Crown of Slumber (Crowns of the Fae #1)

Chapter 1

Dragons made much better company than fae nobles.

The familiar smell of sulfur and pine and earth filled my nostrils as I strode down the path to the nesting grounds.

It smelled of home.

A small smile lit my face, in spite of the exhausting ordeal I would face today. For this moment, I could relish the respite from court affairs.

I was the eldest daughter and next in line for the throne of the Summer Court. Father would be stepping down soon. In truth, he was quite healthy; but I knew Mother was anxious to retire with him. He was reluctant, but he knew it was best for the kingdom.

I couldn’t blame my mother for wanting to step back. I wanted the same thing, after all. To live in the forest with my clan of dragons was my fantasy.

I didn’t mind court politics. But solidifying my position as queen with a union with another fae court sickened me. I had to pretend to be flattered by the suitors who only saw me as a pretty ornament attached to their arm when in reality, I wanted to retch.

News of Father’s abdication had spread quickly. Already, suitors from other kingdoms had come to seek my hand.

Not for me, of course. But for our dragons. Every kingdom wanted them.

My fingers curled into tight fists at the thought. Every king and queen would use our dragons as weapons, would enslave them, would butcher them for gold.

I would never allow it. Never .

As queen, I could protect them. Better than my father ever could.

Heat swirled around me as I drew closer to the nesting grounds, a warm and comforting presence. I never minded the sweltering temperature. In the Summer Court, the sun blazed for sixteen hours every day. Add the dragonfire, and it made our court seem like a furnace.

But I longed for it. My pale, rosy, and freckled skin craved the heat as if it had been siphoned from me at birth. My sister, Gigi, often joked about it; that the witches cursed me with fair skin in a kingdom forever punished by an overbearing sun.

A row of hydrangea bushes marked the entrance to the grounds. I stopped to smell them, allowing another smile to spread across my lips.

The dragon clan loved the smell of hydrangeas. It kept them at ease. Especially the younglings.

My fingers brushed against the soft blue petals as I entered the grove. Large pine trees speared toward the sky, providing a cocoon of shade. As soon as I reached the cover of trees, my skin pebbled from the absence of the heat. The dragons liked their privacy, and the younglings, who were often skittish during their early years, preferred the isolation from our people.

Except for me. They were all comfortable around me.

I was their guardian, after all.

A low, gentle thrumming noise filled the air, making the ground rumble. Some would call it a growl, but I knew better; it was a purr.

I grinned widely. “It’s nice to see you, too, Mal.”

A black dragon with midnight scales inched forward. He stood taller than our grandest carriage, with sharp silver talons and fiery golden eyes. A long, white scar ran down one eye, making it look milkier than the other. A battle scar, courtesy of the Midnight Court.

All the fae courts sought after our dragons. But the Court of Midnight had been the most ruthless in their pursuit. Mal had fearlessly defended our kingdom against the threat ten years ago, but the price had been steep. We’d almost lost him that day.

Mal rumbled a low sound and drew closer to me, his hot breath warming my body. He pressed his long snout into my arm, and I scratched underneath his chin.

“I missed you, too.” I leaned my forehead against his, and he purred again.

Mal was fearsome, but he certainly wasn’t the biggest of our dragons. He was a Darkener, which was our rarest species. The biggest and most fearsome was Kade, our green Bloodmare; she was as large as our castle. But, due to her size, she was often in hibernation. It took a great deal of energy for her to emerge from the nesting grounds. We often let her be.

What I loved about Mal was that he was big enough to intimidate but small enough to cuddle. A laugh escaped me as he nuzzled further into my shoulder, proving exactly that. My arms wrapped around his scaly neck as I drew him close.

His low whine rumbled in my ear, and I sighed, understanding his intention. I wasn’t sure how, but I could easily communicate with the dragons. Even if I didn’t know exactly what they were saying, I could read their intonations, deciphering meaning from certain sounds and inflections.

