Page 23 of The Dragon Queen (Ember: Queen Of Dragons #6)

EMBER

Our forces are all set to meet at midday in the courtyard. My stomach is a roiling knot of nerves, but with my mates surrounding me, I feel grounded, balanced--full of fire and light as air.

The five of us stride through the halls of the castle, armed with the supplies to attempt a risky, borderline suicidal attempt at infiltrating the Shadow Kingdom. Flashlights, ropes, knives, tools, rations. Assorted magical artifacts.

And an absolutely grim determination.

And we're not the only ones.

The entire place is abuzz. Not everyone is going to join the battle, but everyone who isn't has a loved one who is. The weight of responsibility is crushing, but the people of Unity--people from all over the dragon world--have chosen to put their faith in me, and I am determined to be worthy of it. I hold my head high, keeping my shoulders back and my spine straight. Everyone who approaches I greet with a smile of assurance.

Until we're almost there, and raised voices catch my attention from an alcove nearby.

I pause, my brows drawing together.

"I don't understand why you won't come with me."

My breath catches. That's Amy. I exchange a glance with Jianyu, who urges me on.

I peer around the corner to find Amy and Grace facing off. Amy's radiating tension, while Grace is a picture of self-defensiveness, her arms crossed over her chest and her jaw clenched.

"You know I can't," Grace insists, whisper-yelling even though Amy's clearly given up on trying to keep her voice down. "I need to support High Priestess Fang and the other Sisters."

"But I need you." Amy's voice cracks, and a piece of my heart does, too. She reaches out for Grace.

But Grace takes a step back. "Amethyst..."

"Don't 'Amethyst' me."

Amy's back is turned to me, but the way she speaks is wobbly and rough. Her tears are just fueling her anger, though, everything at a tipping point, and I get it. If there's ever a time to have a breakdown in front of your significant other, it's on the cusp of a giant, terrifying battle.

"Ever since we got here, you've been pulling away from me. What happened? Back in Unity, you told me you loved me, but it's like you can't even look at me anymore, and I don't understand. Am I not good enough--"

"Amethyst," Grace says again, but this time it's soft, and her eyes are gleaming. Grace twitches, but she takes Amy by the hand, and I exhale hard. "You have to understand. I was raised to serve the Priestesses."

"What does that have to do with--"

"I was raised to serve the Priestesses, because they are Gods. You, Amy." Grace hiccups. "You're the brightest star in the sky. Priestesses and Sisters never mixed. We said it was to keep our bloodline pure, to augment our magic, but the magic of the dragons is of a whole different world, one I don't understand. I couldn't--I--" Her jaw works, and her eyes gleam. "I'm the one who's not good enough."

"What?" Amy swabs at her face.

Shrugging, Grace wipes her eyes, too. "I'm sorry, beloved, I've tried so hard to overcome this feeling, to talk myself out of my reluctance. But at the end of the day, I don't know how to touch a god. How to ask a god to love me the way that I love her--"

"I'm not a god, Grace. For fuck's sake." Amy's incredulous, but she's laughing, too. "You touch me like this." She grasps Grace's hand and pulls her in, hugging her tightly.

Grace hesitates, but after a moment, she melts into Amy's arms.

Amy grasps her by the shoulders, pulling away and shaking her. "You let me love you like this."

She kisses her then, full on the mouth, and it's so intimate and private I have to back away.

Really, jeez, I probably should have walked away a long time ago.

Jianyu catches me up in his arms, though, holding me tightly. "I'm glad they worked it out."

"Me, too." Relief swamps me, but there's an uneasy itch in the back of my mind.

I dismiss it the best I can.

As we walk away, Grace is quietly apologizing, while Amy reminds her, with feeling, "I'm just me."

I shake my head slightly to myself. There's never been anything 'just' about that.

By the time we arrive in the courtyard, it's buzzing with activity.

Dragons and wizards and witches and other shifters mill around.

I get drawn into a conversation with Freya, re-confirming that everything is set.

We wait a few more minutes for everyone else to arrive.

When Amy and Grace show up, they're arm in arm.

