Page 222 of Lady of Ashes

“Chaos descended on the worlds they ruled. Some worlds were ended. Some were abandoned. Some were forgotten.”

“What of this world?” Scarlett demanded. “What of the world we live in?”

“Some worlds became sanctuaries,” the Sorceress whispered.

“How do you know these things? Who are you?”

The Sorceress stepped back from the bars. “The other story comes at a cost, Lady.”

Scarlett’s nose scrunched in confusion. “The story of two sisters is about you?”

The Sorceress only smiled back at her.

Huf?ng a sigh of frustration, Scarlett pulled her spirit amulet from her pocket. “What do you know of this?”

“Of what? The skystone? The nightstone? The goddess of that symbol? Or the key?”

Scarlett’s lips pursed, unsure of how to respond to that, knowing that any answer she sought would require a price to be paid. The Sorceress’s head tilted slightly as she studied Scarlett. Scarlett cleared her throat. “I have several questions. I will not negotiate a price for each answer.”

“You will not negotiate a price at all,” Sorin cut in, stepping to her side.

“But she must,” the Sorceress replied, her tone shifting, becoming like the hiss of a snake. “She requires what I have.”

“Knowledge can be found in other places,” Sorin ground out.

“Yes, but the ?nal key cannot.”

Scarlett felt her world shift beneath her as Sorin said, “You lie.”

“Did I not tell you the last time you were here that Eliné and Henna came to visit me?”

“And you denied them aid,” Sorin retorted.

“I did not,” the Sorceress disagreed. “They refused to pay my price, but it was you who assumed that was all they asked of me.”

“Why would Eliné entrust a key to you?” Cassius interjected from where he stood against the wall.

“What are you doing on this side of the Edria Sea?” the Sorceress asked, curiosity ?lling her violet eyes.

Scarlett sighed in exasperation. “What is the price? For the key you possess and the answer to ?ve questions. Beyond your freedom. That is not an option.”

“You shall ?nd anything is an option if the need is great enough,” the Sorceress said.

“She cannot possibly have the key, Scarlett. Where would she even keep it hidden?” Sorin cut in.

Scarlett turned to him. “We are not going to ?nd out if you keep interrupting my negotiations with a Sorceress from another world,” Scarlett bit back.

“You are fascinating,” the Sorceress mused. “So much like him.”

“Like who?” Scarlett demanded.

“Keys and locks. Locks and keys,” the Sorceress said in an eerily sing-song voice, backing away from the bars. “But you only need one lock. One lock, seven keys.” Her violet eyes scanned over everyone on the other side of the bars before settling back onto Scarlett. “Of course, keys can open more than one lock, and some keys and locks do not go together at all.”

“You know where the lock is?” Scarlett asked, trying to track the Sorceress’s erratic movements.

But the Sorceress dropped to the ?oor of her cell, beginning to draw Marks in the dust there. Scarlett stepped closer, watching carefully.

“What is she writing?” Sorin asked softly.

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