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M aris’s heart was about to beat out of her chest. She gave Isen instructions before she rushed down the stairs. The idea of moving Melvian after giving birth was extreme, but they couldn’t stay there if it put them in danger. Also, Maris would never forgive herself if something ever happened to either the babies or Melvian and Isen. Maris tried to keep her fear and anxiety at bay. If Valda sensed what she was feeling, she would undoubtedly turn back, and Valda needed to reach Cressida and get the rest of the Sealians to leave. Maris had to hold her ground in Titania, move the Sealians to Umbriel, and wait for Valda there.

With her hand over her chest, Maris took deep breaths. Now was not the time, she couldn’t mess up the mission. Closing her eyes, she dissipated her fears until all that remained were slivers of anxiety fluttering through the connection. She hoped that would be enough to keep her mate focused. With the trident in the holster and a large waterskin tied to her waist, she walked out the inn and into the chaos unfolding. Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the sky above Cressida ablaze with crimson streaks as arrows rained down upon the city. The streets were engulfed in fire… This wasn’t the work of Skylian soldiers, this was all Vulcanian doing.

Maris stood in the middle of a road, the houses around smoldered with dark smoke rising to the sky. The heat was already unbearable, and her eyes watered as the smoke penetrated her lungs. It was making it hard to breathe! The crackling flames drowned out the desperate cries of the wounded civilians. The Skylians giving refuge to the Sealians didn’t deserve this, neither did her people!

As she ran to the center of the city, houses crumbled, sending showers of fiery debris in all directions. Maris’s heart sank. Panic-stricken Sealians and Skylians darted through the narrow alleys, seeking shelter as the fire arrows came down upon them. Maris frantically searched through the turmoil, needing to get as many out of there as she could. The very flames consuming the city moved about until a form materialized before Maris. She had seen her before, had been captured by her clothing the first time she saw her at Valda’s birthday back in the castle.

Teeth bared and barking orders, Kenna Hagan, the queen of the Vulcanians, stood tall. Draped in her barbaric attire, Kenna turned just in time to lock her eyes with Maris. The power emanating from the other woman could easily be matched to Valda’s. And Maris couldn’t help but swallow her nervousness down. The dark, charcoal markings painted across her face accentuated the anger coiling in her features. The symbols of her gods, Vulcan and Ares, were emblazoned upon her chest plate. With one hand, she gripped a massive, sharp double-blade ax and for a second, Maris couldn’t believe she could wield such a weapon with only one arm. The blade shined, mirroring the fire around them. Her grip on the weapon tightened, and Maris could see it in the way her forearm muscles moved under her white skin.

Dread pierced through Maris. She was not sure if she could face this woman and survive, not when she looked like she was the direct descendant of Ares himself. Maris could feel herself shrinking under the weight of her gaze, and yet, she did not yield. Pulling on the trident from the holster, she pointed the tips in Kenna’s direction. She knew she shouldn’t fight her. Her original plan was for the Vulcanians to join them. If she fought Kenna, that would make them enemies, but right now, what the other woman was doing to the city was exactly what an enemy would do. Maris needed to act now, even if it meant she could get hurt or worse.

“Queen Kenna Hagan. I command you to stop this senseless destruction right now!”

The woman slanted her head to the side. “I have no war to fight with the Sealians. Leave and you will not get hurt,” Kenna said, pointing at Maris with her ax. “Unless you know where the coward Valda is. Then I will have to kill you for keeping her from me.”

“My mate is not responsible for your pain, Queen Kenna. ”

Kenna’s eyes widened with realization as the grip on her ax tightened once more. Holding her weapon with both hands, Kenna positioned herself lower, ready to strike. “Maris Era, heiress of the Sealian Kingdom, Survivor of Storms.”

Maris tilted her head. “Not going to lie, ‘Survivor of Storms’ sounds kind of nice.”

“The mate of my enemy is my enemy. I never wanted to hurt the Sealians. They have done nothing wrong,” Kenna said. “Tell me where Valda is and I will not lay a hand on your people.”

