Page 117 of Lady of Ashes

“Sorin?” she asked, turning to the Fire Prince.

“Later, Scarlett,” Sorin replied tightly. “I will tell you of her later.”

“What, exactly, is it that these Maraan Lords want from you?” asked Azrael.

“They want me to ?nd the keys to enter Avonleya so that Alaric can have revenge and then, I would assume, rule here and there,” Scarlett answered, sipping at her water again.

“Do you think they are powerful enough to take on the Avonleyans?” Azrael asked.

Scarlett shrugged. “It does not matter if I think they are powerful enough. They clearly think they are. They tried before, did they not?”

“And nearly succeeded before the Avonleyans ?ed back to their continent, leaving those they’d recruited for help to fend for themselves,” Talwyn snarled bitterly.

Scarlett seemed to mull this over, tapping her nails on the table. “That is one way of looking at it, I suppose.”

“What is another?” Talwyn asked from between clenched teeth.

“They went back to guard whatever it is that the Maraans want on that continent,” she answered.

“Which is?”

Scarlett shrugged. “That is something I have been trying to ?gure out for months.”

“Do you think they were waiting to detain Talwyn for the same purpose?” Azrael asked.

“Possibly. It would make shifting the keys back to their original state easier to already have her, I suppose,” Scarlett mused, clearly contemplating a number of things as she stared out a window to the right.

“Possibly?” Talwyn questioned. “Is that not why they wanted you?”

“Partly,” she answered.

“Partly,” Talwyn deadpanned. “By all means, please explain the other part.”

“They want my bloodline,” Scarlett answered, bringing her focus back to the table.

“Eliné’s bloodline? Why?”

Scarlett shook her head. “Not Eliné’s. My Avonleayn bloodline.”

Azrael’s head whipped to Scarlett. “You have Avonleyan blood?”

“Yes.”

“How much?” he demanded.

“Apparently all of it,” she answered casually, her head coming to rest on her hand again.

“You are full-blooded Avonleyan?” Azrael asked.

“Yes,” she con?rmed. “Although, my heritage has now changed twice in less than a year, so who really knows at this point?” She lounged back in her seat, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I will be an actual goddess by this time next year.”

“A goddess who got thrown across a training pit a few hours ago?” Cyrus mused with an arched brow. “I think not.”

Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him with a scowl and a glare.

“You are pure-blooded Avonleyan?” Talwyn repeated, her blood seeming to have frozen in her veins.

“Yes,” Scarlett answered.

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