Page 110 of Lady for Embers

“The same way the Fae do. Naturally.”

“But that takes... ”

“An inconvenient amount of time,” Cethin agreed.

They fell into silence for a while, the scenery turning from businesses to homes as they made their way. No area appeared run down or neglected, but she doubted Cethin would take her to such areas on her ?rst trip through the city.

“Is this the capital city then?” Sorin asked, the homes gradually growing in size as they moved from one neighborhood to the next.

“The port city of Aimonway has been the capital of Avonleya since the wards went up,” Cethin explained.

“And before that?” Scarlett asked, looking over at her... brother.

She could see it, she supposed. Same hair and eyes. Same facial features— nose, cheekbones, side pro?le.

There was a long beat of silence before Cethin said, “Before that, the capital of Avonleya was Elshira.”

“Elshira,” Scarlett repeated, bolting upright from where she’d been reclined against Sorin’s chest. There was no way that was a coincidence.

“Yes,” Cethin answered. “And what you are thinking is correct. Elshira is right outside the Shira Forest.”

“The spirit animals are from Avonleya?” Scarlett sputtered.

“The spirit animals currently reside in Avonleya, but no, Scarlett. They are not from here,” Cethin answered. He nodded to herleft. “There. These are the estates that will house your people if you are comfortable with that.”

Scarlett turned to see a sprawling building in the shadows, a large brick wall running along the perimeter. It was easily bigger than the Tyndell Estate.

“We can have additional staff to help your own people with the children if you would like,” Cethin added.

“How far from your castle are these estates?”

“A few miles.”

“We can have Neve and Rayner stay with them if you’d like,” Sorin said, and she twisted to look up at him.

“You want Rayner to stay separate from us?”

“It is not ideal, but I think he will want to be with Tula anyway.”

“But his power levels are still low. Tula could come to the castle with us. He can’t—” She stopped, not sure how much Cethin knew about her family. “Can we stay with them? All of us? Here on these estates?”

Cethin and Razik exchanged another look, seeming to have some sort of silent conversation, before Cethin ?nally said, “If that is what you wish for tonight, then of course. But I would ask you to join us for lunch at the castle tomorrow.”

“We can do that,” Scarlett agreed as they approached another gated perimeter.

Cethin nodded at the guards stationed at the entrance, and they immediately moved forward to open the gates for them. “The town does not really start moving until mid-morning,” he said. “As you may recall from one of our... visits, we prefer the night. In case you decide to explore before lunch tomorrow.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes. One of their “visits.” That was not how she would describe this male’s habit to walk into her dreams and drop tidbits of information that turned her entire world upside- down.

But it had been more than that, right? The ?rst few times she’d seen him, he’d said nothing. He was terrifying, appearing in her nightmares and simply watching her. But when he’d started speaking, he became protective. He’d helped her become bonded to Shirina. He’d helped her with the draining Mark, and he’d helped her bring Sorin back.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realize they’d made their way to the front of the large manor house until she felt Sorin sliding off the horse behind her. He reached up to help her down, his hands gripping her hips as she swung her leg over.

The others were all dismounting around her, including Cethin and Razik. At her suspicious look, Cethin said, “We are just going to show you around. We are not staying.”

“You know the house well enough to show us around?”

“This is the estate of the Commander of Avonleya’s forces. He was expecting us at the castle, so he is not here to greet you himself,” Cethin said, Razik already heading up the front steps to the main doors.

---