Chapter 31

Arya

The pain is too great for me to bear. I don’t know what’s happening around me anymore, but I do know that I just crashed into what looks like a meeting between Dad and his important people.

And by crash, I mean literally crashed into their table.

I feel the wooden structure exploding against my back, as well as the shuffle of papers and the crash of coffee cups on the floor. I expect the pain to come but it doesn’t. Instead, I just feel a numb kind of sensation on my back.

I have a strong feeling that his otherwise deadly collision against the table is actually cushioned by my prickly fur.

The men around me all yell and flinch as I try to straighten up. In my head, I can feel Ivory’s chaotic joy and her immense freedom. I can hear her letting out a long and joyous whoop, which registers as a long and shrill howl that echoed in the tight space.

Meanwhile, King Samuel is in great shock. He carefully approaches me as his men press themselves against the wall, trying not to get flatt