Page 99 of Silver & Smoke
Wren poured the steaming liquid from the crucible into the waiting vial. ‘I know.’
Thea blew the timber shavings from where she’d been carving into the bench and Wren glanced over, curious as to what she had deemed worthy of defacing property that wasn’t theirs.
T & W, the carving read, followed by a lightning bolt.
‘Ah, how sweet,’ Wren mused. ‘Thea and Wilder... I’m surprised you haven’t drawn a massive sword next to it.’
Thea laughed. ‘It’s not for me and Wilder.’
‘No?’
‘No.’ Thea traced the letters. ‘It’s for me and you, you fool. Thea and Wren.’
‘Oh.’
‘We Embervales have to stick together,’ Thea told her. ‘I won’t lose you as well.’
A wave of grief washed over Wren, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. ‘Nor I you.’
Thea elbowed her. ‘Glad we got that settled, then.’
But Wren couldn’t stop the rising feeling of dread inching its way up her throat. ‘Am I making a mistake, Thee? Claiming the throne? Taking this on?’
Thea’s features softened and she reached out to grasp Wren’s shoulder. ‘I think you’re going to have to make hard decisions again and again in this life... The only thing that’s going to help you live with them is if you decide based on your own beliefs, your own truth.’ Thea released her. ‘And that’s what you did, isn’t it?’
Slowly, Wren nodded.
‘Then no, I don’t think you made a mistake, Wren,’ her sister told her.
‘Gods, I hope you’re right.’
CHAPTER 51
Torj
‘A force divided in purpose is already half-defeated before the first arrow flies’
– The Warsword’s Way
VERNICH AND ONEhundred and fifty brave souls from the Warren led them out of the underground labyrinth. Kipp had shown the Bloodletter where they were meeting the rest of their forces, and the older Warsword had moved quickly. Retired or not, he hadn’t lost his touch. The incline told Torj that they were moving straight for the capital, Dorinth, which sat on a cliff’s edge, or had, once upon a time.
When they emerged from the Warren, they were greeted by crumpled pillars and piles of broken stone. The remnants of the fallen kingdom had been overrun by nature – long vibrant grasses, wildflowers and trees.
‘This is what’s left of the outer city wall and watchtowers,’ Vernich explained, pointing to the stone and rubble amid the undergrowth. ‘The old city gates are a few leagues south, but Silas will have guards posted there. You can see the capital—’
Torj’s breath caught in his throat. His hand shot out, gripping Vernich’s arm with enough force to make the man wince.
‘Furies above,’ Torj whispered, his awestruck voice barely audible over the sudden pounding of his heart.
Between them and Dorinth stretched a field of pearly white – a sea of silvertide roses swaying in the gentle morning breeze, their iridescent petals catching the sunlight like fragments of glass. The flowers carpeted the entire expanse, as far as the eye could see, creating a luminous barrier between their small force and the capital they meant to take.
‘Wren...’ Her name escaped his lips like a prayer.
She guided her horse forwards, stopping alongside him. ‘What is it?’ But as she followed his gaze, the words died on her tongue and she blinked rapidly. ‘Silvertide,’ she breathed, her voice cracking. She gripped her reins so tightly her knuckles turned white. ‘It’s... impossible. There’s so much of it.’
Behind them, Zavier swore softly and looked to Torj. ‘I thought you said it was all gone?’
‘I thought it was. Every spot marked on the map was burned. For the locations I couldn’t get to, my scouts confirmed it. Silas had them all destroyed. Except for the wild roses we came across before Vernich arrived.’