“You want to kill her for something she didn’t do. Valda is not your enemy.” It was hard to maintain a stoic facade when Kenna’s demeanor slowly crumbled into an angry beast.

“Queen Valda came to my kingdom, accused my father of murdering Queen Rionach. Then she grabbed him by the neck and cut his head off.” Kenna paused, swallowed hard, and continued. “Right in front of me…”

“She did not kill your father!”

“His blood splattered all over my face, Heiress!” she snarled. “Wouldn’t you want vengeance if someone harms your family? Wouldn’t you want to burn everything to the ground?”

Maris’s hold on the trident faltered. Her gaze averted to the ground for a second before going back to Kenna. “Yes of course, but you are not listening!” She wet her lips and took a step forward. “It wasn’t Valda! She was with me in New Agenor. The one you want is the goddess Eris. She knew what she was doing. Starting a war with you, when the Sky Kingdom was plunging into a civil war, was the last nail in the coffin of Valda’s monarchy.”

Kenna blinked; the only sign she was taken aback was her grip on the ax relaxed.

Maris wasted no second. If she didn’t say everything now, she might not get a second chance. “Eris shapeshifts. She is also claiming she is the real heiress to my throne. Why wouldn’t she shapeshift into Valda and kill your father?”

Kenna shook her head. “I will not believe this.”

“You have to trust me!”

“Trust you? How am I to trust that you are not doing this for your own gain? You’re lucky I even allowed you to stand before me and talk.”

“I speak the truth.”

“Your words have no weight here! ”

“Queen Kenna—”

A deafening scream surged from the Vulcanian queen. Raising the ax over her head, Kenna threw the weapon, barely missing Maris as it embedded itself through a wooden wall. Maris gasped, looking at the axe next to her head.

The ax trembled behind Maris before it tugged away and flew back to Kenna’s hands. As fiery debris fell around them, Kenna thrust forward, holding the ax over her head and bringing it down with force. Maris blocked her attack with the trident, pushing the other woman off her before thrusting the blunt end to Kenna’s stomach. Maris didn’t want to hurt her, but she wasn’t about to let the other woman kill her.

Kenna stumbled back, holding her stomach and gritting her teeth. She opened her mouth to scream again, this time a thick lick of fire surged from it.

Maris moved quickly, avoiding the flames, her eyes never leaving Kenna. She opened the waterskin by her waist, pulled the water from the container with her powers and threw it at Kenna’s face, choking her and keeping her at a safe distance.

Hacking, Kenna glared at Maris before throwing the ax again. As Maris blocked the weapon, she threw it to the side.

“If you would just listen to—” Maris’s words were cut by Kenna’s shoulder, slamming into Maris’s stomach and bashing her to the ground.

“No! No more talking. Where is Valda!?”

With the air knocked out of her, Maris struggled to form a coherent sentence. The whooshing sound of the flying ax pulled her back enough to dodge another strike. Kenna’s weapon barely missed her face as Maris got up, grabbed her trident, and ran to the square, followed closely by a fire-engulfed Kenna.

As she moved into the city square, Maris spotted carriages filled with water barrels along with other provisions. With a flick of her wrist, Maris sent a wave of water cascading towards Kenna, seeking to douse the flames that surrounded her. Maris underestimated Kenna’s ability with fire. The queen wrapped her arms around herself, fire emanating from her skin, evaporating the water before it could reach her.

Using the mist, Maris waved the trident, gathering as much as she could before conjuring a wall of water just as Kenna formed a ball of fire from her chest and threw it at Maris. The wall and the fire ball dissolved into nothing, allowing Maris to see Kenna steadily heading her way.

With a battle cry, Maris launched herself towards Kenna, her trident swirling in an arc. The Vulcanian queen met her head-on; ax clashing against trident .

Fire surged around her, singeing her clothes and scorching her skin. Her waterskin had dwindled, leaving her with a limited supply of water to draw upon. She couldn’t allow Kenna to win, not now, not when she hadn’t been able to get through her.

