Page 56 of A Crown this Cold and Heavy

His wild gaze jumped to mine, and he scanned my face. After a long moment, the tightness around his eyes eased.

“I wish I could apologize for taking the disk from you. For taking that choice away. But I’m not sorry.”

“I’m not either. I wanted to live, Lorian.” I took a deep breath. “We need to talk to the others. Make plans,” I said.

He nodded. A muscle twitched in his jaw, but he swung his legs off the bed, pulling on his pants. “I’ll tell them.”

He hesitated, watching me. Gettingto my feet, I walked over to him, slid my hand around his neck, and guided his lips to mine. “I’ll stay right here,” I promised him.

His eyes darkened. He didn’t like it. But he nodded, stalking out of the room.

I remade the bed, splashed water on my face, and paced. When Lorian returned, he gestured for me to follow him.

Madinia and Asinia were sharing the room next to mine now. The others had likely doubled up as well. Someone had dragged in extra chairs, but Lorian slid down onto the floor, his back against the wall, and I sat with him, leaning back against his chest. His arm remained wrapped around me from behind, his chin resting on my head as his huge body encased mine.

Asinia was standing by the window, scowling down at the street. Something was bothering her, and we were overdue for a long conversation.

She could have died.

I could have gotten out of that cell and learned that Asinia had succumbed to her head injury and was no longer here. My skin suddenly felt too tight, my lungs burning. My heart pounded against my ribs, so hard it felt as if they might break.

I couldn’t fall apart here. I had to lead. We had to make plans.

Lorian tightened his arms around me, and I took a deep breath. Then another. Rythos took a seat next to us, while Marth chose a low chair in the corner, his expression dark.

Madinia was the last to arrive. She sat on the edge of the bed, and Galon closed the door.

Lorian created a silence ward, and Demos got to his feet. He pulled the hourglass from beneath his shirt and slid the chain over his neck, holding it out for me. It seemed to suck in all the light in the room, reflecting it back at me.

Theroom went silent, as if everyone were suddenly holding their breath. So much suffering and death had occurred so that I could get my hands on this.

I slowly reached out to take the hourglass. My hand shook.

The moment my fingers brushed it, I gasped.

I’d expected it to be warm. But it burned with cold fire, calling to me. The power thrumming from it teased the edges of my senses. With trembling hands, I lifted the fine chain over my head. The hourglass came to rest beneath my collarbone, that cold fire spreading beneath my tunic, curling out into each of my limbs.

My heart stuttered, then aligned itself to the rhythm of the glittering, incandescent sand. Power sang through my veins, wild and intoxicating. Each grain of sand seemed attuned to the seconds of my life. Scenes from my past flashed before my eyes in vivid bursts—Tibris, my father, Mama.

Then flashes of what could only be my future. Fire. Ice. A feeling of suffocation. A desperate love. A kingdom torn apart. A kingdom healed. Choices. The future was fluid.

I could hear voices. Whispers flying through my mind from across time—past, present, and future. Slowly, the visions faded, the whispers ceased, and I released my hold on the hourglass.

At some point, I’d clutched at it. Now, it radiated a comforting warmth against my chest.

Everyone was staring at me. Asinia had turned white, Galon had gotten to his feet, Rythos’s hand was on his sword, while even Madinia looked perturbed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You were…flickering,” Demos said, his voice tight. “Your whole body was here and then not here.”

Craning my neck, I met Lorian’s gaze. His eyes were solemn. “I was holding you, but you kept disappearing, slipping through my fingers.”

I rolled my shoulders, my stomach churning uneasily. Still…I was supposed to wield the hourglass. It felt as if some part of me had finally clicked back into place.

Clearing my throat, I attempted a casual tone. “Well, I’m fine now. The hourglass feels…right.”

Demos grinned at me. After a moment, I grinned back. Despite everything we’d been through so far, we’d achieved something incredible. We’d taken back the artifact that belonged to Lyrinore—the hybrid kingdom. It was finally in our people’s hands. In my hands.

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