The Dragon and the Queen (The Raven and the Dove Book 3) Read online

  Lyana's brows drew together. "I'm listening."

  "Thank you." Cassi released a heavy breath and dropped her queen’s hand, not sure if she'd crossed a line. There were so many new barriers, so many new restrictions. Talking to Lyana had always been as easy as breathing, but now she found she was underwater, searching aimlessly for air. "The god stones are dragon eggs."

  "Eggs?" Lyana gasped.

  "I saw it with my own eyes. Do you remember that blast of magic just before the isle fell? You must've felt it. I went to find the cause, and by the time I got to the sacred nest, the god stone was already on the ground. I didn't understand, not right away. But then it split, releasing thick, inky plume. And as the shadows cleared, a creature emerged."

  "A creature?"

  "It was— It was—" Cassi closed her eyes, remembering the onyx scales, the gleaming white teeth, and the sharp claws soaked in crimson blood. "It was a beast, Ana. It was what Rafe would've become if his spirit hadn’t won dominance during the soul joining. Part dragon and part man, with the worst of both. And it was strong—not just physically, but its power was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It didn’t just wield shadow magic. It was shadow magic, as though soaking for so long in the power of the rift had amplified its abilities. The creature murdered all the priests and priestesses with no effort at all. And when I tried to flee, it somehow sensed my spirit, then severed the tie to my body."

  "That's why…" Lyana trailed off, a dozen realizations playing across her gaze.

  "That's why you couldn't revive me when you found me in the dungeons of Pylaeon. The connection between my body and my spirit has been cut."

  "Where is the beast now?"

  "I don't know." Cassi shook her head. "I can't sense it the way I can people. I tried to find it earlier today, but I couldn't. It could be anywhere. It could be doing anything. And if there was one, I have to imagine there are six more of those things inside the god stones just waiting to hatch."

  "Beasts will emerge, filled with fury and scorn—"

  "—fighting to recover what from their claws we have torn."

  "We stole their children," Lyana said softly. "And we turned them into monsters." She shook her head, clearing the horrified daze, and sharpened her focus on Cassi. "Do you really think the dragons still seek revenge? After all this time?"

  "I don't know." Cassi shuddered as the carnage from the sacred nest flashed through her thoughts, nothing but gleaming blood and darkness. The thing had moved with more speed than humanly possible, power leaking from its pores, and now it was on the loose, completely unchallenged. "But I'm starting to wonder if we've been worried about the wrong enemy all along. The raven god stone was full of concentrated umbra'kine magic, and that beast emerged like darkness incarnate. The remaining six god stones have concentrated elemental magic of their own, especially the House of Peace—"

  "Aethi'kine magic."

  She nodded. "If all seven beasts emerge, I'm not sure even our most powerful mages will be able to stop them."

  “Can we destroy them before they hatch?”

  “No.” Her tone was final. “Malek wasn’t the first mage to venture into a sacred nest. Kings before him have tried, and failed, to destroy the god stones. They thought doing so might seal the rift or force the time of prophecy forward, but something about the spell protects the eggs. I didn’t think one would ever crack until I saw it with my own eyes.”

  Lyana pulled her lower lip between her teeth as her gaze flicked from side to side, seeing nothing yet everything. The silence between them stretched, but Cassi wouldn't break it. She'd had a day to consider all the terrifying possibilities, and still her head swam. Besides, now that her news had been shared, she didn't entirely know what to say. Could they talk like old friends? Had all the years between them been erased? Were they sisters? Strangers? The questions wrapped her tongue in knots, leaving her mute.

  "Rafe," Lyana finally said into the quiet. "You mentioned Rafe? Have you seen him? Is he safe?"

  Cassi released a soft breath as relief washed through her. Even if their relationship had changed, on some level her friend still needed her, and that need gave her a reason to keep going. "He's safe. I found him earlier this morning on a ship leaving Da'Kin. He's out of Malek's reach…for now."

  "And you saw him?" Lyana swallowed. She didn’t need to explain.

