Page 26 of The Stolen Kingdom

“They’re at the entrance, heading to the plaza. Eyphah is with them,” Cai panted.

“Eyphah?”

“She said she’d handle them, but she begged me to get you both to the lakes.”

The lakes seemed like the safest place to hide. Maris could dive to the bottom and wait it out until the danger passed... but what about Melvian?

As they plunged deeper into the dense woods of New Agenor, Cai suddenly halted at the edge of the largest, most remote lake. He stared down at the water, his face tense, before turning to Maris.

“Please, hide, Your Highness,” he urged, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

“But what about me?” Melvian cried, pointing frantically at the water and then at herself. “Hello? Skylian! No powers, can’t swim!”

Maris clenched her teeth, frustration bubbling up inside her. She hurried to the water’s edge, her hands gliding over the surface, calming the ripples. She gathered a large sphere of water, pulling it from the lake and hurling it at Melvian’s face.

The sphere burst upon impact, then formed itself again, forming a massive air bubble around Melvian’s head.

With another swift motion, a thick ribbon of water coiled around Melvian and yanked her into the lake’s depths.

“I’ll find you when they’re gone!” Cai called, just as Maris sank with Melvian into the shadowy deep.

Maris felt Cai’s heavy footsteps fade away from the lake. She turned just in time to see Melvian glancing up at the surface, then back at her, wide-eyed. Melvian pointed at the water bubble encasing her head, her expression a mix of confusion and fear.

Telling Melvian that the bubble was a desperate, last-minute idea—and that she wasn’t sure it would hold—didn’t seem wise. Maris forced a shrug, swimming closer to Melvian, and wrapped her arms around her. She squeezed her tightly, careful not to burst the bubble.

As Maris held her, an unsettling déjà vu washed over her. She had been here before, not in this exact place, but in this same twisted scenario. She remembered hiding with her mother, concealed in the secret space.

Maris was tired of hiding. How many times had she hidden, waiting for someone else to fight her battles? How long until she finally did something?

Maris clenched her jaw. She refused to be a perpetual fugitive. She knew damn well it was only a matter of time before a larger force of Skylian soldiers stormed in. Skylians weren’t stupid. Stubborn, maybe, but never stupid.

And Arwin wasfarfrom stupid. Even if he didn’t find her today, he knew Eyphah would never willingly allow New Agenor to become another city for the Sky Kingdom. Every Sealian longed for independence, to return to the Sea Kingdom, to rule themselves.

Gods, she prayed Eyphah could find the right words to satisfy Arwin, to make him leave without a trace of suspicion. If he didn’t… who knew what horrors he might unleash on every Sealian in the settlement?

Maris closed her eyes tightly.

If she made it out of this alive, she would start the training with Eyphah right away. When Arwin comes back, she would face him head on…

After what seemed like an eternity, Melvian patted Maris’s arm and pointed to the surface. Maris tilted her head, looking up at the calm surface of the lake. The rays from the sun filtered in through the trees. Squinting, Maris focused on the quietness. She didn’t feel footsteps, and it worried her. It had been a long time since Cai left. As much as she wanted to surface and investigate, the thought of putting Melvian in danger kept her rooted. Her friend seemed calmer than she was, idly touching the water-like strings that held her in place. But Maris’s worry was growing, gnawing at her insides with each passing second.

Maris signaled Melvian to stay put, casting one last glance up at the surface. She kept the lake calm as she swam up slowly, focusing intently on the vibrations in the water. If anyone was approaching, she would feel it, just as she had sensed Cai’s footsteps earlier. But there was nothing—only an unsettling silence.

Maris cautiously lifted her head, just enough for her eyes to scan the surroundings. She neither heard a commotion from the settlement nor the sound of horses. Everything was eerily still. She swam to the lake’s edge, and just as she was about to climb out, a hand grabbed the back of her tunic and yanked her from the water.

Her stomach dropped, her entire body tensing as she hit the ground. She spun around just in time to see Eyphah kneeling beside her. The other woman clamped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t make a sound!” she hissed, her eyes darting to the lake. “Get Melvian out. Now.”

Maris nodded, plunging her hand into the lake. Moments later, Melvian emerged, the surrounding sphere head dissolving as she was gently placed beside Maris.

“Where’s Arwin?” Maris whispered.

“The bastard left. I told him exactly what he wanted to hear,” Eyphah muttered, her face twisting in disgust.

“He’ll come back.”

“He will. And he broughtherwith him... that bitch,” Eyphah growled, her voice filled with contempt. “She did her little magic trick, that symbol glowing on her forehead. We all had to bow...” Eyphah said before she spat on the ground. “Swearing loyalty to her…” She inhaled deeply. “Gods, Maris, I hope you are proud of me because I almost hurled.”

Maris stared at her, trying to find just a hint of a lie in her words, but there was none. Eyphah fucking listened to her and followed instructions. She kept them safe.

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