The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire)

by C. J. Redwine

  She’d been so afraid to reveal herself, so sure it would be the end of everything, and Leo had paid the price.

  Wait a minute. Kol knelt on the rocky soil beside her.

  He died because we tried everything but magic. She couldn’t look away from her hands. Powerful but useless the one time it really mattered.

  Her vision blurred, and a shiver worked its way down her spine.

  Lorelai—

  If you’re going to tell me that I couldn’t have known I’d be stronger, or that I was right to be afraid of Irina, or some other useless thing that won’t help, please don’t.

  It hurt to breathe. To feel the rush of her heartbeat and know that Leo’s heart could still be beating too.

  I was going to say that we always know what to do when we look back. I’ve replayed the moment my parents told me they were taking my brother to the war front a hundred times. And every time I find a way to change the outcome. His voice was quiet, but his thoughts were full of the loss that haunted him. I convince them to wait a day. I get expelled earlier so that they have to stay and deal with that. I pretend I’m terribly sick. I run away so that they have to look for me. Anything to keep them from going to the war front. Anything to make the truth something I can bear.

  I can’t bear this. The shiver that ran down her spine seized her body, and she trembled, teeth chattering. I can’t bear knowing I could’ve stopped Irina and saved my brother.

  I know you can’t, but you don’t have to bear it alone.

  He sat quietly beside her, his thoughts an open invitation for her to see what he bore alone. How the weight of his responsibility and fear was crushing him. How he understood the terrible wound of hindsight and what it took to keep moving forward because that was the only road left open.

  Something hot and feral churned through Lorelai. Magic sparked and burned in her hands, and she curled them into fists and pounded them against the ground until the skin broke and bled. She wanted to tear the world into pieces. She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

  She wanted her brother.

  She was crying, choking on her tears. On the truth.

  You aren’t alone.

  She leaned against him, the warmth of the dragon’s fire in his chest chasing the chill from her skin. He wrapped his arms around her, his hold gentle, his thoughts full of confidence that she could keep moving forward when she was ready. And that she wouldn’t do so alone.

  She cried until the shame and grief had emptied out of her. Until she felt hollowed out from her head to her toes and exhausted in a way that felt permanent.

  When she grew quiet, she realized that he was still on his knees, the rocky ground cutting into his skin. That the air had grown damp and cold, and he’d shifted his body to block the worst of it from touching her. She was suddenly, agonizingly aware that she’d practically crawled into his lap, and that she’d soaked the front of his shirt.

  Nothing in Gabril’s lessons on ladylike conversation was remotely helpful in knowing what to say next.

  You don’t have to say anything at all.

  That was nice of you, she said even though nice wasn’t the right word. He’d understood her grief, and he was the last place she’d expected to find peace.

  Can I ask you something? His eyes met hers, steady and certain, while the wind tugged at his wild hair.

  She saw the question forming in his thoughts, but was too weary to flinch.

  Who killed Leo?

  Her thoughts were a maelstrom of images and pain. Running over catwalks, Leo in her wake. Irina shouting an incantor. Monstrous vines exploding across the sky and hurtling toward the ground. Her gloves on as she desperately pulled Leo to the gate while his veins turned black and his heart stopped.

  I should’ve taken off my gloves.

  That doesn’t answer my question. Who killed Leo? His voice was gentle.

  I failed him.

  Maybe in hindsight that’s how it looks. But why were you in Nordenberg in the first place? Why did you have to run? What poison was running through his blood? He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face until he could look her in the eye. This is important, Lorelai. It’s the difference between drowning and moving forward. Who killed Leo?

  She stared at him as the answer slowly bubbled to the surface. Irina.

  He waited while the truth settled. While she found her equilibrium and her compass.

  It mattered that Lorelai was strong enough to defeat Irina, and she’d spend the rest of her life wishing she’d known that all along. But it mattered more that she remember that Leo wouldn’t have died if Irina hadn’t decided that staying in power was worth sacrificing the lives of her people.

