The Shadow Queen

by C. J. Redwine

  And the crowd around her kept doubling in size as more people thronged to the cottage, makeshift weapons in their hands.

  Lorelai needed a way out. Fast.

  Someone knocked into her, and she rolled forward, coming up on her hands and knees, only to be sent sprawling by a well-aimed boot to her back.

  She whirled to avoid a sword, and it plunged into the ground beside her face.

  Before she could move, a woman fell on her, and then two more piled on, pinning Lorelai to the ground as they grappled for her neck.

  Lorelai shoved her palms against the ground and screamed, “Pros`rashk!”

  The grass caved inward, an enormous, mouthlike circle with Lorelai at its center, and then exploded outward like a giant exhaling a gale force wind.

  The throng that had been closing in on Lorelai flew backward, crashing into the cottage, the fence, and the trees, and lying dazed.

  Lorelai lunged to her feet, cringing at the injuries she saw. Blood. Some broken bones. And already, the crowd that had been on the fringes was climbing over their fallen comrades and coming for her—a solid wall of people in every direction.

  She couldn’t afford another huge drain on her magic. Even when working with a willing heart, magic took its toll. She needed her energy for Irina.

  Magic couldn’t save her, but she’d spent the last nine years of her life saving herself without ever relying on the power that ran through her blood.

  She could handle this. She just had to think like a warrior. Use her surroundings. Be unexpected.

  First, she needed to know how deep the crowds were and which direction she should flee. As the horde clambered over the injured and came for her, she locked her gaze on a thick red leaf maple that leaned toward the cottage’s roof.

  At least ten people stood in the way, and there were no branches low enough to grab with her hands, but it would have to do.

  Sasha, path. She sent an image of the tree, and her bird whirled away from the cluster of men she’d been keeping at bay and barreled toward the tree, skimming the ground and crashing into those who stood between Lorelai and the maple.

  The princess raced toward the tree, hurtling over prone bodies and grabbing a man’s outstretched arms so she could push against him for leverage as she launched herself at the maple’s trunk. She struck the tree with her right foot and pushed up and out. Three more leaps and she’d reached the lowest branches.

  Sasha circled overhead, eyeing the crowd that was now crushing themselves against the tree as they fought to climb over one another and follow Lorelai into the branches.

  Lorelai climbed until she was nearly eye level with the cottage’s roof, the closest she could get before the branches became too slim to safely hold her weight, and then sidled out along a branch that was barely wide enough to allow her to keep her balance. Taking a deep breath, she judged the angle and then leaped for the roof.

  She landed at the feet of a bespelled soldier.

  He swung his sword, and she rolled to her left and straight into another soldier. More boots stood beside his, and when she craned her neck to take in the entire roof, her stomach dropped.

  People were pouring onto the rooftop, using a twisted hemlock tree that grew close to the back porch. It was like Irina had seen what Lorelai was doing and had sent her bespelled army up the hemlock tree in a countermove that left Lorelai with very few options. She looked behind her to find an escape route.

  Several peasants had clambered over the throng around the maple tree and were clinging to its trunk.

  The yard below was so crowded, Lorelai couldn’t see a single blade of grass.

  Even her survival skills couldn’t get her out of this. She was going to have to use magic and pray that she didn’t kill any innocent people, and that she didn’t have to overpower any hearts. She needed enough strength to face Irina before Gabril and his family died, and Kol was lost to her forever.

  The man standing above her snatched her arms as she tried to spin away from him, and a woman who looked far too delicate to be so strong grabbed Lorelai’s feet. Together, they moved toward the edge of the roof while Lorelai fought and bucked against their hands. She couldn’t reach them with her palms. She couldn’t reach the roof either. Her magic burned, begging for release that was impossible to give.

  Help! she sent to Sasha but before the gyrfalcon could dodge the host of sword-wielding soldiers that crowded the rooftop and get to Lorelai, a tremendous roar of fury shattered the air.

  Lorelai twisted to look past her captors and saw an enormous dragon, black as ebony, sweep the roof, knocking soldiers flying with the force of its wings.

