Page 14 of The Throne's Undoing

Dark shadows were now cast across Fynn's face. His eyes had since dulled, and his brown waves had lost their sheen. When she looked at the sky, she noticed even the sun had dimmed, its brilliance having dulled to a muted hue as if a film covered the world.

"You must fight it, Kallie," Fynn said.

"Fight what?" Kallie screamed, slapping a fist against the sand. "What are you talking about?"

A smile flicked at the corner of Fynn's lips, and sadness coated his eyes as he said, "The truth is always hard to hear, especially when we have spent our entire lives looking the other way, not knowing what stood before us. But Kallie, you need to look. You cannot hide from it anymore."

"Hide from what? Speak plainly!" Anger rose in her throat, and her body began to shake again.

Fynn sighed, his chest rising as he brushed a hand through his hair. "When you're ready, perhaps I will explain, but for now, there is no use. You will only push the truth away and bury it far too deep where you cannot reach it."

"Ready forwhat? What truth?" Tears streamed down her face as she begged for an answer, for an explanation, foranythingthat didn't feel wrong.

Every limb, every ounce of her blood screamed at her, shouting about the wrongness of his words, his voice, this place. And yet, the wrongness didn't prevent the tears from falling. The wrongness didn't keep her from reaching out a hand.

"I have already told you," Fynn said with a shake of his head. "I cannot do anything for you until you're ready."

Kallie attempted to stand, but her legs failed her, sending her crashing to the ground.

Still, she would not give up. She needed answers.

Kallie crawled, her nails clawing at the sand as she hurried forward. But every yard she gained, every inch she came forward, the more Fynn seemed to fade away.

With her panic rising, Kallie reached forward, her anguished cry filling the air, "Fynn!" Tears continued to fall down her face as she struggled against time to reach him before he vanished. "Don't--Don't leave me!"

Fynn made no move to reach out to her, nor did he take a step toward her. Instead, he only gave her a small smile that struck her in the chest.

"Please, Fynn!" Kallie yelled. "I'm ready! Whatever it is, I'm ready!" Yet, as loud as she shouted the words, they were heavy on her tongue. As if even her voice knew she was lying. Because how could she be ready if she didn't even know what she needed to be prepared for?

Kallie pushed herself onto shaking legs but couldn't gain purchase and fell face-first into the sand. The sand began to melt beneath her, and Kallie's eyes widened in horror. The more she struggled and the more she tried to reach him, the deeper she sunk.

She looked up at Fynn, pleading, begging.

Still, Fynn did not move, his body slowly fading from existence. As he stared down at her, no light shone in his eyes. No sparkle, no smirk.

"You are more capable than you believe yourself to be, Kalisandre," he said, his voice growing more distant, just like his form. "I only hope that you will realize that before it is too late."

Fynn's voice swept over her, wrapping around her like a warm blanket.

Kallie tried to grab it and hold onto it, but it slipped through her grasp. Desperate, she lunged, screaming as she attempted to wrap her arms around her brother and force him to stay. But her foot sunk further into the sand, and the edge of the rock slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

When she blinked and pushed herself up, Fynn was gone.

Then, the world was inked in black once more.

Chapter 5

GRAESON

Graeson and Terinwere the first to reach the horses near the Draconian River. As they made their way out of the inner city, detonations erupted as Sylvia and the others set off their explosives. Dani's plan had worked perfectly. Buildings crumbled, people screamed, and Frenzia fell into chaos. The guards were pulled away in every direction, the lost bride only a secondary thought as small fires threatened to consume the capital in earnest.

Even as the fire continued to roar behind them, Graeson knew Domitius would not rest until he had Kalisandre back. Graeson was not so foolish to think that the king's game was over just because Domitius caused the tunnel to collapse and separated himself from Kalisandre.

On the contrary, everything in Graeson's body told him this was just the beginning. Soon, the king's men would come for them.

Thankfully, as Graeson and Terin took the opportunity to rest and shed the Frenzian armor, the others quickly joined them. When Graeson spotted Sylvia, the same wicked gleam coated their amber eyes. When Sylvia spotted the last twounclaimed horses, a mix of anger and somberness filled their expression.

"Come on," Graeson said, cutting through the silence as his footsteps crackled fallen leaves and detritus. "We should get going before we lose our advantage."

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