Page 244 of Of Masks and Fury

Behind us, war brewed.

But between Trew’s arms, with Pherin warmth on my shoulder, I felt something impossible blooming in my chest.

Hope.

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE

ISI

When dawn broke, we were still flying, though we were almost there. By midday, we crested the final ridge, approaching from the northern section of the valley. Everything looked exactly like before except the wards had fallen completely.

The manor stood silent in the distance, its windows dark.

“They could be hiding inside,” Addie said, but her voice carried the same dread I felt settling in my stomach.

The silence felt oppressive. The valley felt hollow, abandoned, like a tomb.

Everything felt too empty to me, but she was right. They could be inside.

After flying over the area multiple times to ensure there were no Skathes, we landed in a secluded meadow behind the building and dismounted.

We crept through the woods, quickly moving toward the back of the manor. Once we’d assured ourselves there truly wasn’t anyone around, we hurried across the open area and entered through the back kitchen door.

Inside, dust motes danced in the murky light making its way through the windows. Other than dust on the surfaces, everything appeared how we’d left it, frozen in time.

We made our way through the building, but we didn’t find our friends. It didn’t appear as if the Skathes had entered, however.

Commander Thorne lay on the front lawn where we’d left him, and the sight of him lying still in the grass drove all the air from my lungs.

From a distance, it appeared that the Skathes had left his body alone, despite it starting to decompose. At least they hadn’t… I cut the thought off, not wanting to think about what they could’ve done with his corpse.

“We’ll build a pyre and give him the warrior’s send-off he deserves,” Trew said quietly from where he stood behind me at the window.

“What about smoke?” I said. “We don’t want anyone knowing we’re here.”

“I’ll use magical fire that can’t be seen from a distance but still burns hot enough.”

By the time we’d finished preparing my friend, the sun hung low in the sky, and the air had cooled. We stood nearby, Addie and I with tears streaming down our faces. We’d arranged him carefully, placing his sword across his chest.

“He taught me to fight when Father wanted me to be nothing more than a decoration,” I said, my voice breaking. “He taught me I could be more than a silly woman behind a pretty mask.”

I closed my eyes, and for a heartbeat, the scent of the magical fire was replaced by the smell of wet stone and sword oil. I was fourteen years old, and rain was drumming a relentless beat on the roof of the practice shed. My fingers were cold, slipping across the leather hilt of my wooden practice blade, and my father’s voice still echoed from the morning’s breakfast, calling me clumsy and poorly-suited for the dignity of my station.

Thorne hadn’t said a word about dignity or station. He’d simply knelt in the dirt beside me, his large, scarred hands warm as they covered my own. He didn't just tell me how to hold the sword. Headjusted my grip, bit by bit, until the weight of the blade felt like an extension of my arm rather than a burden. “The world will try to convince you that you are small, Princess,” he’d whispered, his gaze full of a belief I hadn't yet found in myself. “But a steady hand and a clear heart can bring down giants. Never let their words loosen your hold.”

He’d been the one to stay in the mud with me while the king retreated to his study. The one to patiently fix what my father tried to break. He hadn't given me his blood, but he’d given me his soul, equipping me with the only armor that truly mattered. He was the father who chose me, and I was the daughter he’d forged in the shadows of a tyrant's court.

“He saved my life,” Addie said. “He killed two guards to get me out of that tower. He carried me when I couldn’t walk. He nursed me back to health and brought me here, where he hoped we’d find answers.”

“He gave his flame so ours could burn brighter,” Trew said. “This is the greatest gift a warrior can offer. We’ll honor it by burning brighter than ever.”

Trew tugged in his magic and sent it out toward our friend. He reached for the colder edge of his magic, the part that burned without smoke or warmth, the part that could incinerate without destroying what it touched.

His icy blue, smokeless fire started slow at first, but soon engulfed Thorne. I hoped we were bringing him peace and a chance to rest.

We stood in the hushed quiet, each of us lost in our own grief. Pherin keened, the sound echoing across the small open area behind the building.

We watched until nothing remained but ashes and memory.