Page 223 of Lady for Embers

“You haven’t drawn blood yet, Talwyn,” she sneered. She was circling again. She knew she was playing with her. Talwyn knew it. The others standing silently around the arena knew it too.

Talwyn seemed to gather herself, swiping an arm along her brow. It left a trail of blood from where the knife had been embedded. “I do not want to do this,” she gritted out. “I only wish to speak with Briar.”

Scarlett couldn’t hold in her bark of laughter. “Do you think I give a fuck what youwant, Talwyn?”

And that storm that had been brewing, that had almost been unleashed upon this world when she had thought Sorin had died, came to the surface and broke free.

Star?re slowly began winding up her legs, around her torso, her arms, knitting itself among her shadow armor. Her crown took shape atop her head, settling among her sweat-slick strands. The panthers at her sides fell back, merging behind her until her shadow dragon stood at her back. It let loose a roar, ?re spewing from its mouth and casting a circle of ?ames around them.

“If this world loses its freedom, it is because ofyou,” Scarlett snarled, taking slow, deliberate steps towards Talwyn. “It is a mercy I offer this world to take you out of it. You have handed your people over to Alaric without a second thought in order to get into Avonleya. Well, here you stand, Talwyn. Everything you worked your entire life for. All for this.”

“I did not know—” she started.

“You did notwantto know,” Scarlett sneered.

“You’re right,” Talwyn agreed quickly, backing up.

“You tried to take him from me,” Scarlett all but screamed. A shadow snapped from her palm, wrapping around Talwyn’s throat. Talwyn grappled at it, nails scratching along her neck, drawing her own blood.

“Tried?” Talwyn gasped, dropping to her knees.

That dark smile tilted on Scarlett’s lips again. She was a foot in front of her now, her hand coming out to grip her throat, relieving her shadows of the task of cutting off her air supply. Her ?ngers ?exed, digging into Talwyn’s windpipe, and the queen’s hand came back up, wrapping around Scarlett’s wrist.

Until she yanked it back when Scarlett let ?re ?are beneath Talwyn’s hand, burning her palm and ?ngers.

Scarlett tightened her grip, and Talwyn tried to suck in any amount of air. She found none.

Winds tore at her. Vines snapped out. Wooden stakes struck her shadow armor, burning away amid the star?re. The ground shook beneath her, opening up to swallow her down. Her shadows converged beneath her feet so she stood on a cloud of darkness, and at her feet was a dethroned queen on her knees.

Scarlett bent down so she could speak into her ear. “You failed at even that, Talwyn. Be glad I called him back from the Veil, or this entire world would be ash. Your Courts. My Courts. The stars themselves. They were spared my wrath so that I could bestow it all upon you.”

Star?re crept down her hand, inching closer to Talwyn’s throat, and the female’s eyes went even wider, tears glimmering.

Scarlett! Stop!

She jolted at the sound of his voice in her head, slamming her shields up to keep him out. But then there was a hand on her arm, a curse sounding as star?re burned skin. She jerked her arm back, releasing Talwyn’s throat, to ?nd Sorin beside her.

“Love,” he said softly, placatingly. Scarlett tried to look away from him, but he moved to stay in her line of vision. “Here, Scarlett. Keep your eyes right here.”

The tempest under her skin howled for release, for the death that was her’s to claim, for the kill that was being denied her.

A sad smile formed on his lips. “I know, Scarlett. I feel it all.” He reached out, cupping her jaw. “You are better than this, my Love.”

“No, Sorin,” she replied, hurt coiling through her. “I’m really not.”

“Scarlett,” he tried as she stepped away from his touch. She was trying to hold back her emotions, conceal them from the bond, but she was feeling too much right now.

She looked down at Talwyn where she was sucking in lungfuls of air on her hands and knees. The former Fae Queen looked up at her, tears cutting trails down her face. “Understand that the mercy you are receiving right now is not mine but his. You do not deserve it, and your death is still mine. You will not return to the continent. You do not have a throne. You are not a queen. You are nothing, and when I kill you, it will be a stain on my soul that I will celebrate with every breath I take.”

Talwyn swallowed, wincing as she did so. Scarlett held her stare a moment longer before her jade irises darted to the side, relief ?lling them. Scarlett turned to see what she thought she’d found salvation in to ?nd Prince Azrael and Prince Briar, along with Cethin and Kailia, standing behind them. Briar had doused the circle of ?ames that her shadow dragon had built around them, the ?re hissing as it went out.

Azrael was staring at Talwyn, more emotion on his face than Scarlett had ever witnessed, but he did not go to her. He stood here. On this side with her.

Briar’s icy blue eyes went from distaste to pity when they moved from Talwyn to Scarlett. “I stand behind whatever you decide to do, Scarlett,” he said gently.

“Briar, wait,” Talwyn rasped.

Scarlett could see her trying to stand out of the corner of her eye, but she collapsed down again, crawling forward a few feet instead.

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