Shadowborn Queen

by G. Bailey

  I'm not sure how long passes before we reach the main part of the treasure cave. Every second feels like an eternity when you're trying not to wake the dead. When Ozy does stop, I peer into the cave, and my mouth hangs open at all the endless treasure littered around. There's at least ten separate piles of them, each one crowned with a silver chest covered in jewels that reflect the light.

  Ozy gives the quietest of oinks and then he shapeshifts into a robin. Of course. Magic might be forbidden, but since the Draugars created the Shades, it doesn't apply to them. Stunned, I watch him fly over to the sleeping bodies and land on one of the chests.

  He found the key!

  I fly over to him, my pulse racing at the sight of all the Draugars sleeping on the floor. How do they protect their treasure when they sleep around all day? Shaking my head, I hover beside the chest, and then I tentatively reach out for it.

  The instant I touch the cool silver, a ticking noise echoes around the cave.

  A ticking noise that sounds like a freaking bomb.

  So that's how they protect their treasure. Alrighty then. I guess I'm fucked.

  I fly several feet back just before the bomb goes off. When it does, an explosion of scentless green gas is released and the chest shoots onto the ground, causing all the treasure underneath it to collapse. One by one, the Draguars wake up, and I know I haven't got long. The key is one of these chests and I need to open each of them. That's three more bombs while an entire cave filled with the undead try to kill me.

  "Piece of cake," I tell myself, more to steady my nerves than anything. The first chest had been empty, now I need to check all the others.

  Snarls and grunts carry to my ears as the creatures wake up. Metal clangs together as they reach for their weapons and crawl toward me.

  "I don't want to fight," I say, raising my hands in supplication. "I just want your treasure. A Titan key, to be exact. I don't suppose you'd consider giving it to me?"

  Well, that doesn't go down well. The creatures move even faster, their snarls turning into hisses as saliva oozes from their mouths. They're not exactly the quickest creatures I've ever encountered, but when they start climbing the piles of treasure as if they’re trees, boy do they move fast.

  Looks like verbal communication isn't going to go down well here.

  Time for plan B.

  I fly over to the next pile and touch the chest. The ticking noise sounds again, and this time I pick the chest up and hold it high above my head.

  "Bombs away," I shout, dropping the chest.

  It explodes, spewing another cloud of smoke. The draugars hiss and shriek back as the gas burns their discolored skin. Weirdly, it doesn't affect me, and I wonder if they keep the chests to protect themselves from other draugars instead of fae. Part of me feels bad about throwing the bombs, but the other part knows I need to find that damn Titan key. So I continue picking up all the chests and dropping them like a bunch of whipper snappers.

  "Izora? Izora!"

  Gold's voice echoes around the cave. Still holding one of the chests, I glance at the entrance where my guys are standing, their weapons at the ready.

  "Uhh... looks like she's got everything under control," Axel says, sweeping his gaze around the Land-Draugars writhing on the ground.

  "Help me find the key," I shout over the creatures’ hissing. "It's in one of these chests and so far I haven't been able to find it. It might be on the floor. Help me look for it!"

  My guys jump into action and charge into the room. Axel and Gold battle the draugars while Scott and Luke search the ground for the key. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack, except the key should be glowing like the others.

  I grab another chest and throw it, shouting, "Fire in the hole!"

  "Whose hole?" Axel yells back, and I can't help but laugh.

  Even when faced with mortal danger, we can still crack jokes with each other, and that's what I love about my guys. Together we're a light in the darkness that cannot be extinguished.

  "I've got it!" Luke bellows, just as he kicks an approaching draguar in the gut. "Now let's get the fuck out of here, jaybird!"

  He doesn't need to tell me twice. As soon as I see the key glowing in his hand, I fly down with Ozy and charge to the entrance with the guys. Gold shapeshifts into his dragon outside and we each climb onto him before he lifts to the sky and soars over the marshlands.

  "That was a close one," I hear Scott muttering to Axel.

