Page 143 of The Stolen Kingdom

Something wasn’t right.

“Go through, find the bastard and kill him. We will take care of the rest,” Kenna said, jumping off her horse and slapping it soundly on its croup. The horse snorted and ran off to the courtyard. “Take your cat with you,” she added, pointing as Cerberus just as she ran inside the castle.

“You are setting them off right now?” Valda asked, her eyes widening just as Kenna snapped her fingers together, a small flame lit and formed on the tip of her thumb.

“Yes.”

Maris grabbed Valda’s hand, pulling her away from the carriage and Kenna before they looked down at the Great Hall.

It felt like ages since Valda had been inside the castle. It felt foreign to the point that she couldn’t recognize it or call it her own. The walls were bare of the kings and queens that ruled before them. By the dark, charcoal spots on the walls, she was more than sure that Arwin had burned each portrait down to a crisp. He probably made a ritual out of burning of each painting.

A rather contained explosion outside rocked the foundation of the entire castle, shaking enough to make both Valda and Maris lean on each other for support. Valda knew this was going to happen, that Kenna would allow her rage to take over, but as war spread within the castle, Valda wanted nothing more than to come face to face with both Eris and Arwin. If Kenna was correct, Eris was mortally wounded, leaving no room for anyone other than Arwin to be the recipient of her blessing.

Was a mortal even capable of having two gifts from different gods?

Behind them, the Vulcanians pushed the carriage filled with bombs inside the main entrance of the castle. Valda’s heart hammered loudly within her chest and head.

“You have to leave, now!” Kenna barked.

Grabbing Maris’s hand, Valda ran down the Great Hall as fast as she could. She needed to get Maris away before the bombs went off. Vulcanians could survive explosions, but Skylians and Sealians not so much.

As the screams of the Skylian forces drew in, Valda grabbed Maris by her arm, pushed her to the ground and clutched Cerberus to her chest before covering her mate’s body with her own.

Suddenly, shockwaves blasted from within as the walls convulsed and plummeted. Valda hissed, squeezing Maris closer to her as the castle’s formation shook within itself.

As everything settled, the sound of pained screams filled the halls.

Valda stood straight and turned to look back at the burning debris.

Within it, Kenna stood with her ax, covered in black soot. The bodies of Arwin’s men lay before her, burnt to a crisp.

Valda felt no remorse, even if those were once her men and soldiers.

For a second, Kenna’s rabid purple eyes locked with her just as another flame engulfed the barbarian’s hands. Next to her, a second wagon was pulled at her arm’s length.

Valda scampered back to Maris, pulled her up and pushed her to keep on running.

A deafening series of explosions tore through the castle, sending tremors through the stone walls. The ground beneath Valda’s feet lurched violently, forcing her to steady herself.

For a fleeting moment, Valda stood, her breath ragged, heart pounding. This place used to be her home, and now it was crumbling around her. The weight of what had to come next pressed on her chest.

Kenna’s voice sliced through the chaos, her hands grasping another bomb with a frightening grin. That was Valda’s cue.

“Move!” she barked, grabbing Maris’s wrist and pulling her forward. They sprinted through the wreckage, dodging falling debris and leaping over shattered marble. The air was thick with smoke.

Then—another blast.

The force slammed into Valda’s back, hurling her forward. Her body collided with a jagged wall, pain ricocheting through her bones. The world spun, then everything was muffled, as if she were underwater.

A thunderous sound rippled through Maris’s entire body. A rough tongue scraped against her cheek, almost painful in its urgency. Groaning, she stirred, her senses sluggish and disoriented. When she opened her eyes, she locked onto a pair of glowing yellow ones.

Another explosion shook the air. Thunder roared in tandem, the deafening downpour of rain drowning out all other noise. Maris inhaled sharply, tasting ash, wet earth, and the sharp tang of smoke.

Cerberus meowed, her insistent headbutts urging Maris upright. With a wince, she pushed the cat away and sat up, pain radiating through every inch of her body.

The castle trembled again.

Chunks of the wall beside her crumbled, pelting the ground as Maris pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to clear the haze from her mind. A sudden, sharp pain jolted her out of her stupor as Cerberus had sunk her teeth into her thigh.

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