Page 68 of Lady of Ashes

Sorin caught her before she could face plant onto the ground, and Mikale chuckled, taking a few steps towards them.

“You really are so damn clever, aren’t you, my pet? That will beso incredibly useful.” He took another few steps as a sneer curled up his lip. “But right now, it is causing quite the inconvenience for us all.”

“Where is Tarek?” she demanded.

Tarek. That was the second time she had said that name. He and Cyrus had immediately thought of Tarek Ordos, Talwyn’s twin ?ame. He had been killed alongside Thia, so it obviously wasn’t the same male, but the name still dredged up memories that both he and his Second liked to keep buried.

“He is waiting for you to be returned,” Mikale answered. “He has your tonic ready for you. You will be needing it after exerting so much energy. How careless of you.”

The mention of a tonic had another snarl ripping from Sorin, and he pulled Scarlett possessively to his side. She fought him for a moment before she sagged against him. He brought his other hand up again, preparing to cast ?re and burn this motherfucker to ash, but she reached for his arm again.

“No,” she rasped, leaning into him so much now he was holding her up. “He wants you to use your magic. I told you. They are prepared for it.”

A frustrated growl came from Mikale, and he began striding for them with more purpose. “You are not leaving here with her,” he snarled, pulling his sword from his side. “I will not lose her again.”

“She is not yours to claim,” Sorin replied darkly, his grip on her tightening.

“We shall see,” Mikale answered with a dark smile, continuing his advance.

He wanted to push her behind him and shield her, but he was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to stand. Tucking her in even closer, Sorin raised his sword. She was not leaving his side again. She clung to him, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

“Let me go so you can ?ght,” she rasped.

“Not a chance in hell, Love,” he replied. “I will never let yougo.”

His blade met with Mikale’s a moment later, the resounding clang echoing in the otherwise empty yard. Mikale’s lip curled up on one side as he brought his sword down again and again, pushing them back down the path and towards the Fellowship. He was trying to ?gure out a plan, but his focus was on keeping Scarlett up and beside him and avoiding the swipe of Mikale’s blade.

He felt Scarlett pull a knife from his belt a moment before it was being shoved deep into Mikale’s side. He let out a bellow of rage and pain, stumbling back, and Sorin planted a foot in his gut. Mikale fell backwards to the ground with a grunt, and Scarlett was lurching from Sorin’s side before he realized what was happening. She fell to her knees beside Mikale, reaching for the knife and twisting it in his wound, making him scream again. Sorin stalked forward, placing his foot on Mikale’s throat to hold him in place for his queen.

“That is not shirastone, my pet. It will not kill me,” he panted out through gritted teeth.

“I am well aware,” she rasped back, tugging the knife from his side, blood instantly beginning to pool beside him. Sorin reached for her as she leaned in closer, ready to intervene if Mikale made one move to grab her. “I want you to know that the next time you see my face, you will be looking upon your death.”

Sorin couldn’t help the dark smile that spread across his face as he watched his wife and queen make threats when she couldn’t even stand. But the words that came from Mikale’s lips next had confusion coursing through him.

“Do you know why you are so weakened right now, my pet?” he replied, a cruel, vindictive smile on his face. “You weaken as your Guardian fades.”

“No,” she rasped, shaking her head at those words. “That bond is blocked. All my bonds are blocked. That is what Alaric said.”

Mikale laughed as much as he could around Sorin’s foot at his neck. “He also said that because Cassiuschosethe Guardian bond, you would still feel it. You did not feel a thing as you watched us carve him up and make him scream, but now you are weakening. You know what that means, my pet.”

“You are lying,” she rasped, horror and panic coloring her tone. Her already labored breathing was becoming erratic.

“Breathe, Scarlett,” Sorin ordered.

“She can’t,” Mikale taunted. “She cannot because her Guardian is on death’s doorstep. He already has a foot beyond the Veil, and when he fully crosses, the pain will be excruciating.”

“Scarlett, I do not know what this means,” Sorin said, looking from Mikale to his wife as she fell back, drawing her knees to her chest.

“Tarek will ease the pain, my pet. The tonic we give you willease this loss,” Mikale continued, his voice slipping into a coaxing tone, smooth and entrancing. “You know what is required of you.”

“Scarlett, I do not know what is going on here, but do not listen to him. Do you hear me?”

But she didn’t hear him. Her hands were clamped over her ears, and her eyes were closed tight as she rocked back and forth. Tears were coursing down her cheeks, sobs racking her body, and a scream of anguish left her throat. He couldn’t go to her. He couldn’t reach her. He could do nothing for her right now, but he could kill the man beneath his boot.

With a snarl of rage, Sorin pulled a shirastone dagger from his belt, but as he raised it to bring it down on Mikale’s chest, another voice cut through the night.

“I wouldn’t do that, Aditya.”

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