[ONGOING: New Chapters Every Sunday]
Kingsblade. Rise of the Raven Queen.
Her kingdom is in ashes.
She's supposed to save it, but there's one problem.
She doesn't remember she's the queen.
She doesn't remember anything at all.
With war looming on...
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Morning came quickly, and an unapologetic sun shouldered through the open windows of Leyrl's chambers to greet her.
Socorro, who had fallen asleep to tales Adeniyi had once told Leyrl over hot chocolate, lay on the edge of the bed with her knees curled to her chest and Leyrl's throw tucked around her small frame. She didn't look like she'd moved all night.
Leyrl held her breath as she sat up and lifted herself off the bed. She grimaced as the ropes that held them aloft popped and stretched even while she did her best move silently.
Adeniyi had compared her to a lumbering bear with rocks for feet once. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised.
She walked over to her small dresser and eased it open, wincing as the wooden drawer scraped against the track. She quickly pulled off her sweaty clothes from the day before and slipped into another pair of pale gray leggings, then a patchwork pair of trousers that were mostly dark, then a burgundy linen tunic that fell to her mid-thigh.
Leyrl tossed a glance back at Socorro, but to her relief, she shifted and expanded to fill the space on the bed left empty. In seconds, her arms and legs were sticking in all directions, wrapping around extra pillows Leyrl had dug out from the chest at the foot of her bed the night before. Leyrl couldn't hold back a smile. Even in her sleep, she was considerate of others.
A knock on the door snapped her out of her reverie. The young wingwoman felt panic rise in her chest, and Leyrl pulled on her long, leather vest and belt. She strapped her sword into place seconds later.
She hazarded another glance at Socorro, and then there was another knock on her door. Only this time, Leyrl smiled. She recognized it not: not the sound of a hand but a longbow.
"Thank Elindir," she breathed as she crossed the room to pull open the door.
Hisashi stepped in without bothering to greet her and pushed the door closed behind him seconds later.
"Good morning," Leyrl muttered, but when Hisashi's eyes met her own, she felt a cold fear crawl into her feet and shoot up to her stomach. He looked down and slid his longbow over his shoulder. He seemed to have aged a decade since she'd last seen him, all traces of laughter had disappeared from his face. His shoulders rounded down, and his bun was only barely held in place.
"I'm here for Coco. Cahlinmir is under attack," he breathed, staring at Socorro for a second longer before turning back to Leyrl again. "A scout arrived this morning, and the Council just announced who would be leading the charge against them."
Leyrl tipped her head, swallowing slowing and trying to concentrate on the feeling even as her heart raced. "Who's going?"
"You, for starters," he said as he walked to the bedside and placed his hand on Socorro's shoulder. "Coco. Tarik. Eli. Me. I stopped listening after that."
