A Queen of Thieves & Chaos (Fate & Flame, #3)

“We cannot outrun it either.” In Jarek’s voice, I hear defeat, something I thought impossible.

It lifts its head and its nostrils flare, much like the other Nulling beasts did.

“It’s here for me.” A strange calm washes over my body, knowing this is finally the end.

Why is it not attacking, though? It sits there watching us through shrewd dark eyes that seem too small for its massive frame. I’m sure it can see every twitch.

“Even you cannot defeat this,” Gesine whispers, suddenly standing next to me. I didn’t even notice her climb down from Kienen’s horse. “Get on Eros, and ride hard, back to the gate. You should be safe within Ulysede.” Her gaze flares with emerald light.

I realize what she’s about to do. “If I can’t fight this, you definitely can’t!”

“No, I cannot,” she agrees solemnly. “But I can buy you a little time. The Queen for All must survive, at all costs.”

“She is right.” Zander tugs on my arm.

“No!” I pull free. “I need you. We need you.” Despite all the ways Zander is convinced Gesine has betrayed us, we never would have gotten this far without her. “We still have so far to go.”

“You will find your path.” She smiles. “It has been an honor to serve you. Now you must go.” Her hands stretch out to her sides, her eyes turning an electrified green, like they did the night we escaped Cirilea.

This thing will eat her whole.

Zander seizes my arm. “Romeria—”

“No.” I plant my feet and beckon my affinities—all of them. They answer instantly, surging through my limbs, coiling around each other, vibrating with energy. If by some miracle we survive this, I’ll have nothing left for Lord Telor.

He sighs. “Then I suppose we will all meet our end together.”

Metal rings in the night as the others draw their swords. Behind us, the bonfires flare with Zander’s affinity.

The beast claws at the ground in challenge and then stretches its neck, revealing black scales that glitter against the firelight. It releases a deafening roar that rattles my teeth.

I’m preparing to hurl everything I have inside me when it suddenly rushes several steps away from us and launches itself upward, the ground shaking in its wake. I watch with a mix of awe and horror as its powerful wings carry it high into the sky, Braylon’s fallen horses dangling from its claws. They look like tiny toys within its grasp.

No one utters a word for a moment.

“Everyone, ride now before it changes its mind and returns,” Zander commands.

I don’t hesitate, scrambling into my saddle, trusting in Eros’s sense of direction as we race toward the gate. I feel each second in my chest—dragging, achingly long seconds—as I cling to my affinities, refusing to let them go in case that thing decides it would rather chase its kill.

The Ybarisans meet us halfway, their swords drawn and faces astonished, countless questions on their tongues about whatever it was they must have seen landing. But I keep riding, only allowing myself a breath when we’ve made it past the gate.

“I have lived in these mountains for too many years to not have seen evidence of such a creature before now,” Radomir declares, closing in behind us.

“It must have been hiding deep within the rift.” Even Zander seems mystified. “Has Mordain heard of such a beast before?”

“The seers have seen all kinds, though I can’t say on which plane they reside. Ones that can deafen with their shriek, others that can blind you just by meeting your gaze. If I recall, there was a great winged beast that was said to devour herds of cattle and burn villages with the fire they breathed from their mouths.”

“You mean, a dragon?” Because that’s what that thing looked like.

“I do not recall any name for it. Only that it ruled the skies in long-lost times.” She casts a knowing look my way. In the long-lost time of the nymphs, she’s saying.

“It seemed to be there for the fallen horses rather than us,” Zander says.

But it sensed me all the same.

He searches the dark sky, but it’s impossible to see anything. “Let us hope it has no interest in trying to breach these gates for more.”

“I doubt it would even fit.” Jarek observes the grand tunnel. “Not that I want to test that out.”

“Come, we have more vital things to focus on, like making sure Telor survives and Braylon tells us what we want to know.”

Our company moves farther into the tunnel.

But Kienen hangs back. “I will remain outside with my soldiers if you permit it, Your Highness.”

“So you can be carried off in its claws?” The Ybarisans were riding out to help us. To die with us if need be. “No, you’re coming inside. You’re all coming inside.” Both Kienen and Radomir drew their blades to fight alongside us in a battle that could only end in our deaths.

Kienen’s wary gaze flitters to Zander.

“The queen of Ulysede demands it, and so that is how it shall be.” He sets his jaw with determination. “You are our allies. You should have the safety of our city.” He surveys the few remaining saplings who also rode out. “All of you.”





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE




GRACEN


“Go on, then! If you’re gonna accuse me, check the pockets, will ya!” Dagny shoves the ball of material into the guard’s hands, indignation lacing her flustered tone.

He flips the garments this way and that, shaking them before tossing them back at the seamstress. “Just following the king’s orders.”

“And I prefer to keep my flat feet on the ground instead of danglin’ at the end of a noose, just so you know.” She marches through the kitchen toward me, her scowl replaced with a beaming smile. I can’t help but counter. She’s the friendliest soul I’ve met since arriving in Cirilea. “What are you doing here, Dagny?”

“I thought you might need a new dress, now that ya’ve popped out that wee one. Where is she? Oh! Look at you!” She bends at her waist to take a closer look at the sleeping baby. “She’s like a doll! I can’t remember my Dagnar ever being that little. ’Course, he wasn’t. Came out the size of a mule. Nearly tore me in half. Couldn’t walk for weeks.”

I chuckle. There isn’t much Dagny keeps to herself. “How is the wedding dress coming along?”