Page 99 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
The king stared. ‘What do you mean, that is not Saren?’
Mareena’s gaze drifted, almost idly, to the king’s son, Zaydan. She smiled when she found his eyes fixed on her, unflinching, unafraid. Brave, for one so young.Interesting.Most looked away after only a heartbeat or two.
‘There are gods among us,’ Mareena said softly. ‘They walk our lands by wearing mortal flesh, for they cannot roam freely without a vessel. I believe Saren is no longer the Dunayan you once knew but a god wearing her skin.’
The room erupted.
Voices rose at once—shouts of disbelief, sharp demands for answers, incredulous laughter edged with fear. Such a thing was impossible. The gods could not be walking among them. Theywould know. They must know.
Mareena continued to sip her tea as though none of it touched her, as if the room were not fracturing around her, as if the truth had not just been spoken aloud.
All except three.
Three who did not move. Did not speak. Did not react.
As though they alreadyknew.
As though they had always known that gods walked among mortals.
The king’s son watched Mareena withnarrowed eyes.
So did Isla.
And Arena.
I’ve spent so long writing this diary of mine. It has been my companion throughout my life. Without it, I’m not sure I could’ve dealt with everything I discovered. About myself. About the gods. I do fear what will happen if anyone ever reads this. They will probably think of me as a monster.
And perhaps, they may be right.
Tabitha Wysteria
‘Arden Briar,’ Ylva said, her shoulder pressed to the comforting warmth of the stone. ‘How long do you think we’ve been here?’
She had told him everything, every shard of knowledge she had gathered in the dark. Of the gods, of one of them entwined with Hagan. She counted witches and warlocks in her mind, memorised their steps, their habits. She traced the keep again and again in thought, mapping corridors she could not see, stitching together an escape from memory and will alone.
‘Too long,’ Arden answered.
‘I’ll find a way to knock Hagan out and come back for you,’ she said, the words fierce with promise.
‘Ylva…’ His voice tightened, strained through the wall between them. ‘That’s too risky. Hagan is no mere mortal. He’sa warlock, and not one we should toy with.’
‘I need to find a way for them to bring you with me,’ she insisted, chewing absently at the skin around her thumb. ‘It would be easier. Safer.’
‘And how do you plan on doing that?’
‘We’ve been reading old texts. Some are written in ancient wolverian. I could tell him they speak of the Fae, pretend I don’t fully grasp their meaning. He might call for you.’
There was a pause. Then, dry as ever, ‘And you think he’s foolish enough to fall for that?’
Ylva shrugged, then sighed when she remembered he couldn’t see her. ‘If I gain his trust…’
‘I suppose I should settle in, then,’ Arden replied lightly. ‘That will take a lifetime.’
‘You are not funny.’
‘And you need to be careful.’
‘Are you calling me foolish?’
