And she would because she had promised. And because she was strong enough to stand up when others couldn’t.
He kissed her one last time, and then together they went out to gather the rest of the Draconi to head back to Eldr.
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SEVEN MONTHS LATER
EPILOGUE
IT SEEMED WRONG to have her formal coronation ceremony without Leo there, critiquing the fashions, eating far too many of the appetizers, and charming one and all with his reckless smile, but it was time to assume the formal title of queen and wear the crown she’d fought so hard to take from Irina.
Formal coronation or not, Lorelai had been the acting queen of Ravenspire from the moment Irina had died. She’d visited Eldr to make sure Irina’s blood oath had sent her magic to imprison the ogres once more—and to spend a little time with Kol in his own kingdom. She’d opened lines of communication with Ravenspire’s allies. And she’d toured the land, building trust with peasants and nobility alike and doing what she could to heal the ravages of the blight while handing out food that Kol’s treasure had purchased for Ravenspire from the merchants in Súndraille.
But spring was here, and with Ravenspire’s crisis beginning to pass, it was time to face the ceremony she’d been putting off for so many months.
Lorelai stared at herself in the mirror. Leo would’ve loved this dress—it was bold and dramatic. Wearing it made her feel like somehow part of him was going to stand on the stage beside her like they’d always planned.
“Red is the perfect color for your dress, Your Highness.” Her maid pursed her lips in concentration as she deftly swept Lorelai’s hair into a complicated updo. “You’ll be getting asked to dance by every nobleman in attendance.”
“Thank you, Marlis.” Lorelai smiled at her maid, but there was only one boy she wanted to dance with, and he was far away in Eldr.
Maybe you can pretend to be dancing with me. Kol’s voice sounded amused.
While my feet are being trampled by some old nobleman with gout?
You can tell him he has adorably wild hair.
Don’t make me sorry our connection works over such a long distance now.
He sent her a cheeky grin.
She knew how to fix that.
Of course, I believe most of the older noblemen are actually bringing their sons—only the ones eligible for marriage, of course—to dance with me. The consensus seems to be that I would make a pretty good catch.
You aren’t going to marry a boring nobleman’s boring son.
No?
No, because if one proposes to you, he’ll be eaten by morning. Dragons have very healthy appetites.
Now it was her turn to smirk as Marlis finished her hair and slipped the sapphire earrings Kol had given her into her ears.
Draconi don’t eat people.
I’ve been looking for a new hobby.
She rolled her eyes and stood. Time for me to go face the crowd. You’ll stay with me?
I’m always with you.
He sent her a smile she moved down the stairs, flanked by her guards, and headed toward the ballroom. She pressed her hands against the crimson silk of her dress, tugged on its tiny sleeves, and worried with the enormous floor-length skirt that felt like it weighed as much as Lorelai herself. She’d probably fall on her face if she tried to dance.
You’ll be fine. He sounded amused but also something else.
She looked harder and her brow rose. Nervous?
Maybe.
About what? she asked as pages opened the ballroom doors, and she swept inside.
About this.
The crowd parted, leaving her a clear path to the stage where the head priest from the capital’s cathedral waited to place the official crown on her head and name her the queen of Ravenspire.
She began walking toward the stage, and there he was, wearing a black dress coat and a red cravat that matched her dress. His expression was solemn, though his hair was still unruly.
Surprise, he said.
You came. Her lips trembled as she smiled.
Of course I came. He matched her smile and held out his arm as she approached.
He led her onto the stage and then stepped back down as the entire crowd curtsied and bowed.
The priest spoke for a few moments on duty to both the kingdom of Ravenspire and to the higher power who ruled all kingdoms from the heavens above, but Lorelai had no idea what he was saying. She concentrated on not shaking. It helped a little to see Gabril standing tall and confident beside Ada and his sons, but when the strain of having hundreds of eyes on her got to be too much, she looked at Kol and felt steady once again.
Then the crown was on her head, and it was ridiculously heavy.
So is mine, Kol said as the music started and people began to dance.
I won’t be able to dance with this thing on. I’m top-heavy. I’ll fall over.
