Page 191 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘I don’t remember any of it.’
Thanatos exhaled softly. ‘I know.’
‘Why did you come back for me?’ Mal asked, her fingertips grazing his cheek in quiet wonder.
‘Persephone sent me,’ he whispered, pain threading through his voice. ‘She commanded me to bring you back.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means you need to run.’ His expression fractured, the composure he usually wore slipping away. ‘The moment we return from this place, you run from me. And you do not let me catch you.’
Mal shook her head. ‘But why?’
‘Because when a king or queen of the Underworld commands me, I cannot defy them.’
‘And if she ordered you to kill me?’
‘I would.’ His arms tightened around her, as though even speaking the words hurt him. ‘But I can’t. You’re the God-Killer.’
‘But if I wasn’t…’
‘Gods can only be slain by a God-Killer, so…’
‘So I suppose it doesn’t matter.’ She sighed softly.
Thanatos lifted her chin, drawing her attention back to him before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.
‘Make it happen, Melinoe,’ he said. ‘Remove Persephone. Become my queen. Then you can command me for the rest of eternity.’
She kissed him again, softer this time, pressing herself closer into hisembrace.
His dark wings wrapped around them once more, tightening like a final shelter. And then, suddenly, they released her.
The void vanished beneath her.
Mal fell through the darkness.
‘Run, Melinoe,’ were the last words she heard from Thanatos before the world snapped backinto place and she awoke.
Velunthar is one of those well kept hidden secrets by the Fae. They have many cities like this, that are impossible to visit without being invited. I’ve always wondered why they hide their cities. What are they keeping hidden from us?
Tabitha Wysteria
Bryn Wynter had been given chambers within the vast castle of Velunthar, a short way down the corridor from the rooms belonging to House of Wild. His body ached with exhaustion, urging him towards the enormous bed fashioned from the petals of an equally enormous flower. Yet he had lingered behind, unable to rest while the question of his brother gnawed at him.
He had stayed to ask after Eirwen.
Unfortunately, no one within the castle had seen the young prince. And with each answer that came back empty, Bryn found himself wondering if his little brother had met the same grim fate as the rest of House of Snow.
‘Princess Willow Hawthorne wishes to speak with you privately,’ a servant announced, gesturing for him to follow.
The servant led him into what appeared to be a grand dininghall. Like much of Velunthar, the space was immense—its tall stone walls rising high overhead. Yet despite the stone, the hall felt strangely alive. The furniture was carved not merely from wood, but woven with living plants and curling vines, blossoms spilling over the edges of tables and chairs. To Bryn, accustomed to the cold austerity of grey stone halls and thick winter furs, it was an oddly beautiful contrast.
Princess Willow sat at the long wooden dining table, carefully spreading a layer of jam across a slice of bread. Without looking up, she gestured towards the chairs at her right, inviting him to sit.
Bryn had just stepped forward when he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden presence behind him.
Kage.
