Page 111 of A Kingdom of Shadows

He pants, running his hand through his hair, and looks at me. His eyes practically ask me if I'm okay, and I nod.

The Galgr is still flailing around in the net, snarling at us like a wild animal. She bares her teeth and looks like she is about to chew through the rope when Darius unfurls a flame of shadow from his palm.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," he says, and the Galgr stops, raising her head to sniff us out.

I take a step forward when Arlayna clutches my arm. "Careful. They can still manipulate your mind even on land."

"Why think so lowly of me, your highness?" The voice comes from the Galgr. It's old and echoing, almost like many are speaking at once.

Our heads slowly turn to her. Between the net slits, I can see her sharp-toothed grin.

"Are you that afraid of me to see your thoughts?"

Arlayna tenses, not having let go of my arm. "No."

She looks in Aeron and Faye's direction as if she can see them—as if she is not eyeless. "What about your love?"

Arlayna's grip on my arm tightens. She's breathing too much, too hard now. "He is not my—"

"No, he is not... and he won't be your last."

"What are you talking about?"

The Galgr clicks her tongue, shaking her head. "Such heartbreak, such betrayal set to come for you, Princess Arlayna. Your journey will not be easy, neither will it be for your sister."

I lower my voice as Arlayna stares at her as if she's torn about asking more or doing something drastic. "She is just trying to get to you, you know that."

She finally looks at me, her eyes glossy and her lips tight with struggle.

"Go with Aeron and Faye," I say. "We will let you know once we're finished."

She doesn't give me a response as she numbly let's go and walks away.

“Naralía Brielle Ambrose.” My name coming out of the Galgr's mouth sounds as if it's vibrating throughout the entire clearing. She inhales, and her smile almost looks pleasurable. "I can sense your power from deep within you wanting to break out."

As if I am back in the lake, my oxygen is cut. "What—" An exhale "—Power?"

She pays me no heed. "Darius." She grins, lifting her head. Her body jerks for seconds as if she is receiving every little bit of knowledge this far away from him. When she stops, she cocks her head to the side. "You gave the Rivernorth pendant to a previous trapper. Why?"

I glance at Darius, confused. Why is the Galgr deliberately asking that when she can find it out herself?

He's not looking at me; his jaw is tight as if his patience is slowly slipping away. "You know why."

"Yes," she says, hollow eyes slicing across to me. "But she does not."

She is getting in our heads; she is getting in our— "What is she talking about?" I'm looking back and forth between them, my head spinning profusely.

"His biggest secret," the Galgr whispers in a taunt. "Isn't that right, Darius?"

He laughs once. It sounds cold, almost tortured. "You're a deadly thing."

The Galgr flashes her sharp teeth and bows her head. "As are you, your majesty."

Your majesty?

I shake my head one too many times.

"What..." My heart is pounding. I can barely finish what I want to ask him.

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