  “Trugg!” Her breath was a sob of relief.

  Her captors skidded toward the edge of the roof, and then Lorelai was airborne. She flew toward the ground, back first. Twisting, she tried to correct her trajectory, but then something hard and sharp snatched her arms and lifted her toward the sky. She looked up into the face of a very angry-looking silver dragon with black wings and a line of glistening black scales running down its spine and tail.

  Jyn.

  Sasha shrieked in fury and dove for the dragon.

  No! She doesn’t mean me any harm. Follow, Sasha. Follow only. The bird pulled out of the dive and circled instead, but her thoughts were full of shredding dragon underbellies and poking out their eyes.

  Jyn rose into the air, Lorelai clutched in her talons, and six other dragons were waiting for her—Trugg and five others in various combinations of purple, gold, green, and white.

  A white and gold dragon gave Lorelai a look she couldn’t decipher and then turned to lead them away from the pretty gabled cottages on the east side of Ravenspire. Once they’d cleared the cottages and left the bespelled crowd far behind, the dragons descended into a broken-down barn that was surrounded by trees and overgrown grass.

  Jyn dumped Lorelai unceremoniously on the rough barn floor and shuddered. In seconds, the dragon’s wings and ridges receded, and her scales softened into skin. Lorelai found herself toe-to-toe with the girl, whose dark eyes were brimming with anger.

  “Where is Kol?” the girl asked. “What have you done to him?”

  “Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt, Jyn, before we jump to conclusions.” The boy who’d been the white and gold dragon finished shifting and grabbed some pants from the pack he’d carried.

  “I haven’t done anything to Kol,” Lorelai said.

  Jyn slammed her foot against the floor “We don’t believe you, mardushka. Where is our king?”

  “Don’t make me sorry I rescued you.” Trugg finished shifting. “I can put you right back where you came from.”

  Sasha flew into the barn and perched on Lorelai’s shoulder, her beady eyes daring one of the Draconi to cross her.

  The girl who’d been a purple and gold dragon grabbed the bag, pulled on some pants, and tossed various items of clothing at her friends. Then she faced Lorelai and said quietly, “I’m Freya. You’ve already met Jyn and Trugg. The other boys are Raum and Gerik, and the girl is Mik. Kol is our friend and our king. We haven’t seen him in weeks. The queen took his human heart and put a collar around his neck that was bespelled against those with dual hearts. Jyn and Trugg returned to Eldr to get help and now we’re here to rescue him.”

  Trugg stepped forward, his hands fisted. “We know Kol found you again. We caught his scent when he came back into the capital and went to that cottage. But now his scent is gone, and you were the last person with him, mardushka.”

  Sasha clicked her beak in warning, but Trugg didn’t spare her a glance as he hulked over Lorelai.

  If the boy stepped any closer, Lorelai would have to give ground, and she didn’t have time to play games to see which one of them was more intimidating. Straightening her spine, she put her palm against Trugg’s arm. A bolt of power shot from her and sent him crashing into the sagging barn wall. Dust swirled in the air, and Jyn began shifting back into her dragon.

  “I’m not going to hu
rt you. Any of you.” Lorelai lowered her palms to make her point, and Jyn stopped shifting. “I’m not a threat to you or to Kol.”

  “Tell that to Trugg,” Jyn said. “You just sent him into a wall.”

  Lorelai snapped, “Because he was trying to intimidate me. And also because once again he has yet to put on a pair of pants. I am already having a spectacularly difficult day. I don’t need to add avoiding a pantsless Eldrian to the list of things I still have to do. Now, listen to me. Kol is in trouble.”

  Quickly she filled them in on what happened to Kol over the past few weeks. How he had fought to keep from losing himself to his dragon heart. How Irina had tortured him, Lorelai had healed him, and her magic had given them a bond that allowed them to hear each other’s thoughts.

  “That’s kind of disturbing.” One of the boys stepped forward. “But also useful. If you can talk to him—”

  “Irina corrupted the bond. She’s gained more power somehow—”

  “Fantastic.” Trugg turned and punched his fist into the closest wall. “We’re going to lose Kol.”

