The Dragon Realm (Dark World The Dragon Twins #2) - Michelle Madow Page 0,50
was our only lead about what to do next.
If she attacked, it would be four against one. Besides, she already knew where we were from our trail of footprints.
Good thing Malcolm had been too involved in bird watching to have noticed those earlier.
Bella reached into her pack and pulled out four small tablets. They were the same ghostly color that we were—the same empty color of the invisibility potion.
We each took one and chewed. They were chalky, and within seconds, we were back to our visible selves.
The woman smiled as we shimmered into sight. “Much better,” she said. “I’m Katherine. Queen Katherine.”
I looked around the desolate landscape, then back to her. “Queen of what?”
“The Queen of the Seventh Kingdom.”
31
Gemma
I stared at her, shocked.
The Seventh Kingdom was a myth.
I nearly said so, but stopped myself. Because up until a few months ago, I’d thought everything supernatural was a myth.
Why would the Seventh Kingdom be any different?
Bella, apparently, didn’t feel the same way.
“The Seventh Kingdom doesn’t exist,” she said. “It’s an imaginary place the Earth Angel said she was from so she could be accepted as a contender to win Prince Jacen’s heart while he was choosing a bride.”
“It’s true that Annika Pearce—the Earth Angel, and the Queen of Cups—pretended to be a princess from my kingdom,” Queen Katherine said. “But the Seventh Kingdom does, in fact, exist. I’m here to lead you there.”
Ethan’s fingers tightened around the straps of his backpack. “Why?”
“Because we have something you’re looking for.”
“How do you know what we’re looking for?” I asked. “And how did you know we’d be here?”
“Avalon and the Haven aren’t the only kingdoms with prophetesses and witches,” she said. “We have our own. How else do you think we stayed hidden all this time?”
“I think you stayed hidden because if you’re telling the truth that the Seventh Kingdom is real, then it’s in Antarctica,” I said flatly. “It doesn’t get any more remote than this.”
“I assure you that I’m telling the truth.” She smiled again, like she was amused I doubted her. “Come with me, and you’ll see.”
I stayed put. “How long have you known we’d come here?” I asked.
“A while.”
“Days? Months? Years?”
“Something like that. But all that matters is that I’m here for you now, ready to bring you to my kingdom.”
“It seems too easy,” Bella said what I was sure we were all thinking. “Shouldn’t there be trials we need to pass, or something?”
“This isn’t Avalon,” Queen Katherine said. “I’m not recruiting you to join an army.”
“Thank goodness for that,” Mira muttered.
“I’m also only inviting the three dragons to the Seventh Kingdom,” she said, and then she looked to Bella. “You and I will teleport back to the ship—while it’s still anchored down—so I can compel everyone on board to forget you were there.”
“I’m staying with the three of them,” she said. “We already have vampire allies prepared to do reconnaissance once the ship lands back in Ushuaia.”
“And until then, you intend to have them think you’ve gone missing on Detaille Island?” she asked, and none of us replied, since our plan hadn’t actually gotten much further than locating the second half of the Crown. “They’ll send out teams looking for you. It’ll draw attention—possibly supernatural attention. Demonic attention.”
“Fine,” Bella said, and then she glanced at me, Ethan, and Mira. “But we can’t leave them here while you handle the crew and passengers on the ship.”
“They’ll be perfectly safe here,” Queen Katherine said. “The ship you came here on is small. This won’t take me long. But obviously our time is limited, since we can only teleport onto the ship while it’s anchored down. So I need you to take me there—now.”
Bella said nothing. It was like she was waiting for me, Ethan, and Mira to make the decision.
“I have a question,” I said, and all eyes went to me. “You say you’re a queen of a vampire kingdom. That would make you an original vampire.”
She nodded, and I continued, “But there are only six original vampires. Five, now that Queen Laila’s dead.”
“There were seven original vampires. Six, since Laila’s passing.” She frowned when she said the dead queen’s name, as if they’d been friends.
They likely had been, since the original vampires had performed the long-forgotten spell that had turned them immortal together.
“Then why do the others never speak of you?” I asked.
“Because they don’t remember me. I compelled them to forget.”
“Impossible,” I said. “Vampires with the ability to compel can’t be compelled by other vampires.”