heart. The queen kissed his forehead, then turned away.
Nathaniel took her arm and led her through the solders piling the undead in wagons, giving Brax his last moment with his father. The queen squeezed his arm. Tears ran down her cheeks and pain contorted her face. Every step seemed like it took all her courage. “I was with you when you lost your world, so it only seems fit you are with me when I lose mine.”
“You haven’t lost everything.” Nathaniel placed his hand on hers. “You still have Brax and me.”
“Aye.” She nodded, biting her upper lip. Her entire body shook. Nathaniel had never seen her so close to falling apart.
The queen stumbled and fell forward onto her hands and knees. “I cannot go on.”
He crouched beside her. “You must. This kingdom needs you just as much as I did when I was a little boy.”
She glanced at him as if seeing him for the first time. “And such an adorable little boy you were. I remember wanting to take you home as my own the first time I saw you in the ash.”
“And here I am, needing you still.”
Around them, soldiers began to clap and shout. Nathaniel stood, scanning the area. At first, he thought they cheered their victory, but all heads glanced at a single balcony above them. Valoria stood on the railing with the wind in her long, auburn hair, holding her harp.
Shock and worry hit him hard in the gut. What if one of the undead had attacked her? He pulled on the nearest soldier’s arm. “What is the princess doing here?”
“Saving us.” The soldier raised his arm to her in salute.
Nathaniel had had an inkling of her power back on the battlefield, but he hadn’t heard any kind of minstrel song. “What do you mean?”
“You saw the undead stop. You heard them moan.”
It was as if someone had collected all of their puppet strings and hung them up. “They gave up, crying out to Helena and Horred in the sacred temple.”
The soldier laughed, then grew solemn. “No, they did not sing to the gods. They sang to her.”
Chapter 12
Bound
Valoria awoke to blindingly bright sunlight. Her entire body ached and her head felt like a bruised plum. She shielded her eyes. “Lyric’s lyre. What’s happened?”
“There you are.” Cadence pressed a wet cloth to her forehead. “Just get some rest.”
Images flooded her mind. Undead swarming, bloody fingers, and a black hole sucking her heart away. “Am I dead?”
“You most certainly are not.” Cadence gave her a stern look. “Soldiers carried you in this morning. They said you passed out after you saved the entire kingdom from ruin at the hands of the undead.”
“I did?”
Cadence pursed her lips. “I’d think you’d remember that.”
“I remember more than I care to.” The horrible, black-holed eyes of the necromancer stared back at her, and she gripped the sheets with the palms of her hands as her whole body turned icy cold and goose bumps pricked her skin. Sure, she’d saved the kingdom, but she’d also let him in.
“There, there. It’s all over now.” Cadence took her hand.
“’Tis not over.” A part of her had been eaten away by that horrible thing that wasn’t even a man. Even now, she felt him inside her mind, squirming like a black worm to find the center of who she was. She blocked the images and tried to focus on the bright sunlight pouring in. It felt a world away.
“How many dead?”
Cadence patted her hand. “You mustn’t worry about that now, my lady.”
Valoria batted Cadence’s hand away. She bolted up into a sitting position. “How many?”
Cadence glanced down. “There are still many missing.”
“Do not treat me like a child.”
Cadence wiped at her eyes. “Maybe a hundred, mostly soldiers.”
Valoria thought back to the battle before she’d tapped into the black energy. Soldiers had been stranded, and someone had gone to save them. “The king?”
Cadence shook her head. “Dead.”
Sorrow took her breath away. She hadn’t
Nathaniel took her arm and led her through the solders piling the undead in wagons, giving Brax his last moment with his father. The queen squeezed his arm. Tears ran down her cheeks and pain contorted her face. Every step seemed like it took all her courage. “I was with you when you lost your world, so it only seems fit you are with me when I lose mine.”
“You haven’t lost everything.” Nathaniel placed his hand on hers. “You still have Brax and me.”
“Aye.” She nodded, biting her upper lip. Her entire body shook. Nathaniel had never seen her so close to falling apart.
The queen stumbled and fell forward onto her hands and knees. “I cannot go on.”
He crouched beside her. “You must. This kingdom needs you just as much as I did when I was a little boy.”
She glanced at him as if seeing him for the first time. “And such an adorable little boy you were. I remember wanting to take you home as my own the first time I saw you in the ash.”
“And here I am, needing you still.”
Around them, soldiers began to clap and shout. Nathaniel stood, scanning the area. At first, he thought they cheered their victory, but all heads glanced at a single balcony above them. Valoria stood on the railing with the wind in her long, auburn hair, holding her harp.
Shock and worry hit him hard in the gut. What if one of the undead had attacked her? He pulled on the nearest soldier’s arm. “What is the princess doing here?”
“Saving us.” The soldier raised his arm to her in salute.
Nathaniel had had an inkling of her power back on the battlefield, but he hadn’t heard any kind of minstrel song. “What do you mean?”
“You saw the undead stop. You heard them moan.”
It was as if someone had collected all of their puppet strings and hung them up. “They gave up, crying out to Helena and Horred in the sacred temple.”
The soldier laughed, then grew solemn. “No, they did not sing to the gods. They sang to her.”
Chapter 12
Bound
Valoria awoke to blindingly bright sunlight. Her entire body ached and her head felt like a bruised plum. She shielded her eyes. “Lyric’s lyre. What’s happened?”
“There you are.” Cadence pressed a wet cloth to her forehead. “Just get some rest.”
Images flooded her mind. Undead swarming, bloody fingers, and a black hole sucking her heart away. “Am I dead?”
“You most certainly are not.” Cadence gave her a stern look. “Soldiers carried you in this morning. They said you passed out after you saved the entire kingdom from ruin at the hands of the undead.”
“I did?”
Cadence pursed her lips. “I’d think you’d remember that.”
“I remember more than I care to.” The horrible, black-holed eyes of the necromancer stared back at her, and she gripped the sheets with the palms of her hands as her whole body turned icy cold and goose bumps pricked her skin. Sure, she’d saved the kingdom, but she’d also let him in.
“There, there. It’s all over now.” Cadence took her hand.
“’Tis not over.” A part of her had been eaten away by that horrible thing that wasn’t even a man. Even now, she felt him inside her mind, squirming like a black worm to find the center of who she was. She blocked the images and tried to focus on the bright sunlight pouring in. It felt a world away.
“How many dead?”
Cadence patted her hand. “You mustn’t worry about that now, my lady.”
Valoria batted Cadence’s hand away. She bolted up into a sitting position. “How many?”
Cadence glanced down. “There are still many missing.”
“Do not treat me like a child.”
Cadence wiped at her eyes. “Maybe a hundred, mostly soldiers.”
Valoria thought back to the battle before she’d tapped into the black energy. Soldiers had been stranded, and someone had gone to save them. “The king?”
Cadence shook her head. “Dead.”
Sorrow took her breath away. She hadn’t
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