They still part ways, though, Grace joining High Priestess Fang and the other Sisters of the Great Stone Temple, while Amy heads over to where Rhiannon, Jett, and Rook are gathered near a row of hedges.

From across the courtyard, Amy blows Grace a kiss, though, and Grace pretends to catch it before holding it to her heart.

Finally, it's time.

I clear my throat, and a sudden hush falls over the assembled crowd. Everyone's attention turns to me, and wow. I'm still not used to that--maybe I never will be.

I breathe out hard.

When all of this started, I never dreamed of being in charge of anyone. I never wanted power or a chance to rule. All I longed for was a family. For the freedom to love who I loved, and for safety from the bullies who had tormented me for years.

I have all of that and more, now.

Gathering myself, I reach out through the magical connections tethering me to my mates. They glow with a love that still bowls me over. Energy stirs deep within me.

When I speak, my voice is infused with the voice of my dragon.

With the voice of dragons everywhere.

"We come together today to strike into the heart of Shadow Dragon territory." I glance around, making eye contact with Rhiannon. "We are joined in this effort by Shadow Dragons, who want just as much as anyone else to protect the world from the threat posed by Erembour and his forces."

Maybe more.

"Even now, he is preparing for a ritual that will strip the magic from the supernatural world. But he will not succeed."

I look to Freya, who nods and steps forward. "We fly to the edge of the Shadow Kingdom's border, where our Shadow Dragon allies will use their powers to slip us through the wards. We take the fight straight to Erembour. We stop him from completing his ritual. We interrupt his wedding."

"Damn right you do." Storm mutters the words beneath his breath, cracking his knuckles as he does.

"We ruin his plans to extend his reign of war and division by siring an heir," Freya continues. "And we hide the true purpose of our attack."

My throat grates, but I swallow past the tightness there. "Armed with the Crown of Cinders, my mates and I will join you on the battle field. And together, we'll end this, once and for all."

A werewolf in the back whoops, and he's joined by a handful of bear shifters, and before I know it, the entire courtyard is awash in cheers and chants.

"The hour is now," I intone, and there's that strange, deep echo to my tone. The one I haven't heard since the Shadow Queen's Bracer rejected me, but I don't question it now.

Dark power gathers in my breast. My dragon surges forward. "Take wing. Together, we fly to the Sea Of Shadow."

With that, my skin erupts into scales and glittering purple and black flames. Around me, dragons of every color burst forth. The non-dragons board brooms and flying bicycles, and the rest mount the dragons who have offered to carry them onward. Sister Grace rides astride High Priestess Fang herself.

Jianyu's silvery dragon flies a low circle around mine, while Rafe's roars fire into the air. Malik's rises sinuously across the sky. Storm breathes a rush of wind that swirls through the entire courtyard.

The air around us picks up speed, and without hesitation, I lean my wings into the maelstrom.

Carried forth on the power of all of our dragons' magic, we take flight.

And head off into the face of doom itself.

THE BORDER to the Shadow Kingdom should be invisible.

But with the Shadow Dragons in our midst, the line is a stark one--a shining black glimmer that separates one stretch of the sea from the next.

Our entire party alights on a rocky shore. The island's coast lies a few hundred feet from the edge of the Shadow King's territory. Dark blue water and a brilliant, cerulean sky give way to rolling, black clouds and a current that pulls at the sand like pure, gray ice. Wind whips at my hair as I stand there in human form.

"Good luck out there," Amy tells me, giving me a warm hug.

"You, too."

Grace steps forward to embrace me, too, and behind her is High Priestess Fang.

"You have the might of the entire dragon world behind you," Fang reminds me.

"But don't let that get to your head," Rhiannon interrupts.

There's a suspicious gleam to her eyes, but she blinks it away as she pulls me into her arms. I hold onto her for a long moment. Her maternal guidance and acceptance and mentorship have meant so much to me. I want to put it all into words, but what more is there to say?

She draws back, and there's the rough, deep sound of a man clearing his throat.

I turn to find Lord Rook gazing at me with expectation and a sharpness that's well in keeping with the gravity of the situation.

