Page 175 of Lady of Ashes

“I do not doubt that,” she murmured, pulling an amulet from her pocket and studying it as she crossed under the archway.

He followed, feeling the wards snap back into place once hecleared the archway, and they made their way back down to the Citadel.

“Do you have any idea where the Fae key might be?” Scarlett asked Ashtine while they were led through underground passageways beneath the Citadel. They’d shed their fur-lined cloaks above, and he’d gotten Scarlett to eat the small sandwiches that were awaiting them when they returned. Briar and Ashtine had gone back to putting distance between themselves, and now Ashtine was escorting them to the libraries.

Each Court had a library, as did the White Halls and Black Halls, but none of them compared to that of the Wind Court. Their libraries were housed in catacombs beneath the Citadel, spanning the entirety of the structure and beyond. Sorin had no idea how big the libraries truly were, only that they were extensive and the Wind Court was extremely protective of the tomes they contained. Visitors were always escorted, never allowed to roam alone, and several areas were closed to outsiders.

“I have many ideas. Will any of them be helpful to you? Likely not,” Ashtine replied, her usual lilt and oddness having returned. “But I suspect they will ?nd their way to you as the others have.”

Scarlett nodded. She pulled an amulet from her pocket again as they walked, her own this time. She ran her ?ngers over Saylah’s symbol, goddess of shadows and night. “Any idea who the ?nal bloodline might be? The six bloodlines of this continent are covered.”

“That you know of,” Ashtine said.

Sorin and Briar were walking behind the females, but they were listening to every word. Briar met Sorin’s quick glance at Ashtine’s words.

Scarlett seemed to weigh how to respond, clearly remembering that speaking with the Wind Princess could be difficult. “You have said my powers walked this world before. Did you know I was Avonleyan when you met me?”

“No. I am not a Seer.”

“But you are very knowledgeable.”

“Only when the winds speak through me.”

“Do you regret your choice?”

“Scarlett,” Sorin warned, but Briar shook his head, apparently wanting to hear the answer.

Ashtine was quiet for so long Sorin didn’t think she was going to respond.

“Queen Talwyn is unaccustomed to loyalty given freely. She does not understand the idea of someone willingly choosing her above others. Not without some kind of cost to her. No one has ever done so before.”

Guilt barreled into Sorin at those words. Scarlett obviously felt it too, glancing back over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide in alarm.

“Queen Talwyn does not understand unconditional love,” Ashtine continued, drawing Scarlett’s attention back to her. “To answer your inquiry, no. I do not regret choosing my queen, my friend, over my gifts. I do not regret being able to show her that unconditional love exists in this world, even for her. The cost for me has been extreme, something I would only bear for one other person. As for your previous question,” she said, her tone making it clear any discussion about Talwyn was over. She reached for the amulet Scarlett was still ?ddling with. “Many bloodlines have walked this world at some point or another. How many remain is unknown even to the winds, but I would start beneath the Black Halls.”

“You mentioned this before,” Scarlett said, and dread pooled in Sorin’s gut. With everything else going on, he had also forgotten Ashtine’s brief mention of what,who, exactly resided beneath the Black Halls. His hand instantly brushed over where the Bargain Mark was on his skin. Briar gave him a pointed look, saying he remembered the last time they were beneath those Halls too.

“Something about a sorceress,” Scarlett was saying.

“TheSorceress,” Ashtine corrected. “Yes, she resides in the prison beneath your Halls.”

“And she is in this prison because …?”

“Yes, Sorin, please explain who exactly the Sorceress is to your wife,” Briar chimed in, and Sorin shot him a dark glare.

“The Sorceress was captured by Queen Eliné and Queen Henna during the war. She is said to be not of this world. No one knows where she came from, but her powers were stripped from her. Half of her gifts were used to create the Witch bloodline. Her othergifts were bestowed upon those who are now the Shifters,” Sorin explained.

“Why would you not mention her sooner?” Scarlett asked. “Ashtine is right. She could be the ?nal bloodline.”

“She does not have an amulet, Scarlett. Her cell is bare. She is incredibly dangerous.”

“How so, if she no longer has her gifts?”

“She still has her knowledge. She can still practice Blood Magic if she gets access to blood,” Sorin said darkly.

“Perhaps her knowledge would be helpful,” Scarlett tossed back over her shoulder, continuing to follow Ashtine.

“Everything has a cost with her. Answers to questions will be no different, and her prices are steep,” Sorin replied.

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