Page 63 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

When she finally stood before him once more, her smile sharpened into something even more dangerous. Tilting her head, she studied him with mock curiosity.

‘And why am I a cheater, prince?’ Before he could respond, the drums sounded, breaking the spell between them. The arena erupted in thunderous applause, the crowd roaring their approval at the spectacle they had just witnessed.

Mal sighed. The excitement in her eyes dulled as if reality had stolen something from her. With a quiet exhale, she lowered her weapon and sheathed it, her expression turning distant. The fight was over, and with it, the brief, untamed freedom she had found in battle. Now, they would return to the suffocating halls of courtly duties, to feasts and dances and whispered politics.

Ash hesitated, then extended a hand towards her.

‘Shake.’

Mal blinked at him, frowning. Her nose scrunched in clear distaste, and she eyed his outstretched palm as if it were some foreign, incomprehensible thing.

Then, realisation dawned.

The shock that slowly uncurled across her face, like a tendril of smoke, almost made Ash chuckle.

He had heard that in the Kingdom of Darkness, to honour another warrior after battle was not just a formality. It was sacred. A gesture of utmost respect, not offered lightly, nottaken for granted.

‘It is not so important in this land,’ he admitted, gesturing at his hand.

A pause.

Then, slowly, Mal placed her pale fingers into his.

She did not just shake it—she studied it. Their hands, so different, so stark in contrast—his golden and warm, hers cool and silver like moonlight. She tilted her head as if fascinated by the feel of his skin against hers, as though she were trying to understand why it was done at all.

Then, to his utter disbelief, she laughed. A genuine, soft chuckle, as though the entire ordeal amused her beyond words. And in that moment, something inside Ash shifted.

Mal Blackburn had been nothing but sharp edges and shadows, a lethal thing barely contained within mortal form—and yet here she was, giggling over a handshake. Suddenly, the idea of marrying her didn’t seem so terrible. But just as the thought settled in his mind, Mal moved.

Her hand reached towards him and—on instinct—Ash stepped back, prepared to block whatever attack she had planned. Mal rolled her eyes, shaking her head in exasperation. Before he could question her intent, she took his hand again—this time only his index and middle finger—and placed them against his forehead. Then, with deliberate care, she guided his hand outward towards her.

Ash remained still as she mirrored the action with her own fingers.

Then, she bowed.

‘May the shadows guide your way,’ she said, her voice quiet, yet weighted with meaning.

The arena fell silent.

A breathless hush descended over the crowd as MalBlackburn, the fourthborn child of the Kingdom of Darkness, honoured the Fire Prince for the very first time.

…

Mal dropped into the tub like a stone, sinking deeper and deeper as her bones cracked in complaint. She had requested the water to be freezing cold. Damn drakonians only ever bathed in boiling hot water. She kept her head under for as long as possible, the water splashing all over the wooden floor as she emerged, panting for breath.

‘You were astonishing, your highness,’ Vera said in that sweet silk voice, hurrying along to dry the floor. ‘I have never seen anyone move as fast. The court sat in sheer amazement at your fighting capabilities.’

Mal made bubbles with her mouth, her arms outstretched over the golden tub. Vera grabbed a stool and sat to wash the princess’s hair.

‘I must ask though, your highness, how you managed to vanish into thin air like that.’ Vera’s fingers massaged Mal’s scalp in such a way she began to doze off. Only a few hours had passed since the Champions Battle and everyone had retired to their chambers to freshen up before the celebratory dinner.

‘I just move fast.’

‘Oh, it almost seemed like you turned into smoke.’

Mal’s purple eyes drifted up towards the drakonian maid.

‘Wyverians cannot turn into smoke.’

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