I’ll catch you. He pulled her close to him, and the look in his eyes sent a flurry of butterflies into her stomach. Then he kissed her, and the warmth of his chest made her pulse race. Her breath caught while the magic in her blood called to Kol’s hearts, and for the first time since she’d left Eldr behind, Lorelai was home.
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INCANTORS
Kaz`prin: bring to me
Nakhgor: find what I seek
Ja`dat: take and give to another
Zna`uch: to know/learn
Hat`sja: come together and come to me
Prosnakh: request to find
Rast`lozh: to grow or to levy
Kaz`ja: command and take
Oyti: to rise
Tvor`zhi: to create life
Nakh`rashk: find and scatter
Kaz`zhech: punish with fire
Kaz`lit: to pour punishment into
Pros`odit: request to enter
Voshtet: to rise and fly
Pros`rashk: request to scatter
Tvor`grada: create barrier
Zhech`pusk: launch fire
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, thank you to Jesus for sacrificing everything for me.
It takes one person to write a book, but it takes a team to help it see the light of day. The most important member on my team is always my husband, Clint, who is my biggest fan and supporter and who works with me to juggle our five children and very busy schedules so that I can always treat my career like a job instead of a hobby. I love you, Clint!
To my kids—Tyler, Jordan, Zachary, Johanna, and Isabella—you inspire me, motivate me, and fill my world with so many good things. I hope you grow up knowing that you can do anything you put your minds to.
To my mom for taking over my role as “mom” over Christmas break so that I could have long writing days to meet my deadline. To my sister for beta reading and for always being a huge fan of mine.
To my fabulous agent, Holly Root, who is both fiercely intelligent and incredibly kind. I’m so glad I have you in my corner.
I couldn’t get through the drafting and revising process without the help of my writer BFFs. Thanks go out to Mandy Buehrlen for reading the beginning as I was putting the proposal together, for always encouraging me, and for being my spirit animal. To Jodi Meadows for critiquing the synopsis and beginning as I put the proposal together and for being ever ready to offer expert advice, bounce ideas around, and talk me off ledges. To Shannon Messenger for reading the beginning and finding the perfect missing ingredient to really make it shine. And to Lauren Thoman for beta reading like a BOSS. “Moment of silence for Viktor’s cravat” remains
one of my favorite comments ever.
Thanks also to Kat Kennedy for a last-minute beta read and for loving Lorelai so much. To Mireyah Wolfe, who stepped in on Twitter and helped me name Irina’s snake (you suggested Kazimir, which eventually changed to Razimir). And to Rick Lipman, who reminded me that I am an author and I can just MAKE UP NAMES.
Once a draft is ready to be turned it, the expert team at Balzer + Bray step in. Many, many thanks to my immensely talented editor, Kristin Daly Rens, who always pushes me to deliver my absolute best and who believes in me and the story with rock-solid faith. I owe you a puppy and a trip to Scotland. My appreciation also goes out to my incredible publicist, Caroline Sun; my oh-so-talented cover designer, Sarah Kaufman; my rock star marketing team of Nellie Kurtzman, Jenna Lisanti, and Megan Barlog; the fabulous team at Epic Reads for their enthusiasm; and Kristin’s insightful editorial assistant, Kelsey Murphy. I adore my team and am deeply grateful for everything you do to make my stories shine.
Finally, to Lauren White. I hope when you read this book, Gabril’s words take root in your heart and grow: “You don’t go into battle because you’re sure of victory. You go into battle because it’s the right thing to do.” May you hold your head up high and keep kicking cancer in the face.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. J. REDWINE loves fairy tales, Harry Potter, and any movie starring Johnny Depp. She is also the author of the Defiance trilogy. C.J. lives in Nashville with her husband and children. You can visit her online at www.cjredwine.blogspot.com.
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BOOKS BY C. J. REDWINE
Defiance
Deception
Deliverance
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COPYRIGHT
Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
THE SHADOW QUEEN. Copyright © 2016 by C. J. Redwine. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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ISBN 978-0-06-236024-3
EPub Edition © August 2015 ISBN 9780062426536
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C. J. Redwine, The Shadow Queen
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