Page 181 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

He had followed Hessa.

Her lungs ached from holding her breath as she reached for the branches above her. She could climb. She could wait him out. It was something she had done countless times as a child, when she’d play games in the forests of the Kingdom of Fire.

But she had never climbed while drowning in a gown of silk and blood.

Her limbs trembled as she pulled herself higher, settling against the thickest branch she could find, tucking herself close to the trunk. She would wait. She would live.

Then—movement.

A shadow.

A flash of red.

Her stomach twisted as she watched Hagan stalk through the woods.

‘Hagan!’ A voice cut through the silence, breathless and sharp.

Alina leaned forward ever so slightly, peering through the tangled branches. A girl stood several feet away, her white hair cascading down her back in silken waves.

Tattooed hands. Purple eyes.

Alina’s stomach churned in fury.

Adara.

The witch that had once whispered love into her brother’s ears, the woman who had shattered Ash into something brittle and tired. Was it all a lie? Had she ever loved him? Or had she simply been waiting—twisting the knife before the final blow?

‘I lost her!’ Hagan snarled, his voice cracking through the trees like a whip.

Adara barely seemed to care. ‘Forget her. Vera has already killed the queen, and the king’s head is hanging in the Grand Hall. They’re all dead.’

No.

Alina’s breath caught in her throat, a wounded, broken thing.

No. No. No.

Her chest constricted, her vision blurred.

Her family was gone? Her parents,Ash—

The dizziness returned, pressing into her like an iron weight, forcing her to stay silent when all she wanted to do was scream.

She could not return to the castle now.

She had nothing left.

A tremor of rage curled through Hagan’s body. ‘I don’t care about the fucking castle,’ he spat. ‘I’ve waited too long to let that bitch go.’

Adara’s voice was mild, uncaring. ‘Let it go, Hagan. The castle belongs to us.’ She turned, disappearing into the trees, humming softly to herself.

Hagan remained behind, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet, tilting his head. His voice was light, sing-song.

‘Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiina.’

Alina stilled.

Below her, Hagan stopped.

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