**** 8.20 AM *****
Eric arrived in Isadora moments too late.
His course had been set for Allegiant, but something shifted. A profound, unnatural disturbance in the city's energy—so strong it cracked through his senses like a lightning strike. It yanked him off course, pulled him straight into the heart of devastation.
The air was thick with ruin.
Smoke choked the sky, ash falling like poisoned snow. The acrid stench of burning metal, scorched stone, and blood clung to his lungs with every breath. The city was unrecognizable.
What was once a thriving district had become a graveyard.
Shattered buildings stood as hollow skeletons, some still collapsing under the weight of destruction, others engulfed in flames, their dying embers licking at the heavens. The sky was dark, thick with smoke, the sun barely piercing through the haze of war.
Eric's honey-brown eyes scanned the wreckage. Bodies. Blood. Shadows of people who had once walked these streets.
And then—a flicker. A faint glimmer of hope.
The warriors we all still standing, but what irked him was as his gaze swept across them, searching, counting—Eko was missing.
And Matthew—
Matthew was on his knees, his broad shoulders hunched forward, head hanging low, unmoving. Toni knelt in front of him, his voice rushed, concerned—frantic almost. His hands hovered, unsure whether to shake him or steady him.
Eric's chest tightened. His breath caught as he watched the scene unravel, a deep-seated fear clawing at the back of his mind. Something wasn't right. His gaze swept down the ruined street, past the mangled wreckage, past the still-burning husks of vehicles and shattered glass reflecting the chaos.
And then—he saw the mage.
A man whose name had only been whispered the night before when Jesse updated him on what had happened. His presence was a storm. The very air around him seethed with power, crackling like lightning ready to strike. His voice sliced through the destruction—raw, furious, teetering on the edge of control.
It clashed against Jesse's sharp, urgent words, her tone edged with something more than frustration—
Fear.
She was struggling to rein Vause in, to keep him from unraveling further, but he wasn't listening.
Nearby, Mya knelt beside Jasmine, her fingers pressing gently against the burns marring her friend's arm. Jasmine flinched, but Mya didn't hesitate, her focus razor-sharp as they whispered in hushed, frantic tones. Their gazes kept flickering to the city beyond, shadows of worry etched into their expressions.
Above them, Allegiant ships dominated the sky, their ominous silhouettes stretching over the ravaged streets like dark omens. The deep, rhythmic pulse of their engines reverberated through the air—a mechanical heartbeat soaked in dread.
Eric's heart hammered relentlessly: pound, pound, pound.
"We need to go after her!" Vause's voice exploded through the silence, raw and desperate, trembling with a fury that barely masked the sheer panic beneath. His chest heaved as his eyes darted wildly among them.
"What the fuck are we doing just standing here?" he roared, his entire body crackling with barely contained energy. "They're going to kill her!" Hands clenched into fists at his sides, his breath coming in sharp, uneven bursts. Every second wasted felt like a knife to his throat.
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Ashes Of The Throne | Part I
Fantasy"Not every heir wants the throne." PART I | Some people survive war. Princess Sera survived what came after. Her kingdom is gone-burned to ash, buried in betrayal. She escaped the ruins with nothing but a haunted heart, a shattered name, and a secre...
