Page 3 of The Stolen Kingdom

As she stepped out of Lasmeer’s spare room, she found Melvian going over Isen’s back. She was rubbing an ointment over his burnt flesh while he leaned on his knees. His breathing was even and deep and could be mistaken for sleeping.

Melvian darted her eyes to Maris, a silent question which Maris answered with a dip of her chin. Her arm burned, but other than that and the emptiness in her stomach, physically, she was fine. Maris walked to the couple, pulling a chair and sitting in front of Isen.

“What now?” Maris asked no one in particular.

Isen lifted his face. He didn’t answer right away, as if he was calculating their next move. “The smart thing to do is to wait for Valda to heal enough to move her,” Isen said. “We will draw a lot of attention if we walk around with an injured woman laying on a horse or carriage.” He patted Melvian’s hand when she was done rubbing the ointment on his back.

We. Maris swallowed hard, turning to the door to Valda’s resting place. Could she travel with Valda again? Could she follow her or take her where she needed to go? There was no doubt in her mind that she would stay by her side until she was out of danger. Leaving her now felt like treason…

Executioner: Valda Aither, Princess of the Sky Kingdom.

Maris closed her eyes. The red ink in the paper that detailed her father’s execution burned in the back of her mind. She pressed the meaty part of her palms to her eyes. With all the commotion, she had forgotten what happened in Valda’s chamber back in the castle. She forgot about the papers, and the reports, but most importantly, she forgot about the fact that Valda killed her father…

A shiver went down her spine.

Maris wanted to leave. Sheneededto leave.

“What in Tarta— Get out! You are not coming in, you stupid cat!”

Lasmeer opened the front door to his home, all the while shooing away something by his feet, while uttering a myriad of curses. A black ball of fur ran inside the house, meowing up a storm. Maris stood from her chair, wanting to make sure it wasn’t what she thought it was. A pair of round and beautiful yellow eyes looked back at her and meowed loudly.

“Cerberus?”

The cat shook her head and ran to her, rubbing her black fur all over her legs.

“How in the world did you get here?” Melvian yipped while crossing her arms and staring incredulously at the cat.

“Must’ve run out of the room in the chaos. Maybe even followed us or got in one bag. You know how cats are,” Maris mumbled before kneeling and scratching the large cat under her chin. Cerberus pursed her lips and closed her eyes, enjoying the caress.

“Maybe she knows her owner is injured,” Isen added before rubbing his temples tiredly.

“So, it’s Valda’s?” Lasmeer asked, his eyes watering just as he turned his face away and sneezed loudly.

“Yes, it is. I am sorry, Lasmeer,” Maris said just as Lasmeer sneezed again.

“Just get it out of here.” Lasmeer waved his hand away while Maris picked the cat up.

She looked around the small home, wondering what in the world was she supposed to do with the animal. She couldn’t throw her outside; Valda would never forgive her if she did. She couldn’t keep her inside, either. Clearly, Lasmeer was allergic to poor Cerberus.

Another loud sneeze echoed in the living space. Maris turned to the closed door leading to the room Valda was in. She was breathing well at least, but now and then, a pained moan would escape her.

Maris’s grip on Cerberus grew painful, and with a hiss, Cerberus jumped from her arms and ran towards Valda before Maris could stop her. The cat first sat down, as if inspecting what was wrong with her owner. After calling out to Valda with long low cries, Cerberus jumped gracefully to the bed, sniffed Valda’s face and lay down at her feet. The cat seemed worried, her tail flicking from side to side, staring at Valda intensely. For a second, Cerberus did not move from Valda’s feet until standing up again. She nudged Valda’s hand with her large head, shoving her palm, until Valda’s hand lay on her forehead. The purrs ensued and the cat finally lay next to her owner, licking her wrist now and then.

Maris swallowed the knot forming in her throat and closed the door before going back to Melvian and the others.

Lasmeer rubbed his bald head before his shoulders slumped. “I have news,” he announced, grabbing Maris’s chair and sitting down.

Isen stood up straight, his broad shoulders squaring while Maris’s gaze narrowed on the burly man. “What happened, Lasmeer?” she asked.

“There is an uproar outside of the castle. Ophelia is buzzing with confusion, and so are the neighboring cities. General Arwin has crowned himself king, and he is being backed up by high-ranking officials of the army. Anyone who opposes him is being killed for treason.”

Maris nodded. “Hence the mountain of corpses outside.”

Melvian shuddered and rubbed her arms. “I was lucky to get out before he got me. I felt Isen’s distress and knew right away Arwin had something to do with it.”

“I would not let him touch you, Melvian,” Isen said, his jaw as taut as his fists.

“You don’t know what that man is capable of, Isen. He is a monster,” Maris tried her hardest to hide the quivering in her voice. She rubbed her neck as she remembered the feeling of the air being dragged out of her lungs. “What else do you know, Lasmeer?”

---