Page 23 of The Forgotten Throne

Wisely they heeded my words and backed up, so they were more directly behind me. Taking a deep breath, I called on my Birthright and drew back the shimmering blue arrow from the bow my magic produced. Letting the breath out, I sent the arrow sailing right into the middle of the portcullis, praying that it wouldn’t explode on us like the doors of the roost had when I freed Vasin. The arrow buried itself into the metal and stopped, just sitting there doing nothing. Maybe it needed more magic? I drew back and hit the exact same spot but this time I pushed more power into it and that did the trick. As if the seal on a water skin had been broken, air burst from inside, knocking us all off our feet as a shimmering blue light floated on the wind like snow. The portcullis had vanished, and we now had entrance into the Dragon Castle.

Chapter Fourteen

“You alright?” Abbott asked as he reached down to pick me up.

“Fine, just wasn’t expecting that. Although, compared to the other times I broke a seal, that was fairly tame,” I answered, dusting myself off.

“Does this sort of thing happen around you often, Your Majesty?” Lawrence asked, sounding a little concerned.

Looking back, I found my guardians helping them to their feet, their robes in disarray, making them look rather flustered. “I wouldn’t say often, but surprisingly more than I expected.”

“We will keep that in mind the next time we decide to join you one an event like this,” Eleazar muttered, shaking out his red robe.

My gaze was caught by Gavin whose eyes shimmered with laughter at the whole situation. I gave him a knowing smile before I turned back to the castle. Now that the protective shield was off of it, the abandoned-looking castle was gone and in its place was something that looked like it was just built. Unlike the castle in Norden where it was spread out over vast amounts of land, this one went up almost like it was trying to blend into the surrounding mountains. The spires got lost in the clouds hanging around the mountain peaks that the sun hadn’t quite chased away while its cream-colored stone stood out against the cold gray around it.

Passing through the gateway and into the courtyard, I felt like I was transported to the time when this castle was left. The cobblestone under my feet showed no signs of aging whatsoever and as I tilted my head back to see the main portion of the castle with its glass windows and red painted wooden shutters—I was awestruck. The castle was made out of some kind of cream-colored stone accented with a wrought-iron railing and art in the form of the mercenary crest of the dragon wrapped around a sword. Besides the main structure of the castle, there were outbuildings that were closed up so I couldn’t tell what they were. I was dying to explore them. I found the main entrance with its thick wooden doors reinforced with metal and a large crest set into the stone above it with an inscription written on the arch just below it—Though Disgraced We Rise. In those words, I could feel the true heart of the first king who created these people who had been chased out of their own kingdom after saving them all. They had been disgraced, looked down upon, and seen as a threat to be hunted. Here in Sheca, they did rise again to create a kingdom of their own that has prospered without aid for five hundred years. Now I was going to unlock all their secrets and make it even better than it was before.

In the center of the door, I could see the keyhole. I stepped up the stairs and stood before the next stage in my life. Once this was open, there was no going back to the way things had been. Slipping the key off my neck once again, I inserted it and turned, the lock moving smoothly like it hadn’t been left sitting. With a click, one part of the lock opened revealing another that I had to pull the key out and lay it flat to fit into the space and rotate in a clockwise manner. Then a thunk sounded and the door started to give, but it was a heavy door, and it took me putting my whole body weight behind it to push it open, revealing the entryway to the castle. Darkness greeted me as I peered past the door since all the shutters were closed so only small shafts of light filtered in.

“Your Majesty, I’m sure you are eager to explore the castle, but I think it’s best if we leave it for tomorrow. The sun is fading fast, and I for one, would rather make it back down alive for the feast,” Eleazar spoke from behind me. “We came to do what we needed now. Let’s celebrate with the feast our people have been hard at work making.”

As much as I didn’t want to leave the castle, I understood that once I stepped through this door, I wouldn’t be emerging for quite some time after. Locking the door once again now that it wasn’t protected by the magical barrier, I followed the others back through the courtyard. The guys insisted on the same procedure of crossing the drawbridge, muttering the whole time about needing to get it fixed and soon. Being the valiant men they are, they assisted the viceroy and Sal back into their wagon where Lawrence once again stood to address the people.

“You have now all witnessed the Dragon Queen unlocking the Dragon Castle’s magical barrier. The exploration of the castle will begin another day because we have a feast to attend!”

The crowd sent up another roar of excitement as they turned to head back down to the village. Giving them a chance to get a head start, I stood next to Inali and stroked her neck as she relaxed after the journey we’d had.

“Are you doing alright?” Gavin asked, coming to stand next to me.

I answered with a shrug. I didn’t really know how I felt. What I did know was that spending the night at a feast with people I didn’t know if I could trust wasn’t my idea of a good time. I still didn’t get the chance to talk to my guardians about what Helena said yet and it was looking like this might be the best time. Once we got back to the village, I would be surrounded by people who wanted my attention.

“Cassy, are you coming?” Sal called from his place in the wagon.

“You go on ahead. I just need a moment after using that much magic,” I offered up as an excuse.

He narrowed his eyes at me, knowing that what I just did wouldn’t take it out of me, but he just nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Once we got some distance from them, I turned to face all of my guardians and Gavin. “We need to talk.”

“That is never good,” Paxton groaned, causing the others to glare at him. “What? Trust me when a woman says ‘we need to talk’ there is nothing good coming out of her mouth.”

Becka just rolled her eyes and looked at me. “So, is he right?”

“Well, what I have to tell you isn’t great news…” I offered.

“See! What did I say—nothing good—ever?” Paxton grumbled.

“Love, I think it’s best if you just say what you need to say since some of us can’t handle the tension,” Gavin suggested, nudging me with his shoulder.

I let out a sigh. “Helena told me that the Clan Leaders are working with King Edward and Queen Mary to keep me from becoming queen and making an alliance among themselves.”

Clearly this had not been what they were expecting me to say by the stunned expressions on their faces. Many of them quickly morphed into anger, especially Gavin who’s hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched.

“Are you positive?” Izel pressed.

Knowing that their fathers were the Clan Leaders, I could see why they wouldn’t want to believe this bit of information, but I knew that Helena wouldn’t have brought it up if it wasn’t important. “She couldn’t tell me much since they have been edging Ballard out of the conversations. What she could tell me sounded pretty legitimate. I had an altercation with all of them before we left the fortress, and they were not happy with me at all for forcing their hand. Garold wanted to stay behind with whoever didn’t want to leave but he hadn’t thought that whole idea through.”

“Can they do it? Could they keep you from becoming queen?” Abbott asked.