Page 92 of Enchanted Queen

Well, I’ll be,Serkan muttered to the people on the shore and me as well.

I kept my eyes on her hand as I willed more of my magic into her. I wanted to see more than just her hand.

A rather elegant looking wrist was seen next as her human form extended.

Feeling like I was finally on the correct path, I sent more out, urging the human skin to extend farther.

Esta gasped as it reached her elbow.

I kept sending my magic into her, trying to free her of the poison and damage my father had done, and reached my hand out to her, while still sending even more.

I grabbed a hold of her human hand and she let me, giving me the barest of squeezes, and then as if it couldn’t all hold, my magic fell at the same time her talons came back.

I was now holding onto a large reptilian hand. Still strong. Still somehow graceful.

I called my magic up again, readying to try again, but Emric was there, stalking toward me. “Not today, Keir. We fixed The Aaruk and used a hell of a lot of magic to do it. That was progress. Leave it for today.”

“I don’t want to leave it for today,” I groaned, afraid he was right.

“You are sweating,” John added. “As much as I did at The Aaruk.”

I reached a hand to the back of my neck to find he was right. I had been so focused on the queen’s hand that I had not even noticed. Still, I remembered how much magic Krew and I exerted every night practicing and even that one fateful day in the throne room. I had some left. I knew I did, but these healings in Dra Skor also somehow ate up our power quickly.

“Fine,” I finally agreed. I stomped as I left the purple lake, clearly bothered. But at least the next time we attempted this, I wouldn’t have to use so much magic just before it.

I am carrying you back,Esta informed me.

“Fine,” I again stated. Now I was the flustered one. It felt like they were all mothering me and I hadn’t been mothered in quite some time, except for maybe by Owen.

How is your day going, princeypoo?Serkan asked me.No, wait. Let me guess. Fine?

I squinted at him while he was clearly smiling, possibly even laughing.

Within a few minutes we were back in the sky. It was not even noon, yet I was famished and exhausted. Ready for my magic to be recouped. I knew I was close with Esta. We had to be close to getting her to shift back.

We’d barely flown far, still low over the trees, when I felt my magic stir and flare. Which it had never done when flying with Esta before.

“Esta.”

What?

I began scanning the ground. “Something is wrong, my magic is trying to warn me.”

Warn you of what?

But it was already too late. I saw the long spear only a split second before it lodged itself into her side.

CHAPTER27

Esta’s roar called every nerve in my body to attention. I never wanted to hear it again. She wasn’t just angry; she was in pain.

A second spear was airborne, but I sent my magic out to wrap around it, and then sent it back in the direction it came from. I knew from practicing with Krew all those nights that type of thing was never very accurate, but it was at least a bit disarming. It might distract whoever was shooting at us for long enough for us to flee.

I think it was tipped in iron,Esta gasped, pain coating her voice, as if she were hoarse.

“What?” Amory snapped from where she rode on top of Esta. “We need to get back to The Drak until we know the extent of your injuries. Can you turn us around?”

I think so.Two wing beats later, she added,Malachi do not.