Page 157 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
Dawn huffed softly, though her attention remained fixed on the spectacle below: banners snapping in the wind, tiny figures scattering as shadows of dragons passed overhead.
‘If it turns ugly, we leave,’ she said at last, her tone sharpening, iron threading through it. ‘I know you care for her, Kai. But if it gets out of hand…’ She braced herself for protest, for loyalty declared, for honour sworn. Instead, she felt him nod behind her.
‘We will,’ he said, voice steady, certain. Her surprise must have been obvious, because he exhaled and added, quieter, ‘Alina has changed. She’s not the princess I once knew. And her hunger for revenge…’ He paused. ‘I’ll stand by her. But only until it becomes dangerous for you.’
Something in Dawn’s chest tightened painfully at that, a warmth she did not know how to carry.
‘I can take care of myself, commander,’ she reminded him, chin lifting.
‘Oh, I know you can.’
She barely had time to react before he leaned forward, brushing a kiss against the exposed curve of her neck where the wind had swept her hair aside. The gesture was instinctive, unguarded, so natural it startled them both.
Kai blinked, as if only justrealising what he had done.
Dawn went utterly still.
But instead of retreating or apologising, he simply smiled, clearly delighted by the shock on her face.
Thankfully, the dragons began their descent before she could think of something sharp to say.
They spiralled into the very heart of the arena, talons scraping against sand and stone as they landed. The air was thick with heat and anticipation. Dawn had never stood within an arena before. She had only heard stories that once, long ago, witches had built such places to duel with magic, crowds gathering from distant lands to witness the spectacle.
Now those arenas lay in ruin.
The arena was a colossal monstrosity of stone and shadow, rising in endless tiers that seemed to scrape the sky itself. So many levels circled the pit that Dawn lost count almost immediately. Wherever she looked, balconies jutted out like watchful ledges, corridors weaving around the vast hollow like veins through rock. The mountain had been hollowed from within, an entire city carved into its bones. Shops and taverns clung to the outer rings, built so that every patron might drink, bargain, or conspire while watching whatever blood was spilt below.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ Dawn said as she climbed down from the dragon’s back, boots crunching against the sand.
‘And you probably never will,’ Kai replied lightly, though his hand found hers and pulled her closer to his side, as if the enormity of the place unsettled him more than he wished to admit.
Alina was already striding forward, cutting through the shifting crowd towards King Siroc, who had entered the arena through a pair of towering iron-bound doors, doors wide enough to herd monstrous beasts into the pit. The king moved withdeliberate slowness towards the centre, his son at his side, an entire host of desert folk fanning out behind him like a tide of sand.
‘Where is she?’ Alina demanded, wasting not a second on pleasantries.
Before anyone could answer, Dawn noticed movement at the very doors the king had used moments earlier.
An enormous group of Dunayans spilt into the arena; warrior women, their half-moon daggers glinting in the harsh light. At their head walked one unmistakable figure: a woman with a scar carving across her face, short curls framing sharp features, and an expression of thinly veiled amusement.
Alina went rigid.
In one fluid motion, she unsheathed her dagger.
The enchanted weapons remained hidden, tucked away in travelling bags strapped to one of the dragons. Mareena had been clear: do not reveal them. Not yet. Use ordinary steel until absolutely necessary.
The air shifted.
The arena, built for spectacle and violence, seemed to lean inward, waiting.
‘Look who came crawling back,’ Saren called out, her laughter ringing sharp and bright across the arena as she advanced.
‘Spaak Sandhii,’ Alina replied coldly, shifting into the desert tongue.
Saren spat at Alina’s feet, the glob dark against the sand. ‘I will not defile Sandhii by speaking it withyou.’
The words struck like a blow. Dawn watched Alina’s expression fracture for a heartbeat. Not weakness, but something far more dangerous.
Saren lifted her dagger and aimed it at Alina’s chest, at thewhite stone pendant resting against her skin. ‘You shouldn’t be wearing that either.’
