Page 20 of Queen of Legends and Lies (Dragons of Tirene #4)

Chapter Seventeen

Consciousness creeps in, and I’m immediately aware of the oppressive darkness enveloping the room. This suffocating feeling is familiar.

Too familiar.

I reach for Sterling, and my hands connect with warm, pliable flesh.

Adrenaline pumps through my veins. I’m prepared for action yet unafraid. Though I reserve the right to panic at any moment.

It reminds me of that night at the Lost City when we were surrounded by fog and stone, seconds before black cave cats leaped from the shadows to attack our small camp.

I shiver. Something’s wrong.

I lie still, eyes adjusting to the absence of light.

The room’s a mess, blankets twisted, sheets half off the bed, pillows scattered like fallen soldiers after a battle. Too many odd shapes in places they shouldn’t be.

My pulse races.

Is someone else here with us? Drachen? Xenon?

I can’t let them take him again. I won’t.

My eyes rove around while I keep my head still like I’m asleep.

The distant chirp of birds filters through the gloom, a reminder of life beyond these walls. Their song strikes me as odd for some reason. Out of place. Yup, there’s definitely someone in the room, hiding in the dark.

I take a slow breath, willing myself to remain calm. “Reveal yourself.”

My ears strain to hear what sounds like breathing. Not from Sterling, but from all around me, as if some sort of being hovers over my shoulder.

But there’s nothing there. Only darkness.

I glance over to the window, expecting to see the stars in the sky. Outside, the sun shines on a normal midmorning. But on this side of the glass, it’s as if the world’s been drained of light. None of it is bleeding into the room.

Fear curls in my gut. This isn’t natural.

Then it hits me.

Nyc is here.

She must be. That heavy, watchful presence is like an impatient cat stalking its prey. I sit up, anger giving me a momentary sense of courage.

“If you’re here, there has to be a reason.” My heart races. Despite needing one, I hope there’s no answer from the dark. I didn’t pray, didn’t sacrifice. Didn’t summon her. The goddess came on her own.

Sterling doesn’t stir next to me. Instead, he remains unnaturally still, like he’s under some spell that pins him to the realm of sleep.

The Goddess of Night’s doing, no doubt.

Outside, the birds continue to sing. The sun continues to shine. Nothing moves within the darkness except me. I think.

“Why did your daughter Mar send me those visions during my coronation? To shake me?” I scoff, though deep down, the memories crawl beneath my skin like thousands of ants.

“To scare me?” My chuckle sounds bitter in the thick air.

“Nice try.” Another lie. “To throw me off my stride?” Well, I did fall to my knees.

A tangible silence, filled with the weight of unspoken threats, follows. I remember the prophecy, the one that spells out my doom.

My days, it seems, are numbered. The events of my death predicted before I was even born.

The goddess’s low, resonant laughter vibrates through the darkness. A mockery that chills my already cold room. It’s like she can sense the rapid beat of my heart, the icy dread coiling in my stomach.

“Are you trying to provoke me?” Her voice fills the black.

“Provoke? No…I…” Shit. That’s exactly what I’ve done.

Words falter on my tongue, regret squeezing my chest tight. I was too quick to anger, too slow to remember who I’m dealing with. Sterling lies beside me, oblivious, and I’ve just drawn a target on us both with my impertinence.

“Your fear,” Nyc’s voice shifts to a soft purr that scrapes against my nerves, “lives here in the dark. As does your lying tongue when your mouth is closed. You cannot keep it from me. Or Mar. Or from any of the gods, little human.”

My skin prickles with terror. The first time she came to me, when I asked for help dealing with the drachen, she demanded a favor. One I have failed to fulfill.

“Consider every sunrise my gift to you, Lark. One I can stop giving at any time.” The warning is clear. Nyc’s losing patience with me. “You need to cleanse the land. Burn my son’s bones and release his soul to me so he may finally find rest and peace.”

Steeling my shoulders, I muster what little courage I have left. “How can I do that? When I burned the eyril field, my fire wasn’t enough. I need your help.”

A frigid draft sweeps through the chamber, carrying with it the fury of a deity scorned. “I cannot .” A sharp, final snap echoes like thunder as Nyc withdraws her presence.

The light floods in, a sudden wave of morning sunshine that has me gasping.

The goddess is gone, and her absence scares me more than I care to admit. Nyc can’t help.

Alannah’s words about needing divine favor to win this war echo in my head. She’s not wrong.

