Page 12 of The Stolen Kingdom

“We can’t leave. Not now, though. We can slowly prepare, but…” Maris sighed, her hand pressing on her chest.

Anger…

She felt anger burning inside her chest. It was Valda.

Maris could almost feel the other woman thrashing about. It was as if a wild, injured animal was trying to escape its confinement.

Closing her eyes, Maris forced the feeling down, focusing on the events unfolding before her. Valda’s emotions would have to wait if she hoped to calm her people’s fear.

“We must make Arwin and Eris believe we are on their side, even if it means lying for the time being,” Maris said, pulling up her walls and ignoring the sensation all together.

“What about Valda? Where is she? Is…did he—” Eyphah lowered her gaze, as if afraid to voice what she was thinking.

“Valda has been injured in battle. Arwin stabbed her back… literally.” Melvian rubbed her forehead. “I tried to heal her as much as I could, but…” She then turned to look at her hand and groaned. “I don’t know what is happening with my powers.”

“Valda is convalescent,” Maris added.

“Will she join us once she is better?”

“No.” Maris’s answer was firm.

Silence fell in the middle of the plaza. Clearly, Eyphah wasn’t comfortable questioning Maris more about Valda, and Maris was grateful for that.

“Our survival now will be successful if we lie about our devotion and allegiance. I won’t hold it against anyone. We must stay alive long enough for everyone to flee, and to makematters worse…” Maris swallowed hard. “The Vulcan Kingdom has declared war against the Sky Kingdom, and I don’t want Arwin to find more soldiers within our people.

"No harm would come to anyone, even if it means denying my existence to Arwin if the time came to do so. Valda, Isen, Melvian, and I are wanted for treason, and anyone who dares to help us would be killed.”

Maris stared at her people. Many clung to their mates, while others hid their children’s faces away, as if shielding them from what was about to come.

“Why? What happened with the Vulcanians?” Eyphah asked.

“They killed the Vulcanian king. Now his daughter is seeking revenge.”

Sitting back down, Eyphah scoffed as she rested her head in the palm of her hands.

“If we work together, no harm will come to us,” Maris said, loud enough for everyone in the plaza to hear, but she knew it wasn’t the truth. Harm would eventually come, and she hoped she was strong enough to stop it.

It wasn’t long before Eyphah dismissed all the Sealians. Maris couldn’t bring herself to stand and say her goodbyes. Eyphah did it for her. The other woman patted their backs, gave words of encouragement that Maris couldn’t quite hear.

She was tired, mentally and physically. She was tired of running around, of trying to muster a hopeful smile at whoever looked to her for words of encouragement. Even if she assured her people everything would be fine, Maris’s smile cracked under the pressure of their reality.

Things would get worse.

Her friend stayed with her near the large fire as the square emptied. Melvian didn’t utter a word, and Maris was grateful for that. The silence surrounding them brought Maris a glimmer of much-needed peace. It was short-lived as Maris heard heavy footsteps heading her way. As she raised her gaze from the fire, she noticed Eyphah’s hesitant form next to her. Once again, Maris mustered a strained smile.

“I’ve prepared House of Arago for you. I’ve moved my things elsewhere. I’ve also prepared a cabin for Melvian.”

“I was used to the House of Proteus. You didn’t have to move your living quarters for me.”

“No. You are our queen. It is only fitting that you have the best house in the settlement.”

Maris nodded, yet her gaze fell back on the dimming fire as the coldness of the night seeped into her skin. Sleeping without Valda near her, waking up to an empty bed… It made Maris wonder if she could rest at all. She was truly terrified of dreaming. How would she react if she saw Valda in her dreams?

Eyphah hesitated, the desire to say something tightening her expression, but the words were forestalled by the situation. Thankfully, Melvian noticed and stood from Maris’s side, leading Eyphah away and leaving Maris to her thoughts.

3

“We need to stop.”

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