Page 119 of Thorns & Fire
Torj’s gaze shot to his friend.‘What?’
‘You’re forgetting I’m in love with an Embervale sister too,’ Wilder said.‘If I recall, Wren didn’t ask for your protection.In fact, she flat out refused it.’
‘That’s not the point.’
‘No, it’s not.But tell me, did you take a choice from her?Did you decide on her behalf?’
‘I...’
‘I’ll take that as a yes.’Wilder shook his head.‘You idiot.’
Torj folded his arms over his chest, rocking back onto the rear legs of his chair.‘I don’t remember you being fucking perfect with Thea during the war years.’
Wilder barked a laugh.‘That’s why I thought you might have learned a thing or two from my mistakes.’
‘Think again,’ Torj muttered bitterly.
‘Torj,youwere the one who toldmeto be strong for Thea when she was about to walk into the Great Rite...’
‘And I listened to you as Wren partook in the Gauntlet.I let her—’
‘You don’tletan Embervale sister do anything, Torj,’ Wilder said gently.
‘I know.’He forced himself to look at his friend.‘I made a decision in a desperate moment – one I’m not sure I’d make any differently, were I to face it again...But I broke her trust.And I can’t get it back.’
Wilder reached across and gripped his shoulder.‘That’s where you’re wrong, brother.’
‘Oh?’
‘I hear Wren has run out of samples of the enemy’s alchemy for her tests?’Wilder said, a wicked smile gracing his lips.
Torj felt a grin break out across his own face.‘Do you have a location in Highguard?’
‘I do.In the old part of town, near the pleasure house.’
Torj got to his feet and reached for his hammer.‘Then what are we waiting for?’
CHAPTER 48
Wren
‘Mark not the thorns, but rather what they’ve kept safe through the ages’
– An Encyclopaedia of Deadly Plants
THEEMBERVALE SISTERSstood in the quiet conservatory, which was empty but for Dessa working on her own opus nearby.The redhead was so consumed with her project that she hadn’t looked their way since she’d arrived, her eyes fixed on the parchment she was scribbling away on.
Thea stood with her arms folded over her chest as she surveyed the potted plants before her.‘Which ones are from Delmira?’she asked.
Wren pointed to a pair, their silver-white petals gleaming in the morning light that poured into the conservatory.Vibrant green leaves stretched towards the glass ceiling; their edges seemed to pulse with life.
‘Those two are full specimens, from the soil they’re in to the plant itself – all transported from Delmira.’She pointed to a different pot.‘That silvertide was transplanted to local soil, the most nourishing that the Master of Lifelore had to offer from his personal supplies.’
Thea’s brow crinkled.‘It doesn’t look as...perkyas the ones from Delmira, does it?’
So far, they had managed to keep Thea’s arrival hidden from the eager council, and Wren had never been more grateful to have her sister by her side.They had talked about Delmira at length, with Thea openly airing her fears and concerns about what taking on the crown might mean for her, for Wilder, for the future they’d envisioned together.
Wren had always thought of Thea as reckless and impulsive, but her talk of securing funding and defences was measured and considered.Wren suspected she had managed to get some time in with their strategist friend as well, for her observations were laced with calculation and long-term planning.
