by Frost Kay
Warlord’s Shadow
An Aermian Feuds Novella
Frost Kay
Contents
Also by Frost Kay
Audiobooks
Kingdoms of Aermia
Prologue
1. Maeve
2. Maeve
3. Maeve
4. Maeve
5. Maeve
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Warlord’s Shadow
Copyright © 2019 Renegade Publishing, LLC
First Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any format or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
For information on reproducing sections of this book or sales of this book go to www.frostkay.net
Cover by Amy Queau
Formatting by Renegade Publishing
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Your cries have been heard. Are you ready to experience the beginning of the Warlord and the end of Maeve? Y’all are the best, I hope you enjoy this short story.
Prepare your hearts. It’s about to get dark.<3
Also by Frost Kay
THE AERMIAN FEUDS
Rebel’s Blade
Crown’s Shield
Siren’s Lure
Enemy’s Queen
King’s Warrior
Warlord’s Shadow
DOMINION OF ASH
The Strain
The Tainted
MIXOLOGISTS & PIRATES
Amber Vial
Emerald Bane
Scarlet Venom
Cyan Toxin
Onyx Elixir
Audiobooks
Are you an audiobook addict? I’m happy to announce that all books in the Aermian Feuds are available now in audio! Listen now!
REBEL’S BLADE
CROWN’S SHIELD
ENEMY’S QUEEN
KING’S WARRIOR
Kingdoms of Aermia
Prologue
The line between genius and madness is so fine it’s impossible to see, and is easy to overlook.
He was supposed to be the savior from the monsters and ghosts that had haunted their kingdom for many dark years.
Maeve chose to ignore the signs, she chose ignorance.
For that the ultimate price was demanded.
Everything she was.
One
Maeve
“Go!” Maeve murmured, glancing over her shoulder.
The Scythian woman holding the blue-eyed babe scurried into the back of the wagon. Jayme, one of her protectors, threw a blanket over the woman and her small child. He lifted his chin toward her and swung onto his horse agilely.
Maeve held her breath as the horse and cart disappeared into the jungle.
You did a good thing.
She turned to her dragon companion, Spinel, and placed her hand on his snout, the heat from his scales seeping into her chilled hands. “Then why do I feel so guilty?”
Her dragon huffed, blowing her hair from her face, and nuzzled closer, almost knocking her off her feet.
Because your heart is torn. You’ve done well. Take pride in protecting the innocent.
To anyone else, Spinel’s soft crooning and clicks sounded like nonsense, but not to her. She was his heartsong, his companion for life. Maeve tried to wrap her fingers around his snout, her hands still a few spans short. Sometimes, she felt like he was her only friend in the world.
Her heart squeezed. It didn’t used to be that way. Zane had always been her best friend. They’d banded together as children and fought anyone and anything that tried to hurt them – including their parents. She shuddered and pressed closer to Spinel’s comforting heat. Her parents were monsters and had done their best to turn their children into replicas of themselves.
Her dragon purred softly, soothing all of her raging emotions.
Hush, fiery one. They aren’t here. They can’t hurt you any longer.
Maybe physically, but they’d stolen Zane from her. Every day, he turned a little darker – became more like their father.
Come, let’s be gone from this place. The Warlord will be missing you.
Maeve ignored his tone and scrambled up Spinel’s shoulders as he lowered his large feline-like body to the ground, his long, scaled tail whipping back and forth, rustling the foliage around them. Her dragon didn’t care for her brother’s ideals. Spinel had lived for a long time and believed Zane’s ideas would lead to destruction. But she still held out hope. Zane wasn’t a bad person; he was just a broken one, like her.
She slid into the leather saddle that sat right before Spinel’s shoulder blades, just on the edge of his neck. Her thighs tightened against his neck, and her fingers clutched the metal horn in front of her. The muscles in Spinel’s legs bunched, and she let out a yip of excitement as he launched into the air, his massive wings unfurling. Her stomach swooped as he flapped his wings and the trees below them became a carpet of green treetops.
Her eyes stung from the cold air rushing past as Spinel drew higher and higher until he caught a thermal. Maeve threw her head back and let out a screech of happiness, Spinel bellowing with her. There was nothing more magical than riding her dragon. It was the ultimate rush. Here, there were no cages of propriety and she could just be herself. It never got old. Every ride was like the first time.
Her worries fell away as they chased the clouds and soared over the red sands of Nagali until the sun began to set. It truly was an evening to behold. Red sand below and red sky above. It was like the world had been set on fire.
She leaned forward and hugged her dragon, pressing her cheek to his shiny wine-colored scales. “Thank you. We should probably go home.”
The wind snatched her words, but he heard her anyway as he banked and flew toward the lush green jungles of Scythia. Maeve closed her eyes and listened to the rushing wind and the tandem beats of her dragon’s hearts.
