Page 246 of Lady of Ashes

Scarlett’s screams pierced the air, but the ones coming from Tava were just as agonizing.

Because she was screaming his name as the Assassin Lord tightened the phantom grip on his heart, squeezing tighter and tighter.

He’d failed in all the ways that mattered. He’d failed to protect his mother.

He’d failed to protect his sister. He’d failed to protect his people. He’d failed to protect her.

There was no way any of them were leaving here alive. The Fae were useless without their gifts. Sure, they could ?ght better than any human soldier, but that did little when the people they were ?ghtingcouldaccess their gifts.

When the Fae Queen could bring the Prince of Fire to his knees with a single bolt of energy from her very palm.

When the male beside her could strangle with vines.

When Mikale and the Lord could apparently sprout wings from their backs and do the gods knew what.

When the Assassin Lord before him could squeeze the very life from him simply by raising his hand.

He was already on his knees, having dropped to them almost immediately when his chest had begun constricting. Now he lurched forward onto his hands, his back bowing.

Light was ?ashing in his vision, and he knew the air he managed to suck into his lungs would be the last breath he took.

Except it wasn’t.

The pressure in his chest was suddenly gone. His vision cleared,landing on his sister who was shrieking where she sat on the ?oor, still bound and gagged. He crawled to her, not letting himself look at the carnage going on around him. He pulled the gag from her mouth, clamping a hand over it.

“You need to stop screaming, Eva,” he rasped. “Stop.”

She nodded, her entire body trembling, and he pulled her into his side. Only then did he look up and take in what was transpiring. There was a … whirlwind of ?re and ice and shadows. That was the only way he could describe it. It swirled around Scarlett, where she was thrashing and screaming, her face tilted to the ceiling as her pain and grief poured out of her. Cassius had her clasped to his chest, holding her head to his shoulder so she didn’t snap her godsdamn neck.

Sorin was on the ground, not moving, a red bird ?ying above him. Amaré.

It slowly registered then that there was a horse with water for a mane. A silver hawk.

A stag.

A panther.

There were spirit animals here. That had been the light ?ashing when he thought he’d been about to die.

The Fae were all panting. Briar and a petite female, with hair as silver as Scarlett’s, had made their way to Tava and Drake, now guarding them. Prince Azrael was before Talwyn and the other male.

The Assassin Lord, Lord Tyndell, and Mikale were all retreating a few steps as the panther stalked forward.

“You tell her I am coming. Tell her I will ?nd her and deliver her to him. I will deliver all of you to him,” the Assassin Lord spat at the panther.

The panther snarled, massive teeth bared, just as ashes swirled, and Rayner appeared. He looked around the room, taking it all in. His eyes widened when they landed on Sorin, lying unmoving where he’d fallen.

He quickly made his way to the swirling mass that was Scarlett, but Callan couldn’t hear what he was yelling over Scarlett’s screams. She was going to blow-out her vocal cords.

“Come, Prince.”

Callan looked up. He hadn’t seen Briar make his way over to him while the panther was keeping the Maraan Lords busy.

“We are getting out of here.”

“How?” Callan rasped, standing and scooping Eva up into his arms, settling her on his hip. She wrapped her small arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He followed Briar over to the Tyndells. “Scarlett cannot possibly Travel.”

“She cannot,” Briar agreed. “But we are hoping her Guardian can. If Scarlett has not siphoned too much of his power.”

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