Page 123 of The Ashborn

She held steady on Tristian. “I’m so sorry for⁠—”

“Yes, of course you are,” Elira interrupted once again.

Kienna’s chest tightened as she tried not to explode.

“And don’t get me started on removing your charm, not once, but twice! You damaged that city with your outburst yet again!”

“I know.” Kienna’s voice carried weight far beyond the feeling of a child being chastised. Heat rose behind her eyes, grief flooding from everyone around her. In the wake of events, Kienna could have done things differently. She replayed her life in Dove Port, looking for ways to avoid the fallout. It didn’t matter how it happened or what she did. The battle was inevitable. She wasn’t stupid to think King Vaerin was sitting on his throne doing nothing. His Guardians betrayed him, taking their power away from the city he carefully crafted. “I regret revealing my location, but I do not regret taking my charm off to save lives afterwards. That should not even be in question against my character.”

The room grew colder as Elira’s eyes narrowed, jaw gripping tightly. Her fists clenched as blue and purple veins scoured her arms. For once, Elira was not in control. The weight of the queen’s image urged Kienna to take a step backward.

She steadied her hands. “If I let Vaerin’s army through the tunnels, innocent people would have died.”

“She’s right,” Tristian said wearily behind them.

Alister stepped forward, fingers pursed together in a triangular formation. His brown eyes glowed from the pulsing of red water, pulling attention away from his hair flowing thinly down his back. He was dressed neatly, as he always was, every article and wrinkle precisely where it needed to be. The black leather of his boots shone brightly in the room, a spotlessness that felt too peculiar for a man dwelling in the forest. Even the queen’s pristine dress had marks of dirt and leaves clinging to the fabric.

He neared Kienna, studying her with a smile that was far from warm. Alister smelled of old, spiced oils that didn’t blend well with the forest. His hands reached out to study her pendant, tightening it to her cape.

Danek squeezed his arm. “I would remove your hands, or you and I will have problems.”

Alister cleared his throat, a spark igniting in the way he looked at Kienna. “You know,” he said quietly, words meant only for her ears. “The river doesn’t care which way you swim. Only how long you last.”

Kienna studied him. She heard that saying before but couldn’t remember where. The memory buried itself deep enough that she could not recall. It sparked unease, nonetheless. Her lips parted, the crease of her forehead scrunching. Loudly, so the room could hear her, she said, “I assure you, Sir Alister, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Danek’s hand remained on Alister’s arm, his knuckles paling as his hold grew tighter until Alister removed his grip on Kienna’s cloak. The councilman stepped back, the smile still tugging on his lips.

“And what of Vaerin?” Seredai cut in.

Kienna shifted to the tall Elvish woman. Seredai’s lavender eyes inquired her. Her long hair draped over her shoulder, covering a sigil on her chest of a tree branching toward the sun with roots burrowing deep in the ground.

“I can tell you of things I know you’ve gathered from your commanders, but I imagine you don’t want to know if he was there or not,” Kienna replied.

“You’d be correct,” Seredai responded as Queen Elira paced the floor. “Did he make contact with you during your projection to River Storm?”

Kienna’s mouth parted. How did they know she projected? She searched Connak for an answer, but he simply shook his head. It wasn’t him. The more she stood in front of Seredai, the more she wondered who this woman truly was. “He welcomed me home.”

“How was his demeanor?” Alister asked.

“He was pleased,” Kienna admitted. “Like my being in Dove Port was exactly where he wanted me to be.”

“And Baila? What of the River Storm girl?”

“I saw Baila in Dove Port.” Danek stepped in front of Kienna, holding his hand to her for comfort. “You already know this.”

Elira scoffed, her ice blue eyes growing wild. “Yes, but you failed to mention that Baila was Vaerin’s daughter and that she knew it.” Elira pointed her long, pale finger to Kienna, and the room’s attention fell to her.

Danek let go of the wind in his lungs, turning to Kienna with apologetic eyes as he searched her for answers. Kienna scanned the room. Who informed the council on these matters? Where were they getting their information if not from Danek or Connak? She realized, as they’d been mistreating her with information, she, too, withheld her own. She didn’t feel guilty about it now that she knew the things she did. They refused to give her the pieces to her own puzzle, and having her own secrets made her feel like she regained some of the power. Except that she didn’t have any of the power, and they knew it. As Kienna stood before them, the subtle slap to the face clung to her. She was answering for things that kept spinning in circles.

She wanted Ruva.

Her stomach turned, lurching into her chest. Kienna’s body tensed. She intended to share everything she knew about the war to find a path forward with this council, to position herself as an ally. The more she tried, the more she felt like they wanted to trap her like a mouse who wandered into the wrong home for warmth.

“It would seem Vaerin has his teeth sunk in you deeper than we all thought,” Elira spat.

Kienna let go of Danek’s hand as she stepped forward. “No. It’s not like that.”

Elira boldened, her gait strong as she stormed to Kienna. The room shifted beneath her the moment her finger pointed into Kienna’s chest. “You knowingly brought an agent of Vaerin into our city. It’s a miracle she hasn’t led him straight to us. I should kill you now.”