Page 50 of Shadows of Light
“And you failed to win the war!” her dad retorted. “You were nothing but a hunted loser after the war, and you would have been dead if my daughter didn’t save your sorry ass.”
“Stop it,” Lexi interjected. “You hate each other; we get it. Orin’s an insensitive asshole, but could we please stop with the bickering? Isn’t there enough awfulness to deal with, without having the two of you at each other’s throats every time there’s a discussion?”
“That would be lovely,” Brokk said.
“He started it,” Orin muttered.
Lexi dropped her head into her hands. A shadow passed behind her a second before a dragon landed on the sill next to her.
It stuck its head inside, and when its snout turned toward her, Lexi patted the creature as she assured it, “Everything’s okay.”
The dragon snorted but didn’t fly away. Instead, it shifted its attention to the others. Orin closed his mouth as he wisely chose not to say anything more.
“I will have the prisoners executed,” Lexi stated. “They shouldn’t be made to sit and suffer when it’s what has to happen.”
The words felt like mud in her mouth, and her stomach churned with nausea. She almost put her head between her knees to breathe, but she couldn’t let them know how badly this affected her.
The dragon rested its head across her lap. When it did, she placed her hand on its head and rubbed its soft, black scales. The beautiful beast’s strength, flowing into her, hardened her resolve, even if she still wanted to throw up.
She’d just declared an end to hundreds of men and women. She wasn’t sure how to live with herself after that, but she would find a way. They wouldn’t be the first men and women she’d killed, and they wouldn’t be the last.
When tears burned her eyes, another dragon landed on the sill behind her. Its talons brushed her back but didn’t slice her or her clothing. Then it rested its head on her shoulder.
When she looked to the others again, sorrow etched their faces. They were trying to support her but also making it more difficult for her to keep her tears in. She took solace in their presence.
“You don’t have to make this decision now,” her dad said.
“Don’t I? You’re right; it is crueler to keep them locked away when we all know their eventual fate. None of them can live. The Lord might have forced some to fight against us, but not all. There are many out there plotting to overthrow me; we can’t turn loose more soldiers who might help them.
“And how do we decide who was willing and who was forced? Besides, if we don’t kill them, it will be seen as a weakness on my part. If we do, it will only add fuel to their fire. They’ll see me as weak and come after the throne even more. They’ll come afterallof us, and I can’t allow that.”
“It’s the right decision,” Maverick said. “I know it doesn’t seem that way, and I know it’s extremely difficult, but it is the right one.”
“I hope so,” Lexi murmured as a third dragon landed on the sill to her left and poked its head through.
The creature eyed the room before shifting its attention to her. Another one landed on the windowsill across the way. Kaylia jumped a little when Alina stuck her head inside and nearly bumped into the crone.
“My queen,” Alina said. “The queen of the giants is here.”
“Wonderful.” Lexi patted the heads of the dragons closest to her before gently nudging them away and rising. “More fun times ahead.”
CHAPTERFORTY-ONE
Lexi walked outsideto discover the queen of the giants standing in front of the portal to Colossal. Gibborim stood behind her with his head bowed.
Feeling like an ant before them, Lexi was acutely aware they could stomp on her and never know it. Overhead, dozens of dragons circled, and more landed to settle on the ground behind her.
They made it clear they’d attack at the first sign of a problem; Lexi hoped there wouldn’t be an issue. She had enough to deal with right now.
The queen of the giants bent and rested one hand near Lexi; she kept it far enough away to make it seem like she wasn’t a danger. Lexi wanted to believe that.
The woman looked far better than the last time Lexi saw her, but being able to breathe would add color to anyone’s cheeks. Her brown hair lay in a knot against her nape; tendrils of it spiraled around her shoulders.
The red shirt and black pants she wore hugged her massive frame. Her brown eyes were still bloodshot and red-rimmed; most might think it was a remnant from her time spent underwater, but Lexi knew it was from tears.
The queen had lost her love. She would never get over that.
“Your Highness,” Banba greeted.
