Page 210 of Lady of Ashes

Lord Tyndell only smiled at her before both him and Alaric disappeared into the air.

CHAPTER 42

TALWYN

“What are these things?” Talwyn ground out, her winds swirling. The gusts were making it hard for the winged males to get airborne and kept them on the ground. Forcing them to ?ght with blades was about the only advantage she and Azrael had at this point. They were unnaturally strong, easily breaking through the thick vines she and the Earth Prince conjured to try to contain them. They seemed wary of her lightning, but she could not wield that continuously or for long periods of time. Coupled with keeping her winds strong enough, Azrael was doing most of the actual ?ghting.

They had come out of nowhere, seeming to plummet from the sky, the earth shuddering beneath them when they landed. They had yelled at Cyrus and Sorin to go ahead and ?nd Scarlett when the Oracle had unlocked the gates. There were only six of these winged men, but six was more than enough.

“No idea,” Azrael grunted, his sword clashing with the serrated blade of one of the men. “I can only assume they are guarding the Contessa.”

If there were winged men trying to keep them from her, she was either in danger, or she was allying against the Courts. Either way it spelled absolute shit for them.

Shouting and cursing from beyond the estate wall ?lled the air. They must be encountering the same enemies.

Azrael managed to swipe his blade across the stomach of one of them. The man hardly ?inched but struck with his own blade, Azrael barely avoiding the hit when he leapt back.

“We need to get out of here,” Azrael gritted out, tracking all the men.

“And leave the others?” She cracked her whip of lightning, wrapping it around the sword of one of the men who had surged towards her. The energy ?owed down the blade and into the man’s body. He jolted, his body tensing and jaw clenching, and while he could not move, Azrael was slicing at the wings down his back. One feathered wing fell to the dirt, the man howling in pain and rage, blood spurting from the wound on his back. The next swipe of Azrael’s sword was across the male’s throat.

“That was luck,” Azrael breathed, falling back to Talwyn’s side as two more men approached, violence written on their features.

“It is the only way we have found to best them,” Talwyn answered, shifting her winds to swirl around them as a shield rather than keep the men at bay. The action, however, let them get airborne.

The two Fae looked up, watching the winged men soar above them, arrows beginning to bounce off her air shield. Azrael was right. They needed to get the hell out of here.

Just as Talwyn was about to grab Azrael and Travel out, the assault of arrows halted, the men ?ying up and over the wall to whatever was happening beyond. She looked at Azrael, her shield dissolving, and they both began moving to the gates. If they could ?ght with the others, perhaps they could ?gure out an easier way to defeat the threat.

Until a ?gure in black stepped from the gates and into their path.

Talwyn and Azrael both stilled, and Talwyn’s chest constricted completely when the man pulled back his hood. Black hair, straight and disheveled, swept across his brow, contrasting against dark, golden skin. Pale green eyes peered back at them, relief shifting across his features.

“Thank Silas,” he cried, rushing towards them. “I have been looking everywhere for you.”

Azrael had stepped in front of Talwyn, his sword raised. But Talwyn couldn’t speak.

Not as Tarek Ordos stopped mere feet in front of them.

He bowed low, a subject before his queen, before he straightened and looked straight into her soul.

“Talwyn,” he said softly.

A snarl emanated from Azrael. “Do not speak to her.”

Hearing them both speak pulled her out of whatever state she had fallen into. She felt her features shift, harden. Her eyes narrowed on Tarek, and his own dropped back to the ground, head bowed once more. When she took a step towards him, ?ngers grazed her arm as though they would try to stop her.

She met Azrael’s gaze impassively. “I do not need anyone to protect me,” she sneered.

He seemed to search her eyes before his chin dipped minutely. “You do not,” he agreed, his arm dropping to his side.

Talwyn crossed the distance between them and Tarek, and he lifted his head once more. She knew what he saw when he looked at her. Her features were emotionless. Her mouth was a tight line. Her back was straight, her chin raised.

He saw the Fae Queen everyone had seen for decades.

Her bracelet began unwinding from her wrist. She shouldn’t be using the Shifter magic. Not after depleting so much of it ?ghting those winged men, but she couldn’t let him see that she was even slightly weakened.

“Talwyn,” he started, but her hand lifted, her ?ngers slowly curling into a ?st.

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