The Shadow Queen

  An understanding of what Irina was now capable of. Of what Irina would do.

  A handful of ebony cradled in her sister’s blood. A whispered incantor.

  The heart of the carriage’s ebony bowing before the power in Tatiyana’s blood and sending that power, that magic, into the ground, where it raced away from Morcant like a streak of light that pulsed brighter and brighter as her sister struggled for air.

  The light reaching Ravenspire’s castle, burrowing into the stone, and searching for the one with lips as red as blood, hair as black as ebony, and skin as white as snow.

  Lorelai, asleep and unaware. The light leaping from the stone, pouring over Lorelai’s skin like a blanket, and then sinking into the princess’s blood as Tatiyana breathed her last.

  Irina dropped the bones, her hands shaking as rage obliterated the thickness in her throat and dried the last of her tears.

  Even in death, her sister had managed to steal what Irina most wanted. Even in death, Tatiyana had corrupted Irina’s chance at a happily ever after.

  Lorelai, the untrained half-Morcantian girl, possessed her own magic and every last drop of her mother’s as well.

  Irina couldn’t fight that. Not with the Ravenspire ground turning against her. Not when her heart stumbled and burned every time she did the simplest spell.

  Lorelai was coming for her, the Eldrian king by her side, and there was nothing Irina could do about it unless she found another source of power to bolster her own.

  Another heart to bend to hers and give her its strength, its will.

  A heart that wouldn’t poison her blood as the hearts of those in Ravenspire all seemed to do.

  She climbed to her feet and left her sister’s bones lying scattered on her open grave. Tatiyana may have thought she could finish Irina by giving her daughter more power than any mardushka had a right to own, but Irina had a weapon her sister could never have foreseen.

  She had the human heart of a Draconi warrior just waiting for a new chest to call home.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  THIRTY-TWO

  IT TOOK MOST of the day to travel halfway through the Hinderlinde Forest. All three of them were covered with scratches and bites. Lorelai had been so exhausted after using the weary heart of Ravenspire to destroy the roads and then using Kol’s dragon fire to fight Irina that she’d been unable to walk on her own for the first few hours. They stopped in the late afternoon in an abandoned shack that Gabril remembered using when Lorelai’s father went hunting for deer in the spring. The shack was small—maybe twice the size of their tent—and its lone window was covered in the same dusty grime that coated the floor inside, but it was well-built and had a fireplace.

  Lorelai paced the floor, her thoughts racing, while Kol started a fire and Gabril readied a small pot with the last of their beans for dinner.

  The longer she waited between attacks on Irina’s infrastructure, the more time she gave the queen to recover her strength. If she really wanted to have the advantage when she entered the capital, she needed to hit Irina again.

  Tonight.

  The strength of Irina’s response would give Lorelai valuable information about the queen’s current state of health. Information that would help the princess decide if she should continue attacks from outside the capital or make her move against the castle itself.

  It’s a good plan, Kol said as she glanced out the window and considered her options, but maybe you should eat first. Rest a little.

  Every second I rest is a second I give Irina to rest too.

  True. But you had dragon’s fire inside you today. And you barely slept last night. He held up a hand when she turned on him, her thoughts blazing into his mind. I’m not saying I don’t trust you to know what you’re capable of doing. I’m just saying maybe some beans would be a good idea. Not just for your sake but for Gabril’s. Whatever you do tonight, all of us have to be ready to respond.

  He was right. It had been a long, hard day for all of them, and if she provoked a response from Irina now, they would have to fight. They would have to run.

  They had a much better chance of surviving if they’d eaten and rested for a while.

  I admire the way you think. Kol smiled at her as he stacked the extra wood he’d gathered beside the fireplace and took a seat at the rickety kitchen table.

  She gave him a look as she took a chair for herself. What is that supposed to mean?

  He raised a brow as Gabril set the pot of beans down in the center of the table. Are you always suspicious of compliments? I meant that I like the way you constantly analyze the situation, decide on a course of action that makes the most sense to you, and then just . . . do it. You want to go after Irina now, and if you had no one but yourself to consider, you would. But you don’t do what’s best for you. You do what’s best for those you’re trying to protect.

  So you’re saying you and I are alike. Minus the fact that I’ve yet to try to kill you.

  And I’ve yet to call you fetching,

  And I’d never lock my headmaster in his toilet closet.

  And I don’t have magic. But otherwise, yes. We are a lot alike. He grinned at her, and she smiled back until Gabril slapped a spoon against the table.

  “Mind telling me what’s so funny?” he asked as he spooned beans onto their plates.

  “Nothing.” Lorelai avoided looking at Kol.

  “Then if nothing is funny, you two can stop grinning at each other like village idiots and start eating your dinner. I imagine tomorrow will be another difficult day.”

  And here I thought I was winning him over.

  It would be easier if he could see into your thoughts like I can.

  Oh, skies, no. That would be a disaster. A flurry of images raced through his head—Kol kissing girls in spacious bronze hallways, the wound his father’s disappointment had left in him, and the night he’d stared at Lorelai’s face while she was asleep. Lorelai’s cheeks warmed as he said, Don’t look at those.

