Shadowborn Queen - G. Bailey Page 0,20

navigate the caves better than we can," I say, bending down to pet Ozy. He presses his wet nose into my cheek and I smile. "Maybe he can help find the key."

"Then let the piggy lead the way, jaybird," Luke says, winking at me.

"He's a Shade, not a pig," I hear Gold mumble, and Axel just laughs, which tells me they're not mad at each other anymore.

While the guys march ahead, I fall into step with Scott and take his hand. He smiles down at me and rubs his thumb in a gentle caress.

"Guess who I saw at the palace?"

The sunlight catches his bright eyes and white hair. "Corvina?"

"If only. No, it was Zander. The Shadow Warden who taught at the academy."

"Why was Mr Sabhain there?" His expression is unreadable, but his tone is laced with a hint jealously. "The boy could barely keep his eyes off you."

Is Professor Mune... jealous? I don’t know, but that is so fucking cute.

"Zander is head-over-heels for Corvina. He was actually there on her behalf," I say, trying my best not to smile at how protective he is over me. "He's hoping to convince Cyrus to fight with us."

Scott nods thoughtfully. "I hope he succeeds. We need as many allies as we can. An inmate in the last prison said the academy was attacked by a Titan and not much of it is left."

I root to the spot, my heart sinking. "What about the students?"

"Safe." He glances at me. “And don't worry, I have things in motion."

Before I ask what things, Ozy hurries off into the shadows.

“I think he’s found a secret passageway,” Luke shouts over his shoulder.

We hurry after Ozy. True enough, he leads us to a tunnel with two entrances. Ozy hurries into the one on the left.

“This must be one of the old passages used during the Silva War,” Scott says. “There were six of them at one point but only two of them remain accessible. This one should take us right into the Undead Lord’s territory.”

I nod, steeling myself. “Okay. So what’s the plan?”

My guys gather around while Ozy remains at the entrance of the tunnel. Gold is the only one who’s ever stepped foot in the Deadlands. He talks about the Lord’s treasure caves, which are located at the other end of the marshlands.

"What about an invisibility spell?" Scott suggests, scratching his beard.

Gold shakes his head. "Magic is forbidden beyond the entrance to the caves. Draugars are smarter than people think. But the good news is that they sleep during the day, so they'll no doubt be in their nests."

"Then we should sneak in as quietly as possible," Scott says, nudging Axel on the shoulder. "Think you can do that, brother?"

Axel grins at him. "I can be quiet when I need to."

I smile at them, then face Gold again. "Does the no magic thing also mean we can't shift?"

"I am not sure," Gold answers me. "We can certainly try. Just be careful. From what I remember, the caves are filled with traps."

"That's the plan, then...we get in and get out before any of them wake up and we avoid the traps," Luke says, crossing his arms. "If we can't shift, we fight."

"And we protect Izora at all costs," Axel adds, his expression sobering when he looks at me.

And with that, we follow Ozy into the cave. It takes a surprisingly long time to reach the end of it. A putrid smell invades my senses when we're close to the end. Gold says it's from all the dead bodies that were buried in the marshlands during the war.

By the time we reach the other end of the tunnel, I'm almost gagging from the disgusting odor. It's like meat left to rot out in the sun. The marshlands themselves are seemingly endless, the thick, stagnant water shimmering under the blinding sunlight. My stomach churns and my insides recoil as I struggle not to vomit. The sooner we get out of here, the better.

I flap my wings and relief fills me when I'm lifted into the air. The treasure caves, a dark shadow captured by a mirage, stand in the near distance.

"I can't shift or fly," Axel growls, his tone laced with venom. "Motherfuckers!"

The other guys try, but only Gold appears able to shift into his dragon.

"Izora and I will go into the caves. The rest of you meet us in there," he says.

"No, I need to go alone."

Gold's expression darkens. "I am not letting you go into the caves on your