  "I saw him." Oh, she'd seen him all right—wings and all. He'd been standing by his window with a mesh blanket over his shoulders to smother the flames, but there was no denying the change. Rafe had been soul-joined to a dragon. His spirit now burned. "He was awake, and he seemed good, all things considered."

  Lyana nodded, even as concern knotted her brows. Cassi knew that look, so she stayed silent, waiting for the inevitable confession.

  "I haven’t told Xander," her queen whispered a few moments later. "I don't know how. I tried, but I couldn't get the words to come. He just lost his home, his mother, his entire belief system. How can I tell him his brother has turned into the very thing he most fears? It will break him."

  "He's stronger than you give him credit for."

  "What if he's not?" Lyana asked. "What if this is the one thing he can't handle? What will that do to Rafe?"

  Cassi knew Xander's heart, and the only thing he'd feel was concern—not for himself, but for the brother he loved dearly despite everything that had passed between them. But to Lyana, Rafe would always come first. Her friend couldn't see beyond her own fears for his well-being. Then again, perhaps Cassi was the one who wasn't seeing things clearly. Words barreled up her throat to defend the raven as a protective urge twisted her gut.

  "Maybe I'm not being fair," Lyana muttered.

  "You're not," she said, trying her best to remove the bite from her tone. Clearly, she failed, as her queen arched a brow in question. Cassi sighed. "After everything we've both done to him, he deserves the truth. And if it makes you feel any better, when you walked away, he was still deep in argument with his closest ally and advisor, defending you. Helen will come around because Xander will convince her of the truth. And after she does, he'll expend all his energy convincing the rest of our world too. He's a good person, and he deserves for his queen, of all people, to see that. He deserves honesty from you."

  "You're right." Guilt softened her expression. "I'll tell him. I promise, I'll find a way to tell him."

  "Good."

  "Cassi?" The edges of Lyana's lips quirked into a grin. "It almost feels like old times, standing here in these rooms listening to you chastise me. I dare say I missed it."

  "Even a queen of prophecy needs to be challenged, every now and then."

  "I think maybe a queen of prophecy needs it more than most.”

  The words were soft but heavy, making Cassi wonder what Lyana’s time with Malek had taught her. Before she could ask, her queen turned toward the window and lifted a palm to the crystal. Cassi didn’t know what scene she saw, but she had a feeling it wasn't the dazzling skyline of Sphaira or the vast open skies that might have once beckoned. For better or worse, they'd both changed since they had last visited these wistful halls.

  Still averting her gaze, Lyana whispered, "I'm not sure I can forgive you."

  The words were a dagger to Cassi's chest, and she froze. Her heart thumped wildly, but her body remained still as Lyana finally dropped her arm. When those eyes shifted toward her, they were no longer the vibrant emerald of a pampered princess, but a dull green reminiscent of the algae growing on the damp, weathered buildings of Da'Kin. Grief deepened her gaze—a grief Cassi knew she'd put there.

  "I missed you—"

  "I missed you too," Cassi cut in, desperate to ease the hurt written across her friend's face, but Lyana held up her hand.

  "I missed you," she started again. "I missed my friend, and I miss her still, because I don't know if I'll ever get her back. But I think, maybe, I want to try. I need you, Cassi. I need your magic, yes, but I also need to know there is someone out there who isn't afraid
to tell me I'm wrong, and we both know you've never been that. I'm not sure if I can ever forgive you for lying to me for so long. I'm not sure if I can forgive you for what you did to Rafe, and what you almost did to Xander. I'm not even sure if I should forgive you. But I know the world will be better off if you're at my side, so for now I hope that's enough. Fight with me. Fight with us. And maybe the rest will come later."

  It was a better offer than Cassi deserved, even if it still stung. But she would find a way to make amends. She would find a way to prove herself. To Lyana. To Xander. To everyone she'd wronged. To the whole world if she had to.

  Cassi straightened her shoulders, looking to her queen for orders. "What would you have me do?"

  "I need eyes behind closed doors," Lyana said, sounding more like a monarch than ever before. "I need to know if Malek is planning to force me back to Da'Kin, and how he means to attack. I need to know that Elias is safe, and if he'll be used as leverage against me. I need to know that Rafe is alive and well so I'm not worried about him when I should be focused on other things. And I need to know what the kings and queens of the world above are saying about me and Xander, and the stories we'll soon be spinning."

