Page 36 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
She felt too much.
And she cared far more than she ever should have.
And so, without pausing to think, Dawn ran towards Alina, her hands blazing with green smoke, magic rising to the surface, ready to defend the girl who had once been her best friend.
But she was too late.
The sandwyrm reared up, then smashed back down into the earth, dragging Alina with it. Its vast mouth split open and swallowed the Fire Princess whole.
Dawn screamed.
She froze where she stood, purple eyes stretched wide with terror. When the sandwyrm lifted its head again, Alina was gone, vanished without a trace. Dawn scanned the ground desperately, searching for blood, for torn fabric, for anything that proved the princess had been there at all.
There was nothing.
Her hands rose again, trembling as her teeth clenched hard.
‘Kai!’ she shouted, her voice tearing free of her chest. She hoped and prayed that he would hear her.
He was at her side within seconds, his gaze sweeping over her, checking her for injuries. Dawn forced herself to ignore the warmth that bloomed in her chest at the realisation that he was worried for her.
‘It’s Alina,’ she said, breathless. ‘She’s been—’ Her words faltered as she glanced back at the creature, eyes wide.
Before Kai could demand an explanation, the sandwyrm surged towards them, its massive body writhing, spikes rotating in a lethal dance.
Then it stopped.
Dawn frowned, tilting her head at the unnaturalstillness. The sandwyrm let out a sound unlike anything she had ever heard, a noise that did not belong to life, but to death itself. Kai’s grip closed around her arm as he pulled her back, instinct sharp and urgent.
Whatever was happening…
It was not over.
The sandwyrm collapsed in on itself, thrashing and writhing across the ground, its hide shuddering as its mouth hung wide, spewing those dreadful, otherworldly sounds. The noise grew louder, more frantic, as though the creature were tearing itself apart from the inside.
Dawn could not comprehend what she was seeing. Every instinct screamed at her to run forward, to tear Alina from the beast’s body, but what would she find if she did? A lifeless corpse? Shattered remnants of the Fire Princess? The thought lodged in her throat like a blade, stealing her breath.
She took a step, muscles coiling, ready to fight whatever remained.
Kai stopped her.
He pulled her back against his chest, arms locking around her with unyielding strength. ‘Don’t you dare,’ he warned.
‘Alina…’ Dawn whispered.
‘What?’ Kai stiffened.
‘That thing ate her!’
Before he could answer, the sandwyrm convulsed violently. Its flesh split apart with a wet, thunderous rupture, chunks of it bursting outward in all directions. A blinding light flared from within its body, brilliant and searing, and more of the creature’s ruined flesh was flung into the air.
Dawn gasped.
The sandwyrm let out one final, hollow sound before falling still, its massive form collapsing into silence.
And there, at the torn centre of its body, stood Alina Acheron.
She was drenched in blood and viscous fluids Dawn did not wish to name, standing amid the remains of the creature that had tried to devour her. Dawn stared, eyes wide, heart hammering, scarcely daring to believe the sight before her.
