Crooked Kingdom Novel By Leigh Bardugo Novels & Stories

He walks beside me with his hand still enclosing mine so warmly, and the feeling of his strong, calloused fingers pressed against my softer ones offers me a strange comfort and a reminder of the immense power I am aligning myself with. Despite everyone's eyes still on us as we glide down the aisle, I hold my head high and match every stride Azraelyrs makes as we keep moving forward. I am Dahlia Rhadaya Balerion, soon to be Queen of Drakarith, and no one will see me shivering like a fowl lost in the rain. We pass between two statues I quickly remember I had seen back in the Bahadrí. Orios and Aerizadum.

Then I sat at the dusty table and started journaling like some emotionally unstable bard when suddenly— A tiny voice chirped near my elbow. “Excuse you, could you not put your dramatic spiral notebook on our roof?” I froze. Slowly turned. And there, right next to my pen, was a line of ants. Wearing what I swear were little makeshift cloaks made from lint. “What in the fairy-hell is happening to my life—” “Ma’am,” another ant cut me off, standing upright with crossed arms, “you are trespassing on royal ant territory. This is the Fifth Kingdom of Crumbledon.”

The bodyguard following him snapped, “How dare you?! The pup Mr. Hoills’s sister is carrying is born to be his heir! How could you call it an illegitimate child?!” Someone sucked in a sharp breath. “What?! Hoills, the Lycan Chairman who rules over all packs?!”

Built systems based on choice rather than harvesting. Now we could finally stop. "Wait," Queen Elara's voice echoed through dimensions. She was somehow present despite being mortal. "You cannot just die. The kingdom needs you. We need you." "The kingdom has you," we replied. "It will survive. It will thrive. Build something beautiful from chaos." "But you are our Broken Crown. Our five who became one. Our proof that love matters more than power." "Then let us be that proof one final time," we said. "By showing that some victories require endings. That not every story ends with happily ever after. That sometimes—" Our voice was fading. "—sometimes the greatest act of love is letting go."

his whisper was conspiratory. Mare nodded. He was right. Her memory of the king's library was still fresh and she recalled the large collection of leather-bound books, pages yellowed, some curled up with age. All covered in dust. Surely there would be something about dragons there. Records would have been kept by the umbers. All she had to do was sneak in and out without being seen. Easier said than done. She would have to avoid the prince. Then a thought occurred to her and she frowned. “Why do you want to help me, Hegi?”

My eyes snapped open, and I quickly held his hair with my free hand and yanked it back. He fell to the ground, turning to the other man holding my wrist who looked scared, I twisted my hand free from his grip. I stood up quickly, and he slowly stood up as well. Two against one, and they all seemed startled by my sudden strength. The one holding me before quickly threw a punch at me, but I swiftly missed it and punched him on his stomach. He staggered back, looking at me in disbelief. The leader instead attacked me, and he grabbed my hair from behind. I elbowed him, and he instantly let go of my hair. The other launched at me, but I hit and drew the dagger he had behind him.

Nikolai’s hand tightened on my waist, his body going rigid with barely leashed violence. I stepped forward before he could respond, chin high, voice calm and laced with steel. “Collateral was a long time ago, Mr. Krov. I am Liora Volkov—his queen and partner. And I’m here because this concerns my daughter’s life as much as your territories. Shall we waste time on outdated insults, or discuss how we both bleed Elias dry?” A beat of silence. Then Sergei’s lips twitched into something almost like respect. He gestured to the seats. “Bold. Sit.”

"If if if. You can if yourself to death. Or you can accept what happened and move forward." "I don't want to move forward without him." "Then you dishonor his sacrifice. He died so you could save your children. So you could live. Don't waste that." She's right. I hate that she's right. On day ten, I can walk without falling. Run without pain. Use my magic without it flickering out. "You're ready," the witch says. "To go home?" "To face what comes next." "What comes next?" "The kingdom is in chaos. Caius is dead. You and Damon are the only remaining royalty. The council is demanding answers. Decisions. Leadership."