We accompanied him down the silent corridors of the Summer Palace to the council chamber.
I glanced around the vast room. “So where is this secret passage?”
Suddenly the door to the council chamber burst open, and two palace guards charged into the room, their swords flashing silver in the moonlight.
I whirled around. How did they find me? I couldn’t let them stop me now. I had to leave the palace tonight. “I thought you said you gave them the potion?” I threw Kalen a pointed look.
Kalen flung his arms into the air. “I did!”
The guards’ eyes widened when they saw Rafe in his black mask and cloak. “The Black Wolf,” said one guard, recognizing the infamous outlaw.
Rafe took a step forward, and the guards shrank back instinctively. But this was my fight and my only chance to find my mother. I wasn’t going to let a pair of foolish guards stand in my way.
“I’ve got this,” I said to Rafe, moving in front of him and raising my hands, palms facing the guards. This time I didn’t need to make an effort; my magic was a part of me. White light coursed through my veins and exploded in two perfect beams, hitting the guards in the middle of their chests. The force of my stun was so strong that they flew backward, hitting the wall as they fell to the floor unconscious.
Rafe raised his eyebrows and looked at me. “That was one fantastic magical strike. You combined a stun and push strike together even with your amulet on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done before. Maybe I should hire you to protect my kingdom from now on.”
I laughed and beamed at the praise, especially coming from him. “Any time,” I retorted. “But first, I have my own kingdom to defend.”
“I’ll wait.” Rafe was still smiling as he walked over to the mantelpiece above the fireplace and bent one of the candlestands forward. The wall behind the fireplace moved backward, leaving enough space for a person to pass through on both sides.
“The Summer Palace was built over an ancient ruin,” Rafe explained. “This passage is as old as Auraken himself.”
The passage beyond looked dark, and Rafe went first. His hand lit up with a tiny white ball of light that illuminated the gray stone walls. Magic had now become second nature to me, and I pushed some light into my hand, whirling it around with my fingers until it formed a ball.
Rafe silently took my hand and entwined his fingers through mine. This was it; I was really going to do this. From now on, I would not run from my destiny or my responsibilities. My mother was alive, and I was going to get her back.
Morgana had better prepare to defend herself, for I was the last of the Firedrakes, and I was not afraid of her anymore. My life was my own and so were my choices. I just hoped I had made the right one.
I gathered my courage and walked forward into the dark passage that led from the Summer Palace of Eldoren out into the fascinating, magical, and dangerous world of Avalonia that lay beyond.
Next up for Aurora… Book Two: The Rise of the Dawnstar
Read a short excerpt on the next page
The Rise of the Dawnstar: Prologue
“Why is the girl still alive, Lucian?” asked a woman’s voice from a shadowy corner.
“I’m working on it, my queen.” The Archmage of Avalonia swept into the darkened room, his black mage robes, bordered with gold, billowing around him as he walked. Broad-shouldered and regal in his bearing, he raised his right hand; the damp fireplace flared to life, warming the cold stone floor.
The Queen of Illiador sat in a red velvet chair, staring into the flames that illuminated her heart-shaped face. The windows were shut against the cold air that had started blowing down from the north, and a dark mist swirled outside as the wind howled, racing through the kingdoms of Avalonia, heralding the coming of winter.
“Then where is she?” Morgana snarled, rising slowly from her high-backed chair and turning to face the archmage. Her obsidian hair was loose and tangled, and her emerald eyes were bloodshot.
Lucian bowed and his eyes narrowed as he addressed Morgana. “We have no idea. It is proving impossible to find her with magic. As long as she wears the Amulet of Auraken, I cannot determine her whereabouts.”
“Yes, I know. But surely there are other ways to find her?”
“Not with magic.”
“Then find her without magic,” Morgana hissed.
The archmage’s jaw tightened. “I have spies everywhere looking for the princess. The last we heard, she left the Summer Palace in the dark of night. That was days ago—by now she could be anywhere in the seven kingdoms.”
Morgana clasped her hands together and started pacing in front of the fireplace. “She won’t get far on a normal horse; at least she doesn’t have the added advantage of a pegasus anymore.”
Lucian coughed and looked down.
Morgana’s eyebrows rose. “What are you not telling me, Lucian?”
“There was an incident in the ruins, after you, um, left. My sources say the princess healed the pegasus.”
“How is that possible? The pegasus was dead, I saw it with my own eyes.” Morgana paused as she assessed the archmage. “Is her healing power so great?”
“I believe it is. She has the blood of the immortal fae running through her veins. You know how powerful their healers are, and she is stronger still. My sources say the healing she performed on that day was something no one has ever seen before.”
Morgana seemed utterly unimpressed. “The Shadow Guard were supposed to kill the pegasus and the princess, but they failed.” Her eyes narrowed. “I thought you had trained them all personally. How can a little fool of a girl defeat the deadliest warriors of Illiador?”
“She is too strong,” the archmage said, his face almost feral at the thought of the girl who had
