Page 39 of Dark Prince's Mate

Shit.

How do we help them?A moment ago, it looked as if the sun was going to explode.I thought that was the end of all of us.Finished.Done.The life forms on Zerra weren’t going to be destroyed by an asteroid but by a supernova.

Miraculously, the sun returned to its original brightness, and things went back to normal.Until the mountain started shifting.Then, just as abruptly, it stopped.

I dressed hurriedly, grabbing the first gown and pair of shoes my hands fell on, and was just about to go check on our guests when Kian arrived.

Having sensed the distress in so many Alit minds, he came looking for Aruan.When I told him Aruan was with the queen, he said there was no time to waste.He sent a message straight to Gaia’s mind, since he said it was open to his instead of closed like Aruan’s, to alert Aruan and the rest of the family.Then he took my hand and brought me here through a portal he opened.He didn’t mention a natural disaster or how we were supposed to make ourselves useful.I weigh a whopping ninety-two pounds.I won’t be able to lift a single one of those rocks, and even if I could, it would take ages to remove everything.

I look at Kian for a clue.His expression is grim as he takes in the horrific scene.

My voice is shaky.“Where’s Aruan?What’s taking him so long?”

Surely, with his powerful ability, he can fix this in no time.

“He’ll come as soon as he can,” Kian says.“Gaia already delivered the message.There are several villages affected in addition to this one.”

In the meantime, people here are trapped beneath the rocks.“What can I do to help?”

He closes his eyes without replying.

“What are you doing, Kian?”My anxiety climbs.“Now’s not the time for meditation.”

“Getting a headcount,” he mumbles.“If you’d let me concentrate.”

Portals open left, right, and center of us, letting guards through.They land on their feet running.The work has the queen’s name written all over it, which must mean Kian is right.Gaia did indeed deliver the message.

More guards arrive, but there’s no sign of Aruan.The only sentiments our bond reveals are urgency and diligence.What I wouldn’t give for cell phones right now.

One of the guards stops in the clearing, puffs out his chest, and starts calling out orders.I jerk with surprise.The volume of his voice is so blaringly loud that my ears ring.Did the guy swallow a megaphone?He sounds like a thousand-megawatt speaker.Is that an Alit power, having a super-loud voice?

His words carry across the valley as he orders people to line up according to their talents, swiftly dividing them into groups of heavy lifters, runners, and caregivers.

Another guard is already hauling rocks twice his size from the pile while others are working in teams to move them.That guard is the man who flung the Phaelix through the air without even touching them when they attacked the palace.I recognize his face.

In no time, the villagers have joined in.Everything is so well coordinated and happens so fast it makes me think this isn’t the first time they’re facing a crisis of such a scale.

A blur moves in my peripheral vision.I look toward it.The blur of motion dashing across the field turns out to be a man running so fast he appears like nothing but a series of hologram flashes.

What the…?Where’s he going?

“To tell the other villages to bring food and blankets,” Kian says.“We may have injured people who’ll need care.”

Did I ask that out loud?Or is Kian in my head?

The guard with the megaphone voice jogs to Kian.Like the other guards, he wears a white tunic and dark pants tucked into long boots.

He stops at the bottom of the outcrop and bows his head.“Your Highnesses.”

His voice is like razorblades cutting into my brain.I resist the urge to cover my ears with my hands.

He raises his gaze to Kian, avoiding eye contact with me.When he speaks again, his voice is at a normal level.“How many people are trapped under the rocks?”

“Ten moon cycles.”At the widening of the man’s eyes, Kian adds, “It happened too fast.They didn’t have time to sound the alarm.”

The guard’s expression is cautious.“Casualties?”

“Not yet,” Kian says with a tight jaw.“The stone structures are holding under the weight of the rocks.They still have air to breathe.”

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