Knightqueen (Oronis Knights #3)

CHAPTER ONE

She was being hunted.

Knightqueen Carys crouched in the shadows behind a large boulder. Down here, at the bottom of the huge ravine, the ground was littered with broken rocks, and the shadows were deep and dark.

She looked up at the sheer walls of rock that rose high above her. She had no idea what planet she was on, but so far, all she’d seen were jagged mountains and cavernous ravines.

The deep snort of a beast made her pulse pick up. She breathed out slowly, her muscles tense. The sharp scrape of claws on rock caught her ear.

She might be the Knightqueen, the ruler of the Oronis people, but she was also a trained knight. Her body contained combat implants that made her a skilled fighter.

She pulled a face. She couldn’t access her implants completely at the moment. Her captors had pumped her full of drugs to block her abilities.

But now that she was free, she was slowly regaining access to some of her implants.

She might be filthy and exhausted, and wearing the tatters of what had once been a grand, gold ballgown, her bare feet scraped and bloody, but that didn’t matter. She was an Oronis knight to the core. Her enemy would pay for abducting her.

There was a skitter of rocks, and Carys quickly darted over to the next boulder.

The most important thing, though, was that she wasn’t alone.

She glanced at the faint, gold glow of the band around her wrist. The dura-binding ran along the rocks, disappearing into the darkness. A bond of pure energy that no one could break.

Focus on the creature, Carys. She lifted her gaze. Come on, beastie. Show yourself.

A low growl raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

With a speed that shocked her, the beast leaped onto the boulder in front of her, lifted its head, and roared.

It had scaly, gray skin, two powerful back legs, smaller front legs, and a thick, long tail studded with spikes. There were no eyes that she could see but she knew it was looking at her. It opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs. Drool dripped on the rocks by her feet.

Carys steeled herself and raised her hands. Energy flowed through her veins. It was weaker than it should be, but she’d make sure it was enough.

Pushing, she felt the flow increase, warm and electrifying. Her oralite nano-implant kicked in, channeling the energy, a ball of blue light forming between her palms.

She threw the energy ball.

The monster dodged. The blue energy clipped it and it snarled, tail whipping behind it.

More energy pulsed, filling her body. Her anger joined it. She’d been snatched violently from her very own ball in her own palace. She’d been forcibly taken from her planet, Oron, and treated like an animal. Caged, beaten, locked in a prison.

Her enemy, the Gek’Dragar, had done this. Her jaw tightened. They would pay.

She knew they were building up to an attack. They wouldn’t stay in their own space long. No, soon, they’d come for Oron.

There was no way she’d let that happen. It was her duty to protect her people.

She would not let the Gek’Dragar win.

Carys threw out her arms and tried to form her armor. She felt the weakest pulse of energy, then nothing.

By the coward’s bones. Instead, she focused on a weapon.

The sword formed in her hand, energy swirling, growing into existence. She gripped the hilt as the blade glowed blue.

The monster shook its head, its eye-less face fixated on her.

“Come on, then.” She lifted the sword horizontally over her head. She’d trained with the blade since she could walk.