Page 158 of A Kingdom of Wild and Power
‘Hessa gave it to me.’
‘You stole it from her corpse after killing her.’
Alina moved first—a flash of steel, a step forward, ready to spill blood.
Mareena intercepted her within seconds, sliding between them with calculated calm, just as King Siroc stepped forward and placed himself squarely between both factions.
‘It has been decided,’ the king announced, his voice carrying easily across the vast stone bowl, ‘that you will both fight in the arena.’
A murmur rippled outward.
Only then did Dawn realise how many faces surrounded them. Every tier was now lined with spectators. Shadows leaned over railings; figures gathered in doorways; whispers crawled like wildfire along the balconies. She nudged Kai sharply, signalling for him to look up.
‘We did not come here to put on a show,’ Kai said, stepping forward. Even so, his arm remained firm around Dawn’s waist, holding her close as if he feared the crowd itself might turn feral.
Alina ignored him entirely. She gave a single, sharp nod. ‘When?’
‘Alina.’ Kai’s jaw tightened. ‘They want spectacle. They want blood.’
‘Then let them,’ she answered, her brown eyes never leaving Saren.
Saren stood smiling, dagger loose in her grip, her Dunayans fanned behind her like a crescent blade. Many among them hurled venomous words at the two Dunayans who had chosen to follow Alina. Isla and Arena endured it in silence, their facescarved from stone. They stood close to the king’s son, closer than necessary.
Dawn’s attention lingered on them.
Perhaps the king had assigned them to guard his heir. Yet that seemed unlikely; they had fled with Alina. Their loyalty was not simple.
Still, they remained at the prince’s side.
Watching and waiting.
‘I shall make a spectacle of your death,’ Saren declared, her voice carrying across the vast stone bowl of the arena. ‘And everyone here shall see that you are the culprit of everything.’
‘And whenIkillyou,’ Alina replied, lifting her dagger so the blade caught the harsh desert light, ‘they will finally see the truth.’
The air seemed to tighten, as if the arena itself were drawing breath. The crowd swelled into noise—cheers, jeers, shrieks of anticipation. Some craned their necks in awe at the dragons circling below; others spat curses, eager to watch the so-called traitor drakonian princess fall.
‘It is settled then,’ the king pronounced, his voice final as a gavel striking stone. ‘You will fight to the death. The winner will be redeemed.’
Kai stepped forward at once, Dawn beside him, both shaking their heads in disbelief. But Alina stood with her back to them, shoulders squared, deaf to their protests.
Mareena’s crimson glare drifted towards them with a warning. Be silent. Let this unfold.
Dawn did not like the glint in those red eyes. It was not fear she saw there. It was calculation.
Saren dipped into an exaggerated bow, mockery etched into every line of her body. Then she turned sharply and strode back the way she had come, her Dunayans following in a disciplinedsweep of sand-coloured robes.
Alina watched them go.
For a fleeting moment, Dawn saw something raw pass over Alina’s face. Grief, perhaps even longing. Her free hand rose to the white pendant at her throat, fingers curling around it as if drawing strength.
Then it vanished.
Her expression hardened into iron.
She turned to her dragons and released a single sharp whistle. The beasts responded instantly, great wings unfurling with thunderous force as they leapt skyward. Gasps rippled through the arena as shadows swept across the tiers and the dragons soared into the open sky, vanishing into the blue.
Alina gave the king one last unreadable look.
