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They looked uneasy, and they came to a halt beside me, ducking their heads and slamming shut their eyes.
“I’m sorry, old friend!” I shouted at the dragon. “I did not wish for it to come for this. But we did not kill your son.”
The king’s jaw hinged to release his deathly spray. It was now or never, and I didn’t have a clue what was going to happen when I unleashed more of my magic.
Crystal chandeliers, jewels, vases, decorations—even the marble—exploded outward in a cloud that slashed all the soldiers, the royal family, and the king. All of them fell to the floor, clutching their eyes and faces. Blinded again, the king crashed into a wall.
My stomach twisted at all the damage I’d caused. This would not be forgotten. Never again would I be welcome here. Because of this mess today, I’d taken the blame for everything. Every single joyous memory within me burst into flames and turned to ash in my mind.
“Come.”
Shadow dragged me by the wrist, and I glanced back at Phantom, who kept up our pace, with Flare limping alongside him.
“That was some voodoo shit,” Flare said, giving me a congratulatory pat on the back.
I shrugged him off. What I’d just done was nothing to be proud of. I’d just injured a man I had respected and adored since I’d been a child. In doing so, I’d put a huge target on our backs. The dragons were the most fierce, formidable, and indestructible foes within Haven. They’d never stop hunting us. We were well and truly fucked now. There’d be nowhere to hide. I might be able to defend the panthers and myself against one dragon, but not against a legion of them.
Before I left the room, I collected my mirror, which had transformed back from the shield, and tucked it away.Thank you, I told it.
Shadow led us to the hallway, through which we’d entered the kingdom.
“No,” I said, tugging at him. “The king will mount an air attack on us if we escape down the mountain. It’s not safe.”
“We can’t stay here, sweetheart,” Flare said, grabbing a ham and some fruit as we stole past the royal kitchen.
“There’s a set of secret tunnels just near here,” I said, turning down the next corridor. “The princes and I played in them as kids.”
“That’s one way to get trapped, sweetheart,” Flare said incredulously.
Panther’s and Shadow’s solemn faces showed their agreement.
“The dwarves crafted them to steal the dragon’s treasure,” I replied, stopping to grab some weapons, including daggers and a sword, from the armory. “The tunnels are small enough to accommodate children but not an army, and there’s certainly not enough room for dragons to transform.”
“What if they’ve been sealed?” Shadow asked, lifting two spears.
“We can try the emergency escape tunnels for the royal family,” I said, stuffing the daggers into a leather belt and fastening it to my waist.
“I don’t like this plan,” Flare said.
“It’s the best we’ve got,” I said. “I could try to seal them off with my magic so no one can follow us.”
Possibility shone in the panthers’ expressions. Well, now, that was better than nothing. I gestured for them to follow me, and shortly afterward, we’d wound our way to the tunnels’ secret entrance.
Shadow grabbed two flaming torches from the sconces and handed one to each panther.
“In here,” I said, pushing aside a row of supplies in the storage room to expose the first tunnel’s door.
Flare entered first, followed by Phantom and Shadow. I glanced at their magic collars as they passed, suffering a pang of regret that I’d failed in my attempt to save the panthers. With a heavy heart, I followed them into the darkness.
As we made our way along the tunnel, I prayed to the sea god that no one followed us or thought to look for us here. With each step, my anxiety gnawed at me. What had I just done? Again, someone had framed me for a death, planting a bloodstained dagger in the room where I slept. Someone wanted me dead. I had no doubt it was my evil stepmother. Possibly aided by the liege. Who else could have planted the knife in Shadow’s bedchambers? But what did the witch want with the dragons’ kingdom?
