Page 1 of Shadows of Light
CHAPTERONE
The rustleof wings alerted Lexi that one of the dragons was descending into the throne room, but she didn’t turn to look.It’s Alina.
She wasn’t sure how she knew, but Lexi was certain the speaker had arrived. It came through the bond that formed to connect her and the dragons when she ascended the arach throne.
That was two days ago, and she hadn’t seen Alina since becoming queen, but Lexi hadn’t spent any time exploring Dragonia or calling the dragons to her. She’d been too exhausted and heartbroken to do anything like that.
But today, she had no other choice. She could give herself one day to recuperate and wallow in self-pity and sorrow, but she couldn’t allow two. She had to get up and learn more about the realm she would rule.
Now that she’d claimed the Dragonian throne and sealed her birthright to rule over the realms, she had to deal with her responsibilities. The only problem was she had no idea where to start with everything she had to do.
She’d already been to the infirmary and assisted with the wounded, but there were so many of them. She did what she could with the worst injuries before retreating from the suffering that filled the room.
There was little more she could do there, but shehadto do something to keep herself occupied. So, she settled on something small, necessary, and that she could do—clean.
“You shouldnotbe doing that,” Alina said.
She wasn’t the first immortal to tell her this, but, as Lexi had told her aunt and Orin, the problem was… “Who else is going to do it? All those who lived and worked in this palace were loyal to the Lord. They’ve all fled, been killed, or are in the dungeon.”
Lexi threw her bloody sponge into the wooden bucket before turning to face the red dragon. Alina’s golden eyes studied her from their slitted pupils as she rose to reveal the yellow flecks along her belly.
Blood stained the ground and walls around Lexi, but she’d made some progress in removing the carnage she and Cole had left in their wake. Maybe she should do something besides scrubbing the blood from the throne room, but she couldn’t focus on anything else.
Besides, there wasno wayshe could sit in this room, and on that throne, with all the blood and scorch marks still marring the floor. And soon, she would have to sit on the arach throne and welcome others to the realm she ruled.
The scorch marks weren’t coming off, and she suspected they’d forever scar the floor. Maybe they should remain to remind her of what could happen if someone else took the throne.
They could also serve as a deterrent against those who came here seeking to overthrow her. It would not be an easy fight.
“The immortals in your army should do this,” Alina said.
“Most have left to either rebuild their realms or find new ones to settle. They have lives to rebuild, and they didn’t agree to fight with us so they could work for me afterward.”
Alina looked affronted by this. “Youare the queen ofallthe realms. They do notworkfor you; theyserveyou. They are also yours to command.”
“The dragons were the Lord’s to command, too; how did that work out for you?”
Twin spirals of smoke coiled out of Alina’s nostrils. “You must have an army in this realm and immortals to serve you. It is the way of things.”
“You’re right about the army,” Lexi told her. “But I don’t need servants.”
“Of course you do. You will one day entertain here; there will be balls and parties again. Immortals will come to you for things, for help, to speak with you, and to pledge their allegiance. Youmusthave servants to greet them.”
Lexi grabbed the bloody sponge from the bucket before tossing it back into the red water. She pushed the bucket aside and pulled another one closer. Before starting, she’d carried in a dozen buckets, each with a different sponge, to prepare for this chore.
She’d already made three trips to refill the buckets and carry them back. Cleaning this mess helped her to have something other than missing Cole to focus on.
She couldn’t cry as much if she was scrubbing, but it was still nearly impossible to breathe, and her eyes burned incessantly. He was gone. The shadows had taken control of him, and he was gone.
Her chest constricted, and she had to wait until it eased enough for her to breathe again. She blinked away the tears in her eyes, but they clung to her lashes and briefly blurred her vision.
Lexi removed a clean sponge from the water and returned to working on the stone floor. “That is a problem for later.”
“There must be others to help with this,” Alina said.
“They’re removing the bodies from the battlefield, identifying them, and returning them to their loved ones. That’s more important than helping me with this.”
She should have been there to help them, but her father and Orin insisted she stay inside until they removed any lingering threats and it was safe for her to roam outside. As queen, she could have vetoed their decision, but she preferred not to fight with anyone again so soon.
