Page 90 of Lady of Ashes

“He lives,” Hazel answered.

“Will he wake?”

“Yes, I believe he will. Being half-Witch, half—” She paused, waving her hand in Scarlett’s direction. “He will wake. Most of his injuries will heal.”

“Most?” Scarlett questioned, turning from Cassius to look up at the High Witch.

“They used different blades,” Hazel said, her angular features seeming to sharpen, violet eyes going darker. “Some were regular blades, easily healed. Others, like the one used on his eye …”

“He will be blind,” Scarlett whispered, reaching out to take his hand in hers.

“In that eye, yes,” Hazel answered. “Some of the stab wounds did extensive internal damage as well. We will not know the full implications of those wounds until he wakes.”

“How long? When do you think he will wake up?” she asked, stepping closer to the bed. She wanted nothing more than to climb up beside him again, be close to him, hear his heart beating beneath her ear.

But she had responsibilities to tend to. She’d brought over one hundred children here. She needed to ?nd Nuri, ?nd out what’s been happening in Baylorin, learn what is going on with Callan and Tava.

“When he is ready,” Hazel answered, bringing her hand to his cheek, white light emanating again.

It wasn’t really the answer she was hoping for, but something in her chest had loosened at seeing him alive, seeing his chest steadily rise and fall. There was no labored breathing, no pools of blood. Even his facial features were returning to normal. They had stripped his dirty and torn clothes off, his torso tightly bound andwrapped. His leg that had been shattered was set into some type of splint, but many of the smaller cuts, burns, and wounds were nowhere to be found.

They stood in silence for several minutes. She could hear Cyrus and Sorin speaking quietly together across the room, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at them, let alone attempt to listen in on what they were saying.

“I need to go check on a few things, see a few people,” Scarlett ?nally said, her ?ngers tightening slightly around Cassius’s hand. “I will be back frequently to check on him, but please send for me if there is even the slightest change.”

Hazel nodded, glancing at her for the ?rst time since Scarlett had come to her side. “You made a choice, young queen. Now you lift your chin and handle the consequences, whatever they may be. You do not look back, only forward.”

Scarlett nodded several times, forcing back the stinging at the back of her eyes. She knew Sorin had drawn nearer when she had mentioned going to check on the others. She could feel his presence, knew when she turned around he would be mere feet from her.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and met his stare. “I need to check on the children and ?nd Nuri.”

“You can do that after you and I have spoken,” Sorin answered.

“Just let me make sure they have everything they need for the children—”

“No, Scarlett. Now,” Sorin interrupted, a ?re portal appearing behind him.

“You still don’t give me orders, Prince,” she replied with faux sweetness.

Sorin stalked forward, his hands back in his pockets. He was visibly trembling, and she felt a ?icker of emotion down their bond. Fury? Desperation? Something else? She couldn’t get a read on it, before it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

He stopped directly in front of her, bending down to speak into her ear. “This conversation is going to happen, Scarlett. Now.”

Scarlett’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded once before stepping through the portal and ?nding herself in the mountain chateau. Sorin came through a moment later, the portal snapping shut. He crossed to the hearth, tossing a ?ame into it before turning to face her.

“Do you need to rest before we do this?” “No, but I—”

“You left me.” His voice was low and tense and ?lled with an emotion she couldn’t decipher.

“I did it to protect you,” she said, her own tone pleading with him to understand. “I did itforyou. For all of you.”

Sorin shook his head. He’d stepped behind an armchair, and his ?ngers gripped the back of it, digging into the upholstery. “In what world is youleavingme behindprotectingme, Scarlett? In what realm is youblocking our godsdamn bondinmybest interest?”

“Sorin, I—” She took a step towards him, but a thin line of ?re erupted before her. She could have easily stepped over it, but she paused, accepting the boundary he was drawing for now. She reached for him down that bond that was back and ?owing between them again, but he shook his head once more.

“No. You do not get to use that bond right now. Not for this.” His jaw was clenched, and she could tell it was taking everything he had to keep himself under control, to keep his temper from exploding.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, her hands ?sting at her sides. She planted her feet, bracing herself for what was about to come. Opening her eyes, she looked directly into golden ones ?lled with embers as she said with con?dence she in no way felt, “I can take it, Sorin. I can take what you have to say to me.”

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