We were under attack. And from the looks of it, losing.
Fear grabbed my heart and squeezed, stealing my breath.
Aribella!
Where was she? Was she safe?
It was all coming back to me. Going to the island with Aribella to look for the Shadow Heart and finding the shadow dragon instead. Using my magic to force her on to our boat and away from danger.
The last thing I remembered was seeing Aribella’s sweet face across the burning clearing before getting swatted by the dragon’s spiked tail.
I didn’t remember the impact, but when I looked down at my chest and abdomen I could see the freshly healed scars.
But what had happened between then and now?
I was here and alive, which meant Aribella must have battled the dragon and won.
My brave girl.
She must have also figured out a way to get me back to my castle, which couldn’t have been an easy feat with me unconscious and gravely injured.
Pride rose up in my chest for my little truth witch. She was as strong in spirit as she was beautiful.
But the warm feeling chilled as I glanced back through the hole in my wall at the devastation that was being wrought on my beloved capital city.
There were multiple fires speckled throughout the districts. Pillars of smoke rose up from other areas. And the sounds of anguish and agony as well as weapons clashing filled the air.
I prayed Aribella was far from Easteria. That she’d left me here and traveled safely back to Dawn and my brother.
The thought of being separated from her tore me in two, but I’d rather see her safely away from me than caught up in this mess. I may not understand why my kingdom was under attack, but I saw enough to comprehend one thing: today was most likely my last.
Springing into motion I had enough sense to grab a sword and pull on some boots before leaving my half-destroyed chamber. The hallways were completely empty as I ran down them toward the front entrance.
When I finally stumbled out of the castle, I was dropped into chaos.
My people ran this way and that, trying to put out fires and triage the wounded. I grabbed the arm of a dark-skinned fae as he rushed by me, halting him.
“My lord?” he said, his eyes wide as saucers.
“What’s happened here?” I asked, having to yell to be heard over the ruckus around us.
“A rebel army of Midlanders attacked the city at dawn. They say it’s close to ten thousand strong.”
Ten thousand rebels!
I did some quick calculations in my head. Not all my troops were in Easteria at the moment, but even if they were, that still wouldn’t be enough to face an army that large.
“Why did they attack?” I asked.
The man cast a look over his shoulder, anxiety rolling off him in waves. He obviously needed to be somewhere, but I couldn’t let him leave before he answered me.
“Because, my lord, they heard you were ill. Near death. They knew we were vulnerable without you. They saw an opportunity to take your kingdom and riches, and took it.”
Of course. It was a lesson I’d already learned and the reason I worked so hard to keep up a fierce reputation. The moment your enemy smelled weakness they would be on you, ready to shove a blade in your back and take what was yours.
“Aeon!” someone yelled, and the man in front of me went tense. A woman ran toward us, her eyes wide with fear.
“That’s my wife, my lord,” the man said and held up some bandages. “My daughter was injured and I was getting—”
