Page 59 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

“No doubt in my mind.”

“What if…what if that little zing I felt when we kissed is just some residue from the heartstone stored inside me?”

He scowled. “Do you feel it now? Is there any of it left inside you at this moment?”

I shook my head. “Oh, no. All out.”

“Then this is the time to test it.”

He stopped and let go of my legs, keeping a tight hold around my waist, and bending to let my feet rest on the ground. We’d left the courtyard far behind us and were nearing the arena. A DeNoy grunted behind him and gave him a push, which had no effect at all. Instead, Tearloch put a hand to the man’s head and shoved. The DeNoy landed in the snow on his backside a good seven feet away.

A tremor shook Tearloch’s bare hand as he lifted it to the side of my face. I smiled into his eyes and lifted my chin just a little more, for encouragement. If this were to be our last kiss, I really hoped it would light him up like a glow stone.

Instead, it was I who lit up. From every point where our lips and skin touched, the most delicious fire shot through my veins. Warm enough to thaw my frozen toes, warm enough to bring feeling back to my wet knees. Warm enough to fill my chest and chase away my fear of what was to come.

When he straightened, I could tell he’d felt something similar. His eyes danced like he’d just touched down after his first dragon ride.

“Nothing else matters,” I said.

“Nothing but this.”

The next DeNoy that came along wasn’t so gentle. He gave Tearloch’s shoulder a violent shove, then lifted the sharp tip of a sword up to his face. When Tearloch batted it away, the man just brought it back again.

“Move.”

The man I loved gave me a wink. “Can you walk now?”

“Now?” I laughed. “I may just fly.”

28

FIFTY—A NICE ROUND NUMBER

The Soundless was abandoned no longer.

Dozens of regular citizens braved the cold to watch as we were led away from the castle and surroundings that the DeNoy used for their playground. But the games weren’t over yet.

We weren’t taken to the arena, which was a relief. If the DeNoy liked to watch their bloodsports in the dead of a cold night, I might have volunteered to fight first just to get it over with.

Instead, we were led to a building close by, the place Sweetie called The Recovery. Once inside, we were prodded down a long staircase. The moist chill of an underground corridor attached itself to my skin as I shuffled forward. My damp robes hung heavy against my legs.

Torches flickered along the dirt walls, their orange flames casting eerie shadows that danced with every draft. On either side of the passageway, thick wooden doors with barred windows stood ajar, waiting to greet new occupants.

Tearloch and I held hands until that was no longer an option. As we moved along, men were peeled away one by one. They offered only vague protests that echoed as they disappeared into the dark, and doors closed behind them. I kept my breathing steady and held tight to my newfound happiness and prayed that it would last me until I saw the sun again.

At the far end of the corridor, the guards directed Minkin and Lennon to cells across from each other. The last door creaked ominously as it opened for me, revealing a small, stark chamber with a thin pallet raised off the floor and a blanket. Inside, the heat of a nearby torch had gathered to hold the chill at bay and gave me hope that here, away from the biting cold and snow above, my clothes might find a chance to dry.

After a good look around, finding no weakness I might exploit, I returned my nearly spent glow stone to my pocket to ration its weak light. And with nothing else to do, I gratefully stretched out on the pallet and pulled the thin blanket over me. How could I possibly complain. I had found my family…

I went to sleep feeling Tearloch’s lips on my forehead.

* * *

I woketo the sound of Demius clanging pans and fumbling around, looking for a breakfast he knew I had yet to prepare. It was too early to rise. I knew it because it was still dark.

“Go back to bed,” I growled, and closed my eyes again.

“Where is it?”

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