Page 71 of Essence of the Throne

I watch Ariella as she consumes the view. The way her iridescent hair catches the light, how her sharp features soften in quiet contemplation. Even after everything, she still manages to steal my breath.

But something shifts in her expression—a hardening of her features that has my own senses heightening. “What is that?” Gavriel asks,also gazing at the water.

That’s when I see it. What appears to be a wall emerging from the water, impossibly tall and rising by the second. “What in the Aether…” I breathe.

People begin to notice, pointing and shouting, their alarm creating chaos among others. The wall of water grows, almost blocking out the sun as it advances toward the shore with frightening speed.

“We need to move,” I say, already calculating. “If we can get to higher ground, it may not reach us.”

“No time,” Ariella cuts in, her eyes still fixed on the approaching wave. “If we run, we die.”

She turns to me then, and I know that look. The one that says she’s about to do something very dangerous and potentially impossible. The one that makes my heart race with equal parts fear and awe.

“No,” I say, even as I step closer to her. “I know what you’re thinking, angel, but it’s not worth it.” This fearless fucking woman is preparing to expose her forbidden essence. I want to argue more, but not only do we have mere minutes until the wave reaches us, I’m certain that her choice is what will save her life. I could attempt to weave my aqua strand—I shake my head even as I think it. I’ve never trained in such a way and it would only serve to make me weaker.

“Do you trust me?” she demands as her breaths increase.

That may be the most stupid fucking thing to ever leave her mouth.

“Yes.” I say the word without hesitation because it’s true. Completely, irrevocably true.

Screams fill the air as people flee in panic. The wave towers over the city now, and Gavriel grabs my arm, but I shake him off as I shift to stand beside Ariella. Whatever she’s planning will drain her of everything, and that only solidifies my decision to ground myself so that I may catch her when she falls.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ariella

“By the Angel, we’re fucked,” Gavriel whispers, and for once in his pathetic life, I agree with him.

I’ve nothing to say as I cannot get my lips to move.

My feet root to the ground as I watch the wall of water rise, defying every law of nature. People scream and run, but my mind races through options as the prince stands next to me.

I cannot let him die.

I tug on my umbral strand without hesitation, ignoring the mere seconds left before we’re hit, and pull shadows from deep within me. They pour from my skin as I weave a ward around us. Gavriel shifts uncomfortably, but remains quiet as the wave towers over our heads.

The water crashes into us with cataclysmic force, my fists clenching at my essence’s inclination to dissipate amid the onslaught. I wince at the thunderous roar as we’re buried beneath the raging ocean. My knees nearly buckle as I strain to hold the ward. We sink below the surface, murky water surrounding us on all sides while my barrier keeps us dry. My eyes flick up, peeringthrough the essence to find that we’re already feet under water. Something akin to pure terror settles in my gut when my hands begin trembling—I’m not sure how long I can hold this.

Sweat builds along my neck while I focus on maintaining the barrier. My shadows dance and swirl, creating a dome that should protect us. But fuck, I’ve never attempted something this intense before. I can feel my essence draining faster than it should.

“What the actual fuck?” Gavriel’s voice breaks through my concentration. “You’re using forbidden essence? How?”

I grit my teeth, unable to spare the energy to respond. My arms shake with effort as the pressure increases.

“You knew about this?” He turns to Caspian, who remains oddly calm. “How long have you known she possesses illegal strands?”

“Gavriel, this isn’t the time—” Caspian starts, but his guard cuts him off.

“Not the time? She’s breaking the highest law we have! She should be executed for this!” His voice rises with each word. “And you’ve been hiding it? What else are you hiding from me?”

“Will you shut the fuck up?” I scream, my focus slipping as rage courses through me. “I’m trying to save your ungrateful ass!”

The ward flickers as my control wavers. My chest heaves, and I swear I hear a bit of wheezing from my lungs. The brute continues to yell, and though I do everything in my power to ignore him, I snap.

“Gavriel, shut up!” The last of my words are immediately drowned as I lose my concentration and the ward slips from mygrasp. It feels as though a stone building crashes into me, the pain of the water’s impact momentarily blinding before I force my mind to focus.

The pressure in my chest builds as I’m tossed through the murky water. My body slams into something hard—likely debris from the destroyed buildings. The impact forces what little air I had left from my lungs.

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