CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
BEFORE I KNOW IT, VASARI, Nero and I are in the air, preparing for a possible skirmish with whoever is approaching.
“I hope you know what you’re doing Rav, but I’ll support you no matter what. Especially if I get to take home a trophy,” Nero states, vibrating with excitement within his travel cage.
Vasari’s eagerness seeps through the bond as well. “My dragons know better than to attack their queen. This will be as easy as roasting sheep.”
My grip tightens on the saddle as my nerves begin to creep up on me.
Maybe I should have listened to Talyn and got myself to safety, but I also can’t sit by and not know if they’re safe.
Plus, a true Queen fights with her warriors, right?
Only a coward hides behind her people, and I’m no longer that female hiding behind the mask of a null, pretending to be weaker than I am.
I am the fates-damned future ruler of Damorleia and I will not cower in the face of those trying to destroy what my parents started.
“That was a beautiful pep talk Ravina,” Nero adds. “Now let’s kick some traitor ass!”
“We don’t even know if they are friendly or not—let’s just see first.”
Jesper and Tisur soar next to me, so close that I can see each individual scale of his fierce blue dragon.
“Stay as close as you can to one of us at all times. If you don’t listen, I’m almost positive Aemon will blink you off your beast and squirrel you away until it’s safe,” Jesper bellows over the wind, but yet he sounds like a whisper in the distance.
My head shakes vigorously. “I’ll be safe,” I yell back. Not to mention I don’t think Aemon would be able to blink up here. Without any shadows to pull from he’s practically powerless.
The specks in the distance become clearer and I’m able to see four dragons—one black, two red and a blue. My gut tightens as I realize that these beasts are most likely from Phixmery.
“Calm, Lost One. All will be well,” Vasari murmurs softly.
We fly tight in formation, and time seems to blink before we are right on top of each other. My eyes widen as I see who is on the backs of these dragons and I’m mixed with rage and surprise. Cresida and Bracken are here, along with the other two from Wing One: Sergeant Hemming and Featherington.
My dragon roars in equal rage as she gets glimpses of my past with the former two.
What’s shocking though is they don’t attack, but instead signal for us to land in the clearing below. My gut twists with unease, not liking this situation at all, but Talyn mimics the signal and we begin our descent.
“Clearly that bastard wants to volunteer his other eye,” Nero hisses, not taking his eye off the black dragon with Bracken sitting upon it. How the fuck did he survive?
We land on one end of the field, Jesper and Killian glued to my side so closely I could touch their beasts, while Aemon and Talyn are in front of us. But even from here I can feel the stares of Cresida and Bracken and it makes my skin crawl.
“Talyn,” Hemmings yells. “Word has gone out that Lord Craven is looking for you. We are under orders to take you and the other Lords’ sons in. You have a lot to answer for.”
“I knew they were working for the enemy,” Jesper mutters, “See, Tisur, I had good reasons to be paranoid.”
Talyn chuckles. “The Lords are traitors to the crown. You know exactly what a purple dragon picking a rider means. I suggest you fly back and tell them to stand down.”
Featherington laughs this time, the noise slightly high pitched and grating on the ears.
“Stand down? To this nobody?” He gestures towards me.
“Like void we will. You think you know what’s going on but you really have no damn clue.
Forfeit yourself or we will kill you and take the bitch to your fathers. I’m sure they would love to meet her.”
Killian growls, and Voissor shifts to stand more in front of me.
“I’m sure Lord Craven would even let me play with the fake royal, isn’t that right Ravina? If you come now I’ll forgive you for what you did to my eye,” Bracken yells across the distance, licking his lips. He adjusts the eyepatch over the eye Nero captured and his dragon hisses.
“Ugh, seriously Bracken? She’s probably so broken-in that even a slum brothel wouldn’t touch her. I always knew she was a whore,” Cresida snaps. “Are you happy being a mate thief? You stole Evera’s happily ever after and you don’t even care. You think you’re so fates damn special—”
“Enough!” Hemming seethes. “This is pointless. Kill them. The Lords don’t care what happens other than that they want her alive.”
My knuckles turn impossibly white with unrelenting rage as our wings growl and rumblings grow louder.
“We have a problem,” Vasari states as she settles low, getting ready to pounce. “These dragons’ minds are not their own—they can’t communicate with me. I fear the Phixmery dragons are falling to this darkness.” She growls again but I don’t have time to question her on what she means.
I know those two will be gunning for me, and I need to stay focused. “I have a lot of questions about what you just said but it will have to wait until after.”
Aemon doesn’t wait to strike, pulling shadows from nearby foliage while Evisdor latches onto Hemming’s blue dragon’s neck and shakes violently.
“Get out of here,” Talyn mouths at me, and I know he’s yelling, but over the sounds of dragons fighting I can’t hear the words.
I shake my head. No, I’m ending these two here and now. Vasari hears my idea and she approves. I have access to so many different kinds of magick and so does Vasari. This should be a piece of cake, I just need to get far enough away from my mates to do this.
We take off into the sky above the others and they follow me. I know they are cursing up a storm because taking this fight to the skies means that things become more chaotic, which is exactly what I’m banking on.
Cresida takes the bait first, her dragon speeding towards me. A sadistic grin spreads widely across her face, thinking that I will be an easy target, but she doesn’t know. None of them do. All she would probably know is what Bracken knows, so she’s in for a rude awakening.
I pull from my Szellemi magick and force my way into her mind, not taking my eyes off her.
When I have a firm grip on it, I push in images of Vasari and I appearing and disappearing from around her, and watch with glee as she begins to panic, searching for me.
Unfortunately her dragon doesn’t fall for it, but Vasari handles the smaller beast with ease, blasting it in the head with a quick burst of shadow flames.
