Page 57 of Memory of Ashes

These were her people.

The army halted about half a mile away, and a lone warrior trotted towards the city walls.

Her heart lurched.

It was Casyl.

He sat straight on his horse, his raven-black hair blending into the night, looking up at the city walls, scanning the guards. He’d be able to see every detail. Every guard, every weapon.

Her.

His face was angled towards her. She couldn’t see his expression, but he’d be able to see hers.

She clenched her teeth together. He would not see her pain.

“I would speak to your leader,” he shouted up to the walls.

He sat alone on his horse before the walls of an entire city.

After a few minutes of waiting, the city gates opened, and they sent out an envoy to meet him. Amelia bit at the skin around her nails.

They spoke briefly, and the envoy returned to the city, whilst Casyl sat there upon his horse, still waiting.

“He wants to speak to someone in charge,” the envoy said nervously. “He wouldn’t speak to me; he found it insulting that you’d send a servant.”

“You need to go out there yourself,” Ruven said to the emperor. “He won’t respect you otherwise.”

“I care little about what he thinks of me,” the emperor said. “Send the councillor. He has my permission to speak for me.”

The councillor’s mouth dropped open, but obeyed, putting on his armour and mounting. The envoy accompanied him out of the gates to where Casyl awaited.

“What are they saying?” she asked Ruven.

“My hearing is not that much better than your round ears,” he teased, and she smiled at that.

The councillor’s shoulders were slumped when he returned.

“We have their demands.” He licked his lips nervously. “They want us to release the two prisoners that he somehow knows we have.” He eyed Amelia suspiciously. “And they want us to give them all the chrysonium that we have.”

The emperor barked out a laugh. “And if we don’t?”

“He will raze the city.”

“They’ll kill us if you hand us over,” Amelia said. They might not kill her straight away, but she was sure that they’d kill Ruven.

“I think we’ll keep the girl,” he said. “She knows too much, and I won’t even entertain his demand that we surrender the chrysonium. Why would we give him our most powerful weapon?”

Powerful weapon? Amelia wondered. Had they turned the chrysonium into something dangerous?

“My lord, if I may. Perhaps we could compromise to show we’re not completely unreasonable. We could send back the fae.”

Amelia glanced at Ruven. His face was stony, but they both knew that Casyl would kill him.

“Yes, let’s do that,” the emperor agreed.

The guards came to escort him out.

“No!” Amelia shrieked. “They’ll kill him!”