Page 141 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

And then, like a wave crashing over him, the memories struck—the battle, the witches, the fall.Mal.

His heart thundered in his chest as panic gripped him, and he sat up too quickly, a sharp cry wrenching from his throat. Pain, raw and merciless, bit into him like fire.

Hands pressed against his chest, firm but gentle, easing him back down.

‘Where is s-she?’ His voice was raw, trembling with urgency.

Alina’s brown eyes narrowed, a mixture of exasperation and relief shifting through them. ‘You ought to be worrying overyour condition right now, Ash. Your wife is unscathed and somewhere off praying as she’s been doing for the past three days.’

‘Three days?’ The words barely made it past his lips. His head spun, his pulse roaring in his ears. He turned towards the balcony as if, by some miracle, Mal might step through the veil of shadows, returning to him in the form he had last seen her.

The form that should not have been possible.

One moment, she had been the wyverian princess plummeting from the sky—the next, she had become something terrifying, something unseen before.

Somethingnotmortal.

‘Father is dismissing the entire ordeal.’

‘Dismissing? What exactly do-does that mean?’

‘It means he’s pretending like it never happened.’

‘So how do-does he explain my injuries?’ Ash’s teeth ground together, frustration simmering beneath his skin. ‘How do-does he explain the wyvern’s death?’

Alina leaned back in the high-backed chair beside his bed, her fingers toying with the embroidered hem of her sleeve. The chair was made from imported black wood—a rarity, something he had fought to bring into their kingdom.

Something the drakonian court had not seen in decades.

‘Riding accident. You fell,’ Alina said flatly. ‘And the wyvern…He says there is a reason why women are not permitted to ride in this kingdom.’

Ash’s breath left him in a harsh exhale, rage curling through his veins. His fingers curled into fists, nails biting into his palms. Of course. Of course their father would twist it into another reason to subjugate women.

Alina’s gaze shifted to him, uncertainty dancing behind her usual composure. She chewed on her lower lip before asking in a hushed voice, ‘What happened exactly?’

‘Witches attacked thewa-wall.’ Ash wet his dry lips, his throat aching with every word. ‘We were foolish think-thinking there were none left. They are so po-powerful, Alina. I’d never seen anything like it before.’

She stiffened, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. ‘Mother was right.’

‘What?’ Ash’s brow furrowed.

‘Nothing.’ She shook her head too quickly, as if trying to erase whatever thought had crossed her mind. Then, reaching for his hand, she squeezed it. ‘Thank our Sun God you were blazed by his light and not truly harmed.’

‘I sawher, Alina. Among them.’

Her reaction was immediate. She did not need to askwho.

The air between them turned sharp, cold.

Alina spat onto the polished marble floor, fury twisting her delicate features. Then, realising what she had done, she quickly wiped the evidence away with the toe of her slipper, muttering an apology.

‘I hate her.’

‘It’s my fault.’ His voice cracked. ‘What ha-happened to Mal. I was t-too busy loo-looking ather. I could have saved Mal’s wyvern.’

‘No, Ash. You couldn’t have done anything.’

‘You weren’t there.’

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