  “We never should’ve come to Ravenspire. Trusting a mardushka is worse than facing the ogres.” Jyn started pacing.

  “It’s not Kol’s fault that mardushkas always find a way to make their blood oaths work to their favor,” another boy said.

  “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. We’re going to lose Kol.” The girl who’d been a green dragon looked like she was about to cry.

  “No, you aren’t.” Lorelai’s voice was fierce. “Irina isn’t the only one with power. I’m going to the castle where she has both Kol and my family.” Her throat closed over the thought of Gabril, sacrificing so much for her only to watch his family die at Irina’s hands. Of Kol, lost to his dragon because he was desperate to be the king his people needed. “I’m going to destroy Irina and put Kol’s human heart back in his chest.”

  Jyn’s dark eyes narrowed. “Why would you care what happens to Kol? Last time you saw him, you wanted to punish him for making the blood oath.”

  Lorelai met her gaze. Her voice trembled as she said, “Kol and I have moved past that.”

  “Oh, skies, you’re in love with him.” Trugg shook dust off his shoulders. “Unbelievable. The boy is trapped with his dragon heart, unable to speak, and is determined to kill you, and still he manages to turn on the charm. Well he’s Eldr’s, so don’t go getting any mardushka ideas about him.”

  “I’m not in love with him. I’ve known him less than three weeks.” Lorelai crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Trugg even as warmth heated her cheeks. “But you’re right. I found his desperate struggle not to kill me very charming. The unbearable agony he was in and the constant fear that he was failing Eldr just added to the allure.”

  Trugg opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

  “Are we done being ridiculous?” Lorelai asked and then turned to include the other six Eldrians in her glare. “Kol thinks all he is to the outside world is a charming daredevil, but you and I know better, don’t we? We see his incredible inner strength. His ability to put others first even at great cost to himself. We understand the depth of his loyalty and love. That’s why you followed him to Ravenspire in the first place. You’re willing to die for him, and so am I.”

  The Eldrians stared at her in wide-eyed silence.

  “And another thing.” She raised her finger and pointed it first at Jyn who seemed to vehemently hate her for the power in her blood and then swept her arm to include them all. “My name is Lorelai, not mardushka. I don’t want to hear another word against my magic. Magic is an impartial force that obeys the heart of the one who wields it. If I wanted to harm Eldr, I wouldn’t have honored my promise to Kol and sent a barrier between the ogres and your people. You should be grateful that I’m a mardushka, because you are going up against the most powerful woman who ever came out of Morcant, and the strength of my heart is the only thing standing between you and total destruction.”

  Trugg caught her eye, and a fierce smile cracked his face. “You’d make an excellent Draconi warrior.”

  “I’m an excellent warrior, period. Now, how much distance do you have to keep between you and Kol to avoid triggering the spell in his collar?”

  “Queen Irina didn’t say, but we don’t dare get too close,” the girl who’d been the white dragon said as she held out her hand for Lorelai to shake. “I’m Mik. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Lorelai shook her hand and considered the problem. The castle would have magical traps set around it. Lorelai shuddered at the thought of more statues, more spiders, but whatever Irina had waiting for them, it was nothing compared to what Lorelai was going to do to the false queen.

  Kol would be somewhere in the castle itself, but that would give the Eldrians room to fly to castle grounds and fight off whatever traps Irina had set so that Lorelai could get inside and rescue Gabril and Kol. Irina thought she’d isolated her enemies. She wouldn’t be expecting them to launch a coordinated attack.

  Lorelai looked at the Eldrians and lifted her chin. “Listen carefully. This is what we’re going to do.”

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

  ..................................................................

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THEY APPROACHED THE castle from the south. Lorelai rode Mik and had to shield her eyes as the late afternoon sun glinted against Mik’s white scales like brilliant sparks of fire. The Eldrians flew low to the ground, hugging the hills that marked the land south of the capital to make it harder for the castle guards to see them in time to sound a warning.

