Page 139 of The Stolen Kingdom

There was no way of knowing if their plan would work.Tartarus, her plan hadn’t worked when she tried to sneak into Prospero—what made her think it would go smoothly with the Skylians?

“We’ll be fine,” Maris muttered, shoving her again.

“I know.”

A sudden weight settled on Valda’s lap, followed by a soft chirp. She knew instantly what it was.

“I told you to stay at camp, didn’t I?” she murmured.

The only answer was a gentle press of fur against her face.

“Cerberus is here?” Maris asked, just as another wooden thump echoed, followed by Maris’s anxious sigh.

Before Valda could respond, the sound of barking orders and galloping horses filled the air. They had arrived.

“We’re here,” Valda whispered as the weight on her lap disappeared. “Stay hidden, Cerberus,” she hissed under her breath before focusing on the voices outside.

“Blessed be the goddess!” a soldier outside said. “We bring King Arwin gifts!”

The heavy tarp covering the carriage was yanked away. Harsh sunlight burned against Valda’s skin, and she instinctively shifted, struggling to sit upright.

A rough hand grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of the carriage. Maris yelped as she was pulled out next, and an immediate, primal need to snap the neck of whoever hadtouched her coiled within Valda’s chest. But before she could react, a brutal kick landed against the back of her knee, sending her crashing to the ground.

The impact knocked the air from her lungs. She hadn’t expected her men to be so rough, but she supposed they had to sell the act of being Arwin’s soldiers delivering their captives. It needed to be convincing.

The sound of Maris’s body slamming into the ground made her almost feral. They could be rough with her, butdamn it.Not with Maris! A hand gripped her hair, yanking her upright, forcing her into a kneeling position.

Then, the bag was ripped from her head.

Blinding morning sunlight seared her vision, and she winced, her eyes adjusting. Blinking rapidly, she turned to her side. Maris had her eyes squeezed shut before she cracked one open, peering at Valda.

Hissing, Valda turned her gaze forward—straight into the looming wooden gates of Oberon Castle’s courtyard.

From the guard towers above, Arwin soldiers leered down at them, their grins wicked. Two of them snickered amongst themselves, clearly recognizing her.

“Blessed be the goddess indeed,” one of them sneered, sliding his sword back into its sheath. He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head in mock disbelief.

“Well, would you look at that! Two for one! I must say, I never thought this day would come!”

A male guard scoffed before taking a step forward and grabbing Valda’s face. He jerked her towards him to have a better look. “Oh! This is Aither alright!” He laughed, his putrid breath washing over her. Valda wrenched her face away, biting back the urge to sink her teeth into his wrist. Kenna had bound her hands for a reason—if they weren’t tied, she might have already slit his throat.

“Is this the Sealian leader?” Another guard asked, pointing at Maris.

“Looks like it,” the first guard said, before turning his attention back to Valda’s soldiers.

There were six Skylian soldiers with them all on Valda’s side. They had been smart enough to strip the uniforms from the corpses of Arwin’s men left behind after their last encounter with Eris. As much as Kenna wantedhersoldiers to be with Valda, she wouldn’t have it. The violet gazes would’ve been a dead giveaway and the deep accents none of the Vulcanians could hide.

At the gates, four of Arwin’s soldiers stood on the ground, while two more peered down from the fortifications, their gazes sharp. Ouranos only knew how many more were inside the courtyard.

Kenna, along with a hefty troop of Vulcanians, mingled in Ophelia Plaza, waiting for the gates to open. Behind Valda sat three carriages—the one used to smuggle her and Maris inside alongside bombs, and two more carrying weapons and four large barrels of water.

Maris had insisted on the barrels. Valda knew why, though she wished her mate could command the ocean itself rather than resort to using mere barrels filled with water.

Suddenly, the harsh rays of the Skylian sun dimmed. A shadow crept over the courtyard.

Valda frowned and glanced up.Holy Ouranos, Valda thought, as she narrowed her eyes at the sky.Please let it rain…

Dark clouds gathered sluggishly, rolling across the sky. Rain in the Sky Kingdom was a rare event, but when it rained, it poured. The sight sent a prickle down Valda’s spine, just as a drop of rain fell on her cheek.

---