All too soon, they began to descend. Spinel landed softly in a meadow just outside the Nagali palace near the Kugami River. Maeve stared up at the elaborate castle built into the side of the mountain. It was immense and intricate, its winged roofs decorated with dragons that sat like little guardians on the tips. Looping gold filigree curled around peaked windows, and bright-colored flowers burst from every little crack. The colors were overwhelming. Her mother’s people always had a flair for the dramatic. They were never afraid of color, so unlike Scythia’s demure style she’d grown up with. Everything was neutrals.
“I wonder what it was like to grow up in such a place.” Maeve’s grandfather had given her mother the castle when she’d married Maeve’s father. She almost wondered if her grandfather had known what kind of man the prior Warlord had been. She shuddered. If he had, certainly he wouldn’t have married off his daughter to the monster… but then again, her mother had become more wicked than her father in the end. Her stomach churned as she shut out thoughts of her parents’ depravity. Maybe her father and her mother had been well-suited after all.
Maeve shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to Spinel. “Are you heading to bed?”
He shifted on his claw-tipped paws, his wings lifting slightly. I’m going to try to catch the moon this night.
She nodded, feeling a little dejected. She’d have no excuse to sneak out of the proceedings t
onight.
Spinel shuffled forward and dropped his head, his golden, slitted eyes so much like the lerens that prowled through Scythia’s jungles.
Be strong, Maeve. I’ll be back before you know it.
“I know.” She kissed the skin beneath his eye and left her friend behind as she traipsed up the path that had been carved into the mountain. She briefly nodded to the warriors stationed at the entrance of the palace.
High, arching, cream-colored walls greeted her and created a long tunnel, scattered with tall windows that illuminated the intricate art on the walls—ruby dragons sleeping amongst children, Nagalians riding on dragons, people singing and working alongside their beasts. Each mosaic was more beautiful and fantastic than the last. Her lips thinned as she turned away from the paradisiac pictures the art painted. There was nothing wrong in the pictures, but the dark part of her soul raged at how her mother had kept this place from them. It was a sanctuary, and yet she’d never let her children set foot in the place. Selfish whore.
She followed the twisted corridors and slipped into her dark room. Stripping off her leather vest, she tossed the sweat-stained garment onto the floor next to her bed and strode toward the two huge doors opening onto a red stone balcony that boasted a breathtaking view. Maeve leaned on the intricately-carved railing, imagining she could wish away her unwelcome visitor.
“Do you need something, Gadiz?” she asked, feigning boredom.
A deep chuckle rumbled from the dark that seemed like a nightmare brought to life.
“Your brother’s been looking for you.”
“Well, you found me,” she said flatly.
“Where have you been?”
She balked at the question, and glared over her shoulder at her brother’s reaper, who appeared from the darkness. Her icy veneer froze over her expression as she coldly stared down the monster her brother liked to keep around. “Don’t presume to use that tone with me. I’m not a maid you can order about. You speak that way to me again and I’ll have you lashed until you can’t walk.”
Most men would’ve cowered in the face of her icy wrath, but Gadiz wasn’t afraid of her rage, her darkness. One couldn’t be afraid of something one was born from. He flashed her a smile from a handsome, chiseled face, his dark gaze running the length of her. “You look as if you’ve been tumbled.”
“I went for a ride.”
“How very scandalous,” he murmured as he slipped closer. Gadiz paused an arm’s length away, his strong wiry body seeming full of tension. He stared down at her from his immense height, his dark eyes serious. He lifted his hand and ran his index finger down her cheek. “Be careful, Maeve. You know how I like a challenge.” He pulled away and moved toward her bedroom door, each step graceful as her heart thundered in her chest. “Your brother would like you to join him for dinner.”
The door clicked softly behind him, and Maeve slowly released the breath she was holding. He became bolder with every interaction they had. He’d become a problem that she didn’t want to deal with. She spun back around to inhale the crisp night air and eyed the two-hundred-foot drop below her. Sometimes, she wished she had wings like Spinel. She tipped her head back and let out a cry much like her dragon’s. Her voice echoed around her, and she sported a small smile. Spinel would be proud. He always said her roar left something to be desired in the past, but surely he’d approve of her rage-fueled cry. She turned from the balcony and strode into her room purposely. Maeve stripped off her clothes and went to her basin to wash her face and hands. She glanced into the old mirror and froze. Staring back at her was her mother, all except for the green eyes. How could her brother look at her without hatred after everything he’d suffered at their mother’s hands? She should’ve protected him better.
Swallowing down her guilt, Maeve re-braided her hair and slipped on a pair of leggings, followed by a simple, clean dress with slits up the sides. With care, she strapped on all her daggers and retied her braces around her forearms, all feeling of freedom disappearing. She might be royalty, but she wasn’t dumb enough not to go without protection. Plus, it made a statement. She wouldn’t be an easy target.
