Page 22 of Memory of Ashes

Casyl glanced at her once, then carried on walking. They entered the main hall of the fortress and headed towards the dais where King Tiryn sat.

“What is it?” the king asked, straightening on his throne.

She wasn’t sure why she was being included. What did they want her to know?

“That was an emissary from the Holy Court. They brought a herald from the High City, who kindly informed us that unless we return the prisoner—and therefore King Elthar’s property—we will incite war between our peoples.”

Why did they want her so badly?

The king raised an eyebrow, taking a drink from his goblet.

“Why do they want her?” Tharos asked, mirroring her thoughts.

Casyl looked directly at her, and her cheeks warmed. “Because we have her.”

Ruven gave a short, humourless laugh. “The High City writes its own laws, and the Holy Court prefers not to disagree.”

Her fingers curled at her sides. Property again. Something for these men to barter with. She had no say here; she was just a prisoner caught between two sides.

“Will they try to take her by force?” Tharos asked.

“They can try,” Casyl said. “If Elthar considers that she is his property, and he knows that we have her, he’ll do everything to get her back. Even if the Holy Court believed Eleandor, they’d never trust us.”

Had she heard that correctly? War would erupt if they refused to return her. All this over one human.

“They have offered an alternative,” Casyl continued, reading from a scroll. “That we kill her ourselves.”

The words rang in her ears. They’d sentenced her to death.

*

Casyl disappeared from the fortress for long periods, returning only briefly before leaving again. He looked exhausted when she did see him.

Time lost its shape. The days blurred together. Training consumed the mornings, but she found herself bored and alone for most of the day. It gave her time to think and overthink. She went over how she’d escaped the mountain and ended up here. There was nothing on the other side of the mountain range, unless everything that she knew was wrong.

Ruven put her through daily training, and she could now block most of his attacks, even if she still couldn’t land a clean strike.

Tharos’s mind fog began to have less effect, which pleased Ruven and enraged Tharos.

On one of those mornings, Casyl stood across the courtyard talking to a woman. She was tall, though not as tall as the men, with fiery red hair that fell in long braids past her pointed ears. Her arms were bare, revealing sculpted muscles and tattoos that encircled them.

The woman walked over to them alone.

“Danae,” Ruven greeted her with a grin. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

She ignored him. “It’s my turn. If you’re going to have any chance of surviving, you need to learn how to block the elements. If you want to get home, you’re going to have to fight your way there.”

She opened her hand, and flames rose from her palm.

*

The security of the fortress had increased. Guards were now stationed around the walls to prevent anyone from getting in and anyone from getting out. Amelia had been given more freedom to move around the fortress and its grounds now that she was less of a flight risk. She’d been told that the holy fae wanted her dead. That made her more inclined to stay behind the walls.

She wandered through the stone corridors, peering into open rooms but not daring to open the closed doors. She knew to avoid the centre of the third floor, which housed part of the king’s private residence. She also avoided the turrets, where Casyl and his commanders resided.

The gentle breeze caressed her face as she climbed to the top of the fortress, to the ramparts, and stood looking out at the sea and its turbulent waters. The guards shifted uncomfortably when they noticed her and continued watching her, but they didn’t approach.

As the sea grew rougher, the wind whipped loose strands of untied hair around her face as she walked the length of the ramparts, scanning her surroundings. It was the first time she’d been up there. The light was fading, but she could see how remote the fortress was. The grey sea thrashed against the rocks behind the fortress, and the gloomy forest stood to the side, but the fortress overlooked miles of desolate land. The guards would be able to see anything approaching unless it came directly through the forest.