Page 56 of Silver & Smoke
With a sigh, Audra stood. ‘Their kind was vilified badly during the last war. They were taken prisoner, tortured, experimented on... and still they fought for us at the end. Talemir tells me that since the shadow war, their kind has not been accepted anywhere except within their own communities. Common folk of the midrealms still associate them with evil. Most want nothing to do with the broader world now. I can’t say I blame them.’
Resigned silence fell across the table, and Torj felt like a prize idiot for not seeing it more clearly sooner. Talemir had protected an entire people from darkness for years, only to be treated like dirt after fighting for the midrealms. He had a shadow-touched son to protect from the world too.
‘Shit,’ Torj muttered.
Audra nodded. ‘An apt summary. From here it’s a matter oflogistics – which travel routes for which forces; gathering any final information on Silas’s battalions, as well as supplies not only for the journey, but for the garrisons we need to set up along the way. We’ll reconvene on that tomorrow.’
Wren caught his eye.Thea said she wants to talk to me. I’ll see you later?
If we can manage to sneak away, that sounds good, Embers.
As everyone stood and made for the door, Wilder approached Torj. ‘Did you know it was that bad with the shadow-touched?’ he asked.
Torj shook his head. ‘No. I knew they kept to themselves, but I just thought it was because that’s what they’ve always done. He never said anything to you?’
‘Not a word,’ Wilder said. ‘I was going to write to him tonight anyway. I’ll talk to him, see if there’s anything we can do.’
‘Thanks,’ Torj replied, dipping his chin to Wilder as his friend clapped him on the shoulder and left.
Poor Tal, Torj thought, rubbing his aching temples. The Warsword once known as the Prince of Hearts had given everything to protect the midrealms, becoming part wraith himself in one of the earlier battles, and had continued to fight against the darkness ever since. With his shadow-touched airborne units, he’d been instrumental in the war, as had his wife Drue, whose knowledge of the sun orchids had helped defeat the monsters. And this was how the midrealms repaid him? Gods, when was the last time they had seen true justice done?
Torj’s gaze fell to the unassuming teapot on the shelf, and for the first time since setting foot back on Thezmarr soil, he laughed.
CHAPTER 30
Wren
‘Herb lore teaches us that power resides not in what is loudly proclaimed, but in what is quietly understood’
– From Root to Petal: Understanding Plants and Their Properties
‘WHAT?’WREN STAREDat her sister, convinced she’d misheard her. The word echoed off the stone walls of the dining hall, bouncing between the towering monuments. But Thea was smiling, and there was a light in her eyes Wren hadn’t seen since before the world had grown dark again.
‘Wilder proposed,’ she repeated, her expression faltering. She rubbed the scars on the backs of her hands, a habit she’d had since childhood.
Wren felt fresh tears track down her cheeks as she hauled Thea into her arms, squeezing her hard. ‘He finally did it,’ she mumbled into Thea’s braid. ‘At long last.’
‘You knew?’ Thea exclaimed.
Wren pulled back from the embrace, grinning like a lunatic. ‘Of course I knew. He’s been telling anyone who will listen for half a decade that you’d be his wife one day.’ She hugged her sister again. ‘I’m so happy for you, Thea. Congratulations.’
‘I’m sorry it’s come at such a shit time—’
‘Don’t youdarebe sorry for this. It’s wonderful. It’s a light in the dark. It’s a promise of a future. Something to fight for.’ The words tumbled from her lips uncontrollably, but Wren meant every single one.
‘But everything is so up in the air. And you’ve got your stupid charade with Darian, and—’
‘Don’teverbe sorry. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the happiness that you deserve, sister.’
Wren hugged her again, and when she drew back, silver lined Thea’s eyes.
Nudging her with an elbow to lighten the mood, Wren asked, ‘What about the wholeWarswords don’t have wivesthing?’
The sisters ambled to where the rest of their company was gathered around a buffet spread.
‘Fuck it.’ Thea grinned, grabbing a plate. ‘Who’s gonna stop us?’
Wren had been convinced that Thezmarr would never be home to a happy memory again, but Thea and Wilder’s news swept through the fortress like wildfire, and with it came an infectious energy that Wren hadn’t experienced since before the shadow war.
