Knightqueen (Oronis Knights #3)

“The Gek’Dragar will track us,” he continued.

“Not in the storm. We’ll wait until you’re healed.” She sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder.

He went stiff again, but then he slowly relaxed.

“Sten?”

“My queen?”

“Will you sing to me? Please?”

It had been years since he’d sung for her. He’d done it when she was younger, after the death of her parents.

She looked up, noting the dull color in his cheeks. Her stoic knightguard didn’t like anyone knowing that he had a good singing voice.

There was a long pause, then he started to sing.

She smiled and listened to the deep, beautiful baritone. He sang a song about a beautiful princess. A courageous princess.

Carys breathed in. They were safe for now, and Sten was healing. Sten was with her.

Her heart yearned for more from him, more than he could give. But now, as always, she’d take what she could get.

Sten gritted his teeth and walked. One foot in front of the other. That was all he could focus on.

If Carys saw that he was in pain, she’d make him rest again. His wounds were healing, but they hurt.

Carys was just two steps ahead of him, holding the lantern aloft to illuminate the darkness.

“Sten, look at these.” She moved over to the wall of the tunnel.

He saw engraved artwork, painted in beautiful colors.

“I noticed it earlier, but I was in a rush.” She ran a hand over one of the tall, red figures. “I think these people were the local inhabitants of this planet.”

In the images, Sten noted bustling, cliff villages, lots of bridges crossing the ravines, and the red-skinned people mining a bronze substance. He stepped closer.

“Senum,” he said.

Carys cocked her head. “Really?”

The mineral was prized, and had a lot of applications. He traced the images with his fingers. “It’s highly valuable. Especially to Gek’Dragar.” He saw the local people using a blue liquid to mine. “Looks like the locals mined the senum with this blue fluid. It eats away at the rock.”

They kept walking and the art changed. It was less detailed, sloppier. Like the best artists had gone, or they were running out of time.

Carys gasped. “Sten.”

The next image showed Gek’Dragar.

They overtook the planet. In some images, there were large vats of the blue fluid.

“No,” Carys whispered.

The scenes changed to show mountains caved in and villages destroyed. The blue fluid eating them away.

Then a final image, showing animals drinking the liquid, and their bodies changing and morphing.

“I guess we know why there are so many terrible beasts,” he said grimly. “The Gek’Dragar used the locals’ own mining method against them.”