Pushing Kenna away, Maris slammed the blunt end of the trident to the ground, turned to the barrels behind her and moved her hands as if she was holding onto them from afar. The water within the barrels snaked their way out, gathering into a wave. Without wasting a second more, Maris commanded the wave, crashing it towards Kenna. Kenna’s flames roared as they grew bigger, meeting the water with an explosive clash, sending shockwaves through the square.

As the explosion subsided, a burning ache spread through Maris’s muscles. She turned back to the barrels, and as she raised her hand to gather more water, her body gave out.

Valda was right, wielding the power of the gods wasn’t made for a mortal body…

Maris bellowed her frustration, grabbing the trident and connecting it to Kenna’s jaw just as the other woman ran towards her. The strike was strong enough for the fire to extinguish around them, as the water evaporated into nothing. Maris fell to the ground while Kenna lowered to one knee. The woman was tired, finally. The ax fell to her side before she leaned on her hands and knees, her breathing hard and labored.

Through wet hair, Kenna looked at Maris. The anger that had surged through the barbarian’s eyes wasn’t there, replaced by something else.

Maris stood up, quickly grabbed the trident, and pointed the three sharp ends to Kenna.

The Vulcanian smiled, grabbing the trident and pulling it enough to use it as leverage to stand.

Maris stood her ground, waiting for the other woman to attack again. Instead, Kenna threw her head and laughed.

What was she laughing about?

“Retreat!” Kenna bellowed.

A whistle cut through the air, drowning out Kenna’s command. The ground near Maris’s right leg erupted as an arrow buried itself into the dirt, followed almost immediately by a second arrow lodging into her shoulder. A searing pain radiated from the wound, forcing her down to one knee.

Her breath hitched as her widened eyes darted to the arrow’s shaft. Gritting her teeth, Maris reached up and yanked the arrow free, swallowing a scream that threatened to claw its way out. Her entire body tensed, as if sheer willpower alone could dull the agony .

Before she could fully process the pain, the sound of thunderous hooves erupted around her. A squad of Vulcanian soldiers closed in, forming a protective wall around Kenna. Within seconds, one soldier reached out and hauled Kenna onto the saddle of a waiting horse.

As she mounted, Kenna raised her arms, conjuring a swirling inferno that rose into a whirlwind. The flames roared and spun, obstructing Maris’s vision.

Maris braced herself as the heat of the flames licked at her skin, then slowly subsided. By the time the whirlwind dissipated, all she could see were the backs of the Vulcanian soldiers, galloping away with Kenna in tow.

Panting, Maris straightened her back, only to hiss as white-hot pain lanced through her wounded shoulder. She cursed under her breath, her free hand pressing against the tender area as she surveyed the surrounding wreckage. The chaos left in the wake of her battle with Kenna—and the Vulcanians’ rampage—stretched before her.

Shit…

Looking down at her torn clothes and the blood staining her injuries, Maris closed her eyes tightly, trying to will away the dizziness. Before she could steady herself, a pair of lanky arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her upright.

Cai’s worried voice broke through her haze. “Your Highness, are you all right?” he asked, struggling under her weight.

“Take me back to the inn.”

Without hesitation, Cai gathered his strength and began guiding her through the destruction. Maris kept her gaze straight ahead, refusing to look too long at the carnage surrounding them. Shattered carriages littered the streets, the bodies of horses lay motionless, and buildings were either smoldering ruins or completely reduced to rubble.

Her chest tightened. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to the people of Titania or to the Sealians, who had already endured far too much. How many more lives would be caught in the crossfire? How much more suffering would they have to endure before it was over? They had to end this. And soon.

By the time they reached the inn, Maris’s steps were uneven, her body protesting every movement. Cai helped her limp into the room where Melvian had given birth just hours ago. As she sank into a chair, she barely registered the worried gazes of Isen and Melvian. Her burned skin throbbed, and her clothing hung on by threads.

