Page 19 of The Dragon Queen (Ember: Queen Of Dragons #6)

EMBER

Ahushed silence falls over the room as I lay out my theory about where to find the legendary Crown Of Cinders. The one that is said to have belonged to the original Mother Of Dragons--the Goddess who created our kind.

The one I must recover if I'm to claim its power and ascend to the Grand Throne--and stop King Erembour from stealing all the magic from the hands of dragons, and plunging the world into Shadow, once and for all.

No pressure.

My voice wants to tremble as I speak, but every time I begin to falter, my mates' soft eyes and warm presence bring me back to myself. I've already explained all of this to them, sitting on the floor of the nursery, that uncannily familiar book in my hands. They were incredulous at first, but they couldn't deny what I was saying. As I take in the concerned--and in some cases, downright skeptical--expressions of my friends, mentors, teachers, supporters, I have to reassure myself. It'll be the same with them.

My confidence still quakes as I finish my explanation. The room is utterly silent, no one moving.

Then, finally, Lord Rook clears his throat.

And just like that, all hell breaks loose. Everyone speaks at once.

"This is a children's book," Rook bellows, rising above the tide of voices--if only barely.

I can't listen to all of them at the same time, so I focus on him, first.

"It is a children's book," I allow, "but one that tells the story we all now know to have its roots in truth." I suck in a deep breath and let it out. "A few months ago, we all thought the legends about bringing light to shadow and an heir to the great kingdoms ascending to the throne were a bunch of fairy tales. But here we all are."

"There are a hundred different versions of those stories, though, Ember," Rhiannon reminds me. "Just because there's a grain of truth to them doesn't mean every detail in every one is true."

"I know." How do I explain the way the book felt so right in my hands? The way it practically opened itself to the page I needed?

How I could almost hear my mother's voice?

"Even if this is true," High Priestess Fang interrupts, "it represents a worst-case scenario."

My abdomen constricts. "I know."

"Do you, though?" Rook's dark eyes gleam, the foreboding Shadow Dragon within him rising toward the surface. "Do you understand what you're saying? That the Crown has been under Erembour's nose this entire time?"

My throat grates as I swallow, but I stand tall, refusing to back down. "I know it sounds impossible--"

"Not impossible." Rhiannon's hand on Rook's is subtle, but now that I've seen them canoodling, it's unmistakable. "Just--a little hard to believe."

"A little?" Rook barely hides his scoff.

"Not if what I'm reading here is right." I narrow my eyes at Rook. "You were the one to say that it's hidden someplace that can only be accessed by someone wielding all five branches of elemental magic."

"I also said the Shadow King had a strategy for drawing it out."

And yes--I've considered that. His strategy could be using me to lead him right to the crown.

"You're suggesting this has all been a trap?" Freya asks.

Rhiannon works her jaw. "That would be Erembour's style."

"Trap or no, what choice do we have?" A hint of desperation leaks into my tone, despite my best efforts to project absolute confidence. "At least we know to be suspicious."

"Ember." Rhiannon fixes me with a soft gaze, trusting but cautious. "Are you sure?"

My throat tightens. "As sure as I can be." I glance around, taking in all of the faces staring at me. Expecting me to lead--and I can. I will.

I have to.

Exhaling deeply, I place the book on the table in front of me, holding it open to the pages that still shine in my vision.

"The Crown Of Cinders is hidden deep underground. In a secret chamber that has been flooded and frozen and cut off from all light, and from the breath of air for centuries." Conviction begins to bloom within me. My voice resonates with a power I've only felt a handful of times before. "It is hidden in the tunnels underlying the Shadow Queen's tomb."

The room threatens to erupt into chaos again, just like it did the first time I spoke those words, but this time, my mates jump in to lend me more than just silent support.

"It makes sense," Rafe insists.

Jianyu shoots him a glance and nods. "And it corresponds with all of the other hints we've gleaned from the texts that have been gathered in our travels."

"A hell of a lot better than most of the other ideas we've put together," Brynn chimes in.

"But are we sure we're ready to dismiss those other possibilities?" Rhiannon asks, looking around. "We still have a couple of weeks. We could keep looking."

Huffing out a breath, I nod. "I'm not against that." I dig my thumbnail into the knuckle of my other hand. "But two weeks isn't much time, and breaking into the Shadow Queen's tomb is going to require our focus."

"It's suicide." Rook's agitation finally boils over again. "That's where he's planning his wedding, his ritual--all of it hinges on that location. If you think the Citadel was heavily guarded, you need to be expecting something a hundred times worse."

