Page 94 of The Stolen Kingdom

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Isen sprawled out a large world map in front of Valda. She worried her lower lip as her eyes roamed over the different cities and villages, as well as the marks of where they had found the Vulcanian troops and Arwin’s. Maris stood next to her, dressed in a fiery red Sealian tunic with a tight, black waist belt and beige leggings. Next to the Sealian was Melvian, sitting down, stroking her stomach idly. Isen hadn’t left her side either.

He pulled his messy, tangled hair into a bun, wearing a similar outfit to Maris. His colors were darker brown and cream, with no waistband to tailor his frame. Surrounding the group of friends were young and old faces. There were ex-soldiers who came out of retirement to help the rightful queen take her place on the throne, and able bodies who took it upon themselves to learn how to fight were among the group.

Valda was more than grateful for all of them. Now, more than ever, she needed minds with experience and fresh eyes to bring forth the retaking of the throne.

“Arwin has taken over all cities closest to Ophelia,” Isen said, moving pieces of rocks over the cities. “Sadly, they are the ones with the largest population.” He sighed and scratched his chin. “Ariel, Puck, Portia, Desdemona, and Setebos have all proclaimed their loyalty to him. Some of them were willing…” He looked at Valda, “Some of them not.”

“How many chiefs were killed?”

An ex-soldier moved in and answered for Isen. “According to our reports, the chiefs in Ariel, Portia, and Desdemona city were murdered on the spot.”

Valda pursed her lips in aggravation as Maris tenderly touched her lower back. Valda was more than sure that not only the chiefs were murdered, but anyone who even looked at Arwin funny was probably dead.

“He is no fool,” Valda said, her voice low and edged with venom. “With the castle’s army already under his command, he is now consolidating power by taking the enforcer divisions from the cities.”

“And the larger the cities…” Maris began.

“The larger the divisions,” Valda finished. She exhaled sharply and ran her fingers through her freshly cropped hair, the motion restless and agitated. Her gaze flicked back to the map sprawled across the table, but the lines and markings only deepened the pit in her stomach.

She could feel Maris’s concern radiating through their bond. Valda didn’t bother to hide her emotions anymore—not from Maris. Not now.

“All of them with Arwin? Every single one of those city guards?” Maris asked, her eyes glued to the older soldier.

“We are not sure.”

“His execution frenzy must’ve traveled around those cities,” Valda growled and turned to Isen. “What cities are with us other than Cressida, Titania and Perdita?”

Isen didn’t answer, allowing a young soldier to speak. He must’ve been no older than twenty, with hair cut close to his scalp all around his head except the top, where his curly hair was prominent. “Your Highness, Rosalind joins you in your efforts to recuperate the throne.” The young man smiled proudly. “They signed their loyalty to you.” He bowed and handed Valda a roll of parchment.

Valda dipped her head in a quiet salute and unrolled the paper. In it, the signatures of the chief of every city were written on it alongside their words of loyalty. It was all nice, diplomatic even, but as soon as Arwin entered the cities with the power of his army, if those chiefs wanted to stay alive, they would have to break their oaths.

“Thank you.” She gave the young man a rueful smile before her eyes traveled to every single person in that tavern. All of them stared back with hope shining through their eyes, hope she was trying to hold on to. “After talking to Maris, we’ve decided to move every Sealian unable to fight back to the Sea Kingdom.”

Isen’s eyes widened as his chest puffed with pride. He turned around to the multitude around them, but his happiness dissolved into confusion. His attention drifted toMelvian, who took his hand and gave it a soft squeeze before shaking her head, as if answering a silent question.

“Every able body, guard or warrior that wants to join our troops will be welcomed with open arms. The others will go to the Sea Kingdom, where they will be protected. Edemus gave us plenty of provisions we could give to stay there until this war is over.”

“Because it will be over soon,” Maris added before pressing her hand to Valda’s back again. “Sealians want to go back to our land. We want to rebuild, and we cannot do that if we are all here.”

“Right, and I will be heading to Cressida to send out the message and get everything in order for the moving,” Valda said before pointing at Prospero. “On our way here, we encountered a Vulcanian troop, after some questioning, we believe they have taken Prospero. It makes sense because of the pier. They can move in and out with ease. Now, we might have the enforcers of these cities,” she waved the rolled paper. “But we need more. We need all the help we can get to put a stop to the senseless massacre Vulcanians are unleashing on us. Any cities near Prospero are not safe.”

“We’ve been subject to attacks already. The town of Caliban is the closest to Prospero and we haven’t heard from them in a long while.” Another young soldier said, “My brothers live there, and I haven’t received any letters from them for a couple of months now.”

Valda turned to Isen and nodded at him. The captain placed a red rock over Prospero and Caliban on the map.

“We have to go there and make sure Chief Jaltious is alive. We could add more people to our side if they are,” Isen said.

“Gather more provisions as well…” Valda added, rubbing her chin. “We need to get the Sealians going, but before that, we have to clear out Prospero and Caliban,” Valda said before pointing at the rocky formations in Umbriel. “We can set camp here for our trip to Prospero.” Valda put two blue stones on the rocky formations of Umbriel, the same formations she had used for shelter before arriving in Titania with Maris.

“It’s a shame your people won’t stay,” an older soldier said, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he addressed Maris. “We’ve been taking good care of them.”

“I know,” Maris replied. She shifted slightly, drawing the attention of everyone in the tavern. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for my people—truly—but we can’t keep moving from city to city, living at the mercy of others. It’s not sustainable.”

She paused, glancing around the room. “There are so many Sealian children among us. We’ve… well, we’ve certainly taken it upon ourselves to repopulate.” Maris grinned jokingly, earning a chuckle from the people in the tavern. “But,” she added, her smile softening as her eyes briefly met Valda’s, “I would sleep better at night knowing they were somewhere safe, somewhere Arwin’s men could never reach them. And what better place than our own home?”

“Arwin or Eris,” Valda added, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword. “We have to be wary. We are fighting with a mortal and a goddess. One that can change her appearance on command. She can pose as either a Sealian and Skylian or even Vulcanian.”

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