Two
Maeve
She pulled open her door and managed not to stumble as she caught sight of her brother lounging against the wall across the hallway. His inky hair hung around his angular face, just brushing his bare, muscular shoulders. He was beautiful, just like their father.
The straight, proud lines of his nose wrinkled as he smiled, almond-shaped eyes twinkling at her. “That was quite some cry, sister.”
Her shoulders relaxed at his teasing tone. She loved her brother so much, it hurt sometimes. “I was practicing for Spinel.”
Something flashed across his face, but it was too fast for her to catch. “Where is that overgrown dragon?”
“Out for a midnight romp, no doubt,” she said, grinning. Spinel would have crowed in indignation if he heard her talking like that. He claimed to be too old for such shenanigans, but Maeve knew his devilish streak ran deep.
Zane pushed from the wall and held out his elbow. “Shall we go to dinner?”
“I’m starving,” she replied, looping her arm through his. After a few paces, she asked, “So, you sent Gadiz to find me?”
“He’s not so bad.”
“For a snake.”
“Be nice,” Zane moaned. “He just wants a chance with you.”
Maeve pulled a face but pushed it no further. Lately, Zane had been mentioning a match between them more and more. She was six and twenty. Well over marriageable age. Her brother hadn’t forced her into anything she wasn’t comfortable with, but … it was only a matter of time before she was expected to marry. “I’ll think about it,” she allowed.
Her brother snorted. “I know what that means.”
She rolled her eyes as they pushed through the doors and entered one of the smaller dining rooms. She nodded to the small group of advisors standing next to the table. Zane pulled her chair out, and she sat, smiling at everyone. “Good evening.”
Murmurs of hellos echoed around her as dinner was served. Creamy roots, savory meats, and fresh fruit. Relatively simple fare, but some of her favorites. Maeve popped a plump berry between her lips just as her brother rose from his chair. She glanced at him askance as he swept the table with his eyes.
“As you know, Nagali has responded to our generous reply with mockery and disdain.”
Her eyes rounded. Her brother had been generous in his offerings. It wasn’t an easy feat to create what he had. Granted, he did get a little overzealous with his ideas, but that was why she was there. She could rein him in. Her mind flashed to the woman she’d helped leave Scythia earlier that day. Her brother had been a bit high-handed in demanding all citizens to report to the local doctors for their cure or leave.
Latamir stood and bowed to her brother. “You were right. This insult can’t be ignored. I mobilized our warriors, and things are progressing well.”
Mobilized our warriors? She turned to her brother. “What does he mean?”
Zane turned to her, his gaze fathomless. “They were moving to strike against us.”
“But they’re our allies.”
“It saddens me, but we had to make a choice.”
The hairs on her arms rose. “Was there no middle ground?” she asked as calmly as she could, proud that her voice held steady.
“No. They made their intentions clear, and we can’t allow that sort of disobedience and depravity to infect our own lands.”
She felt sick. “And if they surrender?”
“There will be no survivors,” her brother said softly, as if it would lessen the severity of his statement.
His voice seemed to ring in her ears. He couldn’t mean that.
“You can’t,” she gasped and stood from her chair. She never looked away from her brother. “That’s criminal. It’s wrong.”
Zane didn’t look away; his expression never changed from one of determination. “This will be fo
r the good of our kingdom.”
“For the good of our kingdom?” she bit out. “Are you even hearing yourself? You sound as crazy as father.” As soon as the words passed her lips, she wished to take them back.
Shadows filled his gaze, and it was as if his whole body filled with ice. “I’m nothing like that weak man. He almost killed our kingdom. I’ve healed it. I will perfect it, and there’s nothing that will keep me from my goals. You’re either with us or against us.”
Her mouth popped open to retort as a huge hand wrapped around her left bicep. Maeve glanced at Gadiz in anger. “Get your hand off me!”
“Please escort the princess to her room,” her brother said with the bored tone he’d perfected over the years.
She wanted to plead, to yell, to scream, but it wouldn’t reach his ears. He’d made his mind up already, and all she’d do was alienate herself from him.
Gadiz towed her from the room and down the hallway. Once they’d gained distance from the dining room, she ripped her arm from the reaper’s grip.
“Don’t touch me again,” she growled. Her hand drifted to the dagger strapped around her thigh.
He glanced at her hand and raised an eyebrow. “You think that will protect you? Don’t be stupid, Maeve.” He twisted around to survey the hallway and moved closer to her. “Keep your mouth shut if you want to live.”
Shock caused her to jerk back. “Are you threatening me?”
“No,” he breathed, his expression intense. “You’re putting yourself in danger.”