Page 54 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’ Alina’s voice turned glacial, sharp enough to draw blood all on its own.
‘Because I don’t know how to use blood magic.’
Alina’s expression twisted, a smile unfurling across her beautiful face. It was not a kind smile. It was the sort Dawn imagined would grace Death itself when it finally came calling.
‘We grew up together, Adara,’ Alina said softly. ‘I know you inside and out, whether you like it or not.’ She stepped closer, until there was no space left between them, until Dawn could feel the heat of her. ‘And because of that, I know exactly when you’re lying.’
Dawn’s already rigid body locked completely still, as though she had turned to stone.
Alina stepped back, humming to herself as she twisted away and let her fingers trail through the water. She glanced over her shoulder and offered one last sweet, almost innocent, and so achingly familiar smile. The kind of smile she used to wear years ago.
‘Why do you want this?’ Dawn asked at last, her voice finally finding its way back to her.
Alina froze. Her hands remained lifted as droplets slipped from her fingers, falling back into the pool one by one. She stared at them as if they held the answers she had been chasing all along.
‘Because,’ she said quietly, ‘I want to become invincible.’
The Council has ruled over the witches for the past two hundred years. They have become corrupted, and I fear that one day, someone will destroy them as they once did with the royal family. I do believe they would deserve it, and yet, I cannot help but fear for my mother’s life. And one day, when I become a part of the Council, I fear for my own. I must find a way to guide them into a brighter future. But I worry that there may not be a way to save them from their corrupted minds.
Tabitha Wysteria
Ylva was certain she must have lost consciousness, because when her eyes finally fluttered open, there was nothing. Only darkness, thick and absolute. She lay upon warm stone, the heat seeping into her skin, and she slid her hands across the surface, searching blindly for some sense of place. Anything to tell her where she was. What sort of room had swallowed her whole.
Her fingers met a wall, smooth and just as warm. She shifted onto her knees, breath coming harder now as the truth dawned on her. The space was far smaller than she had imagined, crushingly so. There would be no stretching out here. No comfort. If she lay flat, her head and feet would kiss opposite walls.
A moan cut through the silence.
Ylva froze. She knew that sound.
Heart hammering, she crawled towards it, inch by careful inch, until she reached the wall to her right. She pressed her ear against the stone, pulse roaring in her ears.
‘Arden Briar?’ she whispered urgently. ‘Tell me that’s you.’
Another moan answered her, louder this time, followed by a muttered curse. Relief hit her so fiercely she nearly sobbed. He was alive. He was here.
‘It’s me,’ she said quickly, palms flattening against the wall as though she could reach him through it. ‘Ylva.’
‘You all right, little wolf?’ Arden asked.
She nodded instinctively, then swallowed, remembering he could not see her. ‘I’m fine,’ she said instead. ‘Where are we?’ There was a pause. Long enough to tell her he was asking himself the same question. ‘There’s no light,’ Ylva added softly. ‘I can’t see anything at all.’
‘Neither can I.’
A cold knot twisted in her stomach. She hesitated, then forced the words past her lips.
‘Are we…’ She swallowed. ‘Are we in cells?’
She did not want to be right. More than anything, she wanted Arden to laugh softly and tell her she was being ridiculous, that fear had twisted her thoughts into nonsense. But his sigh answered her before words ever could.
Ylva slid back against the wall, pressing her spine to the warm stone, grateful for its heat as though it were the only kindness left to her.
‘A witch took us,’ Arden said quietly. ‘I’d wager we’re in the Kingdom of Fire. Captives.’
‘Are you sure that was a witch?’ Ylva mumbled, remembering the strange powers the witch possessed. Ylva could not recall her past-life, but she could recall hertime as a valkyrian, and valkyrians worshiped the gods. Gods were not meant to be evil…
‘What was she if not?’ Arden asked.