  "Done."

  "Thank you."

  Lyana’s gaze swept over her childhood room, and Cassi’s followed, landing on the bed where they'd spent countless hours braiding each other's hair, then going to the trunk where they'd hidden their outdoor gear, to the daggers neatly arranged on the vanity in preparation for a training session. As girls, they'd wrestled on these plush rugs. They'd used the bed as a springboard when they'd started learning how to fly. There were holes in the wall from the paper targets they'd snuck in from the arena, including the one to the left of the door where she'd hit her first bull’s-eye. Giggles and laughter had once filled this room. Now there was only silence.

  Awareness heated her cheek, and Cassi turned to meet her friend's stare. A thousand memories flickered in those piercing eyes, a lifetime of sisterhood undone by a single confession. Lyana blinked, and whatever had been there vanished.

  "Only come to me during the day if it's an emergency, that way I'll know. Otherwise, my dreams will be there waiting."

  "Malek might send others if your mind is too open."

  "I know how to get rid of them."

  "Do you?"

  A sad smile played across Lyana's lips. Before Cassi could speak, a force gripped her spirit and yanked her from the dream. The crystal palace collapsed into a vortex of colors. With a snap, she was thrown into darkness. Her spirit tumbled through open air as she fought to regain control. It took her a moment to realize she was back in the forests of the House of Song, thoroughly dispelled from her queen’s mind.

  Cassi let the wind carry her spirit aloft.

  Eventually, she'd find the courage to face Xander again, but not tonight. Tonight she had another stop to make before the sun broke over the horizon, announcing the start of a new day.

  All morning she'd been musing on the same thing as she hovered above The Wanderer, watching the familiar woman at its helm—why? Why had her mother chosen now to defy Malek? Why not years before, when he'd asked her to sacrifice her daughter to the war? Why not weeks before, when he'd ordered Cassi to remove Rafe's wings? Why not during all her time spent chasing dragons and taking on crew member after crew member whom his authoritarian leadership had somehow harmed? Why now? And why for a man who wasn't even her own blood?

  The questions pulled Cassi’s spirit through the mist. She came upon the ship quickly, carving through fog and sea spray as she forced her way inside the wooden planks. When she burst into the captain’s room, her mother wasn't asleep, and she wasn't alone either.

  "We tell them nothing," Captain Rokaro ordered, her voice like iron.

  The girl standing across from her didn't flinch. Cassi recognized Brighty, the former thief from Da'Kin and the photo'kine who'd become Rafe's friend. Her fists were balled by her sides and a frown curved her lips, those milky eyes as unsettling as ever. Clearly, they were in the middle of something, but once a spy, always a spy, and Cassi's curiosity was undeniable.

  She glided closer.

  "Nothing?" the younger woman spat.

  "Nothing."

  "And what about Rafe? He's got a right to know. It’s his—"

  "Nothing, Brighty, and I mean it." Her mother's blue eyes flashed like an ice sheet in the sun, glinting with a frosty edge. "You asked for shelter, and I gave it. We're fugitives and that's enough for now. I won't court open rebellion until I have reason to believe what you told me is true. And until that day comes, we say nothing to anyone—or you might find this ship back on course for Da'Kin. Understood?"

  Brighty sneered.

  Captain Rokaro arched a brow as she put her hands on the desk and leaned closer. A few of her fabric-wrapped locks of hair spilled over her shoulders, colorful against the crisp white of her shirt. The expression on her weathered face was like stone. "Understood?"

  "Aye, aye, Captain," the younger woman grumbled. Then she turned on her heel and marched from the room, leaving the echo of a slamming door in her wake.

  Once Brighty was gone, all the strength seeped from her mother's stance. With a sigh, the captain bent to cradle her head in her hands. After a moment, she sucked in a sharp breath and dropped the rest of the way into her desk chair, turning her gaze to the maps rolled out before her. Grabbing a few utensils, she began charting a route across the seas.

  Cassi watched for a few minutes, waiting for sleep to take her, but it never did. Restlessness oozed from her mother’s pores.