  The exhaustion that swept through her dissolved into anger, which hardened into purpose once more.

  She couldn’t change the past. She could only move forward and make better choices now.

  Slowly she climbed to her feet and then reached down to help Kol up. His hand was warm in hers, and she wanted to say thank you, but he already knew.

  Gabril came around the corner, his face creasing into a scowl when he saw their joined hands.

  “The bridge is clear for now. No soldiers in sight. Sasha scouted back the way we came. Since she didn’t give me any warnings, it seems we haven’t been followed.”

  “Because Irina will use magic against me when I make my next move,” Lorelai said.

  “Agreed.” The scowl on Gabril’s face deepened. “Are you going to stand there holding hands all day, or are we going to do this?”

  Kol let her go. Cold air swept over her skin in the absence of his warmth, and she felt ridiculous for noticing the way his hair curled over his ears and the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

  Careful now, he said as he brushed past her to follow Gabril. We might need to add a ground rule about noticing inappropriate things at inappropriate times. He sounded amused.

  I can’t help that I’m an observant person. And speaking of being observant, we need to watch for Irina’s counterattack. I’m hoping that when I use magic again, she’ll be ready to send something nasty our way.

  That’s not really the kind of thing I’d hope for.

  It’s the whole point of this plan. The more magic she uses, the weaker she gets. Now let’s stop the ogres in Eldr and start causing Irina more trouble.

  How are you going to stop the ogres? His thoughts were a blaze of desperation bound with a thin thread of hope.

  I’ll ask the heart of the river our kingdoms share to do my bidding. If I can convince it to submit to me, then I can send a wall of water into Eldr and have it remain as a barrier between the ogres and your people.

  I’m not sure water alone will do anything but slow the ogres down. There were flashes of horrifying scenes in his memory—children and elderly Draconi running from enormous, gray-skinned beasts who smashed everything to pieces—and he shivered.

  It won’t be just water. She met his gaze. I’ll bind my magic to the river’s heart. As long as I’m alive, nothing will pass through the barrier. And if I die . . . just stay close to me. If I die, take my heart to Irina. Technically, you didn’t agree to kill me. You agreed to bring her my heart. Her blood oath would force her to honor her promise. Either way, Eldr will be safe. Now let’s get across this bridge so that I can get started. They rounded the bend and came upon the bridge.

  It was an enormous structure, wide enough for four wagons to travel abreast at once. The ancient wood was bleached and weathered, but it stood sturdy, braced by crossbeams and thick pillars sunk deep into the river’s bed. The water ran deep, its current strong. From her standpoint on the north side of the bridge, Lorelai could just see the bank on the south shore. Four pairs of statues of kings and queens long buried in the royal tomb stood guard at each end of the bridge, silent stone sentinels three times as tall as Lorelai.

  There were other ways over the river—smaller bridges to the west, ferry docks to the east, but this was the avenue tha
t connected the main road in the north to the main road in the south. This was the fastest way to get to the capital. Once this was gone, it would take weeks for Irina’s northern army, currently stranded in the Falkrains, to reach her.

  By then, either Irina or Lorelai would be dead.

  You’re not going to die. Kol’s voice was fierce, and she heard the whispers of his collar crawling across his mind, urging him to destroy instead of protect.

  I might. She didn’t look at him as she walked past Gabril to study the bridge and plan her attack. She wanted to live, but she wanted the safety and well-being of her kingdom more.

  I will lay down my life for yours. It’s the least I can do.

  She saw the resolve blazing through him, a brilliant light that filled him the way his determination to protect Eldr filled him, and her heart beat a little faster. The whispers from his collar grew louder, begging for her blood, but he fought to ignore them and focused on the debt he felt he owed her.

  Eldr needs its king, she said as she walked between the first pair of weathered stone statues.

  And Ravenspire needs its true queen.

  She lifted her chin and met his eyes. We’re allies now. We’ll just have to save each other.

