She cried out as his shoulder smashed into her. The dagger dropped from her fingers. She fell back onto the stone with a yell.
“No!” she screamed. She looked at Elias, then at all the corpses scattered around. None of the others remained alive. “No!”
Elias stalked up beside Gerard. “You’ve lost,” Elias said, face blank.
She scrambled to her feet and reached for the dagger she’d dropped.
But Elias was quicker. His fingers wove. They flicked. Lightning struck her. Screaming, she jerked back, the dagger falling from her hand. She hit the tower wall.
For a second, body jolting, she clutched at the stone. Then the wall crumbled behind her. Stone toppled off the edge of the tower. And so did she.
Her cries echoed as she fell. Then all of a sudden … silence.
With steady, calm steps, Elias walked towards the tower’s edge. Gerard followed. Empress Emmeline lay motionless on the ground. Dead. Elias gave a single nod of his head.
Below, several soldiers and sorcerers fled. Then Adelina ran out, away from the tower and towards the forest.
Gerard exhaled. His stepmother hadn’t even shifted to try to get away. It was hard to believe that Adelina was actually a very powerful dragon. But she’d never been able to keep calm under pressure. She always panicked. As a result, she had never even seen a proper battlefield.
Elias’s fingers moved. A flash of lightning struck Adelina. She fell.
“She knows where your father will be attacked.” Then Elias dashed towards the tower door, leaving Gerard to run after him.
Gerard cursed. He’d been so caught up in the battle that he’d momentarily forgotten about the planned attack on his father.
Thank the dragon gods Elias has kept his wits.
Adelina had just gotten to her feet as they sprinted out from the tower. She tried to run away. But Elias zapped her, bringing her down once again.
Elias and Gerard stood over her. She looked up at them, eyes wild. Tears streamed down her cheek.
“Where is the attack happening?” Gerard demanded.
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you! I have to do this for my children!”
They were running out of time! His father could already be under attack. He could already be dead! “Where?” Gerard shouted.
She flinched. Then she just shook her head.
They didn’t have time for this! They had to find out where to go to save his father!
Elias knelt in the grass beside her, face blank. When he spoke, his voice came out surprisingly calm. “Your plan has failed, Queen Consort Adelina. There is no chance for your children to rise.”
Her lip trembled. “But if I?—”
Elias shook his head. “No. The plan has failed. Empress Emmeline is dead. Everyone will know what occurred today. If the king dies, you and your children will be branded as traitors, and you will all be held responsible for the king’s death. Your children will be executed for treason and will be burned with dragonfire.”
“No!” Her eyes widened. “They didn’t know!” She gripped Elias’s arms. They didn’t know! I acted alone!” She looked to Gerard, eyes beseeching. “Gerard, you will say that you knew they weren’t a part of this. You’ll tell everyone they knew nothing! That they are not traitors.”
“Why would he help you?” Elias asked. “You planned to kill him and his closest family members. He and I will bothswear that they knew everything. We will swear that they are traitors and plotted to kill their father, the king.”
“No!” She sobbed.
Still, Elias kept speaking in his cold, level voice. “All your children will die. You will be killed last. You will watch them be executed one by one, knowing they suffer and perish because of your actions. You will hear their screams. They will cry out for you, their mother, to save them. And you will be unable to do a thing as they are reduced to ash.”
Gerard had to suppress a shiver. He did not know if he should be impressed or horrified by Elias.
Adelina wailed.