  "Nah," he replies, shaking his head. "Izora had everything under control."

  For once, no one argues with him, and I can't resist the pride that surges through me. Yeah, I might've almost been killed by The Undead Lord's creepy little minions, but at least I had my guys with me while we kicked ass.

  Chapter 10

  The sun flickers through the trees as it rises over the horizon, like a warm wave bringing the dark forest to life. I swallow a yawn, leaning against Luke's shoulder.

  "I miss sleeping in a bed and lying in," I admit. Gold looks back, mid-conversation with Scott and Axel as they lead the way through the forest.

  Luke nods his head. "I imagine sleeping in the morning with you in my bed would be close to going to heaven."

  I chuckle. "You don't have to waste those sexy pickup lines on me anymore."

  "Cheeky, madam. They worked, I have you as a mate now," he protests, making me laugh.

  "What's so funny?" Axel asks, turning back to us and walking backwards. I don't get a second to scream as magic bursts to life right behind the guys and a massive man walks out of the dark magic portal. The man stretches to the sky in size, his skin is all dark, I'm sure he was once handsome but now he is so covered in blood that I can't tell.

  So this is a Titan.

  "Watch out!" I scream as the Titan kicks the guys in a line and right into the closing portal.

  They don't get a second to stop themselves as they fall through and it disappear.

  "No!"

  My scream only attracts the Titan's attention and Luke grabs my arm, dragging me through the trees.

  "Fly up, now!" Luke shouts at me and I do as he suggests, flying high into the air. I smash through the trees, ignoring the branches that cut against my arms. Luke holds his hand out for me and I grab his hand with mine, latching on. We keep going up until we are over the clouds, I suck in a deep breath as the Titan spins around in circles in the forest, looking for us.

  "We have to find them!" I whisper to Luke as he pulls me into his arms. The harsh wind blows against us as we do nothing, knowing if we move out of the clouds the Titan could see us.

  "It's likely the portal just went to another part of the forest," Luke whispers to me. "I think we should find somewhere to hide for the day, tonight we will make our way to the academy. The others will know to meet us there if they can. If not, we get weapons and help to find them."

  I know Luke is most likely right, but a part of me hurts at the idea of hiding out from the Titan and not searching aimlessly for my mates in the forest. I know nothing I could do would take down that Titan, and judging by the amount of blood coating him, it would be pointless to even try. I would just get Luke and I killed, and that can't happen. A smart princess knows when to fight and when not to. I just have to hope I know when the right time to fight is. I keep messing everything up, and now I've lost three of the most important people in my life in this forest. Eventually, we notice the Titan is gone, and the trees are motionless in the forest once again.

  Luke flies down, pulling on my hand to take me with him. We don't land for a long time as we travel over the forest and towards some of the taller areas full of trees. Luke helps me glide through the trees this time and we both land on the ground, right in front of a large hill covered in trees with shallow caves.

  "Here will be safe and easy to see anyone near," Luke suggests, picking up some sticks on the ground. I gather some as well, feeling the chill in the air already, and it's only early morning. Luke is right, with Titans around we can't travel
through the forest in the day. I think it's best we travel at night, where there might be shadows, but at least we know the darkness will hide us.

  Luke is quiet as we both gather sticks and branches for the fire and settle in one of the more hidden caverns. There isn't much space in here, and once Luke gets the fire going, we sit right next to each other.

  "Tell me something about you. Something not many know," I ask Luke, resting my head on his shoulder.

  "When I was a little kid, I made friends with a wisp in my garden. It would always hide whenever someone else came near, but not me. I know they are rare, but it was good company for me for a long time. I almost felt it's magic, like a comfort blanket," he tells me. "I never was good at making friends, but the wisp liked me."

  "You have friends now," I tell him. "And someone in love with you. I'd say you're really good at making friends."

  "How are you coping with everything? We haven't had much of a chance to stop and talk about your mother and father," he asks me. "Gold suggested we wait to ask you about it, and you don't have to answer me if you don't want to."

