Page 167 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

The queen’s gaze drifted over her, settling upon the gown with a look of almost reverence. ‘It is a beautiful red dress, I must admit.’

Alina’s breath hitched.

‘Mother,’ she whispered. ‘The dress iswhite.’

The queen’s expression did not shift. Her lips pressed together, her gaze distant, unfocused.

A shiver crawled down Alina’s spine.

She turned, the weight of the room crushing against her lungs, and rushed towards the doors, yanking them open with a force that startled the maids waiting outside.

‘Help me,’ she gasped. ‘Get me out of here.’

She did not care who saw.

She did not care what they thought.

All she wanted was to escape the laughter that spilt from her mother’s lips—laughter that echoed through the halls like a harbinger of something far, far worse.

I envy the love Hadrian shares with his brothers. I long to have siblings, to have such an unconditional love. I never knew what true love was until I met Hadrian—the way he does it so effortlessly and so passionately, without ever wanting anything in return. As if loving you is a privilege. Hadrian and his brothers are gorgeous, and kind, and the fiercest protectors of their family. I cannot help but cry with joy knowing that they consider me to be a part of their family too.

I cannot wait for our son to meet his father and uncles, to be blessed by their love.

Tabitha Wysteria

Mal stood beneath the light of the sun, the sky ablaze with molten gold and embered orange, yet she felt nothing. A hollow specter moving through the world, untouched by its beauty. The voices of those around her blurred, distant, as though she were submerged beneath the weight of unseen waters, drifting further and further away.

Kage lingered beside her, his voice sharp yet futile as he had spent the last half hour summoning his wyvern.

‘Daku, venire!’ His command rang through the evening air, and at last, the creature appeared—a shadow slicing through the burning sky.

Daku was the youngest of the wyverns, the only male among their sisterhood. Haven’s beast Ayaru, eldest and wise. Nisha, as volatile and untamed as Kai. And Nyx—Nyx who had been the wildest of them all, the twin bound to the soul of the beast now descending from the heavens.

The wyvern landed in a violent sweep of wings, his roar shaking the air, his venomous tail cutting through the earth. Kage stepped forward, the authority of his presence alone soothing the creature into submission.

‘He is small, but swift. You should have no trouble flying over witch land. And he is fast,’ Kage said, his voice steady.

Mal only nodded. The thought of riding another wyvern that was not Nyx sent a sickening twist through her stomach, but she did not allow herself to feel it. Not yet. Let the witches cross her path—she would tear them apart without hesitation.

However, vengeance would have to wait. First, she needed the dagger.

A breeze curled around them, warm and dry, and she whispered into it, ‘Ash knows.’

Kage’s expression did not shift, but she felt the weight of his question before he even spoke. ‘How?’

She had already begun walking, her feet moving towards the waiting wyvern, her limbs heavy with unspoken rage.‘Hagan,’ she answered, her tone laced with quiet venom. ‘Be wary of him, brother. There is rot in his heart.’

Perhaps it was simple loyalty to Ash, a misguided attempt to protect his prince. But still, something about the drakonian guard unsettled her.

Climbing onto Daku, she exhaled slowly, pressing two fingers to her forehead. ‘May the shadows guide your way, brother.’

Kage mirrored her gesture, his bow slight butsolemn. ‘May the shadows guide you.’

With a final, resounding roar, the wyvern launched into the sky, the land below shrinking beneath them.

The dry, sweltering heat of the Kingdom of Fire fell away as Mal soared past the great wall, its looming presence a grave reminder of what had been lost. She did not look down, not even when her heart whispered the question she dared not ask—did Nyx’s body still lay there, abandoned, but never forgotten?

Her teeth clenched, but she did not dare look back.

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