Page 32 of Kingdoms of Tides and Twilight (A World of Sun and Shadow #2)

A loud horn sounded, jolting Renya from the depths of sleep. She awoke quickly, disoriented and scanning the dimly lit room. Grayden's side of the bed was empty. His naked silhouette stood before the fire, struggling into his clothes.

“Grayden, what's happening?”

“I don't know, Renya. But that horn is a warning. Something's going on. Get dressed—quickly. Make sure you have your dagger. We need to head to the throne room.”

Renya's heart pounded an irregular rhythm as fear choked her. She knew what it was. The Shadow Queen had found them. Renya pulled on the outfit she wore the day before, not caring that it was dirty. She found the dagger on her nightstand and tucked it into the bodice of her dress. Guilt washed over her as she watched Grayden sling his sword over his back. She had brought this here, to the Twilight Kingdom. Cressida would follow her wherever she went. It wouldn't be over until one of them was dead. Renya knew it in her heart.

The horn sounded again, and then Renya heard something that made her stomach drop and bile rise in her throat. A loud roar, trembling like thunder, pierced through the night air. She looked at Grayden, knowing what it was, but desperately hoping she was wrong.

His look said it all. Dragons.

Cressida was here, and with her dragons. Renya shuddered all over, and Grayden grabbed her by the wrist.

“Look at me, Renya. You can stay here if you want, and I'll go negotiate with Cressida.”

“Like hell I'm leaving you.”

“I figured that's what you would say. But I had to give you the choice. Let's go—whatever we are about to face, we face it together.”

He held her hand tightly as they made their way down the staircase. Grayden was moving so quickly that Renya took the steps two at a time to try and keep up. With his hurried, long strides they made it to the throne room in minutes.

He barged into the chamber, looking hyperaware of his surroundings. “What's going on?”

Kalora looked up from where she sat, knuckles gripping the glass throne so hard they were white. Julietta and Selenia sat off in a corner together, wrapped in blankets and looking scared.

“We are under attack.”

“How many dragons? And men?”

“Two dragons at least. As for men, it's hard to say. We didn't even see them enter our borders—I think they were either magically transported into our lands or they killed every single watchman from the border to here—both are equally possible.”

“Gods—have you sent word to the other half of the troops?”

“A hawk was sent ten minutes ago—but they are most likely ten or more hours away now.”

Renya watched Grayden's eyes, felt the panic rising inside him. Then, just as quickly as it came, she felt his resolve. He squared his shoulders and looked around the room. “How are the troops managing the attack?”

“I'm not sure, Orien's second in command, Diggory, is out there now.”

Grayden nodded. “I'll go out and meet him. I've seen the damage these dragons can do—he needs to know what he's up against if he doesn't already.”

“I'll hold the castle,” Kalora said, looking at her daughter. “I have armor, I'll go get it on. Grayden, please take some of the prototypes we've been working on for you and Renya.”

“I'm staying here,” Renya said. “I'll hold down the castle with Kalora.”

“Renya, we'll be apart.”

I know. But we can communicate. We can still get messages to each other. If things go south, I can get Selenia out of the castle.

Renya could tell the exact moment he saw the truth of her words and the precarious situation they were in. He nodded, hating the idea of separating from her, but knowing it was the only way to protect the two women he loved the most.

Kalora looked between Renya and Grayden, obviously aware something was occurring between the two. Renya didn't care if she found out at this point. There was a good chance none of them would survive until morning.

Kalora motioned to one of the guards standing alongside the throne. “Rubio will take you to the armory.”

The tall man was already sheathed in his own armor, and Renya couldn't make out any facial features. He left through a side door, and Grayden and Renya followed him quickly. Grayden's footsteps were heavy on the stone, and Renya scampered quickly, trying to keep up with his rushed pace. She heard what sounded like cannon fire, and she covered her ears, adrenaline coursing through her. Grayden looked at her.

“Are you sure you're okay doing this?”

She gave him a look.

“Okay, okay. I'll stop asking.”

They followed Rubio farther and farther through the halls, until they came to a large spiraling staircase leading underneath the castle.

“Down here,” he said in a gruff voice, muffled slightly by his visor.

As soon as they moved downward, the air turned cooler, and the sounds of battle ceased. Renya thought they traveled at least three or four levels underground before they reached the bottom of the stairs. The room was lit by several torches, and Renya saw dozens of men working on armor and various weapons. Rubio went to talk to one of the men, and then came back with two pieces of armor.

