The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash 4)

I straightened, refocusing on the Rise itself. Branches of the nearby wisteria trees had climbed the structure, pressing into the stone and smothering the Rise in the lavender-colored limbs.

“Well, that’s a problem,” I murmured. “The wisteria trees.”

“They’re beautiful,” Poppy whispered. “It’s the most beautiful Rise I’ve ever seen.”

“It is, but you’re not going to like what I’m about to say,” I replied.

She sighed. “I think I know what you’re going to say. The trees need to be cut back.”

A faint grin appeared. “They need to be pulled out. Should’ve been done long before it got to this point. It’s likely already weakened the Rise.”

“It has,” Emil confirmed from where he rode slightly ahead, Kieran trailing between us as Naill rode to our left. “The trees have breached the eastern walls in some areas.”

“Well, the Ascended have never been known for their upkeep of infrastructure,” Poppy murmured. “Speaking of the Ascended, what of the Royals who oversaw Padonia?”

“They’d abandoned the city before our arrival,” Emil answered with a snort of disgust. “Just as they did in Whitebridge—”

“And Three Rivers,” Malik spoke, breaking his self-imposed silence. “Most of the Royals had fled to Carsodonia. They have been arriving since Poppy relieved Jalara of his head.”

Naill’s gaze cut to him. “Yeah, well, the Ascended didn’t simply flee Whitebridge and Padonia.”

Dread took root. “What did they do?”

“It wasn’t like Oak Ambler. They left a graveyard behind in Whitebridge.” Naill looked away, his jaw working. “Like they did in the northern lands of Pompay.”

“Oh, gods,” Poppy uttered, stiffening. “Was there…?”

“No mortal—adult or child—was left alive in Whitebridge,” Perry confirmed, swallowing thickly as the dread burned to the ground in a wave of fury. “Thousands were dead and had already turned. We lost some wolven and soldiers. There were just too many Craven.”

Poppy’s head lowered as she leaned into me. I wished there was something I could say, but for something like this, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“They did the same in Padonia, but the people here fought back,” Naill continued, and her head lifted. “A lot of mortals died, but it wasn’t as bad as it was in Whitebridge. They took out a few of the Ascended in the process.”

“What of Three Rivers?” I asked, pushing the rage down.

“The Ascended there fled but left the mortals alive,” Emil said. “Not sure why. Maybe those ruling there were different than the others. I don’t know.”

“Do you?” I demanded of Malik.

He’d gone pale as he stared ahead. “I didn’t know that’d happened in Whitebridge or here,” he said hoarsely. “But I’ve seen Dravan at Court—he’s the Duke of Three Rivers. Keeps to himself. Don’t know much about him.”

“But you do know him?” Naill asked, and when Malik nodded, his eyes narrowed. “Exactly how complicated have things been for you, Prince Malik?”

“That is a rather long story,” I interrupted as a dark shadow crossed the road, stirring the tops of the wisteria trees as we rounded the bend. “That will have to wait.”

The gates of the Rise came into full view, but it was what flew above us that had garnered my attention.

All I saw through the cloud cover was a flash of smoky gray before the shadow fell over the bridge and tents. My jaw loosened as a creature as large as Setti swooped, touching down on its hind legs upon the Rise, its curved horns glistening in the streaks of sun that had broken through the clouds.

The draken made a soft trilling sound that sent a wave of goosebumps over my flesh.

“Meyaah Liessa?” Reaver said, having slowed his horse. “If you have no more immediate need of me…?”

“No.” Poppy smiled slightly. “You can do as you please.”

The draken bowed his head and then dismounted, handing the reins to Perry. He quickly disappeared into the woods.

“That’s Nithe,” Poppy said, gesturing to the gray draken on the Rise.

All I could do was nod. Because, my gods, I couldn’t believe I was actually looking upon a draken again.

Two more shadows fell overhead as we reached the bridge. A green one that was a little larger than Nithe, and a third slightly smaller one.

“The greenish one is Aurelia,” Poppy added. “The brownish-black one is Thad.”

I nodded again as wings the length of their bodies spread out wide, slowing their descent. They came down on either side of the gate. Thick claws dug into the top of the Rise, shaking the wisteria limbs as their long necks stretched out. Their heads lifted to the sky, the row of horns and the frills around their necks vibrating as their staggering call echoed through the valley.

The call was answered from the woods. Our gazes snapped up as an even larger shadow fell over us. My eyes widened upon the sight of a purplish-black draken crossing over the tents and the Rise.

“And that’s Reaver,” Poppy said.