Page 52 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
He had been pretending. Playing the part of the beaten man. Buying time. Lulling Bryn into belief, into hope, into certainty.
So his men could strike from behind.
That isn’t da way of wolves,Bryn thought dimly, the words drowning in the blood pooling in his mouth, choking him before he could speak them aloud.
Bryn’s blue eyes met those of the wolf, that sat in quiet serenity, watching. It did not move to save him. It did not growl to the men that had cheated Bryn from life. It simply observed. As if it knew something the rest did not.
Caldwell loomed over Bryn, shadow vast against the pale sky.
‘Long live da king,’ he said.
Then he lifted his axe and brought it down, once, with brutal finality.
Straight into Bryn Wynter’s heart.
I once found a book on the different creatures that exist in the desert. It was so long it made me realise that there are very few things out there that will not try to eat you.
Tabitha Wysteria
The small group of six travellers pressed on after surviving the attack of the two sandwyrms. It was Arena who warned them first that the air had shifted, and a sandstorm was rolling in. Without shelter, their skin would be flayed raw from their bodies; they were woefully unequipped to withstand such fury.
Fortune, at least, had not entirely abandoned them. Arena and Isla had scouted ahead and discovered a range of mountains riddled with caves, vast enough to shelter them, the eleven dragons that now followed in their wake and the golden phoenix. The beasts settled restlessly, sensing the coming storm.
Alina had not spoken since one of her dragons had been devoured. She moved apart from the others, wrapped in her silence, turning a blind eye to their concerned glances and unspoken questions. Grief clung to her like sand to sweat.
And yet, she was never truly alone.
Hessa walked beside her, as she always did, offering thatgentle, familiar smile, the kind that softened something deep within Alina’s chest. Even here, even now, even lost amid storm and death, Alina felt a fragile sense of home.
Alina tensed the instant Mareena’s hand brushed her arm in greeting, once they had settled within the shelter of the cave. No fire burnt, for the day was still bright, the air too warm, and the stone walls held the heat like a held breath. Alina had chosen a place by the mouth of the cave, where she could watch the sandstorm gathering on the horizon, a distant wall of gold and shadow. It was still hours away, yet her skin prickled with restless unease.
They were so close now. Close enough that she almost thought she could scent Hessa’s homeland on the wind. At times she closed her eyes and let herself drift back to days spent hunting with Hessa, riding great serpents across the dunes, or wandering beneath starlight with their fingers entwined. Memories clung to her, sharp and aching.
Seeking distraction, Alina reached for the enchanted staff, determined to examine it properly at last.
Only then did she realise that it no longer responded.
‘It’s run out of magic,’ Mareena explained, lowering herself to sit beside her. Alina could not help but notice how the faint, comforting presence of Hessa seemed to retreat each time Mareena appeared, vanishing beneath that familiar edge of worry.
‘What does that mean?’ Alina asked. Her skin itched where sweat and sand clung stubbornly together. They had not bathed in days, and it was beginning to weigh on her more than she cared to admit.
‘It means we need more,’ Mareena replied.
As if bound by the same thought, both women glanced over their shoulders towards Kai and the witch, who stood somedistance away, clearly embroiled in yet another quiet disagreement. Frustration twisted in Alina’s chest at the sight. Not because she still cared for Kai as a lover, that wound had long since closed, but because he had chosen to feel something for a witch. And not just any witch.Thatone.
‘The witch won’t give me more blood,’ Alina muttered, brushing sand from her white trousers, already dulled and stained from travel.
‘She will if our survival depends on it,’ Mareena said calmly.
‘Are you so sure?’ Alina shot back, her tone sharpening. ‘I think she’d be delighted to see us dead.’
Mareena tilted her head thoughtfully. ‘Then perhaps it is him we need to convince.’ She nodded subtly towards Kai.
Alina frowned. ‘Kai?’
‘Perhaps you ought to… seduce him.’
Alina let out a short, incredulous laugh. ‘I doubt he can be seduced.’
