Page 160 of Ash and Feather

I desperately hoped so.

“I did speak briefly to my brother as well,” he added after we’d walked in silence for some time. “Not a cheerful breakfast conversation, however. I was curious about what became of the other elvish prisoners being kept alongside Cillian.”

“And?”

“None of them survived.”

A cold sweat washed over me.

I went back to counting and organizing the various works of art we walked by until my pulse stopped racing and I felt like I could speak clearly again.

“It wasn’t your fault, you know. What happened with Cillian.”

He said nothing to this.

He had apologized over and over again about it already. Now that we were here, staying directly in the shadow of his family’s lives and deaths, it occurred to me that he was probably struggling not to draw parallels between what had happened with Cillian and what had happened with his siblings.

He hadn’t been able to save them from death by elvish poison, either.

He was the one who kept apologizing for Cillian, but I was the one who felt guilty now. Powerless to undo the deaths he’d witnessed. To unbreak his heart. All I could do was forgive him and hope it would be enough.

I said none of these things out loud. I only took his hand as we walked, squeezing it as tightly as I could, as I thought of our conversation from the other day. Of what I’d told him, whether he was listening or not—that he was worthy of forgiveness.

You have to forgive yourself for the ones you couldn’t heal,I thought.The ones you couldn’t save.

If today went well, if we could somehow kindle the start of a peace between all the realms and races, then we would end up saving far more than we’d lost.

His hand eventually squeezed mine back; hopefully because he was listening.

We said nothing else until we reached the small office where Fallon had stationed the soldiers who would be helping to facilitate our meeting with Savna. After a brief exchange of information, our helpers filed out of the room, most of them grim-faced and looking less-than-enthusiastic about having been selected for this mission.

I tried not to let their expressions get to me.

I didn’t need enthusiasm today; just cooperation.

Dravyn pulled me aside before we left, directing my attention to a small box perched on the edge of a desk, beside the city maps we’d been poring over during our planning.

“The other thing I collected this morning,” he said. “It’s a gift that Mairu brought me—given to her by the Healing God. Rieta helped fashion it, so it should fit as well as the other things she’s made for you.”

Inside the box was one of the most beautiful pieces of armor I’d ever seen—a coat of mail that shimmered between shades of white and gold, much like the Healing God’s eyes. It flowed as easily as water between my fingers, weighing next to nothing at all, yet I could sense a mighty power radiating softly from it. The same quiet, understated power Armaros carried into every room he entered.

“It will offer protection against any weapon that might try to pierce you, obviously, but more importantly: it’s infused with the Healing God’s magic—specifically with spells that will help counter the effects of anti-divine venom. The same spells he used to reverse some of the damage I sustained in Mindoth.” He rubbed his shoulder. The marred skin there was fully covered by his shirt, but I still winced at the memory of the way his scars had looked in the moonlight last night.

“Hopefully you won’t have to make use of this gift,” he said. “But I’m not willing to take any chances.”

We reachedthe gatehouse I’d chosen for our meeting point after a quick horseback ride through the waking city.

Even as we left the more crowded areas behind, I could feel all the stares of that city against my back. Could hear the people’s whispers, the foundational blocks of rumors being laid. No one had approached us—they didn’t dare, given the royal livery of our horses and the small army of guards accompanying us—but the weight of their attention weighed heavily.

Fallon’s words echoed in my mind.

If you are wrong, you will have put my city and its people in a very dangerous position. I just hope you realize that.

I gripped my horse’s reins with sweaty palms, leading her to the hitching post behind the gatehouse. My lungs could not seem to inhale enough air no matter how hard I tried to focus on my breathing.

The guards were now a quarter mile behind me, forming a barricade to ensure this meeting would not be interrupted. No city folk would leave through this route. No one would enter through it.

The guards remained close enough to intervene quickly, if needed—and Dravyn was even closer—but the gatehouse itself was secluded, neutral ground that only Savna and I would step into.

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