Kingdom of the Sea by Madison Horton

Author:Madison Horton [Horton, Madison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Madison Horton

15

Day 63 of Summer

The dawn was an important time of day for the Askanese. It symbolized renewal, a fresh start. But as Luciana hid in her music room, crouched under her piano, this new day hardly felt like a good omen. She’d spent the night sleeplessly curled up on the floor, lying in a puddle of her own silent tears.

The commotion outside had gone on for hours, crashes sounding outside the window and loud footsteps thundering on the floor above her. The noise was a constant reminder of what was going on, and while she was still in shock, the reality of her situation was starting to settle in.

She was no longer Reina.

The position she’d held for less than a day was now gone, possibly forever. Who knew what the new leader of Askaña would do to the political system, with the majority of the aristocracy dead?

Bile rose in Luciana’s throat at the thought. She’d run before she could see anything else, but as ruthless as the rebels had already been, she found it hard to believe that there were any survivors. And if there were, they had likely already fled the country and denounced their former titles and holdings. Luciana couldn’t help but feel a bit envious at the prospect. The rebels would likely hunt her down no matter where she went, because as long as she lived, any other claims to the throne could be considered treasonous and illegitimate.

But what could she do? Her allies were all dead. The rebels had won. It would be nearly suicidal to try and gather an army from the remaining loyalists in the militia. And as much as she’d like to think she’d have a chance to truly wear the crown, deep in her heart she knew it was impossible. Unless… she did know someone with an army strong enough to give her a fighting chance to reclaim her crown.

She’d survived the night, but with the new day came new problems. How would she escape the castillo? And if she couldn’t, how would she care for herself while trapped in the secret passages? She was just grateful she hadn’t been found yet. The odds of that lasting were not in her favor.

It did seem that, at least for the time being, her location had stayed secret. The little girl she’d seen at the tunnel entrance last night hadn’t sent the dogs after her, and she was grateful. Perhaps she had an ally. Maybe if she found the little girl again, she could help Luciana escape.

Luciana pushed herself to her feet slowly. Her muscles ached from a night spent on the floor and her limbs were stiffer than usual. Between her sore joints and the haunting image of her family’s blood spilt on the cold tiles of the ballroom, it was all she could do to stand.

Still, she forced herself to go to the tunnel entrance, careful to stay out of view of the window just in case patrols were outside looking for her.

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