Page 165 of Ash and Feather

Dravyn cooled the air as quickly as he’d heated it. He’d once again attempted to look more human than usual, too, but the rising sun at his back—even as diluted as it was by the gathering clouds—ruined any chance of that. He was power and perfection in this realm and every other, and everyone present knew it.

My sister drew in a long, shaky breath as she watched him approach. Her horse nervously stamped its feet and attempted to turn them once more toward the other elves, but she refused to let it. She sat tall, her shoulders drawn back, her chin lifted.

I stood perfectly still, watching the meeting with a mixture of hope and horror.

I had faced the wrath of gods. Solved their sadistic trials and tests. I had traveled between worlds and battled against armies of all shapes and sizes. Had flown with wings made of fire, wielded weapons of the same flame, endured betrayal and poison and countless other things…

But this.

Thiswas the most anxious I remembered feeling in a very long time. Maybe because my hopes for this meeting were so high that—should this experiment fail—I felt like the fall back to earth might kill me.

Savna spoke first, kicking her horse into a trot and riding closer to appraise the deity approaching us. “Dra’ Zerachiel, Godof Fire and Forging, Destroyer of Worlds and—” she threw a glance in my direction “—Captor of Innocent Elven Maidens.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

I held my breath.

He rolled the tension from his shoulders and said, “Just Dravyn will suffice.”

The breath left me in a soft, slow sigh.

My sister glared at him in much the same way I imaginedIhad done during our first meeting. A glare full of complicated, conflicting things—a generational hatred and fear tempered by a need to cooperate for the sake of bigger, more important things.

Finally, a corner of her lips edged up in that confident, familiar way of hers. “Dravyn it is, then.”

Dravyn gave her a cordial nod before letting his gaze shift to me, searching my face for signs of anything amiss, still questioning whether I was truly okay after the tense meeting I’d just endured in the gatehouse.

I hurried forward and took the reins from his hand. “Our royal guard awaits us,” I reminded him as I swung onto my horse’s back. “As does the king.”

Both he and my sister still looked wary of one another, but neither one objected.

And somehow, despite all the forces battling against it, the three of us set off together toward the palace.

Chapter 38

Karys

It was taking toolong to get back to the palace.

Maybe it was the silence between us making it feel longer. Or the tension weighing down our movements, making every step seem to drag. Or maybe this whole situation was some fever dream that existed outside of time and reality—maybe I’d never actually woken up this morning.

I almost started to believe this last thought until Dravyn slowed his horse, his gaze darting suspiciously at our surroundings, and he said, “This is a different route than the one we took earlier.”

The statement startled me; it wasn’t like me to not notice a change like this.

One of our escorts slowed as well. “A disturbance of some kind took place on that earlier route, soon after we passed through,” he informed us. “It’s been dealt with, I’m told. Nothing to worry about—we’re just being extra cautious.”

But the soldier clearly seemed to be worrying as he picked up his pace, leaving the three of us to exchange an uneasy glance.

As the soldier trotted just out of earshot, Dravyn’s glare swung in my sister’s direction. “You came into this city alone, as agreed?”

“I swore I would,” she replied, stiffly. “And I kept my promise.”

I pushed my horse between them before Dravyn could comment on her record of promise-keeping. “We’re almost back to the palace,” I said pointedly. “Let’s just keep going.”

They led their horses away from one another, each hugging as closely as they could to opposite sides of the road while I remained in the middle.

Finally, we turned onto the street that led directly up to the palace gates. Dravyn’s former home stood like a beacon among the increasingly dismal day, the brick facade bright in the somber lighting.

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