Page 142 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
A low growl rippled through the cave, sharp and warning, and the fragile stillness shattered.
Kage felt it again—that invisible hook sinking into his spine, the familiar, merciless tug of the Underworld claiming what belonged to it. The air thinned around him, the world already beginning to blur at the edges. But before the pull could wrench him away, something else shifted.
A presence.
Not wolf. Not Bryn.
Other.
Bryn had felt it too. Kage saw it in the way his body stilled, in the sharp turn of his head towards the cave’s mouth.
Too late.
Two figures stepped into the narrow entrance, silhouettes cut against the paling dawn, blades already drawn. Steel flashed in the dim light.
Kage recognised the armour before his mind caught up with the sight of it.
Valkyrians.
‘Grab them,’ one barked, surging forward towards Bryn while the other lunged for Kage.
The wolves reacted first.
A wall of fur and teeth exploded between them, snarls reverberating against the cave walls. The valkyrians stumbled back, swords raised defensively as the pack advanced, hackles lifted, fangs bared.
‘Who are you?’ one demanded, her stance firm despite the wolves circling.
‘Kage Blackburn,’ he answered quickly, lifting his hands in surrender to show he meant no threat. ‘And that is Bryn Wynter.’
The names hung in the air.
Both valkyrians exchanged wary glances—recognition flickering there, but no easing of their grip on their weapons. That alone unsettled Kage.
‘Why are valkyrians here?’ he asked, pulse tightening as the Underworld’s pull gnawed more insistently at him.
‘We arrived weeks ago,’ the taller of the two replied. She did not lower her sword. ‘We’ve come to protect Velunthar.’
Bryn’s voice was rough beside him. ‘Protect it from what?’
‘Witches.’
The word echoed like a crack of thunder.
Kage frowned. ‘And how do you know witches are coming for Velunthar?’
The second valkyrian stepped forward slightly. Her hair was red. Not merely red, but flame-bright, as though fire itself had chosen to rest upon her shoulders.
‘They destroyed the city of Floridia,’ she said, jaw tight. ‘It stands to reason they’ll march on Velunthar next. And once that falls, they’ll push into wolverian lands to continue onto the Kingdom of Darkness.’
Silence followed.
The wolves’ growls softened, but did not cease.
Kage nodded slowly.
It did make sense.
‘We’re making our way to Velunthar,’ Bryn explained, dragging his shirt back over his scarred shoulders, movements sharp with irritation.
