Page 118 of Lady of Ashes

Talwyn looked to Ashtine. “How long have you known?”

Ashtine held her stare as she said, “I learned of her heritage at the same moment you did.”

“Bullshit,” Talwyn spat. “You have been found with them, before my arrivals, more times than not these past weeks. Not to mention the winds—”

“As I have repeatedly reported to you, your Majesty,” Ashtine interjected, her usual lilt turning cold and lethal, “the winds no longer speak to me and stopped whispering of Avonleya weeks ago.”

“How much does my bloodline truly matter?” Scarlett drawled.

“It matters,” Talwyn bit back, dragging her eyes back to her cousin. No, wait.Nother cousin. “Because if you are not Fae, if you are not Eliné’s heir, then you have no claim to the throne of the Western Courts.” The entire room went still. Briar and Sorin were glancing at each other. Their Courts exchanging glances as well. Had none of these idiots thought of this?

Scarlett’s silver eyes were ?xed on Talwyn as she said with controlled calm, “Come again?”

“I said,” Talwyn replied, enunciating her words sardonically, “that if you do not carry Eliné’s bloodline, then you are not the heir to her throne, and thus have no right to rule overFae.”

“I may not carry her blood in my veins,” Scarlett said, her tone going lethal, “but her gifts were transferred into my blood.” In emphasis, she raised a hand, letting orange ?ames spring to life while shards of ice spun around them. “Blood Magic was used to do so.”

“That does not give you a right to her throne,” Talwyn spat.

Celeste help her if she was going to let anAvonleyanhave the throne of the Western Courts. It was not an option. Because an Avonleyan certainly would not aid her in her vendetta against her own people.

And yet she was the only one who could ?nd the fucking keys.

A saccharine smile spread across Scarlett’s face as she ?dgeted with the ?ames and ice still conjured in her hand. “Correct me if I’m wrong, because I am not entirely well-versed in Fae customs and politics yet, but it is my understanding that the most powerful of an element claims the throne. It is why the prince sitting to your right holds his throne, and the Fae in the mortal lands is so disgruntled.” Talwyn’s lip curled up as Scarlett continued. Her face had gone cruel, and her tone had turned vicious. “Eliné’s gifts make me the most powerful being with ?re and water magic. If someone wants my throne, they shall have to ?ght me for it.” Shadows suddenly ?itted amongst the ice shards, and the ?ames turned blindingly white. “But I will not lose,” she added with a wicked grin.

“Maybe we need to take a little break,” Sorin ventured, clearly trying to ease the tension in the room. Maybe recognizing his wife was about to lose control. Maybe recognizing so was Talwyn.

“A wise idea,” Azrael chimed in, pushing to his feet. “Ashtine. Talwyn. The White Halls?”

As he spoke, an earth portal appeared to their left. Talwyn got to her feet, but before she had taken a step, Scarlett spoke once more. She was watching the earth portal spin, not even bothering to look at Talwyn when she spoke to her.

“Tell me, your Majesty, which of the subjects we spoke of today concerns you the most? My newly discovered bloodline, your possibly still-living twin ?ame, or the potentially missing Contessa?”

“All of them concern me, along with the missing keys and these Maraan Lords,” Talwyn replied, bracing her hands on the table as she leaned towards the queen, Scarlett ?nally dragging her eyes to meet her stare.

“Which would you prefer we deal with ?rst?”

“I would prefer it if a full-bloodedFae Queensat across from me at this table to discuss these matters with me since they directly affect those the Avonleyans fucked over,” Talwyn spat.

Scarlett’s head tilted to the side. “Just to be clear, your biggest issue with this is not that I am not Fae. It is that I have Avonleyan blood, yes?”

“Yes,” Talwyn seethed.

Scarlett casually got to her feet, stretching her arms above her head and yawning widely, as if they were not in the middle of a heated discussion, and Talwyn wasn’t about to make the wood table beneath her hands explode. “Perhaps you should discuss your Second’s bloodline and where he got those Traveling powers from then … And why he is using an earth portal instead of Traveling right now.”

Talwyn’s head whipped to Azrael. “What the fuck is she talking about?”

Azrael, though, was glaring daggers at Scarlett.

“That’s why he thinks he is owed the Earth Court, isn’t it?” Scarlett asked, holding the Earth Prince’s stare. “For the same reason Queen Talwyn believes I should not hold my throne.”

“We are not the same,” Azrael replied, his tone so full of violence that the entirety of the Water and Fire Courts were on their feet, and Sorin was pulling Scarlett into his side.

“You know,” Scarlett said, a slight smirk lifting one side of her lips, “I’m thinking you will need more than a ‘little break.’ Why don’t we reconvene in a few days?”

Azrael took a step towards her, but he froze when two shadow panthers took shape in front of him, eyes blazing with white ?ames. Scarlett freed herself from Sorin’s hold and took a few steps towards Azrael, her shadow panthers prowling back and forth before her. “You know I am right, Prince Luan. You know that the Fae aiding Alaric is the same Tarek Ordos that was your Third. He did not die in that ambush a decade ago.”

Azrael said nothing, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he ground his teeth together.

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