Page 237 of Lady for Embers

He was grateful Rayner stepped forward into the cliffs or he would have started to wonder if Cassius was taking a Source at this very moment, and that was a path he needed to steer clear of right now. He needed to stay focused. In and out. That’s what they were doing because this place had evil exuding off of it in waves.

Why the hell would Abrax hide Ashtine here?

They walked down the long hall for a few minutes before it emptied into a huge, open cavern. Cyrus and Razik lit some nearby braziers with their ?ames illuminating the space. Rayner hadn’t been exaggerating. This place was its own city. The inside of the cliffs were bright white, and they looked like they had just been cleaned. They were as pristine as if people still lived here despite the place being deserted for centuries.

The white cliff walls re?ected the light, making the space even brighter. There had to be at least a hundred levels, each ringing this central space. Doors leading to horrors Cyrus never wanted to see were visible behind the gleaming gold railings that ran alongeach level. There were four separate staircases, one in each direction, and a small stream wound through the center with a wooden bridge on each end of the cavern to cross it.

“Where do we start looking?” Sawyer asked.

“No need,” drifted a cold voice.

The Fae all whirled, drawing weapons. Cyrus had an arrow nocked in his bow in less than a second, the end ?aring with ?re. They all locked shields into place as Alaric stepped from a room, his hand gripping Princess Ashtine’s upper arm. Talwyn hadn’t been lying. There was a small round bump at her lower belly, and her hands rested protectively on it.

“Ashtine,” Briar breathed, stepping forward, but Alaric jerked the princess back. She didn’t make a sound, but she did suck in a sharp breath. She had always had a light complexion, but her face was as white as a spirit of the After now.

“Not one more step, Prince of Water,” Alaric said calmly. “I am doing your lover a courtesy and not draining her of all that magni?cent power currently in her veins, but if any of you do anything unnecessary, that will change. I cannot imagine that would be healthy for growing babes.” He looked each of them in the eye. “Lower your weapons.”

They all slowly did so, and when the Maraan Prince continued to stare at them, they all tossed them to the ground.

“How did you get past Abrax?” Briar asked, lethal rage lacing every word.

“Even a spirit animal can grow weary in the face of a unit of seraphs, Prince Drayce. I just needed the horse distracted long enough to slip by anyway,” Alaric said.

“How did you get inside the cliffs?” Rayner asked.

Alaric’s smile was a twisted thing, and gods. It mirrored the look Scarlett got when she was looking at them as Death’s Maiden and not their queen. “All in good time, Ash Rider. We have some other matters to discuss ?rst.”

“You desire to enter the Water Prison, yes?” Briar interjected.

“That is one matter to be discussed,”Alaric agreed.

“Fine. Done. Release Princess Ashtine. Let her leave with the others, and I will go with you and take you into the prison.”

“Ah, the self-sacri?ce,” Alaric said with mock wistfulness. “I anticipated it would come to this.”

“Then we have reached an agreement,” Briar said, takinganother step forward. “Release her and let them leave. We can go. Right now.”

Alaric made a show of seeming to mull this over before he said, “I will gladly exchange Ashtine for you, but what of the other lives?”

“Other lives?” Briar asked.

Alaric glanced down at Ashtine’s belly, and her hands slid higher, as if to shield it from his dark gaze. “Twins, I believe. Yes?”

“We will stay in exchange,” Sawyer said, Neve stepping forward with him.

“Valiant of you, to stand behind your prince,” Alaric said. “Unfortunately, Balam has made the request for the exchange of their lives. He would like his children returned in exchange for your children, Prince Drayce.”

“Drake and Tava?” Briar said.

“For reasons only the gods know, yes,” Alaric said, annoyance heavy in his tone. Then he shrugged. “But that is what I agreed to present to you. Princess Ashtine and the babes in exchange for you and the Tyndell children. Or rather, I suppose the Middell heirs, but do not call them that in front of Balam unless you wish for a dagger in your chest.”

The Fae all stared back at this male because he had them up against a godsdamn wall. How were they supposed to agree to that? Drake and Tava were not even on the continent.

“This is seven on one,” Sawyer said suddenly. “Why are we even entertaining this lunacy?”

Then all the Fae were on their knees. Cyrus had felt this one other time. Cethin had done this to them brie?y to prove a point to Scarlett, and it had been this excruciating then too. His magic was literally being clawed from his being, ripped from his veins. He fought to contain the cry of agony. Cethin had stopped after a second. Alaric did not. It was perhaps ten seconds, but the pain made it feel like ten minutes.

Razik, however, was still on his feet.

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