Page 67 of Winds of Darkness
Briar lowered to his knees, wanting to reach for her, but not sure if he should. Truth be known, now that he was here, he had no godsdamn idea what to do or how to help her.
“Ashtine,” he said again. “Tell me what I can do.”
“You came here.” It wasn’t a question, and gods, she sounded so incredibly tired.
“I told you I would always be here for you, my dear,” he answered.
“You came,” she repeated, as if she didn’t believe he was kneeling in front of her.
“I did.”
“Why?”
“You called for me. Or I suppose Nasima did the calling,” he replied.
“They are quieter when you are near,” Ashtine said, her voice somewhere between an awed whisper and a sob. “I do not understand why.”
“Then I will stay. We can understand tomorrow,” Briar said. Looking around, he found her storm had lessened some. The winds still swirled, though not as violently. He could see glimpses of the gleaming white skystone. “Do you wish to stay here? In the courtyard?”
“I wish for a bed and to sleep. That is all I wish for. It is all I have desired for days,” she said, still not moving.
“Then let’s do that.”
“The winds do not let me,” she whispered. “They never cease.”
“But they are less in the moment, yes?” Briar asked, unable to help himself as he reached out and pushed her hair from her face. Her eyes fluttered closed for the briefest of moments. “Speak, Ashtine.” He didn’t say it harshly, but it was a command to answer.
“Yes,” she murmured. “Because you are near.”
“Then I will stay near. Are you ready?”
He didn’t wait for an answer this time. He stood, then he bent and scooped the princess into his arms. She didn’t fight him. There was no protest. She only sighed, a sound born out of weariness, and rested her head against his shoulder.
But the whirlwind around them faded, the gales slowing until they were nothing more than a gentle breeze stirring around them. He imagined this was the way the courtyard normally looked. Peaceful and stunning with the skystone glinting in the midday sun.
As he approached the archway, he saw Ermir standing on the other side, a cloak in his hands. Standing next to him was Sawyer. When he stepped out of the courtyard, Ermir placed the cloak over Ashtine without a word.
“I will be staying with her,” Briar said to the Wind Court Second. “It is not a request.”
“Indeed, your Highness,” Ermir replied. “Had you attempted to leave, I would have asked you to stay.”
Briar glanced at his brother, who only gave a small nod of his head, before they turned and followed Ermir. He carried Ashtine all the way down those steep stairs. The courtyard was warded. There was no way to make portals at the top. But Ermir did not take him back to the Citadel the way Briar had come on Abrax.
Instead, Ermir veered left, leading them through a small grove of evergreen trees. They emerged sometime later, where the Second pulled open a door that would have been easily missed without guidance.
“The princess’s safe route,” Ermir explained as they entered a dark passageway. “I do not wish for her to be seen in such a state.”
Briar made a sound of acknowledgement. Ashtine hadn’t said a word, and he hoped that meant she was asleep. They climbed several flights of stairs before he was led into a set of rooms he could only assume were Ashtine’s private quarters.
“Her bedchamber is through that door,” Ermir said, nodding to a doorway. “Send word if you need anything. Her handmaiden, Noelle, may be in and out. She can be trusted.”
“Thank you, Ermir,” Briar said.
“No, Prince. I believe it is I who should be thanking you,” the Second replied.
Briar only nodded before carrying Ashtine through to her bedchamber. He wasn’t sure what Sawyer was planning to do, but he also didn’t care as he gently laid Ashtine down. He removed the cloak and replaced it with a heavy wool blanket, but the moment he stepped back, her eyes opened, finding his.
“You will stay?” she asked.