The beast’s screams are quickly silenced as its head turns to ash and its body plummets the small distance to the ground. Its rider will survive the small fall, so I urge Vasari to follow after it.
As soon as her claws hit the ground, I’m off and running full speed towards the burning dead dragon.
Cresida rises from the saddle, falling to the ground before she climbs back onto her feet, her body wobbling as she tries to get her bearings and escape the flames before they consume her as well.
Tears stream down her face as she sobs, yelling for her dragon to get up.
The cries are heartbreaking, but it doesn’t deter me from what I know I need to do.
She wouldn’t have hesitated to try to kill me. She never has.
All the times back in Shalo where she tried to drown me, belittle me and encourage them to torture me at the fucking whipping post—no. This ends here. The realm won’t miss her. Maybe I’m just as bad as she is, but years of anger have boiled over the brim.
My smaller form collides with her as I rain down punch after punch.
“Stop,” she screams. “You stupid bitch. I should have killed you while I had the chance.” She manages to get the upper hand, her fist glancing off my chin as I blast her with air, sending her flying over me.
Touching the earth, I force it to wrap around her body, holding her in place much like that time during our second trial, but this time, this time, that’s where she’s going to stay.
“Any last words?” I hiss through my teeth, pulling a blade from my waist.
She bares her pointed canines at me, hissing back in response. “My father will kill you for this. All the villagers will hunt you down, flay the skin from your bones and leave you tied to the whipping post for the scavengers to feast on.”
An unexpected laugh bursts from me. “Oh, Cresida. Didn’t you hear? My mate burned that village to the ground and everyone in it.” I know he let some fae go, but she doesn’t need to know that. She’ll be dead in a moment anyway.
Her eyes widen in shock as I slide the blade across her throat, her blood spraying me, but I couldn’t care less as I watch her life pour out of the wound, seeping into the ground.
Within moments the light fades from her eyes and I know that Cresida Fellowes is dead.
With quick precision I pry an eyeball from her skull, knowing that Nero would be pissed if he didn’t get at least one eye from her.
Especially after everything she put us through.
Using the same trick I used at The Choosing, I create a little box made from rock nearby and dump some water into it from the canteen at my hip.
By the time I’m finished I’m panting, coursing with adrenaline and relief. She’s dead and I killed her.
“Behind you!” Vasari bellows.
My body spins and with reflexes drilled into me over and over again by Kill, I deflect the blade held by none other than Bracken.
“We could have been great together!” he seethes, his eye burning with fury. “You mated one of those bastards?”
My eyes grow large as I realize he overheard my last words to the dead bitch behind me. He doesn’t know fated mates are back so he assumes we went through a ceremony. Fuck it, let him believe what he wants to. “I never wanted you. You were never my destiny, and you’re fighting for the wrong team.”
He laughs, lowering his blade, and I see Aemon and Jesper arrive behind him. With a small shake of my head I tell them I have this handled. They stop, glowering at the pathetic male before me.
“How could I be fighting on the wrong team with an unbeatable army? The Lords of Damorleia are ending the Choosing. They found a way to gift everyone dragons. That’s how I was given Skullcrusher.
He was called to me while you distracted everyone with your spectacle.
The Lords have an amazing plan for a brilliant new Damorleia.
They would accept you with open arms as long as you bow to them.
Come. Leave this ridiculous quest behind.
Fuck, you can even bring your mate as long as he lets me have my turn.
” His gaze leers over me and I shiver, nearly gagging with disgust.
With speed I didn’t know I possessed, I’m at his throat with my blade, Cresida’s blood still dripping off it. “Never. I should kill you where you stand. But instead. I want you to deliver a message.”
“Ravina, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Aemon states.
I silence him with a look. “Tell Lord Craven that Princess Pendroko is still alive. And that she remembers.” With precise movements I smack the butt of the blade against his temple, knocking him unconscious.
Jesper bounds up to my side, kissing my temple. “You look gorgeous covered in blood, but we should really go. Killian and Talyn’s dragons are doing what they can to hold off this bastard’s dragon. It keeps evading our attacks.”
I look on the other side of the clearing to see them keeping it away.
I nod and run back to Vasari, using a burst of air to help me into her saddle quicker.
With the signal of her roar, we take off into the sky, the bodies of the three dragons and their riders left behind.
They have been ripped apart by our dragons and magick, while the black dragon scrambles to its unconscious rider, roaring its want for vengeance at us, but unwilling to leave Bracken unprotected.
“Your mates are not happy with your decision to let him go,” Vasari states regally after we have been in the air for a bit.
Nero pouts. “I still can’t believe you didn’t get me that bitch’s eyeball.”
“He would have discovered who I am, if he didn’t already know.
Sending a message feels right and I stand by it.
But next time I cross that asshole in battle, he’s dead.
Let the fae of Damorleia have hope that I’ve come back for them.
That with the help of the males I grew up with, their own flesh and blood, I will rid this realm of their tyranny and bring peace back.
They can be mad at me all they want, but this is my choice and I’m standing by it.
” My hands shake as the adrenaline leaves my body and I become nauseous and light-headed.
I swallow and whisper to Nero, “Oh, I did manage to grab you her eye—” I gag and smack my hand against my mouth taking a deep breath to try and help.
“I’ll give it to you when we get back.” I clutch my stomach as I gag again. Oh fates, this is not good.
“Shit! Land, you oversized lizard, or we’re all going to be sprayed with chunks!” Nero yells in a panic as I cover my mouth.
Some future Queen I am. I can’t even seem to keep the contents of my stomach where it’s supposed to be, I think to myself as Vasari dives towards the ground.