  I stare at the fire as I wonder how to explain how I'm feeling. "My mum being gone doesn't yet seem real. I fear seeing Willow and my step-dad and facing the truth. I keep thinking she is out there, just waiting for me, but I know somewhere deep down she isn't. I won't hear her laugh again. One day I will have a crown on my head, a kingdom to run, and never be able to ask for her advice. As much as she used to drive me insane, I still love her and miss her."

  I pause, looking up at Luke, finding comfort in his eyes. "Then sometimes, I want to scream with how angry I am that mum never told me who my father was until the last moments she was alive. I hate that I never really got to meet my father and my only moment with him was him dying in my arms."

  "Royal fae breed pain and cruelty. There is no kindness in the blood you have," he warns me. "But it can be changed. We can change the future of the royal fae."

  "You want to change it all with me still?" I ask him, leaning up so we are face to face. "I would understand if it's all too much. I've asked so much of you since we met."

  "I will always be at your side, saving you, loving you for as long as you want me. Throne or not, I don't care. I only want us," he promises, cupping my cheeks with his hands. "Tell me you want the same. Tell me you love me like I fucking love you, Izora Dawn."

  "We bleed together. We fight together. That's our choice and mine. You are mine," I tell him and he kisses me, sinking his lips onto mine like he is branding my soul and I never want him to stop.

  A warm heat fills my back, like a tingling sensation and I break away from Luke, turning around to see my mates surrounded by hundreds of wisps. A wisps floats around us in a circle, magic filling the air effortlessly.

  “I think the forest is on our side,” Scott comments as we all stare in wonder. Wisps guide those who are on the goddesses path.

  And if this isn’t a sign she is watching and helping us, nothing is. I run to my mates with a big smile on my lips, knowing everything is going to be okay.

  We have a goddess on our side.

  Chapter 11

  Izora

  The wisps are as beautiful as Luke described. I remember my mother telling me about them when I was a little girl and that when you see a wisp, the gods are guiding you somewhere magical.

  Luke holds my hand as we stroll after the wisps, our boots crunching on the dead leaves that litter the ground.

  "Where do you think it's taking us?" I ask quietly.

  Luke shrugs a shoulder, his eyes trailing after the magical wisps. "When I was a kid, they only took me to fun places, or guided me away from danger. Wherever they're takin’ us, I have a feelin’ we'll like it."

  I nod and hide a yawn behind my hand. Apparently running away from Titans and trying to win a war is beginning to take a toll on me. Gods, I really miss sleeping in a bed. Sure, the one at the palace had been nice, but I didn't feel safe there, not even with Gold at my side.

  I close my eyes briefly and imagine myself with Luke, Axel, Scott, and Gold. How wonderful it'll be to spend the day in bed with them. Once this is all over, we'll live in the forest, eating, fucking, and laughing together without the shadow of war looming over us.

  "I think we're here, jaybird," Luke whispers, dragging me from my pleasant reverie.

  I open my eyes and look around. Overgrown weeds and grass surround a beautiful, if not slightly run down, house. Some of the windows are broken and their white shutters hang off them listlessly, but for the most part, the building seems to be in good shape. And more importantly, safe. I definitely didn't expect the wisp to take us here, but I guess this is what I do desire most right now: a safe place to be with those I love.

  “It’s a house,” Luke whispers, a grin sliding over his lips. “See. Told ya we can always trust the wisps.”

  "Let's just hope it isn't haunted," I say, returning his grin. But I try not to let my excitement get the better of me. We still don't know if the house is completely uninhabited.

  The front door is barricaded, so we check the back door. Luke is able to smash the glass and reach for the handle. I hug my chest and tell myself that this place is totally not haunted. That mysterious creaking noise when I enter the house? Yup. Totally not a ghost. Despite how spooky the abandoned house is, the interior isn't as awful as I thought it'd be.

  "What if someone's already claimed this place?" I ask.

