Page 65 of Lady of Ashes

“I’m not going to touch you,” Cyrus said quietly. “And neither is she. But she studied your chains a few days ago, Scarlett. She was here before. I am told you kicked her little mouse butt off of your foot when she was trying to get closer to your ankle manacles.”

At those words, her entire demeanor physically changed, and she began trembling. Her hands came to her mouth, sti?ing some sort of cry. Her chains rattled with her tremors as tears welled in her eyes.

“Gods, Scarlett,” Sorin pleaded. “Please let me come to you.” Seeing her like this was pure torture.

But she shook her head, denying him.

“Take these off,” she rasped, her eyes going to Arianna. Her voice was raw and hoarse, but it was her voice, even if he recognized nothing else about her right now, and the sound of it still nearly brought him to his knees.

Arianna nodded, taking Cyrus’s place before her. She pulled the iron she’d shaped into the key from her pocket. “I made this before we came,” she explained, Mikale’s voice spilling from the Shifter’s lips. “There are wards around this building that prevent me from being able to shift anything inside them.”

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded for the Shifter to continue. Arianna slipped the key into the lock that was keeping her ankle chains secured to the ?oor. The moment it fell open, Scarlett was crawling across the ?oor. She didn’t wait for the shirastone shackles to be removed. Her arms nearly gave out as she pulled herself across the stones until she was next to Cassius. Carefully, as if she knew exactly where each injury he had was located, she draped herself over him, nestling into his side. Blood soaked into her dress and added to the grime already on her skin as her head came to rest on his chest.

Arianna crept forward carefully, reaching tentatively for her ankle shackles. She ?tted the key into them, and a frown formed on her lips. “These are different from the ?rst lock,” she said. “This key will not work. I can ?gure it out once we are away from these wards.”

Scarlett buried her face in Cassius’s bloody chest, clutching at his shredded tunic, her trembling increasing.

“We are going to get them off, Scarlett,” Sorin said thickly, cautiously coming to her side again. “But we need to get you out of here first.”

“How are we going to do this?” Cyrus asked from his side.

They had been prepared to possibly have to carry Scarlett from here if she was not well enough to walk out herself, but they had not anticipated having to carry the Commander out as well.There was no way Scarlett was going to let them leave him here, even if he was likely to not make it out of the Fellowship still breathing.

“One of us needs to carry Cassius, the other needs to be free to access weapons,” Cyrus continued. “Arianna, can you carry the queen?”

“Yes,” the Shifter answered. “If she will allow such a thing.”

Sorin hated the idea of anyone other than him carrying her out of this hellhole, but he nodded in agreement. “I will get her for you. It will likely look more believable if Mikale is carrying her out anyway. Cyrus, you grab Cassius. I will make sure our way out is clear.”

Arianna nodded, stepping back to wait for the handoff, and Cyrus walked around to Cassius’s other side, lowering down once more.

“Darling,” he said softly, swallowing thickly when she didn’t even lift her head. “Scarlett, we will bring him with us. You can say goodbye outside of here, without chains.” She showed no reaction. No sign that she had heard them. Cyrus glanced up at Sorin, regret heavy in his gaze. “You’re going to have to force her. We’re lucky no one has come in since we’ve arrived the way it is. We need to get moving.”

“Come, Scarlett,” Sorin said, his tone ?rming and becoming a command. He reached for her, and the moment his ?ngers touched her shoulders to pull her off of Cassius’s body, a snarl emanated from her. Her head whipped up, and her eyes were bright with rage.

“Where is Mikale?” she rasped. “Where are Alaric and Lord Tyndell and Tarek?”

“Tarek?” Cyrus asked, his eyes widening in horror. “Love,” Sorin said slowly. “Who is Tarek?”

Her lip curled into a sneer, and it was Death’s Maiden who peered out from those silvery-blue orbs. “A male whose days are numbered,” she hissed. “Where are they?”

“We do not have time to go into all the details, Scarlett,” Sorin answered, resisting the urge to reach out and tuck her hair back. “Nuri created a diversion of sorts, but they will likely ?gure it out soon if they have not already. We need to go.”

“They already know you are here,” she answered. “They would have felt you the moment you crossed the wards.”

“All the more reason we need to go,” Sorin said, moving to reach for her again, but her grip tightened on Cassius’s shredded shirt. “Scarlett,” he begged. “Please. We need to go.”

“Go where?”

“Back to the warehouse, then home,” he answered.

“How will we get there?”

“Eliza and Luan are waiting for us. He will Travel us if you cannot.”

“Sorin,” Cyrus gritted out, his tone conveying his warning that they needed to get moving.

“Come to me, Love,” Sorin coaxed. “Cyrus will carry Cassius. Arianna can carry you.”

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