Chapter
Three
uther’s horse had barely set foot on the mosaic stone walkway leading to the palace doors when I swung my leg over theL saddle and leapt to the ground.
I couldn’t stand one second longer with that murderer’s body pressed against mine. I had plotted his downfall with every hoofbeat.
He shouted something, but his words went unheard as I strode toward the entrance, eyes fixed on the high landing of the gryvern’s perch. Though it was empty with the beast nowhere in sight, somehow I could sense her. Her heartbeat was a voice that hummed my name even from miles away.
The Crown’s power calls to her, Luther had said.
Perhaps the gryvern’s power called to me in return.
“Come, Sorae,” I whispered. The words seemed to emerge not from my throat but some new well of authority deep within that I had yet to explore.
A distant howl cut through the brisk night air.
“I’m here,” I murmured, my eyes searching the obsidian sky.
Seconds later, Sorae swooped into sight, circling the palace in wide, sweeping arcs. Her shrill cry rang out across the grounds like trumpeting fanfare announcing the arrival of her Queen. The thump of her powerful wings felt synchronized to my pounding heart.
Any chance at arriving unnoticed vanished as a crowd of dark figures formed in the palace windows, silhouetted by golden light spilling out from within. The royal family had gathered to watch.
Good.
“Come, Sorae,” I shouted. Commanding her felt surprisingly natural, as if it had always been the two of us together, bound in this soul-deep, ancient bond.
Her trajectory shifted. She shot toward me with lightning speed, then slammed into the ground in a cloud of dust, the stone tiles cracking beneath her at the impact. Her wings flared wide, dark feathers quivering, before snapping back against the sleek lines of her leonine body.
She arched her neck and let out a deafening bellow. The small group of guards that had gathered took a few steps back in alarm.
To my ears, it might as well have been a purr. The sound of it soothed some innate wildness in my soul, the answer to a
question I hadn’t even known I’d asked.
I strode forward, hand extended.
Luther called out to me again—a warning, perhaps. I was certain the gryvern wouldn’t hurt me. Sorae would rip out her own throat before she would harm a hair on my head. I had no idea how I could possibly know such a thing, but I was as certain of it as my own name.
Sorae’s narrow snout lowered to meet my hand. I smiled as she let out a soft trill of recognition.
“You knew, didn’t you?” I stroked my fingertips along the rough, jagged skin beneath her jowl. “Even before the King died, somehow you knew what I would become.”
Sorae huffed once and gave a slow blink of her golden, reptilian eyes.
I took another step forward, my hands cradling her massive jaw as she towered above me. My fingers skimmed over her dark scales, down her long, spike-tipped neck, until they faded into the fur-coated steel of her powerful body. Her dense muscles twitched under my touch.
As if in response, she nudged her head against my hip, tucking me in close at her side. She turned her stare toward Luther and the guards with a deep, rumbling growl.
A warning, to any of them foolish enough to threaten her Queen.
“Incredible,” I laughed breathily, unable to keep the grin off my face. “You are... extraordinary.”
I felt the fierceness of her devotion to me, earned only by the Crown atop my head. I wondered how deep her loyalty might
run. Would she defend me from the entirety of the Descended? From the other Crowns—from their own gryverns?
Would she do even more—would she go to war to defend the mortals, if I asked?
She must have been able to sense my thoughts as readily as I could sense hers. She threw a razor-sharp talon into the air with a piercing cry. Yes, she would defend. Yes, she would attack. I need only call, and Sorae would answer.
I shivered at the sobering reality.
I glanced at Luther, surprised to see a look of curious wonder on his face. He had grown up with the gryvern at his uncle’s side, and he’d once spoken of her like a quirky pet. It must be strange for him to see her cleave so quickly to the next monarch.
Perhaps he was wishing he’d killed me at the lodge, when I was easier prey. With Sorae as my guardian, ending my life had
just become a far trickier task.
She snorted in response.
I smiled and stroked her chin, then turned to the palace. I strolled toward the entrance with my chin high, eyes fixed on the crowd of silhouettes tracking my every move. Luther fell into step a pace behind as he trailed me into the foyer.
The guards who had once assaulted me for daring to wear weapons in the palace now gave me a wide berth. They avoided my eyes as they beat their fists against their chests in formal salute.
I made my way deep into the chamber before I was forced to admit I had nowhere to go. Luther had asked me to come, and I’d relented. Now what?
I spun to face him, hands perched on my hips. “Well, I’m here,” I said plainly.
A hint of amusement warmed his typically cold stare. “That was quite an entrance.”
I smirked. “I think Sorae and I are going to be great friends.”
“Be careful there. Gryverns are loyal to their Crown, but they can act of their own will. If you fear someone, or even dislike them strongly, she might take their life in an effort to please you.”
I sauntered up to him and leaned in close. “Sounds like I’m not the one that should be careful.”
His eyes sparked at my threat. “I asked Lily to gather the family upstairs. I presumed you’d rather meet them all at once, but if you’d prefer to spend the next few days making private introductions...”
I’d rather sink to the bottom of the Sacred Sea than do either of those things. “A single introduction is fine.”
He nodded, then hesitated as he looked me over. “This meeting is very important, for both you and my family. If you wish, I can tell them we will reconvene tomorrow, and I can offer you my counsel on how to proc—”
“Your counsel is unnecessary.”
His jaw tightened. “Very well, but perhaps some sleep and a change of cl—”
“I’m fine,” I snapped.
I knew I was being rash. If anyone in the nine realms could properly advise me, it was Luther. This was his family, and he’d surely spent years planning the maneuvers a new Crown would need to take.
But I couldn’t trust him.
Not with this, not with anything.
“As you wish,” he said coolly. “Follow me.”
We walked in silence through the palace until we came to an arched doorway. The massive oak doors were carved in Sorae’s image, depicting the gryvern’s elegant body twisting and turning across the ripples of wood. Her talons and wings were outstretched, fangs bared as her mouth opened in a silent roar.
Luther’s posture shifted, transforming into the imposing statue he so often embodied. Shoulders back, spine straight, jaw set. The sudden change took me by surprise—I hadn’t realized how relaxed he’d become in my presence.
He gazed down at me. “Ready?”
I tried to subtly mirror his movements, rolling my shoulders and lifting my chin to a defiant point.
I nodded once. “I’m ready.”
He placed a palm on the door, then stilled.
“You saved my sister’s life, and for that, I owe you a debt that can never be repaid. Although I don’t imagine you’ll take it, allow me to offer you some advice that may save your own life.” He paused, his tone darkening. “Tell them as little as possible —about yourself, your plans, your magic. And especially about your mother.”
Before I could respond, he waved his hand, and twined branches of light and shadow curled along the door and pushed it open wide.
I took a deep breath, and I stepped forward to claim my throne.
