Page 22 of Wrath of the Never Queen

I yelp at the sudden voice from below me, already half off the ledge. I try to pull back, but it is too late, and the momentum carries me through. I spin as I fall, desperately grabbing for the ledge as the earth falls away from my feet. I hook a few fingers just in time and slam against the wall, knocking the wind from my lungs.

“Miss Shivani! What are you doing up there?” the voice calls up at me in a hushed tone laced with shock.

I dangle against the wall, my fingertips the only thing holding me up. I try to pull myself up, but my fingers are numb from the cold, and I do not have enough grip. One of my fingers slips.

I cry out, my shoulder straining. On instinct, I reach out for my au’mana, but it is pent-up and directionless. The purple glow creeps out, emanating from my body. I draw it back before I am spotted by another guard. I desperately kick my legs to try and find a foothold, but there is only air.

“No!” I gasp as panic floods my brain. Myfingers lose their grip, sliding helplessly towards the edge.

I am going to die. This is it.

I squeeze my eyes shut, tears brimming and send a prayer to Aunt Meena. The hard ledge slips out from under my fingertips.

My stomach lurches. The cold air whips past me. I have only a moment to understand I am hurtling towards the end of my life.

Chapter 10

“Oof!”

I land hard, but not as hard as expected. I automatically curl up into a defensive ball and find myself pressing into something firm and warm.

“Miss Shivani?”

I open one cautious eye. The prince stares down at me closely. His eyebrows are somewhere up near his hairline. The night sky is above him, pitch black except for the stars scattered across it like splattered paint.

“Am I dead?” I whisper.

The prince cocks his head.

“No…” He frowns. “You fell.”

He lowers me to the ground. I realise he has caught me and had been holding me up in his arms. The information churns slowly, like treacle, in my mind. I open my mouth but find myself unable to speak. I shiver, ice cold. My body jerks erratically, and my teeth chatter.

“I-I…” I try to say something, but my mind is empty, like a plug has been pulled and all my thoughts have drained away.

“You are in shock,” he tells me, but I am not quite able to understand what he means. He sounds far away even though I know he is right next to me. I stare past his head, my mouth open. “Miss Shivani?”

“Huh?”

“We need to get you inside before a guard sees you.” He wraps something thick and warm around my shoulders. I nod numbly before the words sink in.

“No!” I cry, and he claps a large hand over my mouth. I try to twist my face away, but his other arm wraps around my upper back, and he pulls me towards him, holding me tight. His eyes are wide and bore into me as he shakes his head.Quiet, his eyes scream.

A guard walks nearby, whistling loudly. He is mere meters away, but we are hidden in the deep shadow of the tree. The guard sighs heavily, looking bored. The prince’s eyes dart to the side as we listen and stay completely still. After a moment, the guard passes. The prince releases me with a long exhale.

“We need to get inside now,” he tells me firmly, but before he can move me, I burst into tears.

I press my hand to my mouth to stifle the noise, but my tears flow freely. I sink to my knees.

“Miss Shivani.” The prince knees in frontof me, alarmed. I remove my hand and suck in deep breaths, trying to steady my voice.

“The-the king, he w-wants to…he s-summoned me…” I force the words out in a low whisper. My body heaves with sobs, and I feel as though I may pass out. I blink rapidly to try and clear the spots in my vision.

The prince grabs my hands and levels his eyes with mine. He breathes in deeply through his nose. Instinctively, I match him. When he breathes out in one steady exhale through his mouth, I do the same. My heart begins to slow, and my vision clears. We breathe in tandem, never breaking eye contact until I can speak clearly again.

“The king summoned me to his chambers tonight.” I swallow the lump in my throat and look away.

The prince does not respond, his face plain but for the flutter of a muscle in his jaw.

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