“These should work for you both,” he said, handing one to Grayden and one to Renya. Renya took the cool metal in her hands. It certainly didn't feel dragon proof, but it was all she had. She watched Grayden fasten his, and it looked more like a fitted sandwich board to Renya, rather than the medieval armor she had seen in her history books. Once Grayden secured his, he grabbed the armor from Renya and pulled it over her head. It was small enough to fit her, but trailed down her stomach almost to the top of her thighs. She figured it was better to have more coverage than less, at least. He fastened the leather belting on the sides, and then nodded his approval.

Rubio came back over. “They need my help down here for a few minutes, can you find your way back?”

“We can,” Grayden said. Rubio handed Grayden a bow and quiver of arrows. “Are you any good with these?”

“I'm a fair shot. Thanks.” Grayden added the arrows to his arsenal and then pulled Renya back up the stairs.

Even though the armor was light, the trip back up the three stories of stairs took her breath away. She was still so tired. If they made it through this, she would sleep for days straight.

The closer they got to the ground level, the louder the battle sounds became. Renya could smell the smoke of burning buildings, and she couldn't imagine what the damage outside must look like.

Once they reached the main floor of the castle, Grayden stopped her. He looked up and down the empty hallway, and then pushed Renya up against the wall, crushing his lips against hers. She was so surprised she didn't know how to react, but after a split second, she kissed him back fervently and with desperation.

“Renya,” he moaned against her, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth. He enveloped her in his arms, holding on to her like he would never let go. Their armor clinked together, and it brought her back to the true reality of this moment. She felt tears sting in her eyes, not ready for this to be the last time she might see him. The thought terrified her.

“I'll come back to you. I promise. Stay safe.” With another kiss, he made his way down the hall.

Renya took a few seconds to catch her breath and wipe away the tears. She needed to be strong for Selenia and Julietta. She knew they both must be terrified.

Renya walked into the throne room, and saw Julietta and Selenia still huddled under their shared blanket. Queen Kalora wasn't in the room, and they were alone except for a handful of guards.

“How are you both doing?”

Julietta looked down at her slippers. She was still in her night dress, a cream-colored satin robe cinched at her waist. Selenia had gotten dressed, but her hair was a mess, the red mane tangled and teased. Both girls were pale with fear.

“What does she want?” Selenia asked.

“ The Shadow Queen? Me.” Renya felt a pang of guilt. This was all her fault. She shouldn't have come here. She'd endangered this entire kingdom. Bile rose up again in her throat and she steadied herself against the cold stone wall, trying to keep herself upright.

“Renya, it's not your fault,” Selenia said. “If she wasn't after you, she'd be moving against another kingdom. She won't be happy until she's conquered everything and stolen everyone's magic. It was only a matter of time.”

That was probably true, but Renya couldn't help but wonder if it would have been better if she had never come through the portal. How was she supposed to restore the balance when she couldn't use her magic without pushing herself to the brink of exhaustion? She needed a safe place to learn her magic, a way to buy them time. The idea hit her suddenly, with the force of a runaway train. She could open a portal and hide there. She could practice her magic away from Cressida. She would just have to figure out how to do it and how to close it behind her so Cressida couldn't follow.

Before she could plan anything, Kalora re-entered the room, in full armor, a sword at her waist. She looked fierce, with a large display of peacock feathers against her back and her crown perched on top of her head.

“They've managed to scale the walls. The dragons have torn through every protective barrier we've thrown at them.”

“How long do we have until they make it to the castle?”

“Not long, I'm afraid. I think we should head down to the armory, it's the safest.” Kalora looked over at Selenia and Julietta, and Renya knew she was concerned for their safety.

“I think that's a good idea,” Renya said quickly. “Come on, let's head down now.”

The guards exited the throne room first, with Selenia and Julietta directly behind them. Renya and Kalora followed, protecting the girls from the back. The sounds outside were deafening. Renya felt adrenaline from Grayden through their connection, and she could tell he was working hard and fighting. While his adrenaline mixed with hers and made her nerves pulsate and her stomach sick, she knew he was still alive. As long as she could feel him, he was safe.

She could hear the clash of swords and the sound of cannon fire. It sounded different than it did in the movies. The explosion was noisy, and then followed by silence before any other blast came. She could also hear the howls and roars from the dragons, the vibrations shaking the stone castle underfoot. Renya had no idea how they would be able to bring down the monstrous creatures.

As soon as they rounded the hall towards the spiral staircase, Renya heard screaming. She whipped around, only to see men in armor, blacker than night, hurrying towards them. They moved in a swift formation, like a line of ants making their way to a picnic. Julietta screamed, and their own guards turned, breaking to the front to face the Shadow Realm soldiers.

“Julietta, Selenia, run!” Kalora screamed, pulling out her sword. “Julietta, take Selenia down!”