  She moved through the next pair of statues, shivering a little as she looked up at the empty gray eyes of a queen with long hair and clasped hands that were missing most of their fingers.

  This water flows through Eldr. There was longing in his voice. A sharp ache of loneliness as memories of wide bronze halls with rounded balconies, rugged mountains, and rooms filled with laughter and music swept over his mind.

  And soon this water will make Eldr safe. She looked at the water and prayed its heart would submit to hers without a fight.

  “Which do you want to do first? The bridge or the water?” Gabril said as he strode onto the bridge ahead of Lorelai.

  Whichever one Lorelai chose would spark a response from the queen. And even though Lorelai had beaten the queen’s attempt to punish Kol, she’d be performing two tremendously difficult spells, one after the other. If the river or the wooden bridge refused to submit their hearts to her, she’d be weakened and unable to fight Irina.

  “I’ll send a barrier into Eldr first.” If the queen retaliated, and Lorelai was too drained to fight, she could flee. Leave the bridge intact and alter her plan. But her promise would be kept, and Kol wouldn’t have to worry about losing anyone else he loved.

  Thank you. He walked abreast of her as they passed the final pair of statues on the north side and began moving across the bridge.

  I keep my promises.

  And I keep mine. His fingers brushed against hers, and she saw the vow he’d taken to protect her at any cost. She saw the pain the collar was delivering in response. The way his dragon heart begged for her blood, and the way Kol forced himself to ignore them both so that he could be the boy he wanted to be instead of the predator Irina had created.

  She saw, and her heart beat a little faster, a little harder, as together they walked out over the water.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  LORELAI AND KOL were nearly to the other side of the bridge when Sasha swooped through the sky and settled on Lorelai’s shoulder, her bright eyes staring at Kol while she clicked her beak at him.

  Are we clear? Lorelai asked. No one on the other side trying to get onto the bridge?

  Clear. Sasha gently butted her head against Lorelai’s.

  Keep watch over that side, please. I have something to take care of before I can destroy the bridge.

  Sasha spiraled back into the air as Lorelai, Gabril, and Kol walked past the statues on the south side of the bridge.

  “I have to touch the water,” Lorelai said as she began climbing down the steep bank to the rushing river below.

  Gabril gestured toward Kol. “Get down there with her, son. If the water’s heart fights hers, she’ll be too exhausted to keep herself from falling in. I’m trusting you to keep her safe. Don’t let me down.”

  He didn’t threaten my life this time. I think I’m growing on him. Kol’s words were light, but a heaviness lay over his thoughts. Worry that the spell wouldn’t work. That it would reach Eldr too late. That he’d sacrificed so much of himself only to fail.

  Lorelai had no words that could make it better, so she plunged her bare hands into the frigid water. The cold was a slap of shock that instantly numbed her skin. The swift-moving current dragged at her fingers.

  And magic streaked through her veins to gather in her palms.

  The heart of the water instantly surged toward hers. It was merciless power, unyielding strength, and vast patience. Kol wrapped his hands around her waist, anchoring her to the shore, and she whispered her intentions to the water. Begged its heart to see that she meant no harm. That she didn’t want to force it into submission and cause more damage to Ravenspire.

  When the water’s heart tangled with her magic until it was hard to tell the difference between the two, she threw back her head and let her magic burn through her.

  “Tvor`grada.” Her voice rang with the power that expanded within her, pushing against her skin like she’d swallowed fire. “Go forth into Eldr and rise until you meet the sky. Form an impassable barrier between the Eldrians and the dark magic that is destroying them from the south.”

  The water closest to her hands eddied and swirled, and the bridge trembled as the river pulled away from its course and flowed toward Lorelai. Beneath her palms, the water formed a solid wall and began to rise.

  She stood, the water rising with her, engulfing her hands and then towering over her head. The river bubbled and churned as it lifted toward the sky, a solid wall of water with brilliant threads of magic running through it.

