Page 69 of The Stolen Kingdom

Blood spurted from the jagged wound, and the soldier cried out as he grabbed the blade as if it would stop the inevitable. His body sagged, held upright only by the sword impaling him. The person behind the Skylian growled and swung the body aside, slipping the blade from his body and shaking it to clean the blood off it.

Maris met honey-colored, tired yet loving eyes. A woman, much taller than Maris, stood before her, with black hair that reached her neck, dirty bloody arms, and cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, the sword was sheathed before she knelt beside Maris, saying, “Hello, Seashell…”

14

Valda…

Maris’s breath shuddered in disbelief. Her eyes trailed over her mate. She would’ve mistaken her for someone else if not for those eyes and that deep voice.

But it was her…

Those honey eyes locked in, preventing Maris from looking elsewhere.

Yet, the woman now standing before Maris looked nothing like the one from her dreams. She was tense, her eyes darting nervously from side to side before locking onto Maris, consuming her with an intense gaze. Every inch of her skin was caked in sand, dirt, or blood. Her hair was longer, going down to graze her neck, framing her face to a perfection Maris didn’t know was possible.

Maris swallowed hard, the metallic tang of blood sharp on her tongue. Valda took hold of Maris’s trident, turning it over in her hands as though debating whether it was wise to return it. After a brief, tense silence, Valda raised her gaze and extended the trident back to Maris.

Although countless battles were happening around her, Maris could only stare at Valda as the other woman stood straight and offered her hand. Maris noticed the calloused palms and bruises. How long had Valda been fighting? How long had she held on to a weapon after they parted?

Pushing those thoughts away, Maris reached for Valda’s hand. Her touch made her entire being come back to life as if a match had been lit. Maris squeezed her hand, her eyes never leaving Valda’s intense glare.

Something heavy brushed against her leg. Looking down, Maris found Cerberus gazing up at her with steady eyes before settling between her ankles.

Suddenly, the loud gallops pulled her from the trance. She slipped her hand out of Valda’s reach as Isen stopped a mere foot from them. “I sent Melvian out with a group of our men.” His focus shifted from Valda and Maris before he steadied his unruly horse.

“We will meet again at Titania,” Valda said, her eyes never leaving Maris.

Isen offered no response, slamming his heels into the horse’s flank and riding away from the settlement. Maris watched him go, her gaze lingering until he disappeared, all the while chaos erupted around her. Arwin’s men and Valda’s clashed violently, cutting each other down, while the Sealians scrambled to load carriages with whatever they could salvage before fleeing.

The smell of burning wood took her by surprise, and it settled into a heaviness in her chest. They were burning the settlement down… all the Sealians’ hard work was for nothing.

“We must go,” Valda said, her voice deep and strained.

Before Maris could answer, Valda clutched her elbow and led her away while letting out a loud whistle. A horse came rushing towards her amidst the chaos. It took Maris a few seconds to register what was happening. With a surprised gasp, she jerked her arm away from Valda and took a step back, raising her trident at her mate.

“I will leave when there are no Sealians in this settlement, and everyone is safe.”

“My men have taken over the evacuation. They will be fine. Come.” Valda reached for her again, but Maris stepped back, lifting the trident until its sharp tip hovered dangerously close to Valda’s throat. Cerberus jumped on Valda’s shoulder, reaching out to touch the tip of the trident with its paw.

“I will not leave…” Maris said, ignoring the animal’s gesture.

Valda’s upper lip twitched. She grabbed the trident’s longest spear and pressed it to the hollow of her neck. “If you are going to kill me, do it now, before I lose my damn mind and do something I will regret, Maris.”

Maris’s eyes widened in shock. This woman... she wasn’t Valda.

“Do it!” Valda bellowed, pressing the tip of the middle spear to her neck, drawing one drop of blood.

Maris pulled the trident back and let out a ragged sob.

Eight months…

Eight months without seeing or touching her, and although she wanted desperately to wrap her arms around her, make sure that she was real and that she washerValda, Maris couldn’t help but feel that bubbling rage within her chest.

Yet, the rage wasn’t strong to push her to hurt Valda, not physically at least.

“I won’t.”

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