  She’d sent Sasha ahead to scout so that the dragons would know where to fly, where to land. She couldn’t afford for them to fail their part of the mission. They were her way past Irina’s defenses—defenses surely designed to drain Lorelai’s power before her showdown with the queen.

  She’d stopped reaching for Kol’s thoughts before discussing her plan with the Eldrians. He wasn’t there. She’d found nothing but darkness, anguish, and Irina’s cold, cruel voice mocking her attempts to find the Kol she knew and bring him back to her. It was better to ignore the connection and keep her thoughts to herself until the last possible moment.

  Like the Eldrians, Lorelai couldn’t afford to fail her part of the mission.

  As they flew closer and closer to the castle, Lorelai drew deep breaths and forced her fear into a corner of her mind. She wasn’t sure if she could defeat this newly powerful Irina. She wasn’t sure if she could save those she cared about. If she could save Ravenspire.

  But she didn’t need to know the outcome to be sure of her heart.

  She was the crown princess of Ravenspire, a powerful mardushka of Morcant, and she would right the wrongs against her people or she would die trying.

  As the graceful spires of Ravenspire’s castle loomed on the horizon, Lorelai’s pulse raced, and her magic thrummed through her blood to gather in her palms where she held what she hoped would be the key to getting the dragons safely past Irina’s defenses and into the castle grounds. The Eldrians crested the final rise, and then the castle with its gray stone turrets, its etched glass windows, and its sprawling gardens lay before them.

  Trugg turned his huge black head and gave Lorelai a look that asked “Are you ready?”

  She nodded and raised her hands. Irina would have traps set. Shields up. Unnatural things like the snake-vine cage in Nordenberg created from her magic.

  Lorelai had a plan she hoped would work. Every Eldrian had willingly given her a scale to hold, even though Lorelai could see that ripping a scale from their bodies had hurt. Through their scales, she could feel the fierceness of their hearts that were willing to serve her magic when she called upon them. She hoped that holding the scales would mean she didn’t have to take their fire into her own body for her magic to use it.

  The Eldrians flew in a solid line, seven abreast, as they streaked toward the castle wall.


  Lorelai focused on the scales she held, letting her magic surround them, calling upon the strength and fury of their hearts. Guards, who were pacing the perimeter of the wall, drew their swords and called a warning as the dragons hurtled toward them. Lorelai waited until seconds before they crossed the wall and then yelled, “Tvor`grada! May the strength of each dragon’s heart and the power in my blood be a shield for them so long as they need it.”

  Her magic burst from her palms and into the air, a shimmering net that encircled each dragon and sank into their scales, a barrier Lorelai desperately hoped Irina couldn’t penetrate with ordinary spells. The princess had already warned the Eldrians not to test the shield by going after Kol. She wasn’t certain her barrier could keep out a spell already enacted against the Draconi in the past, and she wasn’t willing to lose one of Kol’s friends to find out.

  They flew over the wall, and a hedge of thorny bushes shot into the air, the thorns curling like claws, the branches reaching for the dragons as if the bushes had eyes. The dragons shifted course, flying vertically up the side of the hedge, trying to get to the top without being snagged by one of the grasping branches.

  Jyn flew too close, and a whiplike branch full of thorns slammed into her. The force of the blow knocked her briefly off course, but Lorelai’s shield held, and she remained unscathed.

  Lorelai’s relief that the hedge couldn’t harm the dragons was short-lived as she realized what was happening.

  “It’s closing us out!” she shouted to Mik. The dragon flew faster, straight up into the air, while Lorelai clung desperately to her back. But no matter how fast Mik flew, the hedge was faster. It rose into the sky like it was trying to catch the sun, and Lorelai knew they’d never catch it. Never crest the top and dive into the castle grounds on the other side.

  She needed another plan.

  “Stop trying to catch it. Hover and face it instead.”

  Mik whirled into a sharp turn that had Lorelai’s stomach pushing against her chest, and then they were facing the hedge head-on as it continued to rise above them. The other Eldrians followed Mik’s lead.