Page 38 of Lady of Ashes

“Because Nasima is bound to protect her, as Maliq is bound to protect you,” Briar answered, striding to stand beneath Ashtine. He lifted a hand, reaching for her, and Ashtine slowly began lowering to the ground.

“I know that,” Talwyn snapped. “Why did she come to you?”

Briar shrugged as Ashtine placed her hand in his, her feet landing on the earth once more. “One would assume because Prince Azrael is unavailable.”

As if they had coordinated a dance, Briar raised her hand and spun her under his arm. With a long exhale, Ashtine released all the wind from her palm, blowing it away from them, before gracefully completing the spin to face Talwyn once more.

“I suggest taking a few moments to compose yourself before going to speak with Stellan.” She tilted her head once more, before saying, “But I would not wait long. He is very upset.”

Another water portal appeared, and Briar began leading the Wind Princess towards it, Nasima ?itting back to her shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Talwyn asked.

“The Water Prince and I have some matters to discuss regarding imbuing some new weapons. We had a meeting planned for this afternoon,” Ashtine replied, her tone returning to her usual lilt. “The winds will ?nd me should you need me.”

With that, she stepped through the portal to wherever she had been planning to meet with Briar, leaving Talwyn alone.

Again.

She’d given herself an hour. She’d Traveled to Jonaraja Forest and unleashed hell on those ancient trees, letting control slip entirely. When her winds had ?nally calmed and energy had stopped lighting up the sky, when the earth had stopped trembling; Talwyn had sat against one of the old trees, trying to catch her breath. Maliq had appeared then, coming to rest beside her, his head lying in her lap. She had idly scratched his ears as she’d regained her composure.

She couldn’t believe what had happened. Since they were children, they had dreamt of getting revenge on Avonleya. They had lain beneath the skies in Ashtine’s Wind Citadel in the Shira Cliffs. They had giggled as they’d used their wind magic to push in clouds and shape them into various pictures against the blue background. They had spoken of what their lives would have been like had they been raised by their parents rather than proxies. And as they had grown older, those talks had turned to what they could do when they had mastered their magic, when they were more powerful than their parents had been. They could go after those responsible. Not Deimas and Esmeray. They had disappeared shortly after the wards had gone up to separate the Fae lands from the mortals, once they had slaughtered the sitting Royals. Mortal history said they gave their lives to enact wards to keep the Fae and Avonleya contained. Fae history said the Fae enacted their own wards to keep Deimas and Esmeray out. And Avonleya?

Some accounts said they were banished. Others said they enacted the wards to hide behind, leaving their once allies to fend for themselves.

And die for a cause that was never theirs.

Deimas and Esmeray may have been directly responsible for the deaths of their parents, but this stemmed back farther than them. This was Avonleya. If they had not beseeched the Fae for help, neither she nor Ashtine would have grown up orphans. If Avonleya had fought their own godsdamn war, everything would have been different.

So they had plotted. Their daydreams had turned from fairy tales in the clouds, to how they could get revenge on an entire kingdom. Running and playing in the gardens turned into duelingwith their magic as it grew stronger. It became training with swords and intense private tutoring. And when Ashtine ?nally mastered walking amongst the winds, she would bring back information for Talwyn, while Talwyn threw herself into her political lessons. She learned everything she could about running the Courts. Sorin taught her how to study people, how to watch for speci?c mannerisms that betrayed their emotions and to capitalize on them. Azrael taught her how to keep her emotions in check, how to keep a mask of cool indifference on her face at all times. Her aunt had been guiding her through dealing with the other territories.

And in the dark hours of the night, Ashtine would still come to her rooms on the winds, and they would discuss anything new either of them had learned. That was how Talwyn had learned that the physical war may have ended with Avonleya, but there was still a silent war brewing. She may not have known a thing about who was involved in it, but she knew the Avonleyans were causing some sort of unrest in her world. It only renewed her will to see justice brought against them. They simply couldn’t leave well enough alone. They couldn’t accept their defeat and just stay in their own lands across the sea.

Everything had seemed to be falling into place when the Oracle told her of Scarlett. She had an ally. She had a blood relative that possessed her aunt’s powers. They would have all four elements at their disposal. More than that, her union with Sorin would unite the Courts once more.

It was one more step in the right direction, one step closer to bringing Avonleya to their knees. In the three years that Sorin had been gone, she had begun building up their defenses with Azrael’s help, but Avonleya was frustratingly hard to ?nd information on. So much of it had been buried or lost in the years since the Great War. Ashtine would show up at times with useful information, but it wasn’t until Sorin had sent word asking Briar about the Semiria rings that the winds had really stirred. After that night, Ashtine had new information almost daily … until the day Scarlett claimed her throne. Since that day, Ashtine had seemed on edge, and now, apparently, she had decided that their lifelong quest for justice was no longer the “best path.”

Talwyn swore as she pushed to her feet. In a swirl of magic, her usual weapons were in place, and she stepped through the world and into Siofra, just outside the Alpha’s oasis home he shared withhis sister. The guards at the entrance stiffened as she approached, bowing their heads.

“Is Stellan available?” Talwyn asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible.

“Yes, your Majesty,” one answered. “I can have Keenan escort you if you wish.”

At his words, a tall male stepped from the gates. He wore a sleeveless tunic with linen pants, curved blades at his waist. His black hair was tied in a knot on the top of his head, and he bowed at the waist before turning and heading down a dusty road.

Talwyn followed his lead, already sweating in her leathers, as he led her around the various pools of water and past the cascading falls. They crossed a terrace before he stopped and gestured with an arm to a wide area where a huge lion was pacing back and forth in clear agitation. His large paws were leaving tracks in the sand, and his dark mane was tossed as he turned around and followed his own path. A jaguar was lying off to the side with a big, tawny-colored wolf sitting at attention. When she entered, the wolf was instantly on its feet, while the jaguar slowly curled up, stretching and yawning, leveling its golden-eyed stare on Talwyn. The wolf let out a low growl that had the lion halting its movements, a snarl emanating from his massive chest when he spotted her.

In a ?ash of golden light, a man was striding towards her. He was even taller than Keenan had been, his dark skin gleaming in the hot sun.

His black hair was cut short and close to his head, and dark tattoos spiraled down his arms. He wore loose linen pants, and his chest was bare. He didn’t have any weapons on him, but he didn’t need them. He could summon a lion’s claws in his human form, and he could shift energy at will. His olive eyes matched his sister’s, but where Arianna was ?irty and cunning and tended to keep her enemies close, you knew exactly where you stood with the Shifter Alpha. He was harsh and commanding and just as cunning as his sister. He also gave Azrael a run for the title when it came to being a hard-ass prick.

Today was no exception. Rage was written on every line of his face, his square jaw clenched tight, and energy crackled around his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched his ?sts. He halted in front of her, and Talwyn didn’t miss that he failed to bow. Instead,he barely inclined his head before he spoke in a low voice laced with ire, “Where is Arianna?”

She lifted her chin as she answered. “She is with Sorin in the mortal lands.”

“On whose orders?” Stellan demanded.

“His.”

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