Page 170 of Kingdom of Ash

Hasar hummed, all traces of taunting gone. “Morath placed itself foolishly in their greed to sack the city. They didn’t estimate being trampled by the Darghan, or picked apart by the rukhin.”

Aelin glanced sidelong to Rowan. Found him already staring at her.

We’ll convince them to go to Terrasen, her mate said silently.

Chaol leaned forward, back quivering a bit, and ran a finger over the lake’s western shore. “This section of the lake, unfortunately, is shallow a hundred yards from the shore. The army might be able to wade out there, draw us into the water.”

“A few hours in that water,” Yrene countered, mouth a tight line, “would kill them. The hypothermia would set in quickly. Maybe within minutes, depending on the wind.”

“That’s if the Valg fall victim to such things,” Hasar said. “They don’t die like true men in most ways, and you claim they hail from a land of darkness and cold.” So the royals truly knew about their enemies, then. “We might push them into the water to find they don’t care at all. And in doing so, risk exposing our troops to the elements.” The princess jabbed the keep walls. “We’re better off pushing them right into the stone, breaking them apart against it.”

Aelin was inclined to agree.

Lorcan opened his mouth to say something no doubt unpleasant, but footsteps squelching in mud outside the tent had them whirling toward the entrance long before a pretty, dark-haired young woman burst in, twin braids swinging. “You wouldn’t believe—”

She halted upon seeing Aelin. Seeing the Fae males. Her mouth popped into an O.

Nesryn chuckled. “Borte, meet—”

Another set of steps in the mud, heavier and slower than Borte’s quick movements, and then a young man stumbled in, his skin not the gold-kissed brown of Borte or the royals, but pale. “It’s back,” he panted, gaping at Nesryn. “For days now, I swore I felt something, noted changes, but today it just all cameback.”

Nesryn angled her head, her curtain of dark hair sliding over an armored shoulder. “Who …”

Borte squeezed the young man’s arm. “Falkan. It’sFalkan, Nesryn.”

Prince Sartaq stalked to Nesryn’s side, graceful as any Fae warrior. “How.”

But the young man had turned toward Aelin, eyes narrowing. As if trying to place her.

Then he said, “The assassin from the market in Xandria.”

Aelin arched a brow. “Hopefully, the horse I stole didn’t belong to you.”

A cough from Fenrys. Aelin threw the warrior a grin over her shoulder.

The young man’s eyes darted over her face, then landed on the enormous emerald on her finger. The even bigger ruby in Goldryn’s hilt.

Borte blurted to Nesryn, “One minute, we were eating dinner at the campfire, then the next, Falkan clutched his stomach like he was going to puke up his guts all over everyone”—a glare from Falkan at Borte—“and then his face wasyoung.He’syoung.”

“I was always young,” Falkan muttered. “I just didn’t look it.” His gray eyes again found Aelin’s. “I gave you a piece of Spidersilk.”

For a heartbeat, the then and the now blended and wobbled. “The merchant,” Aelin murmured. She’d last seen him in the Red Desert—looking twenty years older. “You sold your youth to a stygian spider.”

“You two know each other?” Nesryn gaped.

“The threads of fate weave together in strange ways,” Falkan said, then smiled at Aelin. “I never got your name.”

Hasar chuckled from the other side of the desk. “You already know it, shifter.”

Before Falkan could figure it out, Fenrys stepped forward. “Shifter?”

But Nesryn said, “And Lysandra’s uncle.”

Aelin slumped into the chair beside Chaol’s. Rowan laid a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked up, she found him near laughter. “What’s so funny, exactly?” she hissed.

Rowan smirked. “That for once,youare the one who gets knocked on your ass by a surprise.”

Aelin stuck out her tongue. Borte grinned, and Aelin winked at the girl.

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