  “Tvor`grada,” Lorelai yelled, and the threads of magic raced for each other, knotting together and spreading along the southern side of the river’s wall like a tightly woven fisherman’s net of blazing white light. Kol let go of her waist with one hand and reached to touch the water. Sparks bit into his skin as his fingers grazed the water, and he jerked his hand back.

  “Now go! Stretch across all Eldr and keep the ogres from crossing your shores.” Lorelai swept her hands to the east, and the wall of water rushed forward with a roar that tore chunks of rocky soil from its banks and sent them tumbling into its depths.

  Lorelai kept her hands in the water as the river swept through the Falkrains and into Eldr. As it rushed across the craggy surface of Kol’s kingdom until it reached the Chrysós Sea at the other side.

  Whispering her thanks to the water’s heart, she slowly withdrew her hands and tucked them into her sweater for warmth. The wall of water on Ravenspire’s side of the border collapsed with a tremendous splash.

  It’s done. Nothing will be able to get past it as long as I’m alive. If the ogres use magic against it, my magic will fight them. I know it isn’t a perfect solution, but—

  He pulled her hard against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. His breath came in unsteady jerks, and the relief that threatened to undo him spilled over into her thoughts as well.

  Eldr is safe now. Brig is safe. His hands shook and he fisted them into the back of her sweater. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.

  I already know. She leaned her head against the warmth of his chest because he seemed to need it, and because another warmth—bubbly and strange—was unspooling in her stomach and tingling with a magic of its own.

  His thoughts spun too fast for her to catch more than glimpses, and she tried her best to give him the space he needed to collect himself by focusing on something else.

  Like the way his heart pounded against her ear. Or the way he turned his face into her neck and sent the warmth in her stomach straight to her chest.

  “Lorelai, down!” Gabril’s voice was a whiplash of command that Lorelai obeyed instinctively.

  Grabbing Kol’s shoulders, she threw them both to the ground and rolled away from the river. An enormous foot made of stone smash
ed into the bank where seconds ago they’d been standing. Lorelai looked up to see one of the statue kings come to life, his blank eyes staring into hers as he raised his stone sword above his head.

  Irina had made her move.

  Kol wrapped his arms around her and rolled again as the sword slammed into the ground, slicing deep and sending a chunk of the bank sliding into the river.

  She was leaping to her feet before the statue could pull the sword out of the damp ground. Get to Gabril. Keep him safe. He can’t run.

  She sensed Kol’s dragon heart thundering viciously as the statue of a queen leaped from the bank above them and crushed the rocky shore beneath her feet. The queen whirled toward them, a stone scepter swinging at their heads.

  They ducked, and the scepter struck the bank behind them.

  I’ll fight Irina. You protect Gabril. Go!

  As Kol climbed up the bank to get to Gabril, Lorelai grabbed the queen’s scepter with her bare hands, her magic blazing.

  The heart of the stone statue was obstinate and indifferent and completely under Irina’s control. Lorelai felt the whiplash of Irina’s power sizzling against her own.

  The king raised his sword as the queen’s enormous hand closed into a fist. Lorelai let go of the scepter and ran.

  She leaped over fallen rocks, skimmed across the muddy soil beside the river, and then snatched a gnarled tree root that protruded from the bank above her and swung her body toward the clumps of withered grass at the top. The statues chased her, their massive footsteps shaking the ground.

  Gabril is safe. All the statues are coming for you, including the ones from the north. Get away from the bridge, Lorelai. Lorelai!

  She focused on her goal, on the purpose that burned within her like a flame. I came to destroy this bridge. She isn’t going to stop me. She reached the top of the bank and sprinted for the bridge as all eight statues on the south side of the river lunged toward her, weapons and fists flying. Her focus narrowed, her world nothing but instinct and training.

  She leaped over a fist that crashed into the ground in front of her and skidded beneath a falling sword. Flipped backward to avoid the jagged blade of a queen with a gentle smile frozen on her face and was nearly impaled on the crown of another queen who’d gone down on her knees to reach for the princess.