“Holy Poseidon! What happened to you?” Isen exclaimed, his body visibly reacting to Maris’s appearance .

Melvian, pale but alert, sat up straighter. “Maris! What happened out there?”

Before Maris could answer, Cai darted from the room and moments later, he returned, clutching a waterskin in his hands. He pressed one into Maris’s hands, his excitement spilling out as he rambled.

“Here! Drink this—Sealian water. Your Highness really needs it because of the burns, and, well—“

Maris tuned out his frantic words as she took a long sip. She felt the water working on her burns almost immediately, sparing her the agony of peeling skin. As Cai continued his chatter, his words finally caught up to the others in the room.

“You fought Queen Kenna?” Melvian’s voice cut through with disbelief.

Maris sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the chair. She closed her eyes, too tired to meet their gazes. “I did.”

The silence in the room was broken by the soft cries of the baby boy. Isen and Melvian stared at Maris as though she were a ghost—someone who shouldn’t be there, breathing and alive.

Melvian shifted to the edge of the bed, carefully handing the baby girl to Isen before waving at Cai to assist her. The young man hesitated, his eyes flicking toward Isen. A subtle nod from the new father was all he needed. With a steady arm around Melvian’s waist, Cai helped her stand.

“Water alone won’t keep her standing for long,” Melvian murmured, wincing as she lowered herself onto the seat beside Maris. She extended a hand, gesturing toward a small box resting on top of the drawers. “Cai, grab the bandages and wraps.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Cai’s response as he moved to retrieve the supplies.

Maris raised a hand to dismiss her best friend’s worry, but Melvian slapped it lightly before she could utter a word.

“This is my chance to train another Asclepius worshiper,” Melvian said. “Let me work.”

Maris caught the playful glint in her friend’s eyes and couldn’t help but return the smile. When Cai returned with the box, he opened it and followed Melvian’s instructions carefully. His hands were clumsy as he cleaned and wrapped Maris’s arm and shoulder. Meanwhile, Isen stood silently, his expression unreadable as he cradled his newborn twins.

Maris clenched her jaw to keep from crying out, the tight pull of the bandages stinging against her wounds. Her ragged breathing betrayed the pain she tried to mask, but she refused to stop Cai’s efforts. Once he was done, she let out a shaky exhale before turning her gaze to Isen.

“We have to leave now,” she said, her tone resolute despite the rawness in her voice.

Isen shook his head immediately. “We can’t! Melvian—”

“We must. I want to believe Kenna and her soldiers had a change of heart, but I don’t think they all did. We don’t know if they’ll come back, and we can’t risk staying here.”

“Maris—”

“Isen, please listen—”

“We can’t just move. Melvian just gave birth. You are injured.”

“I can move just fine. I just need a little help.”

Isen clicked his tongue. “And what about the babies?”

“They have an overprotective father and a mother that would literally give their life for them,” Melvian said, leaning over Maris and tying the wrap tighter, fixing what Cai had done. “We can go.”

“There’s already a wagon prepared for all of you, Captain Hurley,” Cai added from the doorway, standing at attention. “Just give the word, and I’ll help you get loaded up.”

Isen rolled his eyes at Cai before turning his gaze back on Maris. She met his stare with a shrug, unfazed. “You’re the only one who doesn’t want to leave.”

“I am not against leaving. I am against leaving now in your condition,” Isen said.

“Nothing a couple of water-skins can’t fix.”

Isen inhaled and looked down at the two sleeping babies in his arms. “Are we safer out there?”

“No,” Maris whispered. “We’re not safe anywhere until Valda is back in power. But if we leave for the formations now, we can give ourselves a better chance. We can protect each other—for longer—if we make it to the Sea Kingdom.”

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint rustling of Melvian adjusting her tunic as Cai helped her back to bed. Isen lowered his head, his face contorting with an inner battle only Melvian knew about. After a couple of tense seconds, he looked at his mate and then at his twins before nodding.

“Fine. Let’s go.”