  Why? That pesky question ran through Cassi's mind again. Why can't you sleep? What thought haunts you? And what does it have to do with Rafe? What aren't you telling him?

  She'd find out.

  Maybe not today, with dawn calling and her body lost somewhere out at sea, but tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that. For the queen who needed her and the friend who'd seen something in her worth saving, Cassi vowed to uncover even her mother's best-kept secrets.

  4

  Rafe

  A throbbing at his temples woke Rafe. His blood pounded like fists against a locked door, the pulse pulling him from his slumber. With a groan, he rolled upright and pressed his fingers to his forehead, trying to dull the pain. But even as the ache subsided, the knocking continued, which was when he realized it was coming from the door.

  "Come on, Rafe! You've been in there for a day. You can't hide forever."

  He squeezed his eyes shut. Why not?

  "Come on. The rest of the crew are starting to wonder if I killed you."

  It was hardly the first time.

  "I'm being kind, you know. I could pick these locks without breaking a sweat. So you might as well just let me—" Brighty cut off as he pulled open the door and a satisfied smirk widened her lips. "I knew you'd see reason."

  "Go away."

  He threw the door closed, but she stuck her foot out just in time and it bounced back open immediately. Not bothering to ask permission, she plowed inside the room, as he'd known she would.

  "I get it," she prattled on. "You got new wings and for some reason it’s thrown you into the middle of a raging identity crisis, but you can at least show your face to the people risking their lives to get you as far away from Da'Kin as possible."

  "You don't—" He broke off with a growl. She was right, as usual. It was one of her most frustrating qualities.

  "Don't what? Understand? Here's something you don’t understand. I risked my ass pulling you from the fire last night and lugging you halfway across the city back to the ship. And when I showed up with a half-dead dragon man draped across my back, did anyone ask why? No. They took one look at your face and started raising the sails. Now, we find ourselves on the wrong side of a king with unparalleled power and it's all because of you. So the least you can do is put those flames away so as not to burn us alive and say thank you."

  He swallowed and glanced to the side, finding
that the leathery expanse of his wing simmered with fire. At the sight, all his pent-up rage disappeared, and a sigh racked through him. She was right again. He didn't know. His memory of that night was nothing but broken patches—walking into the warehouse, being strapped to the table beside the dragon, then burning in darkness until Lyana appeared, bright as the rising dawn to chase the shadows away. He remembered waking in her arms. He remembered watching her stop the wave threatening to drown the city beneath its might. He remembered stepping between her and the king, the man's magic somehow draining and reviving him at the same time. He remembered watching her fly away. Then…nothing. If Brighty hadn’t rescued him, he didn’t know where he’d be—probably locked in a dungeon somewhere, or worse. Dead.

  "Thank you," he finally said.

  "That's better." She crossed her arms, training those milky irises on him. Even though he had at least a foot on her, the urge to recoil raced through him. "Now, what’s got you hiding out all day? And don’t tell me it's just about the wings."

  It was…and it wasn't.

  His life had been altered in a way no one from this world beneath the mist could possibly understand. They hated dragons, and they killed them, but they didn’t fear them the way the people from his homeland did. To the world below, dragons were nothing more than creatures to be hunted. To the world above, they were godly beasts, symbols of pure evil. The ravens would cry out at the sight of him and curse his name. They would call him godless and demand his head. But the crew wouldn’t look at him as though he'd been tainted, and maybe that was why he couldn’t face them. He didn't want their acceptance. He didn’t want to feel any bit at home in this skin.

  Yet it was more than that.

  Nightmares haunted him. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake the visions plaguing him—of blood-soaked claws and slashed throats and silent screams. He'd spent most of the previous day staring out of his window and into the fog, seeing not the endless gray but fathomless black. Only after hours of playing and replaying the scene had he realized the truth of what it was. The screeches in the background had been ravens, and the flashes of green the ancient trees in the sacred nest. The people dying by his hands had been priests and priestesses. And it had been real. Rafe didn’t know how or why or what, but he knew in his gut it hadn’t been a dream. It had been a memory—one he couldn't possibly explain.