Page 99 of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash

Alina’s eyes narrowed. ‘Then why don’t you?’

Kai stood abruptly, retreating before he could change his mind. He licked his lips, tasting nothing but regret.

‘Why not?’ Alina snapped.

‘Because we’d be kissing for different reasons.’

Presents have been arriving all morning. Hadrian’s engagement to princess Aithne is all anyone can talk about. We are currently in the Kingdom of Fire where the celebrations are taking place. I have been sent on behalf of the Council to congratulate the couple, but I cannot help but suspect my mother has done this on purpose—wanting me to see how the wyverian I love celebrates his engagement to another. I think she believes it will make me fall out of love with him. It won’t. I will always love Hadrian.

Tabitha Wysteria

Mal had stumbled upon the lonely tree by chance.

It stood at the edge of the forest, perched atop a sun-scorched hill where the grass had faded to brittle yellow. She had discovered it during one of her many restless walks, those endless aimless strides beneath a merciless sky, leaving her breathless from the sheer weight of the heat.

She could not go to the Fire Temple to pray—their god was not hers. Their altars, their incense, their prayers… all of it belonged to a world she would never claim as her own.

But this tree, with its solitary presence against the vast emptiness of the hill, made her think of home.

So she returned, her hands carrying a small cloth bundle of fruit left behind by the maids. It was not a true lonely tree—not in the way her people knew them. Its bark was not white, its branches not bare. This land did not recognise her gods, and perhaps the gods would take offense at her kneeling upon unholy ground, but she had to try.

She had petitioned for a sacred space—a simple altar, a single lonely tree planted in its rightful place. The drakonians had regarded her with disinterest, their expressions unreadable, leaving her uncertain whether her request would ever be fulfilled. She had considered asking Ash, but lately, he seemed even more hesitant to be near her.

Mal sighed.

Instead, she knelt beneath this unblessed tree.

With careful hands, she dug a small hollow in the dry earth, placing the fruit within, covering it gently. Then she lowered herself, pressing her forehead to the ground, whispering her prayers into the dust.

It was said that once, long ago, the gods answered. That they had spoken, their voices threading through the fabric of the world, binding their creations to their will. But then, something had happened. Something had angered them, and now, they remained silent.

Mal did not believe they had abandoned them entirely. No, the gods were listening. They simply chose not to reply.

The sun was merciless, sinking its teeth into her delicate skin, warning her that she had lingered too long. With a final glance at the offering, she turned to leave—

Crunch.

Footsteps.

Mal stiffened, the tiny hairs at the back of her neck rising.

She twisted around sharply, scanning the empty expanse ofland. There was no one. The tree, the golden grass, the wide stretch of sky—it all stood still. But the sound had come from somewhere, and the only place it could have come from was the forest.

Perhaps another traveller, wandering as she had.

And yet…

There was something else. A sensation slithering down her spine, an awareness that she was not alone. That she was being watched.

Mal moved quickly. She stepped into the woods, weaving between the trees, walking without direction, but listening—always listening.

Someone was following her.

They were good.

Toogood.

She couldhearthem, but she could notplacethem.

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