Page 54 of Lady of Ashes

“You’d be better off trying to go in disguised as assassins,” Nuri said. “If the Assassin Lord’s attention is focused on Scarlett right now, there is a chance you could get in. You’d be cloaked and hooded, your faces hidden. I can only assume his most trusted are guarding her so the others may not instantly recognize an outsider.”

“What if we were with one of his most trusted?” Sorin asked slowly. “I can’t go there, Sorin,” Nuri answered.

“Not you,” Sorin said, shaking his head. His gaze swung back to Arianna. “You said Mikale was in that room while you were there. And Lord Tyndell.”

“Yes, along with another and the Assassin Lord,” Arianna con?rmed. “Did you see them, speci?cally Mikale, well enough to shift into him?”

Eliza pushed off the wall she was leaning against. “You want her to impersonate Mikale and go in for Scarlett? Scarlett would never believe he had come to rescue her.”

“No,” Sorin said, shaking his head again. “I want her to impersonate Mikale so that when I enter as an underling assassin, no one will question it. Then, when I ?nd Scarlett, I can explain who Arianna is. If Mikale is with me, who will question us moving her about?”

Nuri had a knife in her gloved hand, playing with the blade as she thought over everything he’d said. “It could work,” she said thoughtfully. “Before all of this happened, if I had entered with an outsider, no one but Alaric would have questioned me. If he is distracted, his awareness of your presence would likely be delayed.” She fell quiet again, clearly running over different outcomes in her mind. Everyone stayed quiet, letting her think, recognizing that she was the expert here. As much as he hated it, she’d been right when she had yelled at him, reminding him that her knowledge was superior to his here.

“This will probably be our best shot,” Nuri ?nally conceded. “And now that he has Cassius too—”

“What do you mean he has Cassius too?” Cyrus interrupted. “I thought he was only keeping the commander if he was lying about the mortal prince? That has been taken care of.”

Nuri huffed out a hollow laugh. “If you think the Assassin Lord is going to release the greatest leverage he has against Scarlett, you are sorely mistaken. Cassius will be used against her until he has gotten everything he wants from her, and even then, he will likely be kept as collateral, to keep her under control.”

“So you are saying when we go in for Scarlett, we will need to get him as well?” Rayner asked, the smoke swirling in his eyes seeming to thicken.

“Yes,” Nuri answered simply.

“Well, that’s just great,” Eliza muttered. “Because getting Scarlett out wasn’t challenging enough, we now need to try to smuggle two people out.”

“When?” Sorin demanded. “When can we go in?”

Nuri’s honey eyes met his. “Give me a few days, Sorin.” Her tone had softened, like it often did when he glimpsed her conversing with the younger children. “Let me make sure that we have as many of our people on duty as possible when we go in. It will give us the best chances.”

Sorin nodded, not liking having to wait even another hour, let alone a few days, but what else could he do? If those few days were what it took to avoid losing their advantage, then he’d suffer through them.

They all dispersed, agreeing to meet again later tonight as usual to discuss things further, after Nuri had some time to get in touch with her contacts. Eliza went to speak with Callan and make sure they were as prepared as possible for returning to the castle. Sorin didn’t know if the mortal prince would even speak to her, but he didn’t care any more. The mortal prince could do what he wanted.

He found himself slipping out the side door, his feet carrying him back to the beach. This was where he normally ended up in the afternoons, staring out across a sea so vast and endless, yet it felt minuscule compared to the abyss separating him from his twin ?ame.

Hold on, Love.Just a little longer. I am coming.

CHAPTER 15

CALLAN

“You are sure you are ready for this?” Callan asked, glancing sidelong at Tava.

She sat beside him in a carriage as it made its way to the castle. They had decided this would be the best way to arrive and make their story look convincing. He would tell his father and the others that he simply hadn’t been able to wait to see her as soon as he arrived back in Baylorin, and she had accompanied him to the castle to see her father.

“I do not think it matters much if I am ready or not, your Highness,” Tava replied, her hands folded and resting in her lap, ever the Lady.

Callan drummed his ?ngers against his thigh, his knee bouncing with nerves. “If it is to be believed we are courting, you really do need to call me Callan instead of your Highness.”

“Noted.”

“And we should probably establish some … boundaries or something,” he added.

“Boundaries?” she asked, turning to face him in confusion.

“Yes, boundaries. What is acceptable to you? What makes you uncomfortable? If we are courting, it will be expected that we are at least somewhat affectionate with each other, I suppose,” he answered, his ?ngers drumming on his ?dgeting leg once more. He turned to look out the window. They were only a few blocks from the castle now.

“Hmm,” she mused. “I suppose hand-holding, whispering sweet nothings, and soft kisses to the hand and cheek would be acceptable, but perhaps we keep the more passionate displays for when we are alone?”

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