Page 88 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Mal considered this. ‘And what happens if the drakonians do not have a son?’

Zahian’s red eyes gleamed with amusement. He haddefinitelynoticed Ash watching them. ‘Women are not permitted to inherit the throne in this land, princess. If your husband and you do not have a son, the throne passes to the closest male in line.’

‘Alina’s children, if she marries.’

‘Exactly. If she does not have a son, it moves again to the next closest male.’

Mal snorted. ‘Let me guess. That would be you.’

Zahian’s lips curled. ‘Yes. That would be me.’

The sun had surrendered to the horizon, allowing night to settle over them. Fireworks bloomed in the distance, explosions of colour flaring against the dark sky. Mal arched a brow. ‘Wouldn’t you be unavailable? You have a kingdom to rule.’

Zahian chuckled, his red eyes glinting in the firelight. ‘I have many siblings, princess. My sister Mareena is first in line. I am far from needed.’

Mal smirked. ‘Then I suppose you will be praying that I do not have a son.’

She searched for Ash again. But he had already turned away.

A strange chill traced down her arms.

Zahian smiled. ‘I wouldn’t worry about that yet, princess. You have just married. Besides—King Egan has plans for me already.’

Mal frowned. ‘What plans?’

His smile deepened. ‘I am to marry Alina Acheron.’

I sometimes wonder what kind of consequences our actions will have on the future. The answer scares me. The most simple of changes in a decision could be life-changing. World shattering.

I do not want to be the cause.

Tabitha Wysteria

Mal had slipped away from the revelry before the night had ended. The celebration had soured upon hearing the news—Zahian Noor and Alina Acheron. An engagement, whispered through the halls like the flickering tongues of flame that adorned the Fire Kingdom. Did Alina know? Did she want it? Mal doubted it. She knew little of the Fire Princess, but she knew enough to be certain of one thing: Alina Acheron had never been given the luxury of choice.

She had searched for Ash, scanning the sea of faces and glittering candlelight, but he had vanished like smoke on the wind. And so, with little else to do, she had abandoned the party, her mood as dark as the night sky beyond the palace spires.

Stepping into her chambers, Mal came to an abrupt halt. The air felt wrong—too empty, too bare. Her belongings were gone. The trunks that had once cluttered the space, the disarray oftomes and scrolls that had lain scattered across the long wooden table, all had vanished. The gowns that once hung in the wardrobe were missing, her boots and slippers nowhere in sight.

A sound—soft, almost hesitant—stirred behind her. Instinct flared, and Mal whirled, her body poised to strike, a snarl curling on her lips.

The servant girl shrieked, stumbling back in fright.

‘I am so sorry, your highness,’ the girl stammered, her hands trembling. ‘I did not mean to startle you.’

Mal’s gaze narrowed. ‘Where are my things?’

The servant was young, no older than twenty, with golden hair neatly braided on either side of her head. She swallowed nervously before answering. ‘They have been moved to your new chambers, your highness.’

‘My newwhat?’ The words left her mouth in a hiss, irritation curling in her stomach. And then it struck her—of course. She was married now. The space she had once claimed as hers was no longer hers alone. She would be sharing it with herhusband.

The thought made her growl under her breath. She took a step closer, eyes locking onto the servant. ‘Where is Vera?’ A flicker of something passed through those drakonian-brown eyes—too quick to be caught, but not quick enough to be hidden.

‘She is ill, your highness.’

Mal did not believe that for a second. Her mind flashed back to the moment she had seen Vera with the queen, the silent exchange between them. And now, suddenly, her maid wasgone.

‘And your name?’ Mal’s voice was smooth, but there was an edge beneath it, something sharp, something waiting.

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