Page 80 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

This threat… It’s more perilous than the bloodshed Asheros had been trying to avoid when he’d kidnapped me with the hopes of enlisting my help to persuade Viridian to abdicate the throne.

“It might be wise to call for reinforcements,” Savell says quietly. “With a threat this grave, kingdom-wide, the High King may offer aid.”

“I considered it,” Asheros says. “But stealth is our strongest weapon. Even if Viridian’s Court weren’t compromised, bringing a squadron of the Guard with us would only alert the murderer to our movements.”

“Then it’s decided.” Kheldryn stands, placing her hands on her hips. “We track the late High King’s murderer.”

Pressing his palms to the table, Savell joins her, resignation etched into his features. “If the male we’re looking for truly does have a connection to the Old Gods and he’s able to draw upon their power, then he’ll be extremely dangerous.”

“You know what,” Ronan grumbles, rising to his feet. “I change my mind. There isn’t enough alcohol in the realm for this.”

Kheldryn rolls her eyes. “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning.”

“Ha!” Gryska howls.

Ronan wrinkles his nose at her.

“I understand that I’m asking a lot of you,” Asheros says, his tone heavy with the weight of his words. “All of you are free to walk away from this at any time.”

My heart swells with admiration.

Regardless of our mission, his people are his priority.

He’s the kind of leader good fae would die for.

“I’ve walked beside you for years, and I’ll continue to do so for years to come,” Savell says, his expression firm. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me. Always.”

“Like hell I’m letting you do this on your own,” Kheldryn adds with a determined look in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Reaching her full height, Gryska pats a fist to her chest. “Nor I. My axes are yours to command.”

“Not mine,” Asheros says, his jaw set. He turns to me. “Hers.” His diamond-like irises pierce mine. “We are yours to command, Bladesinger.”

The others look to me now, that awe and reverence they’d shown Asheros now directed at me.

Nerves gather in my stomach, and I take a breath. Though it’s Asheros and his inner circle—our inner circle—that look to me for orders and not the members of the High King’s Guard, I fall back into the role of commander as if I’d never stopped.

The last to stand, I ground myself, my mind focused on the undertaking before us. “Very well. Let’s give that wretch one hell of a beating.”

Orim is the one that answers the door when we return to Arella’s cottage.

“As much as I love to see you all, there must be a reason you’ve returned so soon,” he says once we’re inside. “What is it?”

“We’re tracking the red-eyed male’s movements,” I say, shifting my weight. “To do that, we thought it best to begin at the source.” I direct my focus to Arella, who stays close by Orim’s side. “Do we have your permission to search your property? We’re looking for anything he may have left behind.”

“Yes,” she says, dark eyes wide. “Yes, of course.”

Turning to the others, the pleasantries fall from my tone. “Kheldryn and Gryska, search the home for evidence the murderer’s been inside. Savell and Ronan, you have the back of the house. Asheros and I will take the front.”

Savell nods. He and Ronan exit swiftly while Kheldryn and Gryska begin surveying their surroundings.

Following Savell and Ronan’s path, I stride out of the cottage, Asheros at my back. The moment I cross the threshold, I lower my stance, scanning the ground for any mark the red-eyed male has truly been here. I know what I saw that night—what we all saw—but it’s worth nothing without evidence. Visions of the past can’t be tracked, but physical signs can.

“What’s happening in that beautiful mind of yours?” Asheros asks. Though tension grips his mouth, his words are steeped in reverence. As if he genuinely wants to know what I’m thinking.

My heart wants to leap at his use of the word ‘beautiful,’ but I’m too focused to acknowledge it. “We know the red-eyed male flew away when he made his escape, so footprints are of no use to us.”

“Right,” Asheros muses.

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