Page 27 of The Stolen Kingdom

Grabbing Eyphah’s tunic, Maris pulled her into a hug. “Thank you,” Maris whispered, clutching at the back of Eyphah’s blouse. “Thank you, thank you, you kept us safe,” she said before pulling away and noticing the other woman’s stunned face.

“I follow my queen’s instructions.” Eyphah said before lowering her gaze and her red face to the ground. “Myrealqueen’s instructions.”

“Where’s Cai?” Melvian asked, wringing out her soaked clothes. Maris waved her hand, using her powers to pull the moisture from Melvian’s clothing.

“Keeping watch,” Eyphah answered. “He’s doing a good job.”

Maris scoffed. Hewasdoing a good job, and she’d been too hard on him. He was just trying to protect her. But it should be the other way around—sheshould be the one protecting everyone. She was the heiress, the rightful queen...

“Eyphah?”

“Yes?”

“Can we start my training tomorrow?”

6

Eyphah’s disappointed gaze fell on her. Maris was on the ground, her stomach turning with the bond sickness. She was trying not to throw up her breakfast, but with every hit and heavy turn she did, it proved to be difficult.

“You are not positioning your feet right,” Eyphah began, extending her hand for the twelfth time that day to help Maris up.

Maris inhaled deeply, trying to calm the nausea. Rubbing her stomach, she tiredly watched Eyphah show her how to stand… again.

The other woman slapped her own thick thighs, planted her feet on the ground and lowered her body by bending her knees. “You have to do this to keep your balance, if not, it will be easy for me to knock you down and kill you,” Eyphah said, holding her weapon for support. “Come, again.”

Maris closed her eyes, sighed, and then nodded. “I know how to fight, Eyphah.”

“Well, you say you know, yet you have no idea how to block. Slapping people in the face is not knowing how to fight.”

“Thank you for the recommendation. I really appreciate it.”

“Sarcasm will not save you either, love.”

“You don’t say,” Maris muttered, turning away from Eyphah with an exasperated roll of her eyes. She strode toward Poseidon’s trident, which had slipped from her grasp during the struggle. She wasn’t accustomed to wielding such a weapon, and every attempt to attack with it had been more frustrating than anything she’d ever encountered.

Although Maris was improving at using her abilities to fight with water, she still felt the need to rely on the trident—just in case she ever found herself without the precious liquid nearby.

As she bent down to retrieve the weapon, a sharp twist in her stomach stopped her. Before she could push the sensation away, she turned from the trident and emptied her breakfast onto the ground.

Between fits of coughing and spitting the acidic taste, Eyphah’s hand touched her back in a pathetic attempt to comfort her. Before she could protest that she didn’t need help and insist she was fine, another wave of nausea overtook her, and she doubled over to vomit again.

Groaning in disgust, Maris straightened herself and stepped away from the mess, clutching her head in frustration. “I hate this!” she bellowed.

“You don’t have to push yourself so hard, Maris. We can continue tomorrow, if you—”

“I don’t want to continue tomorrow; I don’t want to be patient! I want to get better now, I want to feel better now. I am sick, I am tired, I am sofuckingfrustrated with everything!” She swallowed hard, fighting against the sob tightening in her throat, determined not to let it break free.

Eyphah sighed behind her and, once again, her warm hand touched her back. “Hey. It’s fine to feel like that.”

“No. Eyphah, I don’t want your pity.”

“And you are not getting any of it, believe me. I do not pity you, but if I want my queen to be at her very best, I know I can’t push her to train when she clearly doesn’t feel like it. The bond sickness is holding you back and it will be a while until it goes away.”

“It’s been three months, Eyphah.”

“Everyone deals with that differently,” Eyphah said, lifting the trident, and Maris couldn’t help the pang of jealousy.

“Arwin and Eris can come back at any time. Ineedto be strong enough to fight.”

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