Page 99 of A Bond So Deadly

Queen Krosia cackles. “Destroying it?” she parrots. “Now that’s funny, considering that without me, this realm would have been taken by the Xalgrith a long time ago. I’m merely doing what’s necessary for us to win this war. Which is exactly why I’m going to do this.” Power flows out of her, and her shadows race along the walls, spreading in all directions.

Knox, Thane, and Galen attack, going for the shadow queen, but the other originals fight against them, and the queen’s power drives my mates to their knees.

“Stop!” I shout as my mates grunt at the force of her magic as it bears against them.

Queen Krosia wraps them in shadows, and she walks toward me, her boots clicking against the floor.

I glare at her as she moves close and plucks the journal from my hands, then tosses it to the ground.

Her smile widens when she spots Elgen and Tarlaz on my shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, pet. You won’t be needing the journals anymore. I know exactly how to rejoin these two. I’ve waited a long time for this.” She pauses, considering. “I suppose in a way, you were useful after all.”

I’ve barely registered her words when she grabs my head, and her power crashes into me. Pain spears through my mind and screams sound in my ears. It takes me a moment to realize it’s not just me screaming, but Elgen and Tarlaz, too. The three of us cry out in agony, and tears stream from my eyes as the queen’s magic cuts me open, leaving me entirely at her mercy. She peels back layer after layer of my magic until she can reach them.

I feel the very moment her magic latches onto Tarlaz and Elgen, her shadow claws wrapping around my friends. No! I try to stop her, but my magic doesn’t respond, and my body is frozen. My mates struggle against the queen’s shadows, but they can’t get free.

“I’m sorry,” I whimper to Elgen and Tarlaz, but before they can reply, Queen Krosia rips them away from me. I could have sworn she’d torn off one of my limbs, and the shadows’ inhuman cries disappear from my head, leaving only a dark void where they’d been.

Emorie calls to me, but her voice is faint, like she’s speaking to me underwater.

The other originals watch on stone-faced, as Elgen and Tarlaz levitate in the air before the queen, darkness swirling around them. The shadows twist and writhe, their tiny bodies changing shape over and over until they slam together, merging into a singular dark blob that forms limbs and a head, appearing human-like.

The air in the room chills as a ripple of power so strong that fear coils in my gut, flows out from the shadows. “Shade,” Elgen’s voice sounds in my mind, coming from the dark shape. “I remember, girl. The prophecy is not⁠—”

She doesn’t get to finish, because one moment the oracle is in front of me, and the next, the shadow queen just…consumes them. That’s the only way I can describe it. Like she physically sucks them into her body.

I scream in horror, but it’s over in seconds.

Queen Krosia’s black eyes swirl with light as she stretches her body, like she has to adjust to her skin now that the oracle is in there.

Xera, Ravyn, and Ambrose stare at the queen warily, but Germain grins from ear to ear like he thinks he’s just witnessed a miracle.

Queen Krosia’s veins darken, pushing against her skin, and she breathes in deeply before exhaling. “Finally,” she breathes. “The power is mine.”

The pain has lessened now that the queen has the oracle, but it doesn’t ease the sense of absence inside me. “Let them go!” I try to yell, but my voice comes out weak.

The shadow queen’s dark gaze slides to me. “To think all these years I’ve been searching, and it turns out the oracle was right here at the academy. I have you to thank for this.” Her lips quirk up, and shadows swirl around her, weaving between her fingers, and coiling around her limbs.

“Their power isn’t meant for you,” I rasp. “I saw what you did to the oracle all that time ago.”

“Well, if you did, then you must know how selfish the oracle was,” she replies. “What happened was their fault. This power was always meant to be mine. I was the first called to this realm, and I’m the strongest original. I’m the only one who can stop this war. The oracle knew this, and yet, they decided that I’m not worthy.” She scowls. “They were the ones willing to see this realm suffer when they knew with their power, I could win this.”

“No.” I shake my head. “The oracle sacrificed themself for this realm, because they saw you couldn’t handle the power. That you changed once you tasted shadow magic. They knew that in your hands, you could become more of a threat than the Xalgrith.”

Xera and Ravyn shift uncomfortably, and I’m guessing this part is news to them. If only I can make them understand…

Queen Krosia purses her lips. “Well, the oracle was wrong.” Shadows flick out from her as she tests her new power, but the magic is unpredictable, and dark flames completely consume an entire bookshelf.

Queen Krosia beams as the flames crackle, turning all the books to ash. “Now, I finally have everything I need to rid us of the Xalgrith once and for all.”

I let out a strangled noise. “And then what? When the Xalgrith are gone, what will you do?”

She narrows her gaze on me. “That’s not your concern. Especially not when you won’t live long enough to see what happens. You have been a thorn in my side from the beginning, as have your mates. Always questioning me.” She steps close, lifting my chin with her finger. I still can’t move most of my body, but I have control of my head, and I act on instinct, trying to bite her finger, because at this point why the hell not?

She pulls her finger back just in time. “You know, I had planned to simply kill you, but now I think I have a better idea. No, I think I’ll leave you here and let the Xalgrith come. If you’re right and they’re headed to this academy, it will help us to see their numbers and tactics. And oh, how satisfying it will be to watch your mates try to save you and fail miserably. The prophecy did warn them that you would be the one to break them.”

That makes Xera frown. “Your Highness,” the original says as confusion flickers in her eyes, and her gaze roves over my mates. “But Knox and the others. The prophecy also says we need them to close the fold. They must sever the connection between the Xalgrith realm and our own.”

“The prophecy?” Queen Krosia snickers. “I have the oracle’s power now. Who needs them to close the fold, when I have the power to eradicate the Xalgrith on my own? No, we’ll let this academy act as a distraction and watch how the Xalgrith bring it down. This is an educational institution after all.”