"Has the ring responded to you yet?" he asks.

My stomach starts to sink, but I refuse to let it fully fall. "Not yet."

"It will." He reaches for my hand, and I let him take it. Rubbing his thumb over the cool, black surface of his father's ring, he nods. "I don't need to say this again, but it is time for you to embrace what it means for you to be part Shadow Dragon."

Ash floods the back of my throat.

I've tried that.

And I've been repudiated every time. Even in my moment of triumph, freshly Emerged and turning the tide in the battle for Unity, I embraced my inner Shadow Dragon.

Seconds later, I fell. The Shadow Bracer shattered.

It still lies on my wrist, cold and dormant--whole, but not complete.

Rook shakes his head, clasping my palm. "I don't just mean to embrace being a Shadow Dragon." A deep purple glow lights his eyes. "Embrace your own unique blend of shadow and light."

For the first time, his composure threatens to slip.

"You are your own person, Ember, and you were complete as you were, long before you were a queen. Don't forget that--even if Erembour tries to cast doubt on who and what you are." His mouth wobbles, and his eyes soften. "Your parents would be so, so proud of you."

With that, he releases my hand and steps away.

I want to call after him, but I'm struck speechless. Coming to stand beside me, Malik curls an arm around my waist, and I lean into him, grateful as ever for his solid strength and calm.

"Are we ready?" Mariutza supports herself with a walking stick as she gathers the other Shadow Dragons to her.

I bite my lip, still hating that she's here when she should be saving her strength. But as she insisted, what would she even be saving it for?

In a shattering of scales and purple smoke, she twists and turns, rising into the air as a faded black dragon. Her walking stick transforms with her, becoming a ridge of woody spikes along her spine.

I hold my breath as Rook, Rhiannon and Delaynie's dragons join hers. Together, they fly to the invisible barrier between our part of the sea and the Shadow King's icy depths.

Hovering just within the boundary, they begin to beat their wings in synchronicity. Deep black plumes drift from their talons, forming a cloud in the air the size and shape of a full-grown dragon. It drifts toward the Shadow Kingdom's side of the line, propelled by an invisible wind.

At the moment of collision, the pulsing purple magic of the barrier flares to life. My abdomen sucks in, and I put a protective hand on my belly.

The sparks of livid power reach into my blood. Shadows within my soul sing, and for a second, I swear the ring on my finger hums. I glance around, but none of the other dragons seem to flinch--except Amy and Jett.

My gaze connects with Amy's. She wraps her arms around herself, brows pinching together, as sensitive as I am to the shadow energy cascading through the sky. A plume of black flame erupts from the center of the cloud of magic, a darkness so absolute it burns my eyes.

And then it's over.

The line in the air fades to a bare shimmer, notable only because at the very center of it is a hole. Rhiannon's dragon rears its head back and roars.

"That's our signal," Freya mutters. Louder, she yells, "Go, go."

There's not a moment's hesitation. The call spreads, repeated over and over as dragons burst into the air. Riders mount their beasts and their brooms.

In the middle of the scrum, Amy calls my name. I whip my head around to find her mid-transformation, black and pink scales eclipsing her skin.

"Give 'em hell," she shouts.

"I will," I promise, my eyes stinging.

Rhiannon and Rook lead the charge, followed by Freya, Amy, Jett and the rest. They fly through the gap in the boundary with ease, Mariutza and Delaynie stay, taking up the rear. The moment they're through, the shimmer of energy snaps closed, leaving no sign of the gap our allies just charged through.

"Gods speed," Malik says quietly.

An itchiness threatens to take up residence beneath my skin. "I hate that we're not going with them."

"We discussed this." Jianyu brushes his knuckles against the backs of mine.

"I know."

We all flew here together, but the others have to continue on alone.

I place my hand on the locket dangling from my neck. Its magic is faint--nearly exhausted. But Rook and Rhiannon agree it'll be enough. Creating a portal to the inner recesses of the Shadow Queen's Tomb will be easier from here than it would have been from hundreds of miles away.

We have everything we need to carry out our plan.

Now all we have to do is wait.