THE CROWN OF ASH AND MOONLIGHT

ing's tower had a

Rhydian's own chambers, with a wool blanket folded at one end. Ysolde stared

Ysolde

"A slave sleeping alone in a locked room can be reached by anyone with a key. A slave in the king's chambers cannot."

ant me

le. "If you would rather be found with a knife in your

f the fire as though the arrangement had been settled hours a

by the windo

you

feel like a defeat either, and that

the day hun

he asked questions in a low, steady voice. Who had handled her key? When had she last seen it? She

aid. "Four days before the siege. My uncle embraced me, a

er t

ach turned. "A gift arrived while I was out. A box of lavender soap, from th

n stopped. "

e I..." She pressed her fingers to her templ

closed the ledger very gently, as thou

to Hollowmere that week," he

through her.

. The report said it was an accident."

lders, and understood something that made her throat ache without her permission. He wasn't angry at her, or at the Eld

have known," s

he'd said something in another language. "Don't

hat it looks like when someone blames himself for somet

r lifted his head from the h

t last, rough and low. "You

rk to the sound of

dy, slow and heavy as a bellows. This was lig

he saw the shape: a man crouched on the window ledge, dressed in Blackthorn black, with a thin

, and her wolf ros

k one step toward her, then another. In the fireli

de r

iron poker from the hearth, and swung it as hard as she could. He caught it on his forearm with a crack of b

almost kindly. "

sed th

black exploded

went down together in a tangle of snarls and torn leather. The knife skittered across the

d, eyes glowing a fierce molten gold, and when he reached the struggle he didn't even use a w

sent

ood panting at the king's

ho

d the taste of copper filled her mouth. Rhydian's head turned toward the sound, and in the

was an awful

r," he rasped. "He said y

ip tightened

asmed once. A thin line of black foam slid from the cor

owed it before the

ackle of the fire and Cinder's heavy breathing. Then the kin

hair aside, and swept his thumb along the bruise rising on her ribs, quick and

and was horrified to

bling, she realized, the great, scarred, terrible hands of the Alph

that she could see the gold fading from his

ho had burned her home. Instead she raised one hand and laid it agains

e," she

fell to her mouth. For one long heartbeat the world narrowed

pen. Guards flooded in with drawn swords, and Maren Cael was

hank the moon you are u

lmost frightening. His eyes found hers over the Chancellor's shoulder,

ing abou

is waki

Maren Cael's kind, worried face. Slowly, deliberately, she lowe

wed head, her wol