“Ever since word of your return reached the rebels, plans have been made to amass an army.”
“What army?”
“Your army, Aurora. For you to lead and take back your kingdom.”
I knew it was coming to this, but the reality hadn’t struck me until now. “And who leads the Silver Swords?” I had my own suspicions about who it was.
“My latest intelligence has revealed Duke Gabriel Silverthorne is the leader and commander of the Silver Swords.” Santino’s eyes never left my face.
“I thought as much,” I muttered. Uncle Gabriel was quite a resourceful fellow. “I hope Rafe manages to free him from the dungeons.”
“Prince Rafael is in touch with the rebels—they will help him free the duke, if it can be done.”
“How does he know them?” Rafe had never mentioned it.
“Rafael has been working for your uncle for some time now, taking messages back and forth between Silverthorne and the Silver Swords. The Black Wolf was his cover.”
I shook my head. “But why didn’t he tell me any of this?”
Santino shrugged his broad shoulders. “I don’t know why he kept it from you. But I’m sure he and Silverthorne had their reasons and would have told you eventually.”
This was what Uncle Gabriel and Rafe were planning all along. I wished I had listened and trusted my uncle when he said he had a plan, although the mastermage had pointed out it was fate that sent me from the palace that day. Otherwise I might have been captured along with Uncle Gabriel. Or worse, already dead.
“I have my people in touch with Rafael. I will aid when I can to help free your uncle. You concentrate on mastering your powers until we can get you in contact with the Silver Swords. I have sent more spies on the lookout for your cousin and aunt.”
“Thank you so much, Santino, you have helped us a lot. And I know I’ve said this before, but I appreciate everything you have done. I am forever in your debt.”
Santino moved from the window, but he didn’t come closer. “And I in yours.”
I hesitated. I still had reservations. “I don’t know how much help I am going to be to you. I have failed at everything I have tried to do so far. Why would the rebels follow me? Why would anyone follow me? I’ve proved nothing so far except my own naïveté. My magic is still too wild, and I am not sure if I will ever be able to master it completely. Maybe I should take your father’s advice and disappear entirely. I will never be strong enough to stand against the Drakaar, and Morgana will never stop hunting me. I am no queen, and I’m not sure if I ever will be.”
I had never truly realized the magnitude of what we were up against until I met the Drakaar and the High Fae. These were warriors and magic-wielders with centuries of experience under their belts. I was facing immortal hardened killers who had magic that threatened to suffocate all faith and light from this world. My only hope was a legendary weapon that may or may not exist.
Santino came to stand before me and took my hand in his, looking me straight in the eyes. “Do you know what happened on the night when the Silver Swords heard about your battle with the Shadow Guard?”
I looked at my feet. “I was told many people called me a monster and beseeched the King of Eldoren to send me back to Morgana.”
Santino smiled. “A few of the Eldorean rabble, no doubt.” He lifted my chin with his finger to look at him. “But in Illiador, in your kingdom, in the rebel camps and in the streets of various towns and villages, fires were lit all the way from the Darkwood to the shores of the great Western Sea, passing the word that their queen, Aurora Firedrake, had finally returned and was coming to take back her kingdom. Music and dancing flowed through the streets for the first time in a decade, and fires lit up the skies over Illiador.”
He grasped my arms gently. “You have given them hope, Aurora. A reason to live on, to fight for their freedom from Morgana’s tyranny.” Santino’s sharp eyes narrowed. “Do you know what your people are calling you?”
I shook my head, a knot in my chest clenching as an unfamiliar feeling rose and took hold.
Santino smiled, his amber eyes twinkling. “It looks like you have a new title, Aurora Shadowbreaker.”
The knot in my chest got tighter, and tears pooled in my eyes as I took in what he was saying. Listening to Santino speak about the Silver Swords, about men, women, and children, my people, who were willing to follow me into battle and help me fight for my right to my father’s throne, humbled me to such an extent a tear finally leapt free and fell on my cheek. A single spark of hope ignited in my chest.
My decision was crystal clear.
I would fight for my kingdom. I would fight for my parents and everyone who had ever believed in me. I would fight because that was who I was. Aurora Firedrake was not a monster curled up inside of me waiting to be set free whenever I took off the amulet. She was the strength within me, the one who would never back down, even in the face of death. My magic was not a burden to be bound and stifled. It was a gift, it was my destiny; it was what made me Aurora Shadowbreaker.
I had kept that part of me hidden for so long, because somewhere deep down I was afraid of what I was truly capable of. It was time to embrace my fate, move forward, and grow into the woman I knew I could be, one whom my parents would be proud of.
Aurora Darlington was gone. Nothing in the world was going to change that. I was Aurora Firedrake, and I
