Page 72 of Lady for Embers

Knew she’d been in his room since the battle that day. “What do you need?” Scarlett asked softly.

“Just this.”

She squeezed Eliza’s hand, then settled in beside her, to sit in her darkness for as long as she needed.

Chapter 15

Scarlett

It was hours later, the sun setting over the water and casting the sky in oranges and pinks, when Eliza said, “The ?rst time I ?nally bested Nakoa in sparring was the ?rst time I’d ever seen him smile.”

Scarlett hummed. “I am quite certain you are the only person Nakoa ever smiled at.”

A soft huff of laughter came from Eliza. “That’s not true. They just had to be earned.” There was another long stretch of silence before she added, “He never went easy on anyone. Always demanded your best. Always demanded excellence.”

“I’d say his teaching style rubbed off on you a little bit,” Scarlett teased gently.

Another small breath of laughter came from her friend before the quiet settled over them again.

Need anything, Love?

Sorin had done this periodically throughout the day, seeing if they needed anything. They’d agreed to talk to Cyrus and Cassius tomorrow, that everyone needed this day to... do whatever they needed to do to grieve and process everything that had happened.

Most of the Fae had gone back to rest more, still nursing depleted power reserves. Everyone had looked exhausted— both from the battle and the emotions of the day. She knew Sorin had slept for a few hours, but she hadn’t asked about his power reserves yet. That was something she wanted to ask him about when she could see his face. She knew he wouldn’t lie to her about it, that they’d agreed to that, but she still wanted to be with him when they discussed it.

To be safe, she had checked him for a draining Mark. She knew it wasn’t likely, that there was no point in time someone could have given him one, but she was at a loss. What else could be affecting his power? They hadn’t told the others yet, again agreeing to tackle that tomorrow. Today needed to be about grieving and healing as much as they could before jumping back into war preparations.

“I know Briar claimed Haniel’s death, but I am the one who killed him,” Eliza said suddenly, her tone so low Scarlett barely heard her.

She stilled, thinking over her response before she said, “I am sure Briar understands.”

“He does. He saw it. When he came to get Sawyer to help you.”

“Did it... help?” Scarlett asked, ?nding herself desperate for the answer. Would it help this mania that crawled beneath her skin to get the revenge she was aching for against Talwyn?

“No,” Eliza said simply. “Don’t get me wrong. It was satisfying, but it did not... It still hurts.” Her voice cracked on the last words, and Scarlett was pulling her hand from Eliza’s and sliding her arms around her shoulders.

“I told myself I would not cry today,” Eliza whispered, her tears soaking into Scarlett’s white tunic. “When I stepped out of his cabin today, I told myself that was it. There would be no more.”

“Grief doesn’t listen to ultimatums. Life would be so much easier if it did,” Scarlett answered.

“This isn’t who I am, Scarlett.”

“You can remember to be strong tomorrow, Eliza. And if not, that’s okay too. I’ll be here either way. We all will be. You are not alone.”

Scarlett didn’t know how long they sat like that. All she knew was that the night sky covered them when they ?nally climbed down from the lookout platform. Sorin was waiting for them at the bottom, immediately reaching for Eliza and pulling her into him.

He was speaking low into her ear when Scarlett brushed her hand down his back, retreating to their cabin to give them a moment. When she got there, she went straight to the bathing room, stripping off her tunic as she went. She froze in the doorway, ?nding an oversized barrel taking up nearly the entire bathing room. It was so large, she could easily sit fully submerged in thething. There was a ?re message ?oating beside it, and Scarlett reached up, plucking the note from inside.

It’s the best Luan could do on a ship, Love.

Enjoy.

Scarlett looked up, staring at the makeshift tub. He’d gone to Azrael for this, asked the Earth Prince for help to get her this.

She wasted no time using her water magic to ?ll the barrel, then sending her ?re to heat it. She left her boots and the rest of her clothing strewn about the main room of the cabin. She had to use the sink to boost herself up high enough to climb into the thing, but the moan that left her lips as she sank into the steaming water would have been embarrassing if anyone else had been in the room. She went below the surface, creating a pocket of air so she could breathe and just sit in the warmth.

Gods, she would sleep in here if she knew her magic would keep her breathing all night.

---