  Gabril gave them a look that said he knew something was going on and was determined to get to the bottom of it.

  Lorelai shoved a spoonful of beans into her mouth. They were hot and tasteless. She swallowed quickly, and said, “Actually, I want to destroy the communication towers tonight. I can use the ground here to get to the ones in the capital and the surrounding area. Irina’s response will tell us a lot about her current state of health, and it will help me decide if I should enter the capital tomorrow or keep battling her from afar for a few more days.”

  Gabril looked from her to Kol and back again before saying, “That’s a good idea. How much rest do you want to take before we leave the shack and try it?”

  She almost asked how much rest he needed, but swallowed the words before they could pass her lips. He’d tell her he didn’t need any, and she wasn’t going to argue with him.

  “A few hours,” she said, though the restless energy that filled her sent magic to her palms and made it hard to sit still.

  Gabril nodded and kept a close eye on the two of them as they finished their dinner and spread their bedrolls out on the cots that lined the shack’s western wall.

  Three hours later, Lorelai was surprised to find that she’d slept, and that she felt more focused as a result. She pulled on her boots, braided her hair, and shrugged into one of Leo’s thick sweaters—the closest thing she had to winter wear since she’d lost her coat in Nordenberg.

  The sweater smelled like campfires and mountain air. She hugged her arms across her chest and imagined what Leo would say if he was with her.

  He’d tell her they needed costumes before they entered the capital.

  And that she needed to prepare a thunderous oration—heaven forbid he call it a simple speech—to deliver once she saw Irina.

  And he’d laugh at the risk they were taking, a reckless gleam in his eyes as he stood
beside her no matter what.

  Her throat ached, and pressure built behind her eyes. For years she’d trained incessantly with one goal—to overthrow Irina and retake the throne. She’d never imagined doing it without Leo.

  I would’ve liked him. Kol moved to her side and bumped her shoulder with his. He sounds like someone who would’ve joined me in sealing the headmaster into his toilet closet.

  She surprised herself by laughing, though it came out sounding more like a sob. Yes, he would’ve. As long as you gave him an important role to play and let him play it with all the flair his heart desired.

  I’m sorry he isn’t here with us to play a role tonight. Kol walked beside her to the door as Gabril strapped on his sword and gathered up the travel packs. We’ll do this one with flair. For Leo.

  She smiled gratefully up at him, the hard knot of grief in her chest expanding into something softer. Something a little bit easier to accept. For Leo.

  They left the shack and moved into the trees. Earlier in the day, Lorelai had noticed that while there were patches of rot, spots of crumbling bark, or soil that looked too pale, overall the forest was in much better condition that the Falkrains. Maybe Irina had pulled magic from the outer edges of the kingdom first, trying to protect the capital, and by extension herself, from the effects of the blight.

  Or maybe the Hinderlinde Forest had never fully capitulated to Irina’s will.

  Either way, Lorelai hoped it boded well for what she had planned next.

  “How are you going to do this?” Gabril asked when they’d put enough distance between themselves and the shack to have a place to run back to if Irina’s counterattack required them to retreat.

  Lorelai showed Kol her plan. Is that okay with you?

  It’s fine, but are you sure you want that much pain again?

  It will be temporary. Lorelai met Gabril’s eyes. “I’m going to use Kol’s dragon fire again. Only this time, I’m going to see if I can send it underground and have it target the watchtowers only.”

  Gabril’s mouth tightened, and he looked at Kol. “I can’t see inside her head. If she’s getting overwhelmed by the pain, you do something about it.”

  Tell him that was already my plan.

  “He was planning on it,” Lorelai said. Gabril grunted.

  Hunt? Travel? Eat? Sasha swooped down and perched on a nearby branch.

  Not yet. I’m going to do magic.

  Rather eat.

  Lorelai laughed as she flexed her fingers and felt the tingle of magic run down her arms. Then go eat. I’ll call you if I need you.

  Sasha flew away as Lorelai reached for Kol’s hand and braced herself for the pain. Once again, his dragon heart leaped toward her power the second she sent her magic into him. Heat poured out of him and filled her chest until pain was a living creature trapped beneath her skin, thrashing and biting with jagged teeth. She clenched her teeth to keep from screaming.

  Touch the ground, Lorelai. Send the fire where you want it to go. Kol’s voice broke through the pain, and she fell to her knees and pressed her open palm against the forest’s floor.

  “Zhech`pusk. Destroy with fire. Allow all who have a heartbeat to get out of the tower unscathed.” She accompanied her instructions with an image of a watchtower—tall and narrow, built of wood with signal mirrors along the top and a carrier pigeon roost to the side.

  Fiery magic—orange and yellow with a core of white—burst from her palm and burrowed into the ground. She pressed hard, as much to stay in contact with the magic as to keep herself from curling up in a ball from the pain, and felt the threads of fire explode outward, hurtling beneath the forest floor until they reached a watchtower and then racing up the structure to engulf it in flames, always leaving the stairs and exit clear so that those who manned the tower could escape.