But if Nyc won’t assist me, what in the fucking fuck am I supposed to do?

Beside me, Sterling stirs, his movements sluggish but growing more purposeful. He rolls over, his breaths shifting from the even rhythm of sleep to the shallower cadence of waking. How am I supposed to tell him we’re on our own?

No goddess is going to swoop down and fix this.

“Morning, love.” His voice is rough with sleep as his warm brown- and gold-flecked eyes blink open.

“Hey there.” I force a smile onto my face. “I’m not ready to confront the day. Want to stay in bed with me for a few hours?”

His eyes heat with desire, and he displays that wicked smile that always undoes me.

We’ve got an impossible mission ahead. But looking at Sterling, peering into those expressive eyes that hold so much trust and love, I know, together, we’ll find a way to defy prophecies and pissed-off deities.

Maybe.

For now, though, I just want to lose myself in him.

The next three days bleed into one another as I start my reign.

There are meetings with stern-faced nobles, stressed-out merchants, and overly friendly craftspeople trying to win my favor.

Hours bent over ancient tomes alongside Eldor and Bastian, trying our best to learn anything about different types of wielding magic.

The mundane, the magical, the minute, it all must be dealt with.

It’s exhausting, exhilarating, thrilling, frustrating, and so very, very tedious. The kingdom is a behemoth, well set in its ways. And little ole me is trying to change not just the way things are done, but how people view each other.

Not an easy task.

I glide through the corridors of the palace, my mind a flurry of parchment scrolls and heated council debates.

“Your Majesty, the designs for your coat of arms.” A squire—one of the many who work small errand duties in the hopes of being recognized by nobility or major tradespeople—presents me with vellum sketches of phoenixes and dragons entwined.

“Thank you.” I nod, barely glancing at the images before handing them off to Astrid Fleming, my new aide.

She’s an intelligent young woman who came highly recommended by both Alannah and Rhiann. Her chestnut waves end just above her chin, framing her oval face. A smattering of freckles covers the bridge of her nose, and her honey brown eyes brim with kindness.

She’s been a godsend.

My thoughts are already on the mountain of tasks before me. There’s so much to learn, so much to do. I was raised as a noble, but I know very little about kingdoms and court politics. Though over the last few days, I’ve gotten a crash course.

Murmuring voices pull me from my solitude as I enter the hallway, where I find Sterling, his gait confident despite the pallor still clinging to his skin. Healer Luci’s potions are working their slow magic. Celeste lingers at his side, her blond waves haloing her face.

Jealousy strikes, swift and hot, like a rogue flame licking at my heart.

But then he sees me.

The world tilts back into place as Sterling’s smile breaks through the fog of negative emotions.

And I return that smile with interest.

Seeing him staring at me, Celeste retreats toward the palace entrance, giving a low bow as she passes and disappears.

“Got a moment?” Sterling doesn’t even notice her departure, causing warm tingles to shoot up my body.

I’m grinning like an idiot, but I don’t care. “For you? Always.”

His anchoring presence holds me steady when the tides of duty and prophecy threaten to sweep me away. Together, we’ll face the challenges ahead. Without gods, without mercy. Just us against the world.

“I was hoping you could join me to go over the replacement recruits for the palace guards.”

Sterling steps up beside me. “Healer Luci has cleared me to do light physical training, so I can at least put the newbies through their paces.”

“What a coincidence. I was just heading to the training fields to go over the new additions to the royal guard.” My sweeping gesture encompasses my tunic, breeches, and weapons. “Didn’t you notice my attire?”

“Nope.” His eyes twinkle as he shakes his head, his silky black hair shimmering in the afternoon light. “You smiled at me. That was all I noticed. Now, if you were naked…”

Is he teasing, or did he really fail to notice I’m not wearing a full-length gown of silk?

Astrid clears her throat and averts her eyes, falling back to give us privacy as we all head to the fields.

Smart girl.

He tries to clasp my right hand, the one full of papers from the last meeting, then stops when he finds it occupied.

He grabs the papers from me and passes the stack to Astrid without glancing back. Once free, he takes my hand, teasing my skin with his icy magic. I’m reminded of what else we could be doing if we didn’t have all this work to get done.

But we do, and Agnar’s already waiting on us, Captain Fitz beside him.

Between the four of us, with Astrid keeping records, we sort through the hopeful candidates.

By nightfall, we’re done, with a handful of new guards for my service. Enough to replace the ones killed in the drachen attack.