I'm about ready to boil over, too. "So what am I supposed to do? Give up? Do nothing?"

It's not an option--and Rook knows it. Flexing his jaw, he stands and stalks toward the window. "Of course not. You must claim the Crown, and you must stop the Shadow King. But..."

Raising her brows, Amy lifts her voice above the growing tide of murmuring and waving her hands as if to get everyone to simmer down. "Y'all. Ember has a plan." She looks to me. "Right, Ember?"

I glance at my mates. My stomach is still doing flip-flops, and my dragon refuses to settle.

But I do. I have a plan.

A terrible, risky, death-defying plan.

"Of course she does." Storm puts his hand on my arm. His eyes are gleaming crystals, full of love and faith, and it's all for me.

I breathe in that love, that faith. Carefully, I tap my finger against the black, metal locket hanging between my collarbones. "We sneak in when they least expect it."

Rook turns back around, his eyes widening with alarm. "You don't mean--"

"While they're gathered for the ritual," Rhiannon surmises.

I nod, clasping my hands together tightly. "Exactly."

"You won't have much time," Freya speculates, but she's leaning forward, already halfway sold.

High Priestess Fang sits up straighter. "We'll buy you as much time as you need."

My eyes sting, but I blink away the threat of touched tears. The worst part of this plan was the part where I asked my friends to put themselves on the line, but my friends are so insightful that they figured it out before I had to put it into words.

"A distraction." Amy's eyes light up, and she rubs her hands together in excitement.

"It'll be dangerous," I warn.

Freya smirks. "For them."

"So that's it, then? Your plan?" Rook is steaming, but he's clearly trying to keep himself in check. "You and your mates use what precious little magic remains in the locket to portal into the tomb, while the rest of us wage a full-frontal assault?"

I don't know if I love his tone. But I tilt my head up in challenge. "Do you have a better idea?"

Rhiannon fixes him with a soft look. "They know what they're doing, Rook."

But he shakes his head. "There must be some other way. Some other time. Leave yourself a chance to regroup, just in case--"

"In case they fail?" A shaky but vital voice chimes in from the door.

We all turn our heads to find Mariutza and Delaynie standing at the threshold. Mariutza is still frail, but she's made a remarkable recovery. Right now, there's a fight in her eyes that makes me glad I'm not the one going up against her.

Rook huffs out a breath through his nose. "All plans require contingencies."

Raising her brows sharply, Mariutza reminds him, "If they fail at breaking into the Shadow Kingdom, we both know there is no contingency."

A cold shiver runs through me. But she's right.

This mission goes south?

And we're not coming back from it.

My insides flutter, and as subtly as I can, I press my clasped hands to my abdomen. My pregnancy is still invisible, but the child growing inside of me has a presence all her own.

Putting her at risk like this grates up against something sharp within my soul. But the idea of giving up already? Of not fighting?

It would mean sacrificing her future.

It would mean giving up on all of us.

My voice falters, but I clear my throat, and when I speak again, it's clear and steady. "We strike any earlier, and at best, we tip them off to our plan; at worst..." Well, Mariutza pretty much summed that up already. "Suffice it to say that we don't get in and out of that tomb twice."

I glance around the room. I'm met with gazes full of trepidation, but also trust. I don't want to betray that trust. I can't live with myself if I steer them wrong.

But this is our best chance.

"I know that this is a huge risk." I shake my head slightly. "And I'm not going to order any of you to follow me."

"You don't have to." Amy stands. "We volunteer."

Sister Grace rises, too, glancing from Amy to me. She and Amy may be in a rocky place right now, but they're united in this. "That's right."

Freya and Jett and at least a dozen others take to their feet as well, and my chest tightens. Rafe steps forward, and the rest of my mates take his cue, coming to stand behind me, both literally and metaphorically.

Rhiannon and Rook are still notably quiet.

So I address them. "I know you have your reservations. And until the last moment, I'm open to considering all other possible paths. But for now, I truly believe that our best option is to wait for the Dragon Moon--and then to steal the Crown out from under him, and attack him from all sides." I swallow, glancing between them. "It would mean the world to me to have your support."

Rhiannon's eyes soften. "Ember. You always have my support."

Rook remains where he is, standing by the window, his shoulders back and his gaze pitch black. I brace myself, ready for him to tell me off again--or to voice yet another caveat or concern. Beneath his beard, his jaw flexes.

Gruffly, he tells me, "I will always support the Dragon Queen."

But I hear what he's not saying. I have yet to assume that mantle; he doesn't trust my plan to do so.

And there, in that moment?

It doesn't feel that much like support at all.