Page 193 of Lady of Ashes

“The point is, we’re doing it this way to lessen the chances of everyone dying,” Scarlett cut in.

“Can Juliette even die? She’s technically already dead,” Nuri said, casually adjusting the gloves on her hands.

Scarlett tensed, but before Sorin could open his mouth to say something, Juliette said, “Stop being a bitch.”

Nuri sighed dramatically. “And tell me why we’re waiting for the ?re prick to give the go ahead?”

Scarlett leaned forward to pat her horse’s neck when he stomped a hoof in the dirt again. “Letting him make decisions makes him feel important.”

Cyrus barked a laugh, and Sorin cleared his throat loudly. Scarlett peered over her shoulder, ?uttering her lashes innocently at him. Her eyes were bright. They hadn’t dimmed at all since Cassius had nulli?ed that draining Mark on her skin. And her power … Holy gods. Training with her the last few days had been nothing short of fascinating. Godsdamn terrifying, but utterly fascinating.

She’d slept for nearly an entire day after that Mark had been taken care of, and when she’d awakened, she’d looked fully rested for the ?rst time since he’d brought her back from Baylorin. She was more like her old self, still different, but her energy, her strength, her gifts? All of it was stronger. All of it was greater. He pitied anyone she may have to ?ght on this journey. She still struggled with using her magic and sword together ?uidly, but as long as she had access to her magic, it wouldn’t matter. Not against Night Children.

Luan and Talwyn sat atop their horses several feet away from the rest of their group. Things seemed tense between those two, despite their attempts to hide it. Words exchanged between them were clipped and to the point. Like she spoke to everyone else actually. So maybe there wasn’t anything going on and it was simply Talwyn being Talwyn.

Eliza had gone back to the Fire Court to get their own forces prepared for whatever might come of the mortal armies gathering at their borders. Scarlett had asked Briar to oversee things at the Black Halls until they returned. Sawyer was readying things in the Water Court. Cassius had been forced to stay behind, still not recovered enough for a trip like this. Now they sat waiting at the border between the Earth Court and Night Child territory for word from Rayner, who was scouting inside the Night Court for the best direction to head ?rst. The plan was simple: Find the Contessa, warn her of the coming threat, and ?gure out the best way to prepare for it. Complicatedly simple, he supposed.

A ?re message appeared amid a swirl of ashes near Sorin’s head, and he plucked the note from the center. Talwyn and Azrael were watching him and were already moving closer.

“Rayner says we should try her northern villa ?rst,” Sorin said. “He will let us know if he gets a better lead.”

“Talwyn and I take the lead?” Luan asked.

“Yes,” Sorin con?rmed. “Those three stay in the middle unlesswe need to ?ght, but I am hoping the Night Children won’t disturb all of us in a group. Cyrus and I will follow last.”

“Agreed,” Talwyn said coolly. “Two queens among them should stay their hands, not to mention you three.”

Without another word, Talwyn and Luan moved to the front of their company. They coaxed the horses through a sand portal that Luan created, taking them to the northernmost part of the Earth Court so they could cross the border as close to the Contessa’s villa as possible. Apparently, he still hadn’t recovered enough magic to Travel far, and not with all of them in tow. As long as they were able to maintain a decent pace, they should reach the villa by sundown though.

It was a few hours later, when Sorin was listening to the three females ahead of him bicker about one thing or another. He didn’t know what Luan and Talwyn were making of the exchanges between the Wraiths of Death, but Sorin was thoroughly enjoying it. To think that these three were among some of the most feared. If people only knew what they argued about. Currently, it was about a pair of twins that Juliette and Nuri had slept with, but they couldn’t agree on when that had occurred.

“That was not the time we took out those three smugglers,” Juliette said. “We used poison for them.”

“Your point?” Nuri asked from the Witch’s left.

“I bedded that guy from the show the smugglers were traveling with,” Juliette replied, like that cleared up everything.

Nuri was about to argue, but Scarlett cut in from Juliette’s other side. “No, she’s right. The night you two fucked those twins, you both had blood all over your clothes from cutting up the targets in the basement of that warehouse.”

“Wait. Was that the time we arranged body parts into a message?” Nuri asked.

“Mhmm,” Scarlett answered. “That’s why we were so ?lthy. It was a long message. Lots of parts needed. I wanted to go home and bathe, but you two insisted on fucking ?rst.”

“We haveneeds,” Nuri half-drawled, half-whined.

“Clearly bloodlust has more than one meaning for you,” Scarlett quipped.

“Bitch,” Nuri muttered.

The females all started laughing before moving onto anothermemory. “Holy fuck,” Cyrus muttered. “Eliza is going to be so pissed she is missing this.”

“Maybe let’s not tell her we heard the Wraiths recounting all their tales.”

“I think if she heard the things they’re recounting, she would be incredibly disappointed,” Cyrus supplied. “They’ve spent more time discussing men than actual jobs.”

“The men were far more entertaining than the jobs,” Nuri called back to them.

“Depends on the job,” Juliette objected. “The guy from the night Scarlett made the target choke on his own ?esh … Let’s just say watching the man choke was more ful?lling than anything I’ve ever experienced in bed.”

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