Page 28 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

‘I will not treat her with dis…disrespect,’ he said, his voice shaking. ‘She will b-be the future queen.’

Alina cursed softly under her breath. ‘Ash, she is a savage. That girl will never love you. That girl will destroy us. She will destroyyou.’

He did not turn back.

He did not say another word.

Alina sat frozen, fingers curled tightlyaround the fabric of her gown.

Dread slithered through her, seeping into the marrow of her bones like a slow, creeping poison.

The wyverian princess would ruin them all.

Alina watched her brother walk away, her dread festering beneath her skin, writhing like a nest of starving maggots burrowing into her pores, gnawing their way through flesh and bone, ravenous and relentless the moment the door slammed shut.

The Kingdom of Magic is such a beautiful place. I wish Hadrian could come to see it with me. Perhaps one day. The town of Elmwych where I am from is the prettiest of them all, surrounded by marshland that we travel through on small wooden boats moved by magic. At night, our little town is illuminated by the green lanterns into which we have blown magic. I used to love lying outside listening to the cicadas sing as I pictured the rest of the world, wondering what it must look like. I’d always wanted to travel, even though the thought of leaving my home behind terrified me. Now, now that I have been gone from my kingdom for so long, I yearn for its marshes, for its weeping willows and for its people. I was once afraid to leave my land. Now I fear I shall never return.

If there is anything to return to.

Tabitha Wysteria

Mal had spent the evening dancing, the soles of her bare feet aching from hours of movement. Her stomach was still full from the lavish feast prepared in her honour, yet she had set aside a piece of fruit—an offering to the gods she would soon leave behind. The thought weighed heavily on her. No longer would she kneel in the familiar halls of the temple, whispering prayers into the sacred stillness. The Kingdom of Fire had its own places of worship, but their god was not hers. Of all the hardships awaiting her in that distant land, the absence of aplace to pray would be among the hardest to bear.

Dawn loomed on the horizon, their departure only hours away. Before they left, tradition dictated a final blessing from the High Priestess, a prayer for safe passage. The temple was full, the air thick with murmured farewells. Mal cast a glance at her brother Kai, who shifted impatiently, his agitation plain. He had never had much patience for ceremony.

‘May our princess of darkness be safe,’ the High Priestess intoned, her voice a solemn whisper against the dawn as she stood at the temple’s entrance. Mal bowed low, then ascended the worn stone steps, the shadows stretching long and knowing at her feet. She reached the blue fire, its eternal flame flickering with an ethereal glow, and cast the fruit into its hungry depths. ‘May the shadows guide your way.’

‘May the shadows guide you,’ came the resounding chorus of voices behind her. As Mal turned, she caught the sight of them—each one pressing two fingers against their foreheads in salute, their black-clad figures solemn beneath the weight of tradition.

Mal grasped her sword and extended it towards the High Priestess, watching in quiet reverence as the woman held it over the sacred fire. The steel darkened to a deep blue, black smoke curling around the blade like whispered incantations. When the sword was returned to her, the heated metal stung against her palms, but she did not waver. Instead, she gripped it tightly, bowing one final time to the gods before turning away.

Kai waited at the temple’s edge, clad in the midnight sheen of his black armour, the metal polished to a lethal gleam. The sight made her raise a brow as they strode back.

‘Aren’t you a bit overdressed?’

‘Your future husband will be meeting us today, Mal. We must all look the part.’ His gaze slid over her riding dress, unimpressed. ‘You, however, maybe slightly underdressed for the occasion.’

Mal glanced down at her simple grey attire, the fabric loose, flowing, and, most importantly, practical. ‘It’s my riding dress.’

‘Too much skin. You might give the prince a heart attack.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘The slits at the sides allow me to sit properly on my wyvern, Kai.’

‘Yes, yes, but imagine his face when you arrive in a dress that barely covers you, boots caked in mudandyour hair wild as the wind itself.’

Mal shrugged. ‘He can choosenotto look at me.’

Kai chuckled, the sound like dark velvet. ‘Let’s hope he makes that choice. Otherwise, I might be forced to cut his eyes out myself.’

Mal elbowed him playfully, though her grin was sharp. ‘Donotharm the Fire Prince before I marry him, brother. You might end up cursing us all.’

Beyond the temple walls, in the vast open field, the wyverns waited. Mal swallowed against the fear coiling in her chest and rushed to embrace her parents, tears slipping down her cheeks at the thought of leaving them behind.

They spoke no parting words—none were needed. Their silent embrace said enough. She watched as they turned and walked away, followed by the others, until only her siblings remained.

Adjusting the weight of the sword against her back, Mal climbed onto her wyvern. Haven would ride at the centre of their small formation for protection, while she and Kai took the lead, side by side at the front. As she settled into place, she turned to her brother, offering him a reassuring smile, one she hoped would smooth the worry and anger written so clearly on the face sheloved so dearly. It didn’t.

Behind them, Kage took his position, his expression unreadable as he let out a grunt, urging them to move.

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