Page 5 of Lady of Ashes

Every head in the room whipped to him. “Come again?” Cyrus asked.

But Talwyn spoke before Sorin could say more. “Were you planning to ask us for help before or after you informed us that Scarlett had gone missing again?”

“Since she went missing after defending the Earth Court border,I ?gured the least you can do is help us get her back,” he answered, casually strolling behind his desk and lowering into his chair, leaning back.

“Excuse me?” Luan growled.

“My queen went to aid your border, did she not?” Sorin asked with a raise of his brow.

“We did not request her aid.”

“We were monitoring the situation just ?ne,” Talwyn said, stepping to the edge of the desk, bracing her hands and leaning over it. “Perhaps if you had taught my cousin the proper procedures and politics of our Courts, this could have been avoided.”

“My queen does things her own way. Something you should be familiar with Talwyn,” he quipped, holding her gaze as he laced his hands behind his head. “Proper procedures aside, you were right, Little Whirlwind. We have found ourselves planted on the same side.”

Talwyn had gone still as death at her childhood nickname, and fury poured off of her. “That is not the way to gain my assistance, Prince of Fire,” she whispered with lethal calm. “I suggest you try a different tactic.”

Lightning ?ashed across the sky outside, and Sorin glanced at it, a bored expression on his face. “Someday you will learn to control that temper, Talwyn.”

“Be very careful with your next words, Sorin.”

Sorin unlaced his hands and leaned forward, bracing his palms against the desk before him. “Through our own resources, we have narrowed down her whereabouts to Baylorin. Most likely in one of two places.” He waved his hand across the map on the desk. A swirl of smoke had it morphing to a map of the capital of Windonelle. “The problem is that I cannot simply walk into either of them. Due to the little quest you sent me on, I am fairly well acquainted with both establishments. I will be expected and not welcome.”

“And how exactly can we help with that?” Talwyn asked through gritted teeth.

“Youcan help by giving Luan use of your ring to Travel us in and back out once we have her. I will not risk another queen of the Courts going into the mortal lands until we know what we are up against.”

“That does not explain how exactly you are going to get to her,”Luan cut in, studying the map before them. His dark shoulder-length hair swaying around him.

“I do not need to explain the full scope of my plans to you. Not any longer,” Sorin answered, maintaining his bored air.

Talwyn snorted. “How happy you must have been to ?nally be rid of me, hmm, Sorin?”

Sorin studied her jade green eyes and mahogany hair braided down her back. And for the briefest of moments, he saw the child she had been. He saw them in the gardens of the Black Halls working on controlling her magic. He saw her picking ?owers to bring back to Eliné. He saw her sipping hot chocolate in his Fiera Palace after playing in the snow all afternoon, while Eliné had been away on a trip to another Court or territory.

And he found himself saying quietly, “No, Talwyn. I have never once been happy to not be on the same side as you.”

Talwyn pulled back from the desk, straightening. Her tone had softened almost imperceptibly when she said, “We will help in whatever way we can to get her back, so that we can proceed with ?nding the keys.”

Sorin nodded. “I need to ?nalize a few things. Be ready to depart tonight. We will go in under the cover of darkness.”

Everyone was quiet while Talwyn held Sorin’s stare. “Do not lose another one of mine, Sorin,” she said quietly.

“I swear to you on my life, Little Whirlwind. He will come back to you.”

CHAPTER 3

SCARLETT

Scarlett.

Scarlett. Scarlett.

Her name was a faint knocking at the back of her mind. A voice she could almost make out. A voice that pulled at her soul. A voice that was sometimes echoed by a growl. But then it would become silent once more. Kept just out of reach.

Tarek had slapped shirastone shackles to her wrists and ankles and hauled her atop a horse. There was nothing she could do. She was too weak and drained. She had slipped in and out of consciousness as they’d ridden well into the night.

Until a voice that made her entire body tremble spoke out of that night.

---