirled through me. So much power. Gritting my teeth, I let it build. I held it until my bones throbbed, my teeth ached, my skin felt like it was going to tear open under the force. My blood boiled in my veins, eager to work itsmagic.
I shoved all that power toward Leviathan, hoping he knew what to do with it. I couldn’t drop it to him through a bond and that much… I was afraid I’d kill him and not even meanit.
He gulped it down like a crocodile eating an antelope whole. Roaring, he rolled and thrashed in the depths of the earth, and yes, the entire mountain rattled above him. I was terrified he’d bury himself in a landslide and I’d never be able to dig himout.
