Page 163 of Wings of Ash & Flame
One clutched its hooded head before imploding into shadow. A flaming arrow torched another.
With the connections severed, the humans began to stir, one retching as consciousness returned. Alaire kept her focus on the wraiths hovering at the barrier’s edge.
One lingered closer than the rest. “Heir of Light,Wielder of Flame.” Its voice grated against her mind, like nails on glass. “Your fears taste delicious.Our master looks forward to meeting you.”
Slowly, the wraiths retreated, penumbra forms dispersing like ink dropped in water.
Behind her, hands reached for her tattered dress. “You saved us,” whispered a young man with haunted eyes, kneeling before her. “No one has ever chosen us…”
Memories of lashes across her back and nights of rumbling hunger hovered at the edges of her mind. The weight of his words pressed deep. Her throat tightened.
Alaire knelt so they were eye level. Her hands brushed soot gently from his cheeks. His eyes widened, pupils swallowing the whites.
“You’re safe now,” she said softly. At least, she hoped they were.
A young woman linked arms with the boy, glancing nervously at the retreating wraiths before looking back at Alaire. “You’re a queen,” she said, dipping her head before lifting her gaze again. “You risked your life to help us. We’re just…” The woman’s cheeks reddened.
Alaire’s chest hollowed. “No one isjustanything.” She swallowed past the knot in her throat. “You deserve as much as everyone else.” Her eyes burned, but she shoved the emotion down, gently squeezing the woman’s arm to emphasize her words.
The faintest flicker of hope bloomed across their faces.
Alaire dragged a hand through her tangled hair, wishing she knew Dawson and Solflara were safe.
A man with greying hair stepped forward, pulling her attention back. “This means… so much to us. And you—” His voice broke with emotion. “You chose us. Saw us. Saved us. They’re all I have left after their brother was taken…”
Alaire drew her eyebrows together. “What do you mean,taken?”
He glanced around to see if any fae were within earshot, pausing when he spotted Kaia leaning against a column.
“She won’t say anything. Whatever you have to say remains here between us. I swear it on my phoenix.”
The man drew in a sharp breath. “The vampire attacks on the border have increased significantly of late. To deal with the influx, the Consortium lowered the age of human conscription to replenish its forces.”
Rage surged through her, heart pounding violently in her chest. Lowering the age of conscription? Forcing children to fight in a war? The injustice of every word only fueled her all-consuming anger.
The night’s earlier terrors somehow paled in comparison. At least the wraiths didn’t pretend to be benevolent rulers; they embraced their darkness. The Consortium, on the other hand, whispered promises in your ear while cutting you down when you least expected it.
Her rage demanded retribution, begged for release, but she buried it as deep as she could. Surrounded by Elithian’s power players, Alaire couldnotdetonate—no matter how much she wanted to.
Soon enough, they would learn the extent of her wrath. The power of her anger.
The young woman reached into the pocket of her server’s uniform, eyes darting nervously, likely not wanting to be accused of theft. She slipped something round into Alaire’s hand. It felt like a coin. Alaire dropped it into her pocket beside her breathbind reliquary, planning to examine it later when she was alone.
“A small token of our gratitude. We will not forget what you did for us. Memory is our anchor.”
“There’s no need, but thank you.”
The woman smiled tightly, appreciatively. “No, thankyou. You’ve given us hope.”
Just then, a blazing light exploded on the balcony, capturing everyone’s attention. The lingering wraiths disintegrated into wisps of shadow.
She picked up her twin daggers, discarded when the wraith had dragged her into its clutches.
“It’s done.They’re all gone now,” Solflara confirmed.
Beyond them, the yells and screams began to die down. Max Aster’s voice rose above the rest, shouting orders now that the immediate threat had passed.
Alaire’s shoulders slumped in relief. Archer escorted the humans out through the manor’s main doors. She noticed the longing gaze he cast at Kaia as she spoke to members of House Arborstone, who were using their magic to restore the ivy and stonework.
