Page 124 of The Stolen Kingdom

Isen pushed Valda away, towering over her as he turned towards the sandy hills surrounding them. Any moment now, the sky would be shadowed by arrows. Unsheathing her sword, Valda grabbed Isen by his shirt and pushed him towards the wagon as the ground shook. Valda froze as she connected her gaze with Isen’s.

Explosions?

“Get them out of here now!” Valda said, referring to Isen’s family and Maris.

Her words died as she peered over Umbriel’s sandy hills to the dense haboob towering into the sky. As the impenetrable cloud of sand dashed them, Valda saw people moving within it.

Isen didn’t wait. Grabbing Valda, he dragged her with him towards the wagon.

Snatching the wooden back door, Valda froze as she looked from Maris’s tear-drenched face to the unmoving body in front of her. Next to her, Isen shuddered in a breath, as his grip on the door wavered.

“Isen…” Maris whimpered. She was unsure what to do with her blood-stained hands.

“We have to go now,” Isen ordered, his voice cracked as he stared at his mate.

“Maris, no one is commanding the horses. I need you to do so,” Valda said.

The soft cry of one baby drowned Maris’s sob and stole her attention from the corpse. “Isen, I am so sorry.”

“This is not the time. We must get out of here alive…” Isen said, his eyes focused upon his mate. If it wasn’t for the obscenity of the arrows and the blood drenching her clothing, anyone could’ve sworn she was sleeping.

Maris nodded before swiftly jumping off the wagon and running towards the horses. The sky darkened again.

Arrows covered the sky above her and as the weapons descended upon her, a ravaging heat surfaced from somewhere behind her. Valda threw her entire body on Maris, covering her just as a thick flame burned the arrows meant to kill them.

As the ash covered their skin, Valda sharply tugged at Maris’s arm, guiding her to the horses.

“You have to leave now, Maris!” Valda’s voice broke as she lifted Maris to one horse and shoved the reins in her hands. “I will see you again. I promise.”

Valda was undone, fear striking her features. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes were glued to Maris, almost begging her to please listen to her.

Maris clasped her hands and nodded before leaning forward and pressing her lips to hers. “Find me.”

“Always, Seashell,” Valda said, squeezing her hands one last time.

Grabbing the long reins, Maris commanded the petrified horses to move.

Taking another horse, Valda jumped on it and called out to Isen, who settled behind the wagon and pushed it hard enough to get it going. “Isen! Get in!” Valda said, watching how Eyphah nodded at her words.

“Get in, Isen! Please!” Eyphah said, struggling to hold the two infants in her arms.

“Not yet.” He looked up at Valda and waved his arm angrily at her. “Go! Fuck those assholes up! Leave no one alive!”

Valda was taken aback by Isen’s words, but didn’t waste a second as she kicked the horse’s flank and ran towards the haboob. A bomb exploded behind her just as another horse ran next to her. As the gallops got closer, Valda turned to watch Kenna pull the ax from her waist, gritting her teeth and raising her weapon over her head. Valda raised the Heaven Sword as well, as theyentered the storm.

Valda was used to haboobs. When she was younger, Arwin would take her to Umbriel to train. He would have her endure the ruthlessness of the burning desert and sandstorms. She had to live between the caves, waiting for the storm to subside. But there was something off about this haboob.

With a bellow, Valda encapsulated herself and Kenna in a tight air bubble, protecting them from the cutting sand blowing around them. Their horses did not waver. As her grip on the Heaven Sword grew taut, she saw the eerie silhouette of a large troop, and in front of it, a man galloped on his black horse.

Piercing hazel eyes met Valda’s honey ones.

A cold shudder ran down her spine at the sight of the scar from the man’s temple to his chin.

Arwin.

“Remember, Valda!” Kenna yelled, spinning the ax in her hand before pointing it at Arwin. “We are the new gods!”

Valda took a deep breath, nudging the horse’s sides harder. Valda gritted her teeth as she prepared her body and got closer to the man responsible for everything.

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