Page 72 of Cursed Crowns
There was a moment of utter stillness, all three of them looking at each other in anticipation. And then the sand shifted so violently that Rose was thrown onto her back.
“Move!” said Shen, stowing the dagger and pulling her up.
They leaped up onto the horses, rearing back from the chasm that opened before them. The sand was churning so fast, it spat out in every direction, burning their skin and stinging their eyes. The ground groaned as it cleaved apart, the hole getting bigger and bigger. They galloped along the edges of it, the horses whinnying in alarm as the sand collapsed in on itself.
Rose cried out as a huge shimmering dome emerged from the chasm, rising up from the sand like an iridescent bubble. It glimmered in the sun so brightly, it took her a moment to realize there was an entirecityinside it.
No, not a city.
A kingdom.
Golden waterfalls of sand sluiced off the sides of the mighty domeas it rose, before settling atop the desert as though it had been there all along. The dome shimmered out of sight, revealing a high stone wall and a pair of towering scarlet gates. Beyond them, Rose glimpsed hundreds of red and gold roofs, glittering in the sun.
Finally, the sands stopped churning. The music melted away, and all was still.
Rose was so struck with wonder, she couldn’t speak. Behind her, Shen was breathing heavily. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it in hers.
“Home sweet home,” said Kai with a triumphant grin. He nudged the horses onward. “Let’s go, slowpokes.”
To Rose’s mounting surprise, the red gates swung open by themselves. Just beyond them, she glimpsed beautiful sandstone buildings and winding pathways, lush with desert shrubs and blooming white flowers. And in the middle of it all, at the top of a pale stone staircase, stood a huge golden palace.
Before they could make their way toward it, they were beset by people.
“I can feel the wind on my face!”
“Look at the sun! The sky!”
“At last! At last!”
They poured out of their homes, crying with joy as they lifted their faces to the sun. Children whooped and hollered as they made for the gates, while people threw their hands to the sky and wept.
One by one, the people of the Sunkissed Kingdom spotted Rose, hovering just inside the gates. And as they did, they fell to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the earth.
Rose blushed. “Oh, there’s really no need for that,” she said hastily. “Please, do get up.”
Behind her, Kai snorted. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
An old woman lumbered to her feet. “Praise the skies!” she cried out. “The crown prince has returned!”
All around her, others joined in. “The crown prince has saved us!”
“All hail the crown prince!”
Rose frowned. “I think all that time under the sand has confused them,” she muttered to Shen. “I’m a queen, not a prince.”
Just then, the doors to the golden palace opened, and a regal-looking man in a red-silk shirt and flowing black trousers came sauntering down the steps. He was tall and lithe, with tan skin and long black hair pulled away from his face and coiled on the top of his head. He wore a thin gold band above his stern brow, and though Rose had never seen him before, there was a certain familiarity in the hard edge of his jaw. His eyes were brown and discerning, and they were trained on Shen.
“Behold, the crown prince!” he called out, opening his arms in greeting. “I never thought I’d see this day.”
Rose whipped her head around, the heat draining from her cheeks. “Who on earth are they talking about?”
The crowd parted for the man, and he came to stand before them. He smiled up at Shen, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “Welcome home, Shen Lo. You have been missed.”
Rose nearly fell off Storm.
Behind her, Shen had gone so still, she wondered if he was still breathing.
“Oh,” said Kai, leaning forward on his horse. “That’s right. I forgot to mention that you’re the heir to the Sunkissed Kingdom.”