a crumpled dead body on the floor, lying in a pool of blood.

Tristan turned the body over with his boot. “It’s the old man from the kitchens who spoke to me. He must have tried to get his granddaughter out before they took the slaves.”

I clenched my fists and could feel my magic rising up within me. Slave lives were discarded so carelessly, and no one seemed to bother. My resolve was clear: I had to put an end to this practice once and for all, or I was not worthy of the title of the Dawnstar. I whirled around in the empty room. “Any idea which route they have taken?”

Tristan bent down and ran his hands over the old man’s eyes to close them. “His body is still warm—they must have just left.”

We ran back through the palace to the eastern gate, where the servants’ entrance was located. The corridor was filled by a line of Detori guards blocking the way to the courtyard, where slaves were being herded into wagons.

“You are supposed to be dead,” spat one guard upon spotting me.

“Sorry to disappoint you.” I created a ball of silver fire in my hands and bounced it up and down impatiently. “You’d better get out of the way, soldier. I don’t have the time or inclination to play today.”

The guards shouted for others to join them and charged at us.

Tristan’s swords lit up beside me.

I flung the ball of silver fire at the guards. Many of them jumped out of the way, but a few were not so lucky and ended up bursting into flames. I had no mercy for soldiers who would treat poor defenseless people the way they treated the slaves. They may have been following orders, but they enforced them all the same.

I drew my sword and infused it with silver fire. Some of the guards scrambled out of the way, while a bunch of others blocked my path. “Prince Shiraz said you were to stay within the palace walls. You can’t leave.”

“Oh, really!” I snorted. “Tell Prince Shiraz the Dawnstar can leave whenever she wants.”

Tristan cut through them like a knife through butter. Penelope and I ran to untie Rhea.

I hugged Rhea quickly and ruffled her hair. “I’m glad you are all right.” Glancing around quickly, I realized there were more than twenty slaves with her, and they were still bound. I shouted to Tristan, “Get the other slaves too!”

“We can’t, Aurora. We cannot risk angering the Detoris any more than we already have,” Penelope cautioned me.

“Those snakes are already working for Morgana, I’m sure of it,” I growled as I gathered my magic and started breaking chains around the slaves’ ankles and untying their hands. “I think freeing some of his slaves is the least of his punishments.”

Tristan cut down two guards who tried to stop me from freeing the slaves. “Let’s go. There will be more coming.”

Penelope and I gathered the slaves, leading them to the gates as Tristan dealt with the remaining guards. But as predicted, more arrived. It seemed Shiraz Detori had left a whole legion to make sure I didn’t leave the place. Well, it was going to take more than a legion to stop the Dawnstar.

I closed my eyes and reached out with my magic. “Abraxas, I need you.”

I got an abrupt answer. “Are you in mortal danger?”

My eyebrows scrunched together. “No.”

“Can you manage without me?”

“I think so,” I muttered as I turned back to help Tristan.

“Then there is no need for me to assist you in this battle,” said the great dragon. “Summoning me drains a great amount of magic from this world.”

I paused as I tightened my grip on my sword and took in the positions of the guards running at me. “I didn’t know that.”

“You and Tristan are more than capable of taking on these guards yourselves.” With that, Abraxas was gone.

I gathered my magic and let it build up inside me. I unleashed a wall of fire that spread toward the guards and prevented them from following us. The slaves shrank back, cowering behind me.

Tristan burst through the flames, his blades flashing as he joined me. A faint smile curved his lips. “Shall we leave?”

I grinned and ushered the slaves out through the now unguarded palace gates. Once we were out of the palace, no one tried to follow us. I guess it helped that there was an enormous wall of magical fire making sure they didn’t. It would die down eventually, and I had put boundaries on it so it wouldn’t spread to the rest of the palace. There were still innocent servants and others that resided there.

Penelope led us to the docks where she had made arrangements the night before for a merchant vessel to take Rhea back to Rohron.

“I will speak to the merchant about the rest of the slaves,” she said, then strode off while Tristan ushered the slaves onboard.

There was a shout behind us. “Stop!”

It was Berzaan, the nobleman who had enslaved Rhea in the first place. He had a retinue of guards with him, all of whom were running at full speed toward us.

I faced Berzaan and his guard and let my magic rise inside me. Tristan’s swords relit, and he was ready to pounce on the approaching warriors.

My eyes narrowed as my senses sharpened. “Stay out of the way, Tristan. I’ve got this.”

I braced my feet on the wooden docks and called on my magic, careful to draw the water out of the sea in droplets. I knew creating a wave of water, connecting to the ocean itself, was folly. It was possible, of course, and I had done it before, but it took too much magic. The lessons I had learned during my time in Elfi were invaluable, and I finally realized what Uncle Gabriel had been trying to teach me. Control was the most important element of magic: the ability to use your powers in the best way possible and at the right time.

I fashioned

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