Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27521 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 138(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“What was that noise?” I ask as I watch the cloud of smoke dissipating into the blue sky. “The Wilderwall broke. How is that possible?”
Garrick looks tired and weary as he looks up at the wall in the distance.
“We have to get you back to the castle, Princess.”
“Why?” I ask, looking at each man. Their eyes drop whenever I look at them. “What is happening? Why did the wall break?”
“Princess,” Garrick says with a heavy sigh. “Please…”
“Does my father know about this?”
He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t say anything.
So, I yank the reins out of his hand, look up at the wall one last time, and then race home to tell him.
“Princess!” Garrick shouts as I burst across the rolling hills, leaving them no chance of catching up. “Vaela! Please!”
I ignore his pleas until I can no longer hear them on the wind. I race through the sparse forest, through the valley, past small villages, over the stone bridge arching over Thistle River, and into the castle grounds.
By the time I get home, Lark is in a full sweat. I head into the stables and hand him over to Asha, who always takes extra good care of him.
“Please give him some extra oats,” I say as I pet his neck and hurry away. “He’s earned it.”
“Where is your guard, Princess?” Asha asks. “You should have an armed escort accompanying you with all the wolves in the castle.”
“Wolves?” I ask, my blood going cold. “What wolves?”
“From Varkhar,” she says. “Emissaries of the Blood Kings. They arrived this morning.”
“For what?”
She shrugs. “I was hoping you knew.”
This can’t be good. The Kingdom of Varkhar is our neighbor to the east, although we humans have not dealt with the wolf shifters for decades.
The Wilderwall continues from our northern border along our eastern flank, separating us from those barbarous wolves. I have no idea why they would be here.
But I’m going to find out.
I march through the courtyard and into the royal tower. The guard doesn’t want to let me up without an escort, but I quickly put him in his place.
“You have no authority over me,” I snap when he actually puts his arm up, blocking the entrance. “I am Princess Vaela of the Kingdom of Aurevale. Move that arm or I shall have it removed!”
His cheeks turn red under that metal helmet, and he hesitates for just a second, but eventually drops his arm.
“As you wish, Princess.”
I raise my head and march past him, heading straight to my father’s quarters at the top of the royal tower. My father is King Corwin, and my mother is Queen Elowen. I am the only heir to them both, so one day, I’ll be in charge of all this, including that insolent guard who thinks he can tell me where I can and can’t go.
My heart is still pounding with shock from the damaged wall, adrenaline from the ride, and anger from dealing with the guard as I march up the spiraling stone steps.
But all of that suddenly fades as I come face to face with two giant wolf shifters. My stomach drops, my heart slowing to a lethargic beat as I turn the bend in the staircase as they’re coming down.
There are two of them, both larger than any human man I’ve ever seen. They have dark features—long, messy black hair, thick beards, and eyes that are both alert and deadly as they size me up. I know instantly that they are not from my kingdom.
Aurevale is also known as the Jewel Kingdom. We are the smallest of the nine kingdoms, but we are the richest by far. It seems you can’t swing a hammer in the mountains without hitting a jewel the size of a man’s fist. My father has a distinguished appreciation for the finer things in life—paintings, sculptures, clothes, and exotic fabrics. He has scoured the nine kingdoms for the most talented artists and craftsmen, tempting them with large sums of gold to live in the Aurevale capital.
Even the lower caste merchants and farmers of Aurevale wear clothing that would make a royal in the Moonborne Kingdom blush with jealousy.
So, these two wolf shifters with their boorish, unrefined outfits lazily patched together from the dried hides and gnarled furs of wild animals do not fit in.
What shocks me the most is that they do not carry weapons. No longswords are hanging from their belts. No daggers strapped to their chests. No crossbows secured to their backs. And then I realize… They do not need weapons. They are weapons. They have the most deadly weapon hiding inside them, ready to strike at will.
I flatten my back against the cold stone wall as they walk past me, looking me up and down with their uncultured, wolfish eyes. I keep my chin raised, staring right back at them as they pass without a word.