Page 214 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Alina stared at it for a long moment, hesitating.
God, she was so tired.
Tired of fighting.
Tired of hatred.
And yet hatred had been all she had left. They had taken Hessa from her, and the emptiness that remained had been filled only with rage.
But that was not entirely true anymore.
Her brother Ash still lived.
Kai was here.
And Mareena…
Alina glanced up at Hessa.
Hope burnt bright within those pale desert eyes, steady and unwavering.
In that moment, memories rushed through Alina—the laughter they had shared, the whispered words beneath desert stars, the quiet strength Hessa had always carried within her.
‘Waa kair janta,’ Hessa said, her smile radiant.
Alina grasped the offered hand and pulled herself to her feet. She nodded once, firmly, before turning back towards Saren and raising her desert dagger into a poised attack.
‘Waa kair janta,’ she repeated softly to the ghost beside her before rushing forward.
We fall together.
This time Alina moved faster.
Her strikes came sharper and stronger, each movement precise, driven by something deeper than exhaustion or pain. And she saw it then: the worry in Saren’s white eyes as the Dunayan struggled to evade the sudden storm of blows.
Then an opening appeared.
Alina seized it.
Her blade plunged into Saren’s side, blood bursting forth in a brilliant crimson arc. Without hesitation Alina twisted away, spinning low and slashing at Saren’s legs. The dagger bit cleanly into both ankles.
More blood spilt.
Saren collapsed forward with a strangled cry, her white eyes wide as she tried to rise, only to fall again.
Alina stepped before her, raising the dagger and aiming its edge at Saren’s throat.
‘Surrender,’ she commanded.
Saren only laughed, lifting her head and spitting blood onto the sand.
‘Kill me if you wish, little mortal,’ she rasped. ‘It will not be the end of me.’
‘Now, amira!’ Hessa cried.
Alina drew her arm back, ready to deliver the final strike. But the moment the blade touched Saren’s neck everything stopped.
Time froze.
