Page 140 of Tower of Ash and Darkness
“Withme,” Callum interjects smoothly, raising a hand as though claiming credit for the debacle. “We ran into a bit of trouble in the woods, didn’t we, Your Grace?”
He smiles wryly, and that familiar dark humor glints in his eyes—a reminder of his constant games—but this time, it feels like a dagger. Jason’s confusion deepens, his jaw tightening as his eyes snap back to me.
“Why were you withhim?” The edge in his voice grates against my already fraying nerves.
Callum interrupts with a mocking laugh.
“It’s funny,” he drawls, his tone thick with disdain, “how you stand there with your whore, acting like you still give a fuck aboutyourwife.”
Frustration simmers beneath my skin, my fists clenching as I glare at him.
“This isn’t some cockfight.”
My voice cuts through his smugness, but Callum only shrugs, unbothered by my anger.His gaze turns cold as he continues.
“Lord Striden has been busy spying on your father,” Callum says, the words a conscious jab. His gaze flicks to Jason. “And Jason here? He’s been keeping tabs on them.”
His focus shifts, settling on Celaena, whose face pales before flushing with shame. Jason stiffens, his jaw clenching as he looks at Callum.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he bites, but the words lack conviction.
“No,” Callum says with a smirk, nodding in my direction. “But you do have to explain yourself to her.”
Jason stiffens, his jaw clenching as he looks back at me.
“Lailah…” he starts, his voice soft, but I cut him off again, my voice sharper than before.
“What is my father searching for?”
Jason hesitates, his eyes flickering with something indecipherable before he finally answers, his voice low and heavy.
"A stone."
“A stone?”
“Your father believes it will make him unstoppable,” he says. “If he gets it, he’ll use it to elevate vampires above everyone else. Humans will become nothing more than cattle to him. It’ll mean war—a war that will destroy everything.”
The words crash over me like a wave, and I feel my stomach twist. My chest tightens, and though Jason’s eyes betray his desperation, I can’t meet them for long.
“I didn’t know the full extent at first,” Jason adds quickly, as though scrambling to salvage something from the ruins of his explanation. “I thought it was just politics—about control, not destruction. But when I learned what the stone could do… I realized it didn’t matter who had it. Either way, it would mean the end of everything.” He pauses, his voice softening as his eyes search mine. “Vampires, humans,witches… no one survives.”
I close my eyes, struggling to find balance amid the storm brewing inside me. The chaos feels endless, like a pit opening in my chest.
“Where is this stone?” I ask.
Jason exhales deeply, the burden of his knowledge evident in the way his shoulders sag.
“It’s hidden beneath the Arinstor mountains. We don’t know exactly where—it’s been lost for centuries. And I don’t even know if King Sarris has it in his possession yet.”
He shifts slightly, his gaze steady and unflinching as he continues.
“My father doesn’t trust anyone—not evenme. But he trusts her.”
His tone hardens as he nods toward Celaena, whose presence suddenly feels unbearable.
“She’s in his meetings, at his side constantly. He tells her things—things he shouldn’t—because he thinks she’s loyal to him.” Jason’s voice lowers, his expression tightening as he adds, “But she’s loyal to me.”
“You mean she’s in love with you,” I snap, the words spilling out before I can stop them.
