Page 85 of Lady of Ashes

Her brows rose higher at that. “What of it?”

“If there was a possibility of removing the wards that surround them, do you think they should be gifted such a thing?” Talwyn asked.

“I would think you should learn if they would even consider that a gift,” Arianna answered.

“Why would they not want to be able to move about freely once more?” Talwyn countered.

Arianna shrugged indifferently. “The wards were put in place for a reason. Until that reason is dealt with, I would imagine they would like the wards left exactly as they are.”

“The wards were put in place to keep them sequestered across the sea.”

“Were they?” Arianna asked, arching a brow, her lips tilting up in knowing. “I suggest continuing this conversation with Queen Scarlett and Prince Sorin … After you report to my brother, of course.”

With those parting words, she turned and walked out of the hall. Ire coursing through her, Talwyn went in the opposite direction, heading for a concealed passageway that would lead up to the queen’s private wing, where she was sure Sorin and Scarlett were holed up. She’d spent much of her childhood here. That knowledge, along with the fact that these halls were identical to the White Halls, meant she knew all of the place’s secrets.

Unfortunately, so did Sorin.

The moment she stepped foot on the staircase to make her way to the rooms, Eliza appeared.

“They are not to be disturbed, your Majesty,” she said with a dark smile.

“Move, General,” Talwyn said with a sneer.

“My orders come from my prince who has informed me no one, save for a select few, are allowed beyond this point for the time being,” Eliza said.

And Talwyn knew this was useless. If she continued to push this, Eliza would summon Cyrus and Rayner and even Briar. They no longer answered to her. She didn’t have the power to command them to do shit any more.

“When can I speak with them?” Talwyn gritted out.

“The queen is resting and recovering. I will let Sorin know you desire an audience when she is well,” Eliza replied nonchalantly.

“See that you do.”

CHAPTER 21

SCARLETT

There was no moon on this night.

There were just the stars and the dark.

She did not know where she was, as she stared up at the black sky. She was not in the Black Halls. She was not in the Fire Court. She was not in Baylorin. She was not in a forest.

She found she did not care.

In this place, she did not feel. She did not feel the crushing grief of not knowing if Cassius was going to live or die. She did not feel the guilt for blocking her twin ?ame bond without fully understanding the cost. She did not feel the pressure of Courts and kingdoms depending on her. She did not feel the insatiable craving that had driven her to sheer madness. She did not feel the pain, the fear, the agony.

She interlaced her ?ngers, placing her hands on her stomach. She was lying in grass of some sort. It was soft beneath her back. If it was winter here, the chill of the season did not touch her, did not sink into her bones.

Her shadows shuddered as they rose from beneath her skin, and she inhaled deeply at feeling them again. They seemed just as joyous to be with her once more. They swirled along her arms, her legs. They drifted among her hair and caressed her face. She lifted a hand in greeting, swiping her ?ngers through them, feeling them dance at her touch.

And when the cry of an eagle reached her ears, she did not need to look around to know who was coming. She did not even bother to sit up. Her eyes went back to the stars.

“Welcome back, Lady of Darkness,” the beautiful man with the silver hair said, dropping down beside her. He bent a leg, his arm resting atop it, and a moment later, Altaria swooped down to perch on his forearm.

“You are blessed by Temural,” she said. A statement, not a question.

“One could say that,” he agreed.

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