Page 34 of The Stolen Kingdom

“If she lets her guard down at night,” Isen continued, “you might reach her in her dreams. I believe you can speak to her that way. She might think it’s a dream, but it’s something.”

“Is it really possible? Each night I try to and—”

“Your souls are connected,” Isen interrupted. “It’s possible.”

“Do you do it with Melvian?”

“I don’t need to. I already know what she’s feeling. Right now, she misses me.” He grinned mischievously. “If you know what I mean.”

Valda pursed her lips, turning her gaze to the fire.

“Use that bond to your advantage,” Isen said, standing and placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Go to her. She won’t say no.”

“But she won’t say yes either,” Valda whispered as if telling a secret, she wished the crackling and snapping of the burning wood would swallow her into the cold night.

Isen squeezed her shoulder, his expression unwavering. “She won’t say no,” he repeated before leaving her alone with her thoughts.

To sneak into Maris’s dreams would take a level of concentration Valda wasn’t sure she possessed.

But she would never know unless she tried.

***

The second month dragged out in complete desolation. The cold Umbriel nights chilled Valda to her very bones. Each night she woke up gasping for air, shuddering in uncontained rage as her attempts to contact her lover and make her listen were unfruitful. Her skin burned with fever and her jaw tensed as the same phrase drowned her mind.

Abandoned.

Maris abandoned her.

She was alone, gathering the shattered pieces of her crown, reaching out to the few who still believed she was the rightful queen, regardless of if they were spies, regardless of if they were actually with her.

Her life was on the line every second of every day. And Maris was in New Agenor, being worshiped.

She was infuckingNew Agenor, adored by gods know who.

A name clawed its way to the forefront of her mind.

Eyphah.

The thought of that woman laying a finger on her mate sent a wave of rage through Valda’s veins. Her skin burned, her blood roiled, the fury building until it was unbearable.

With a scream, a gust of wind blew from Valda’s palm into a soldier’s chest. The woman was sent flying a couple of feet back until she lay unconscious on the sand.

She was being too strong, and she was unleashing her anger on those who had nothing to do with it. But,damn it, that soldier reminded her of Eyphah, with her undercut and bigger figure.

Scoffing, Valda wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked away, ignoring the worried and confused gazes of her men. Her soldiers were petrified to spar with her—not knowing whether they feared injuring their queen or being hurt themselves. On the days when her furrowed brow refused to soften, they knew better than to provoke her.

Behind her, two soldiers hurried to gather the downed woman and woke her up as Valda slipped into her tent.

Inside, Isen raised his eyes from the letter he was reading and arched his blue brow. Stretching his neck, he tried to peer outside the tent before Valda released a huff.

“Is she all right?”

Valda bit the inside of her cheek and gave a curt nod.

Every day, she sat down with Isen to discuss strategies they would enforce. They needed spies so they could be informed of Arwin’s doing. Lasmeer being the most important one, since he fed them intelligence directly from Ophelia. Thankfully, he didn’t perish when delivering the letter to Kayden, who was still nowhere to be found. Yet, they needed more men. So, they placed groups of spies in Cressida and Titania, as well as small settlements on the northern edges of Umbriel.

It was in those small settlements, as she and Isen moved from place to place, she encountered what she was hoping not to see.

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