Page 180 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

His gaze slid to Alina, full of quiet amusement, but his steps were anything but leisurely as he crossed the room.

In an instant, his hands were on her.

She yelped as he slammed her against the stone wall, pinning her there with ease. The breath was knocked from her lungs, the world blurring around the edges.

His voice was a slow, venomous drawl. ‘Do you like your new look, Alina?’

She whimpered, her fingernails digging into his wrist, struggling to breathe past the terror clogging her throat.

‘I went searching for your brother so I could show him,’ Hagan continued, ‘but the coward is hiding. Such a shame. I wanted him to watch me carve out your eyes next.’

A choked sob escaped her.

Hagan pulled another dagger from his belt, the steel catching the candlelight, gleaming with promise. He lifted it, the tip hovering mere inches from her eye.

‘They won’t call you the prettiest drakonian in the world once I’m done with you.’

Alina barely noticed Hessa creeping behind him.

But then, in a swift motion, Hessa’s arm locked around his throat.

Now.

Alina kicked him.

Her foot slammed between his legs, the force of it making him grunt in agony. His grip on her loosened, just enough for her to rip herself free.

Alina tried not to think of Sahira’s body left behind in a pool of blood, cooling under the indifferent moon. Shecould not think of it. Not if she wanted to keep moving.

Her fingers tightened around Hessa’s, a silent demand, and together they ran—down the winding staircases, through dimly lit halls where the flickering torches cast monstrous shadows upon the stone. Their breaths came sharp and ragged, feet barely skimming the steps as they flew towards the castle’s main floor.

She did not dare look back.

She could not look back.

She knew what she would see—Hagan.

His purple eyes gleaming with wicked delight, his lips curling into that same, mocking grin. She felt him behind them, even if she could not hear him yet. A predator in the dark, enjoying the chase.

Then the screams began.

The castle came alive with fire and death, witches spilling into the halls like a tide, sweeping through the corridors, through the rooms, tearing everything apart. The air crackled with sorcery, the scent of burning fabric and flesh curling around them like a smothering fog.

Alina longed to stop. To turn around. To find Ash, to find her family.

But there was no time. There was only survival.

She and Hessa zigzagged through the gardens, past fountains reflecting the burning sky, past the gaping mouths of statues that now seemed to scream in silent horror. They did not stop when Hagan’s laughter followed them, a taunting, drawn-out sound that slithered through the air, a cruel reminder that he was toying with them. Allowing them to believe they had a chance.

The moment they reached the tree line, hope flared in Alina’s chest. They could lose him in the woods.

‘Hide!’ Hessa hissed, shoving her aside before veering in the opposite direction, an intentional sacrifice to distract thewarlock.

Alina hesitated for only a second before she sprinted into the trees.Run. Do not trip.Do not fall. The uneven earth grabbed at her feet, branches snagging her dress, but she pushed forward, deeper into the shadows.

Then—silence.

She threw herself behind a tree, pressing her body against the rough bark, heart hammering wildly in her chest. She could not hear him.

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