Richelle Mead - Iron Crowned  

Tremors shook the ground, creating more of the cracks that already covered it. A few more seconds passed, and then all went still.

An earthquake? I asked uncertainly.

No, said Volusian. He was in his solid, two-legged form, staring around with narrowed eyes. It was a little disconcerting that he didnt seem to know precisely what the problem was.

Then what are we

The ground below us suddenly split open. With only the light of the fire, my vision was bad, but I thought I saw what looked kind of like a serpentine shape emerge from the earth. No, it was exactly like a serpentine shape because a moment later, a giant snake shot up and landed neatly in a perfect coil. Its head towered over Kiyo and me as it regarded us with glowing green eyes. The light from them illuminated a flicking, forked tongue, and the loud hissing that followed was kind of a given.

Beside me, Kiyo was shifting into fox form, and I decided a gun was probably going to get me farther here than the athames small blade. A drop of venom fell from the snakes mouth and sizzled when it hit the ground in front of me.

Books by Richelle Mead

The Georgina Kincaid Series

SUCCUBUS BLUES

SUCCUBUS ON TOP

SUCCUBUS DREAMS

SUCCUBUS HEAT

SUCCUBUS SHADOWS

The Eugenie Markham/Dark Swan Series

STORM BORN

THORN QUEEN

IRON CROWNED

Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

IRON
CROWNED
A Dark Swan Novel

Richelle Mead

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Copyright 2011 by Richelle Mead

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Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-2252-7
eISBN-10: 1-4201-2252-5

First Printing: March 2011
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

For David, my first reader

Contents

Many thanks to the friends and family who always support me through my writingespecially as life gets more and more hectic! Thanks also to editor John Scognamiglio and agent Jim McCarthy for making sure these books keep getting written. A shout-out also goes to my doctor for letting me abuse her for research. And finally, I cant express enough gratitude to the Eugenie fans who have been so, so patient in waiting for this next installment. Thank you for hanging in there!

Dont confuse fairy queens with fairy princesses.

Where I come from, girls who want to be fairy princesses usually dream about gossamer wings and frilly dresses. Pink dresses, at that. Im pretty sure rhinestones are part of being a fairy princess too, as are cute wands with stars on top that grant wishes. Fairy princesses expect lovely lives of luxury and lounging, ones that involve small woodland creatures waiting on their every need.

As a fairy queen, I can admit that there is a bit more involvement with woodland creatures than one might expect. But the rest? A total joke. Fairiesthe kind I deal with, at leastrarely have wings. My wand is made of rough gemstones bound together, and I use it to blast Otherworldly creatures out of existence. Ive also whacked a few people in the head with it. My life is dirty, harsh, and deadly, the kind of life no frilly dress could withstand. I wear jeans. Most important, I look horrible in pink.

Im also pretty sure that fairy princesses dont have to deal with this kind of shit first thing in the morning.

I have killed Eugenie Markham.

The words rang out loud and clear through a dining room filled with about thirty people eating at round wooden tables. The ceilings were vaulted, and the rough stone walls made it look like part of a medieval castle because well, it kind of was. Most of the morning diners were soldiers and guards, but a few were officials and high-ranking servants who lived and worked within the castle.

Dorian, King of the Oak Land and my bondage-loving Otherworldly boyfriend, sat at the head table and looked up from his breakfast to see who had made such a bold statement. Im sorry, did you say something?

The speaker, standing on the other side of the table, turned as red as the uniform he wore. He looked about twenty-something in human years, meaning he was probably a hundred or so in fairyor gentry, the name I preferredyears. The guy bit his lip and straightened his posture, making another attempt at dignity as he glared at Dorian.

I said I killed Eugenie Markham. The mana soldier, it appearedlooked around at the faces, no doubt hoping his message would inspire horrified reactions. Mostly his words brought about good-natured confusion, largely because half of the people gathered in the room could see me standing in the hall outside. I have killed your queen, and now your armies will crumble. Surrender immediately, and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Katrice of the Rowan Land, will be merciful.

Dorian didnt answer right away and didnt look very concerned. He delicately patted his mouth with a brocade napkin and then returned it to his lap. Dead? Are you sure? He glanced over at a dark-haired woman sitting beside him. Shaya, didnt we just see her yesterday?

Yes, sire, replied Shaya, pouring cream into her tea.

Dorian brushed autumn-red hair out of his face and returned to cutting up the sugary, almond-coated pastry that was serving as his most important meal of the day. Well, there you have it. She cant be dead.

The Rowan soldier stared in disbelief, growing more and more incredulous as people continued to either regard him curiously or simply ignore him altogether. The only person who seemed mildly concerned was an elderly gentry woman sitting on the other side of Dorian. Her name was Ranelle, and she was an ambassador from the Linden Land. Shed only arrived yesterday and clearly wasnt used to the wacky mishaps around here.

The soldier turned his attention back to Dorian. Are you as insane as they say you are? I killed the Thorn Queen! Look. He threw down a silver and moonstone necklace. It clattered against the hard, tiled floor, and the pale, iridescent stones just barely picked up some of the morning light. I cut this off of her corpse. Now do you believe me?

That brought some silence to the room, and even Dorian paused. It was indeed my necklace, and seeing it made me absentmindedly touch the bare spot on my throat. Dorian wore his perpetually bored expression, but I knew him well enough to guess at the maelstrom of thoughts swirling behind his green eyes.

If thats true, Dorian replied at last, then why didnt you actually bring us her corpse?

Its with my queen, said the soldier smugly, thinking hed finally gained ground. She kept it as a trophy. If you cooperate, she might release it to you.