  The fire found seven towers in all—two in the capital, one on the castle grounds, and one at each compass point surrounding the capital. When the seventh tower was crumbling to ash, Kol pulled his hand from hers and held her while the terrible heat of his dragon’s fire drained away and left her shaking in its wake.

  “Are you okay?” Gabril crouched in front of her.

  “Yes,” she said, though her limbs still trembled. She leaned on Kol as he helped her to her feet and then listened carefully.

  The forest was alive with creatures rustling through the underbrush, insects chirruping, and the occasional mournful hoot of an owl, but there were no signs of Irina. No shuddering in the ground. No bugs or statues or anything else that looked like a weapon.

  Lorelai had sent powerful magic through the ground only a day’s journey from the capital, had destroyed all the capital’s watchtowers, and Irina hadn’t been able to retaliate.

  She laughed and hugged Leo’s sweater to herself, blinking in surprise as tears stung her eyes. “We did it. She didn’t attack us, even though we burned down a tower on the castle grounds.”

  Gabril’s teeth flashed white against his skin as he smiled. “You were right. I’m proud of you.”

  I told you we make a good team. And I think sending fire beneath the ground to incinerate every tower had plenty of flair. Leo would be proud too. Kol’s hands at her waist kept her steady while her knees gained the strength to hold her again.

  What about your brother? Would he have loved this too?

  Rag? Kol laughed, though there was hurt behind it. Not a chance. He was always serious. Always focused on doing things exactly as he’d been taught. His whole life was spent trying to live up to the responsibility of being king one day, and it took the fun out of him.

  Kind of like me?

  Kol’s fingers tightened around her waist, and he drew her a little closer. She could feel the heat of his chest, but instead of pain, it brought comfort. There’s no one like you.

  Kol’s hands were still steadying her, though now it felt like she needed steadying for a different reason altogether. Her skin tingled with something different from magic, something that sparked along her nerves and shivered deliciously in her stomach. She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, and then Gabril cleared his throat.

  “I may be old, but I’m not blind. I can see when I’m intruding.” His hand wrapped around her shoulder and squeezed gently. “You two don’t stay out too late talking, and don’t do anything you don’t want to tell me about in the morning.”

  Lorelai took a step back from Kol, and his hands dropped from her waist. “You’re leaving us out here alone?”

  “Would you rather I stayed?”

  Skies, no.

  “No! I mean . . . we’ll be fine. We’re just going to talk.”

  Gabril snorted. “That’s what we called it in my day too.” He looked at Kol. “If I can trust her to wage war against the queen, I can trust what she sees in you. And besides, if you try anything she doesn’t like, she can turn you into a pile of ash.”

  Lorelai and Kol watched Gabril walk back to the shack in silence, and though they weren’t touching, her skin still tingled with the memory of his.

  UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

  HarperCollins Publishers

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

  THIRTY-THREE

  AS GABRIL DISAPPEARED into the forest, heading back toward the shack, Kol faced Lorelai and closed the distance between them with a single step. She looked at him, her dark eyes glowing in the moonlight, her red lips parted, and Kol could think of nothing but her.

  Are we about to break your ground rules? Kol leaned toward Lorelai slightly, giving her time to move away if she chose.

  Ground rules? She looked at his mouth, and her breath quickened.

  You remember. The list you gave me when you decided not to block me out of your head? He took one of her cold hands in his and focused all his thoughts on the way she sucked in a sharp little breath when he rubbed his thumb over her wrist. The way her pulse beat frantically against her skin.

  What about it? She licked her lips,
and he willed her to move toward him. To want this like he wanted it.

  You make me want to break one of your ground rules every time you look at me like this. And, skies help him, waiting for her to decide if she truly wanted him or not was torture.

  Her smile was a slow journey of warmth that lit up her face and lingered in her eyes. You want to kiss me.

  Skies, yes.

  For a brief moment, visions of the many other girls he’d casually kissed at the academy filled her mind, and he shook his head. No, Lorelai. You’re different. This—he held up their joined hands—is different. Search my thoughts, and you’ll see the truth.

  He waited quietly while she looked and saw the way she shone a little brighter than anyone he’d ever met. The way she challenged him and thrilled him and made him want to perform some idiotic grand gesture to prove himself in her eyes.

  A grand gesture like sparing my life even though it meant your blood oath with Irina would kill you?

  He laughed, but his heart was pounding with something better than the need to hurt, punish, and kill. I didn’t do that for you. Not really. I didn’t even know you at the time. I was just trying to keep my honor without condemning my kingdom.

  Still, it was a pretty grand gesture.

  You think so? He leaned closer, and the scent of evergreens and snow made him want to drag her against him and show her just how different she really was from every other girl in the world.

  “Yes,” she breathed the word into the space between them, her thoughts full of anticipation and need. He took that as the permission he’d been waiting for.

  Her lips were warmer than her hands as he gently pressed his mouth to hers, still giving her a chance to back away if she changed her mind.

  I’m not changing my mind. She let go of his hand and grabbed the front of his shirt instead.

  He ran his hand up her arm and tangled his fingers in her hair while still keeping the kiss gentle. Their first kiss needed to be perfect, and that meant holding himself back so that he didn’t rush things.