Page 37 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

This wasn’t just torture. This wasn’t even just experimentation. This was preparation for war.

Azad wasn’t just corrupting children for cruelty’s sake—he was building an army. An army of innocents twisted into weapons, their pure souls perverted into tools of destruction. And that army was meant to be used against Hakan.

Which meant this was treason of the highest order.

I looked at these babies—someone’s Kiraz, someone’s whole world—and something fundamental shifted inside me. These monsters had declared war on innocence itself.

“How many of you were there originally?” I asked.

“Thirteen,” the girl with blonde curls whispered. “But some…some went to sleep and didn’t wake up. The shadows ate them all the way.”

Dead. Some of these children were dead.

“Listen to me,” I said, and addressed all the children. “I’m going to get help. Real help. People who can heal you, who can make the shadows go away.”

“Promise?” The girl pressed closer to the bars.

“I promise,” I said, and meant it with every fiber of my being. “I’m going to make sure the people who did this to you can never hurt anyone else ever again.”

I turned to the conscious prisoner, strengthening his bonds. “You’re coming with me,” I told him, my voice deadly calm. “The Shadow Court needs to see what’s been happening beneath their feet.”

The man whimpered, but I felt no pity. Not for someone who could look at children like these and see only raw material for dark magic.

Not for someone who had helped turn babies into weapons of war.

Ada

Idragged the trembling man through the corridors toward the main hall where the Shadow Court convened. My bound prisoner stumbled ahead of me, my light magic keeping him compliant while we navigated the twisting passages. My mindstill ached from Hakan’s brutal intrusion three days ago, but maternal fury burned brighter than personal pain.

When we reached the massive doors of the great hall, I didn’t hesitate. Light magic exploded from my hands, blasting the doors open with a thunderous crack that echoed through the chamber.

The proceedings halted abruptly. Dozens of shadow lords turned toward us, shocked at the sight of me—glowing with barely contained power—forcing a bound man into their sacred space.

I recognized faces from the gathering—Lord Kenan with his silver-streaked beard, Lady Narin whose shadows moved in fluid waves, the twins Ferhat and Firat with their matching scars. Some looked outraged at my intrusion, others curious, a few—surprisingly—approving.

At the head of the table, Hakan rose slowly, his expression thunderous. The temperature in the room plummeted as his gaze fixed on me.

"What do you want, Ada?" he demanded, his shadows coiling and darkening around him.

The memory of those children—corrupted, suffering, the same age as my hidden daughter—sent protective fury coursing through me. I shoved my prisoner forward, releasing him from my spell, so he collapsed before the assembly.

“While you play politics, children are being tortured beneath your very home!”

Gasps echoed through the chamber. Several shadow lords exchanged startled glances.

“This man has been experimenting on kidnapped children,” I continued, my words ringing with righteous anger. “Infusing them with shadow essence to create ‘vessels’ for some ceremony. All under the direction of your cousin, Lord Azad.”

Hakan’s expression shifted, his shadows rippling outward with controlled rage.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he said, his tone of voice deceptively calm—but I caught the flash of cold fury that suggested this confirmed suspicions he’d already harbored. “Do you have proof?”

“Proof?” I gestured to the trembling man. “Ask him yourself. Or better yet, follow me to the hidden laboratory beneath your gardens!”

Lord Kenan, whose reputation as a moderate was well-known, stepped forward. “Hidden laboratory? Beneath the gardens?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Accessible through a concealed passage near the old yew grove.”

Lady Narin moved to stand beside Kenan, her silver eyes sharp. “These are grave accusations, Light-Bearer. Especially against Lord Azad, who stands high in Lord Erlik’s favor.”

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