Page 82 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

Gryska clears her throat, gesturing to Asheros and me. “What do ya suggest we do?”

“Getting to Illnamoor before the red-eyed male does is our best option. Whether he goes after my mother or not.” I place my hands on my hips, thinking through the plausible outcomes. “If we’re right, and he plans to kill my mother, we’ll have a trap set for him.” I pause. “And if he doesn’t, then we reevaluate and rethink our next steps.”

“I agree.” Asheros looks at me, and then back at the others. “We can’t risk him harming Lady Kylantha. There’s too much at stake.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Gryska says with a huff, as if that’s the end of the discussion.

“More traveling,” Ronan groans, wiping his face. “Wonderful.”

“This is important,” Kheldryn scolds. “The fate of the kingdom is in our hands.”

I swallow, tension working at my throat.

She’s right.

The fate of the kingdom is in our hands.

Nerves gather in my stomach. The weight of the consequences, should we fail to stop Vorr’s murderer from inciting a war, bear down on my shoulders. This isn’t a battle I can fight alone, or an enemy whose weaknesses I can easily decipher.

I’m out of my element.

And the cost of my mistakes would be paid in blood.

“We’ll leave in the morning.” Asheros’s gaze sweeps the room. “Rest until then.”

“At the inn?” Savell asks, jabbing his thumb toward the outside.

“I know it’s cramped, but you’re more than welcome to stay here for the night,” Arella says. “Save your coin for when you need it.”

“Thank you.” Asheros dips his head, offering her a polite smile. To the others, he says, “We’ll stay here for the night.”

After retrieving our bedrolls from our packs, we disperse throughout Arella’s small cottage and ready ourselves for bed.

Despite the fatigue clinging to my limbs, sleep is the farthest thing from my mind. The need for action is so much stronger, a constant, driving force. Knowing myself, it won’t relent until I’ve sated its demand.

There’s something I need to do, first.

Then, I can rest.

“What is it?” Asheros asks softly, approaching me.

I meet his eyes, resolve powering my words. “I need to borrow your dagger.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

“My dagger?” Asheros arches a brow. “What for?”

Tugging lightly at his sleeve, I pull him outside with me so as not to disturb the others. It’s only once the door leading into Arella’s cottage is closed that I meet his eyes and let my shields fall.

“I need to—I want to speak with Viridian again. Before we leave for Illnamoor. I have to.” I pause, willing my tired mind to still, even if it’s just for a moment. “I have to know that he and Cryssa are all right, for now.”

Briefly closing his eyes, Asheros tilts his head back in understanding. “Of course.” His diamond-like stare meets mine, bearing into me. “Whatever you need, Bladesinger. Just say the word and it’s yours.”

I take a breath. My stomach clenches with the need to take care of this immediately, to eliminate the threat to Viridian and Cryssa’s rule, the threat to the kingdom itself. But right now, that’s not possible. Right now, all I can do is make sure that my High King and Queen—my friends—are safe.

Asheros’s expression softens, as if he’s attempting to decipher what I’m feeling.

I don’t have the words to explain it, nor do I want to. I’m too tired to sit down and talk about our feelings like a gaggle of soft-tempered fae with too much time on their hands. But he doesn’t ask me to. It’s like I’m an open book, or a language, only he can speak. He seems to know what I need without me having to say it.

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