Page 150 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Vera’s lips twitched into a humourless smile. ‘I am not so reckless as to gamble on aperhaps. The curse does not specify which kingdoms will suffer. It does not promise safety to any. And I, for one, will not wager my life on the mercy of a long-deadwitch. I am working under the assumption that Tabitha Wysteria damned every kingdom—her own included.’

Kage moved away from the window where he had been watching the night deepen, his long, pale fingers brushing over the notebook on the table. His gaze strayed to Wren, who sat with her arms stubbornly crossed, her expression a portrait of barely contained frustration. ‘How do you know the prince must be stabbed?’

‘The notebook says so. The prince must be stabbed with the same blade that was used to end Hadrian Blackburn’s life.’

A slow breath left Kage’s lips. ‘I suppose the notebook does not conveniently specify where this damned blade is hidden?’

Vera shook her head.

Then, suddenly, Wren flailed her arms, desperately trying to catch their attention. The moment Vera lifted the spell sealing her lips, the wolverian gasped, inhaling as though she had just broken through the surface of deep water. ‘Oh, that was awful! I thought I’d go mad!’

Vera rolled her eyes. ‘You were silent forten minutes.’

‘I neva spend that long without talking unless I’m spying or thieving. Me brother Bryn says I talk even in me sleep, if ya can believe that.’

‘I can,’ Kage muttered dryly.

Wren waved off his sarcasm with an impatient flick of her wrist, her focus shifting to the notebook. ‘I know who might have information on da blade. When I sneaked into Klara’s room, well, ya room… it was only becas someone else had done it and it made me suspicious of what they were looking for. Surely they didn’t realise what da notebook really was, but they probably believe that da curse exists and are also trying to stop it.’

All eyes turned to her.

‘Who?’ Astrid asked.

A slow, sharp grin spread across Wren’s face, the expression of a girl who knew far too many secrets.

‘Hessa and Sahira,’ she answered. ‘Da two princesses from da Desert Kingdom.’

I have discovered something that changes everything. Princess Aithne has told me there is a reason she convinced Hadrian to break the marriage oath. It was not truly to marry prince Sorin. I was always right. She never did truly care for him. She did it all because the Great War had to happen. I still do not understand the purpose, she claims I never will. But I must trust her—it all happens for a reason. I have asked her why, why has she done all of this. Why does she think she knows what she knows.

I should have guessed long ago the truth about the princess.

Princess Aithne is a Seer.

Tabitha Wysteria

Alina sat motionless, her gaze locked on the slender sword propped against the wall—an unspoken farewell, a silent confession of abandonment. Kai had left it behind, a final offering, a cruel reminder of his departure.

Of his choice to leave her.

Her teeth grazed the edge of her nail, fury simmering beneath her skin as she glared at the damn thing. He had vowed to train her, to teach her the ways of steel and survival, and yet he was gone. Who would guide her now? Who would show her how to wield the weapon not just with her hands, but with her heart? She could not do it alone, and her brother… her brother had long since drifted from her grasp. The thought of Ash sent a bitter twist through her stomach, a sharp pang of something that was neither anger nor sorrow, but an aching absence where once she had belonged. He did not need her anymore.

She had been discarded, replaced by another.

And though it stung, Alina knew, deep down, that it was for the best. She did not want to live a life of servitude to those she loved. She wanted to stand on her own feet, unshackled from the expectations that had bound her since birth. She wanted to be free.

But first, she had to learn how to let go.

And that—more than swords, more than war, more than duty—was the hardest lesson of all.

A knock at the door shattered her thoughts, pulling her from the quiet storm within her chest. She exhaled sharply. She would find another teacher. The palace was brimming with warriors, and surely one of them could train her in secret. Already, two names came to mind.

The maid cleared her throat, shifting her weight nervously.

‘What is it?’ Alina asked, barely sparing the girl a glance, her name lost in the haze of the princess’s preoccupations.

‘The queen requests an audience.’

Alina rolled her eyes, smoothing out the folds of her crimson dress. Anaudience. How grand a word for something so trivial—her mother summoning her like a child in need of reprimand. No doubt it was another lecture, another weary chastisement about how she was not lavishing enough attention upon Zahian Noor.

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