SECRET OF THE ASHES AND CROWN

liest betrayal wear

L

ed the riv

hem in without hesitation. Soldiers followed her into the

side? The Q

ipped bare

silent

n the shadows of her

ce D

Her ghost. Her

her knuckles with ice-cold lips and whi

he came to kill her

RE

s, dressed in obsidian armor, the Que

not fee

t

cold cu

asha, "does she still wear

veil. "She doesn't lie

ather's blade, once gifted in treaty.

added. "Swordplay. Stra

Dareth

ou'll be the on

id no

eyes, somet

A

st the silence

. No doors swingi

ahead with

ap cam

lls. A net laced wi

ded animal-fast, furious, burning

e returned, t

ira wa

L

ke in

ld-plated cuffs designed mo

t-lined carriage a

n't ag

iful. Still

r wrist and promised to lov

id. "Or should I say-

, slow and

your voice wa

rise to

doing this?

yourself to a blacksmith. You took the c

"You don't want me.

nted

ted subm

ned fo

sound you made the fir

at him, eye

w hard I tried not t

A

t wait f

-burned brush, broken branches, abandon

dn't

dn't

d toward the

een's outpost-tall, stone-

aid on

s. Burn the gat

L

nderesti

ho flinched at court politics and w

ed the weak points in the pa

th Kael for weeks to disarm a m

n her corset, just in case the wo

leaned to

cut

cross t

onto his white

ours," she

e wall

A

top to admi

like he was made for i

wer room, backed against the w

wounded, fu

, Kael," Da

sai

't deser

's not something to deserve. She

th l

met

el didn't fight l

already lost everything onc

AFTE

nconscious i

ckles were

wrists w

't speak

ched his fac

the answer was wr

ays come,

e Queen read

Elira escaped. Ka

wine and turned

ime," s

t?" Vash

d, red as the r

et he

linked.

with a taste of power