Page 103 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

"For making your shadows better," she explained solemnly. "Aunt Iris says good food helps healing."

My head snapped up at the mention of another relative, but the girl was already backing away. "I gotta go now," she announced. "They get worried when they can't find me."

"Wait—" I started.

But she turned and disappeared into the crowd with surprising speed for one so small, leaving me crouched in the marketplace with a stolen peach in my palm and a bewildering sense of loss. What the fuck was wrong with me? I didn't like children, all of them were irritating.

I straightened, ignoring the whispers of those who had witnessed our exchange. The child knew about my shadows. She must have seen me while I was unconscious, she must have sensed the shadows, but that was impossible. Only adults sensed the darkness in me. And she'd mentioned an "Aunt Iris"—possibly another relative of Ada's?

The implications were troubling. If a child could recognize me for what I was, how long before others did?

I made my way back through the village, realizing I had no idea which cottage I'd emerged from. All looked similar, with their whitewashed walls and thatched roofs. I was about to try the nearest one when a door opened down the lane and Ada herself stepped out, scanning the street with obvious concern. When her eyes found me, her expression shifted from worry to relief to exasperation in the span of a heartbeat. At that moment I realized that I missed her badly. Fuck, this was pathetic.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, and strode toward me with purpose.

My gut clenched with unwelcome desire. She was so beautiful.

"What in Erlik's name are you wandering outside? You shouldn't even be standing, let alone exploring the village!"

I bristled at her tone. "I was gathering intelligence," I said, "since no one bothered to tell me where we are or how we got here."

She grabbed my arm, her touch surprisingly gentle despite her obvious irritation, and steered me toward the cottage she'd emerged from. "You're in Isikköy," she stated, "a healing village where Nadine established her practice. I brought you here after the battle because you were dying and we couldn't reach the shadow realm safely."

Inside the cottage, I was surprised to find Sarp lounging in a corner, looking considerably worse for wear but very much alive. Bandages covered half his face, and he held himself carefully, as if nursing broken ribs. Beside him sat Melo in her human form, her usual sardonic expression tempered with something that appeared suspiciously like concern when she glanced at him.

"Our fearless leader lives," Sarp announced with mock solemnity.

Melo regarded me with annoyed glare. I bet she was hoping for a worse outcome.

"Though his sense of self-preservation clearly perished in battle," Sarp concluded.

"You're one to talk," I retorted, oddly relieved to see him despite his insolence. "You look like something a shadow beast regurgitated."

"And yet still more handsome than you," he shot back with a grin that reopened a cut on his lip.

I turned back to Ada, who was examining my wounds with the critical eye of someone accustomed to healing. Her light connected with my shadow. I needed to fucking touch her or at least talk to her without anyone else eavesdropping, but I didn't think this would be possible anytime soon.

"I'm fine," I said, and brushed her hands away. "The village seemed safe enough for reconnaissance."

"This is neutral territory, technically," she explained, "though firmly within the light realm's borders."

"Yes, I had tea with the local militia and discussed border politics," I replied dryly. "What I meant was it seems safe from Midas's remaining forces."

"For now," Sarp interjected, his tone sobering. "But my sources say they're regrouping under his generals. Without a body to confirm his death, they're operating under the assumption he's alive but incapacitated."

"How did you contact your sources?" I asked, impressed despite myself. He'd been barely conscious when I'd last seen him.

Sarp tapped his temple. "Shadow link. Limited, but functional. Speaking of which, yours seems significantly…diminished," he noted, and nodded toward my torso where shadows curled weakly like withered vines beneath the linen shirt. "I'm guessing getting skewered by magical golden blades isn't conducive to maintaining full shadow strength."

"Worry about yourself, I will heal soon," I said dismissively, though privately I was concerned by how slowly my power was regenerating. "Nothing that will prevent us from returning to the shadow realm once you're capable of traveling."

"About that," Ada began, but was interrupted when the cottage door opened and Nadine entered with a small figure beside her.

"This little one snuck in earlier when she wasn't supposed to," Nadine said with weary resignation, her hand on the child's shoulder. "Found Sarp in the main room and decided he needed looking after. I couldn't pry her away."

The child from the marketplace beamed and launched herself at Sarp with what would have been painful force had he not caught her expertly despite his injuries. "Uncle Sarp! You're feeling better!"

"Much better, little terror," he greeted her with genuine affection, and ruffled her dark hair. "Your light magic helped. Now, have you been terrorizing the village while I was resting?"

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