Gigi, my sister, often called me a witch for it. “Aurelia is a dragon witch!” she would shout, while I, in turn, would ruffle up my already unruly strawberry blond hair and cackle wickedly while chasing her around the castle.

“I’m sorry, friend,” I lamented, withdrawing to run my hand down Mal’s snout once more. “We can’t go riding today. There are more suitors to see.” I wrinkled my nose.

Mal snorted, lifting his chin. I imagined if he could, he would be rolling his eyes.

I chuckled. “I know. Believe me, I’d much prefer riding. But I have duties to attend to.”

He let out another questioning rumble, his head tilted as he scrutinized me.

I shook my head. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I must marry eventually, I suppose. But none of these suitors are…” I trailed off, unable to find the words. Truth be told, they were all terrible. Handsome, sure, but they were vile, conniving, conceited, and downright boring. They wanted to speak of armies and battle strategy, or how much price a tract of farmland could fetch, or how ma ny heirs I could produce. If I brought up horticulture or literature, which were two of my greatest interests, they would either laugh as if I made a joke, or they would smile blandly and change the subject.

A few years ago, I’d had an arrangement with the Autumn Prince. For a while, I was planning to be his bride. And he hadn’t been completely terrible. Not until…

No. I shoved the thought from my mind before it soured my mood even further.

“Whoever I do choose to marry will have to pass your inspection first,” I declared, and Mal lifted his chin again, all smugness and satisfaction. “If you don’t like him, I will turn him away at once.”

Mal huffed in amusement, and I grinned, scratching under his chin again. “How is Azure doing?”

Mal’s answering hum had a distressed edge to it, and the smile slipped from my face. “Can I see her?”

He dropped his head, turning to lead me farther into the grove. Anxiety had my fingers clenching into fists at my side as I hurried after him. The slope descended to a bumpy crater the dragons had dug to protect their eggs. Only a few large gray ones hadn’t hatched yet; the rest of the hatchlings were nestled close to their mothers.

All except for one.

As blue as her namesake, Azure was draped along the soft soil, her scales reflecting the shimmering light of the sun that filtered through the canopy above. Her long, slender body seemed serpentine, with a curling tail and narrow snout buried in the earth. She wasn’t much bigger than a calf at birth. Her lungs rattled with each breath she took, her eyes closed tightly in pain.

She was sick. And there was nothing I could do for her.

A few days ago, she had seemed to be improving. She drank the milk I offered her, even nibbled at the fish I brought.

But now she seemed worse than before. Even her blue scales lacked their usual luster.

Beside me, Mal stiffened, then let out a low growl.

Only then did I notice a cloaked figure was crouched by Azure’s side .

“Get away!” I barked, sprinting forward, prepared to strike whoever dared to come near my dragons.

When the figure removed their hood, I faltered at the familiar white hair and silvery eyes.

Samiria. She was a fae witch, the sage of her coven. The only one bold enough to come near the dragons because she was the only one they would allow. It was said that sages had a special kinship with the beasts. I hadn’t believed it until I’d seen the dragons settle under Samiria’s gaze like they did mine.

Despite her familiar presence, my body was still tense with apprehension as I approached. I had never found her among the hatchlings before. Generally, she tended to the older dragons. “What are you doing here?” My tone was gentler, but still commanding. I didn’t like how close she was to Azure.

Samiria straightened, bowing her head in respect. “Your Highness.”

I frowned. The witches rarely acknowledged royalty. I was accustomed to being addressed as “Lady Aurelia” by the coven. It was why they didn’t get along too well with my family. They operated under their own set of rules, believing the fates to be the true rulers of the land. The witches had pointed ears like we did, which meant there was some fae blood in them. But that was where the similarities between us ended.

“Samiria, what are you doing here?” I said again.

“I was under the impression my presence was permitted in the nesting grounds,” she said, her voice low and raspy. “Is that no longer the case?”

“Why are you with Azure?” I snapped. I wasn’t in the mood for her cryptic games today.

“She is weak. She needs sustenance you do not have here.”

My eyebrows lifted as I glanced from Samiria to the sick dragon. “Do you know what ails her?”

