Page 95 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

Fuck.

It was like someone had pressed the mutebutton on the controller. The only sound I could hear was the ear-piercing ringing that tore through my head, sounding like one of those ungodly mosquito tones. Slowly, I managed to open my eyes, the invisible weight pressing against them slightly dampened by my fierce determination to live.

Dust and debris had settled over my unprotected face. I lifted my equally dusty hand to wipe at it, being mindful of my injuries, but it was like trying to wipe away mud with more mud. It just became worse.

A low, keening whine spilled from my lips unbidden as I struggled to move the weight of my own body. My chest heaved in ragged sobs, tears spilling down my dirt-marred face as I crawled through several feet of debris toward the still body of Kristian, my guard. He was half-buried in the building’s wreckage, his dark face covered in a heavy layer of white dust.

I reached out with a shaky hand to check his pulse.

Nothing.

He was dead. Just like the rest of them—and now I was truly alone.

The old me would have become numb. Would have curled up in a ball and let fate take over.

The old me was tired of war. Matthias was gone, again, and this time it looked like it would be permanent.

The King. The Ruler. Fallen to his enemies.

There was no surviving that explosion unless they were in the vault and I had to have hope that they were. Their lives were in the hands of fate.

What else was there to do but give in to that fate?

Except this wasn’t a game of chess where the fall of the king meant the end of the game. I

No. This was war. And the war wasn’t over until the queen was dead.

And I was the fucking Queen.

Or so I wanted to believe.

They were alive.

I had to cling to that hope as I looked around.

My empire was crumbling around me, and I was surrounded by the enemy.

No, literally, I was surrounded by no less than twenty men, the barrels of their guns pointed directly at me. I was impressed they thought they needed twenty men to take me in.

“Hello, dear.” A woman’s voice filtered through the air, unbothered by the rising smoke and dust that covered the air.

I never expected her to betray me.

“Hello, Grandmother.”

SHATTERED REVELATIONS

MATTHIAS

Secrets would be revealed.

Loyalties would be tested.

It was all coming to an end.

She was only meant to be a pawn.

Someone I could use and throw away.

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