Page 87 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Mal’s chest tightened.For years he has hidden this from me.Her voice was cool, distant. ‘We should return before someone notices.’

Kai studied her, reading the betrayal in her posture. His voice dropped into warning. ‘Try to keep your temper under control.’

‘It was not my fault.’

Kai rolled his eyes. ‘Sure, Mal. I believe you.’

She elbowed him, hard.

By the time they returned to the gathering, the music had resumed, and laughter bubbled through the air once more. The destruction had been brushed aside—dismissed as a meremalfunctionof the tableware, nothing more than an unfortunate mishap to be laughed off.

Kai pressed a kiss to Mal’s cheek before disappearing into the revelry. She did not particularly care what he did, as long as he gave her space. Her anger still burnt, simmering beneath the surface.

A voice purred behind her. ‘Shall we take a walk, princess?’ Mal turned, grinning at the phoenixian prince as he extended a hand. ‘You look lovely.’

She arched a brow. ‘I was not aimingfor lovely.’

Zahian Noor threw his head back with a rich laugh. ‘You are amusing, princess.’

Mal bared her fangs, sharp and gleaming. ‘I believe the word you are looking for, prince, isexquisite.’

Together, they wandered through the gardens, their path leading towards the river, where the red-stone bridge arched over the dark waters below. Zahian gestured towards the structure, his fingers brushing over the ancient carvings that adorned its sides.

‘Did you know the bridge tells the story of both kingdoms?’

Mal followed his gaze. ‘And what do the drawings say?’

She knew the stories—every child in her land did. But she wanted to hear them through another kingdom’s lips, to see if their tales aligned. Unbidden, her gaze searched the crowd, hunting for golden hair and unreadable eyes.

She sighed when she did not find him.

‘That Prince Hadrian Blackburn broke a marriage oath to Princess Aithne Acheron,’ Zahian began. ‘A witch cast a love spell over his mind, making him believe he loved her instead. He married the witch in secret… until she killed him.’

Mal traced a finger over the moss-covered stone, absorbing his words.

‘No one ever wondered why she went to such trouble?’

Zahian smirked. ‘The witches sought to create division between the kingdoms. They knew that forcing Prince Hadrian to break a marriage oath would lead to war—a warbetween the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Darkness.’

Mal’s lips pressed together. ‘But it didn’t. They turned on the witches instead.’

‘Because they were the true culprits.’

She tilted her head,watching the river ripple beneath them. ‘Or because it was a perfect excuse for the other kingdoms to overpower them.’

Zahian chuckled, a lock of his black hair falling over his red eyes. ‘I suppose we will never know the truth. It was a long time ago, a war fought by men who no longer breathe.’

‘And yet here we are, still speaking of it.’ Mal’s eyes darted back to the party, her breath stilling as she caught sight of golden eyes in the crowd. Watching.

‘Whatever happened to the Fire Princess?’ she asked, forcing herself to look away.

‘She married Prince Sorin.’

‘He was from your kingdom, was he not?’

‘Indeed.’ Zahian leaned in, his proximity shifting the very air between them. Mal tensed, glancing over her shoulder—Ash was still there, his stare burning, his expression unreadable. For a moment, he looked as though he might step forward, might rip Zahian from her side and toss him into the river below.

Zahian’s voice dropped into a knowing murmur. ‘So your dear husband has phoenixian blood in his veins. Princess Aithne had no siblings, so when her son was born, he became the next Fire King.’

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