“She needs her mother.”

“Her mother is not here.”

Samiria was quiet for a moment. Then she said, “Tell me what you know of her.”

I bristled at the command in her voice but obeyed. “I only caught a glimpse of her. Blue scales, just like Azure. Wherever the mother is, she’s been badly wounded.”

“And how do you know that? Did you see her get hurt?” Samiria’s silver eyes glinted as if she knew something I didn’t.

“No, but I heard her scream. Felt her pain.”

Samiria’s eyes seemed to burn with intensity. “You felt it?”

“Yes.” I couldn’t explain it. But hearing the shriek of that poor dragon filled me with a devastation so potent I couldn’t breathe.

Samiria nodded slowly. She was the only person who fully understood my connection to the dragons. “How long ago was this?”

“Two weeks ago.”

Her wrinkled lips pressed together in thought. “The hatchling doesn’t have much time left then.” She looked at me, her gaze sharpening. “Azure is a Blue Amethyst. They are a rare species I have only encountered once. The hatchlings can only survive by feeding on droplets of the mother’s blood for the first year. Only then can their powers manifest.”

My eyes widened. “Powers?”

Samiria nodded. “Yes, Blue Amethysts have magical powers. Some can share visions of the future. Others can read minds. I believed all the Blue Amethysts had perished long ago, but…” She trailed off, gazing sadly at Azure. “Clearly, I was wrong.”

“There must be something we can do for her.” I knelt to the ground, bringing my palm to Azure’s small snout as she whimpered in pain. “Can’t another dragon’s blood suffice?”

“Sadly, no. Other dragons do not possess the same magic she does. A Blue Amethyst is tethered in life and death to the magic flowing through their veins. Much like the fae. Much like us witches. If her magic dies, so does she.”

Tears burned in my eyes as I stared helplessly at the small dragon, who arched her neck and moaned. “Please,” I begged, turning to Samiria. “Isn’t there some kind of spell you can cast? Some magic you can give her?”

Samiria stared at me, her otherworldly eyes drilling into me as if trying to convey some hidden meaning. After a long moment, she said, “Blue Amethysts are born of the Star Court. ”

My head whipped toward her in shock. “The Star Court? I thought all dragons came from here.”

“Oh, child, the dragons once were everywhere . Long before fae kind came into being, they were the dominant species. You would be surprised to learn just how many dragon species originated from the Star Court.” Her shrewd eyes seemed to glimmer at me, as if she knew something I didn’t.

“If she is from the Star Court, then how did she end up here?”

“That I do not know. But a dragon feeds on the magic of its ancestral land.” She leveled another significant look at me.

My stomach hollowed. “You’re saying… she needs to be in the Star Court?” The Star Court was the home of two kingdoms: the Court of Twilight, a place where humans and fae coexisted, and the Court of Midnight, who had already tried to take my dragons once before. The same court who had blinded Mal’s eye. “Samiria, they will kill her.”

“The sage before me spoke of a magical substance called stardust,” Samiria continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “It is rumored to be found in the rivers of the Star Court.” She looked at me again, her eyes heavy with an emotion I could not place. “If such a substance exists, it is likely the only thing that can save this dragon.”

I swallowed around the lump in my throat, glancing down at Azure once more. A single tear leaked from her eye, and my heart twisted with agony. “If I enter the Star Court without invitation, that is grounds for war,” I said softly. Even entering the Court of Twilight would be risky, as they had openly declared their alliance to the Court of Midnight. The Summer Court and the Court of Midnight had been feuding for centuries. After their attack ten years ago, we had reached an armistice, but it was fragile. One wrong move, and battle would commence once more.

Mother and Father would never allow it.

But… perhaps, as queen, I could find a way.

Samiria’s mouth quirked as if she’d sensed the direction of my thoughts. “I am only conveying to you what I know. I bid you farewell, Your Highness.”

Without another word, she lowered her hood and withdrew from the crater, retreating into the woods until her cloaked figure vanished completely.