“Shut your filthy mouth,” I seethed out loud.
Ranor looked over his shoulder. A tremor ran through him, and he gulped, his eyes widening. I didn’t bother telling him I wasn’t talking to him. Besides, the creature was right. I shouldn’t have let my brother live.
I won’t make that mistake twice; I assured the beast.Nothing will stand in our way. The power is going to be ours.
And then, once I had the Gilded Amulet, no one would be able to stop me. Thoughts of my revenge occupied me as we moved towards the decrepit cottage. To say that it was falling apart was a wholly inadequate description. The structure was on its last legs, looking as though it would collapse at the first blustery wind.
When we were within twenty paces of the door, my skin tingled. Magic crawled over me, and I could feel a witch’s touch everywhere. She probably knew we were here, but I didn’t care. Not even a thousand wards could come between me and my treasure.
Our treasure.
The door swung open on creaky hinges. Immediately, I stopped. Ranor cracked his neck, widening his stance, but he did not approach. Magic pulsed in my veins, and I held up a hand. Dark crimson ribbons, nearly as black as the vines on the trees, slipped from my palm.
A white head of hair appeared in the doorway. The witch laughed, the sound of echoing through the forest. “There is no need for your black magic here, my child.”
Her voice echoed with traces of power, but it was nothing compared to what ran through my veins. Narrowing my eyes, I closed my fist. My nails bit into the tender flesh of my palms, but I didn’t remove them.
“Watch your words,witch,” I hissed. “I am no child. You will bow before your queen, or I shall have your tongue.”
Stepping onto the broken cobblestones that lined the empty gardens, the elderly female raised her brow as she studied me shamelessly. Her white hair was swept back into a bun, and she wore a sky-blue apron over a gray day dress. She appeared entirely unassuming, but I knew better than to trust appearances. There had to be a reason my brother found shelter here.
“No,” the elderly witch said after a moment.
“No?” I echoed in disbelief. No one spoke to me this way. Did she not know who I was?
She shook her head. “I don’t believe you will.”
My eyes widened, and red edged my vision. “You dare talk back tome?” The last words were nothing but a mangled garble as smoke tinged my mouth.
“I have no reason to fear you,” the witch said simply.
No reason.
No. Reason?
A snarl ripped through me, and before I know what was happening, fabric ripped. My bones broke and remade themselves as the dragon burst forth.
“Is this not a reason? Does this not instill fear within you?” My voice, far deeper than normal, echoed through the forest. Talking in this form was a recent development, but I loved it. This was another reason thatIwas the strongest in the land.
I stomped on the ground, and my tail swung wildly back and forth. Trees cracked as I slammed into them, taking them down with little effort. The thick, black forest was not built for a dragon of my size.
The witch tilted her head. “My dear, after the life I’ve lived, I know who to fear. You are just a scared little girl who lost her family.” An unfamiliar emotion entered her eyes, and it took me a moment to realize what it was.
Pity.
Shepitiedme.
I roared, fire erupting from my maw. Trees burst into flame in my wake, the scent of smoke and ash filling my nostrils, but I didn’t care. I would destroy her for what she said. I would—
You can’t kill her yet.The beast wrenched control from me and clenched our jaw shut.We need her.
My nostrils heaved, and I breathed heavily as I tried to remember why this witch was important.
The map, the dragon reminded me impatiently.We need the gods-damned map.
Those words were the dousing fire I needed. Pulling on my magic, I shifted into my two-legged form. The moment I was on two feet once more, Ranor was at my side, sliding a robe over my shoulders. As soon as it was cinched around my waist, I stalked towards the old female.
She stood still, her eyes tracking my movements. I grabbed her arm, yanking her roughly after me.