  Luke kicks open the kitchen door at the end of the hallway. "They'd be an idiot to take either of us on." He scans the room---the cupboards are hanging off just like the windows, and the supplies and furniture have already been ransacked.

  I rub a chill from my arms and follow Luke around the house, searching all the rooms. Once we confirm its not haunted or being used by someone else, we go back to the guys. When we come back, the guys get busy clearing out the living room. It's the largest room in the house and the windows aren't damaged or boarded up, which means we can keep an eye out for any unwanted visitors.

  By the time I've clear the room, dusk has fallen, painting the sky in auburn and golden hues. I wipe the sweat from my brow and lean against the window while the fire cackles in the background. Gold managed to light a fire in the middle of the floor, Scott helped Luke carry two mattresses down from upstairs and they laid them together on the floor. Their condition wasn't as awful as the rest of the house, but we still covered them with the sleeping bags given to us by King Cyrus. This might not be the bed I'd hoped for, but it's still something, and the thought of lying in front of the fire with my guys is wonderfully pleasant.

  So much has happened in such a small period of time. We were all wrongly imprisoned and forced to fight for our lives in the Blood Trails. Then we were imprisoned again after being turned into light fae. We fought to survive once more in the Blood Trials, then we freed ourselves, and now we're fighting in a war to stop Eva and the Titans from destroying our home and futures forever.

  I look out the window and smile at my guys as they practice fighting each other. Scott and Axel fight like brothers, while Gold and Luke attack each other like true sparring partners.

  Has it really only been months since I've known my guys? It feels like an eternity. But that's something I've come to realise. It doesn't matter how long you've known someone. You can know a person your entire life and yet never reach the same level of companionship that you do with someone you just recently met. Whether it be friends or lovers, a soul connection is so, so rare to come by, and priceless. This is what I have with my guys. With Corvina, Sage, and my other friends.

  They are who I'm fighting for.

  A yawn catches me, and I wipe my eyes. We've eaten and we've trained. Now I want nothing more than to snuggle up with my guys in a home that, for now, can keep us safe.

  I cross the length of the room and pull open the front door. A ray of sunlight blinds me momentarily when I step onto the porch and a light breeze lifts my hair. At first I don’t see the appro
aching figure. It’s not until my guys stop fighting and gather in front of me do I realize we’ve got a visitor. I lift a hand to my forehead and shield my gaze from the blinding sun. My breath leaves me when I see the girl walking through the trees, her white hair flowing behind her.

  “Willow?”

  Chapter 12

  Izora

  "Are you sure you want to be alone with her?" Axel asks, glaring at Willow.

  Gold, Luke and Scott all hold the same, distrust shining in their eyes.

  "Yes," I tell them, keeping my eyes on Willow as she stands by the largest tree in the area, her arms crossed tightly. Her white hair is wrapped up in a bun, and around her waist are dozens of daggers. She pulls off a heavy-looking backpack, resting it by the tree before crossing her arms. The guys all go inside the house and I walk over to Willow.

  "Why are you here?" I ask her, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever reason she has for coming to find me. I want to tell her the truth about mum but not until I'm sure she is on my side. I want to believe she is, but Willow has always hated me and always wanted to see me fail. Right now, I can't have anyone who hates me so close, even if she is my step-sister.

  Willow looks down, dropping her hands to her side. "I know mum is dead and so is my dad. He died in the Titan's attack. I found out and stayed at the academy, but that was attacked as well. I could have run away to the human world, left you and the Enchanted Forest behind but--"

  "But what?" I question, stepping closer.

  "Look, I never hated you...I was jealous of you. You always had mum's love and dad's respect. I never had that, no matter how much I tried," she admits, rubbing her arms. "I couldn't see past the jealousy to realise that family is all that matters. And you are my sister."

  "And now?"

  This time she lifts her head and drops her arms to her side. "Now I'm here to fight for you, for us. We deserve to live a good life, and the damn Royal Fae are not going to take that from us. I believe you have a throne to claim and I'm good at fighting. Let me stay and protect you."