Page 190 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Wren froze.

Haven Blackburn’s body collapsed, limp and lifeless, as if the force holding her upright had vanished. Her long limbs sprawled at unnatural angles, a forsaken figure abandoned on the bloodstained floor, fragile and broken. No grace, no dignity, just a husk of what had once been vibrant and fierce. Her shadow-serpent released a harrowing screech—a sound so raw, so steeped in sorrow and fury, that the world itself seemed to holdits breath, silenced in reverent mourning for its fallen mistress. It slithered across Haven’s still form, coiling gently above her heart, and there it lay—its eyes closing with a tenderness that spoke of loyalty beyond words. Then, without ceremony, the shadow began to unravel, its form dissolving into nothingness, slipping quietly from their world to accompany Haven into whatever lay beyond.

Wren’s gaze snapped to Kage.

She had never seen such a look before—a storm so dark and violent it made the air around him pulse with heatless fire. His face twisted with something wicked, something feral, and the way he moved, fluid and predatory, sent an instinctive shiver through her bones. He wove through the chaos, his path set towards Hagan.

‘Wren!’ Freya’s urgent voice cut through her thoughts. The valkyrian had done her part—Bryn was out, safe beyond the chaos, no longer held captive by the spell that had frozen him. The way was open, but the war had only just begun.

‘Call your wolves, you need to go,’ Freya warned.

‘I can’t leave him.’ Wren’s voice was steel, her stance unyielding. She jerked her chin towards Kage.

‘Wren, we need to warn our kingdom.’ Bryn’s voice carried the weight of reason, but Wren only clenched her jaw. Her people. Her duty. But Kage…

‘Yer sisters?’ she asked the valkyrian, already fearing the answer.

Freya did not speak. She did not need to.

They lay among the dead.

‘Take me brotha to safety,’ Wren pleaded, her blue eyes burning. ‘Wait for me on da outskirts of town. I’ll find ya.’ She sucked in a breath. ‘But I must bring Kage to safety or I’llneva forgive meself.’

The wolves obeyed her whistle, their hulking forms vanishing with the figures of Bryn and Freya. And Wren? Wren turned back, her boots silent on the blood-slick floor.

Kage had reached Hagan. His blade had been poised, his body a force of vengeance incarnate, but before he could strike—he was caught. Suspended mid-motion, as though held in the grasp of invisible currents, frozen between rage and release.

Wren crept closer, silent as snowfall, taking advantage of the gathering witches whose attention now turned towards Hagan. They thought they had won.

But Wren was not leaving without Kage.

Her pulse quickened when her gaze landed on the one who had ensnared him.

Vera.

The sting of betrayal sliced through her like a dagger honed too sharp. She had always known this day would come. And yet, it still hurt.

A warning glimmered in Vera’s purple eyes.Turn back. Walk away. Live.

Wren’s grip tightened on her dagger.No.

A sound, low and deep, rumbled through the air like a beast waking from slumber.

The castle trembled.

Then it came.

A roar.

So vast, so terrible, the very walls shook, dust and stone crumbling from their ancient foundations.

Wren clutched the throne for balance, her breath caught between her ribs.

Above them, something moved.

A great, shifting shadow swept across the Grand Hall, the sudden hush thick as the moment before a storm.

Then—

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