Page 61 of The Ashborn

She must have been drifting. Moira shook her head. “We have a house full of handsome men, Kienna. Maybe you should go—” A bedroom door opened, and Tristian entered. Kienna didn’t budge from her spot, sleeping fully now. Tristian met Moira’s eye, and her cheeks flushed instantly. “Tislin is still asleep.”

“Thank you. I trust you’ll do a fine job watching after him.” Tristian sat on the chair across from Kienna as he laced his boots, the strings frayed from years of use. He glanced once at Kienna as she slept, a subtle, golden glow encompassing his body. If she hadn’t been looking closely, Moira would have missed it.

In fact, in the heat of everything, Moira hadn’t noticed much about him until now. Tristian had ditched the armor for once. Still, he managed to look like he was preparing for battle. A deep, green tunic stretched across his back, sleeves rolled to the elbow. Over it, he wore a leather vest. His pants were dark, fitted, and rough to move in. Once his boots were laced, he nodded to her and motioned toward the door.

Moira stopped him. “I’m making food. You’ve got to be hungry.”

“I have business to attend to. Thank you for the space to sleep.” He nodded toward Tislin’s room. “And for all of them.”

Tristian didn’t wait for Moira to respond as he left.

Moira jolted Kienna awake. “Tristian left.”

Kienna blinked, dragging herself out of sleep. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. “Okay.”

“I want him to come back.”

“So, go get him?”

Moira hesitated, gaze dropping to the floor. “Would you, please? He’s taken with you.”

Kienna snorted, scrubbing a hand through her hair as she straightened. “Tolerates me.”

“The man glows around you, so if you could, please.” Moira crossed her arms, leaving little room for argument. “I’d like to have a dinner where we can all feel normal.”

“Tristian being here is not norm⁠—”

“Please, Kienna.” Moira tried to hide the laced contempt in her voice, but the strain in her tone must have worked. Kienna sat forward, groaning. She followed him out anyway.

Chapter 24

—Kienna—

Kienna didn’t want to follow Tristian. She gave him a poetry book, and he called her a curse. She didn’t know how she cursed him. By her standards, he’d put her on the same level as she put King Vaerin. She would rather sleep. Now, she had to tolerate the High Commander.

He went toward the Great Hall, Ruva said.

Kienna found him walking into the imposing structure carved from pale stone and crowned in arches that curved like ribs around massive, domed ceilings. She hesitated a moment, realizing she’d never actually been inside the Great Hall. It felt similar to the workings of the Heart of Trinity, where she endured plenty of council scoldings. She yawned again, picking at the rings on her fingers before walking up the grand steps.

Inside, the walls were etched with ancient relics of heroes, faces weathered by salt air but no less formidable. Light poured in from high slits, casting long, golden beams through the dusty chamber, illuminating its vaulted heights. Stairwells spiraled around the belly of the building, leading to three separate floors of rooms built for various purposes.

Tristian passed the stairwell and approached the back of the building. Kienna paused near the stairs, her eyes catching on a man speaking with Tristian near an arched doorway. He wore a dark, fitted doublet stretched across broad shoulders and trimmed in muted silver threads. His tall boots were polished, and a deep, navy sash crossed his chest, pinned with a gleaming insignia of Dove Port’s crest—a dove in flight with wings curved like waves.

What do you see? Ruva asked.

I think Tristian is talking to the Dove Port Army.

The Captain General? Tall man, squeaky boots?

Kienna squinted. How do you know?

Ruva laughed, the vibrations of a howl tickling Kienna’s eardrums. A giant wolf cannot pass through the alleyways unnoticed. The Captain General feeds me scraps from time to time.

Ruva, Kienna sighed. Do I not feed you well?

You hardly feed yourself well. You are not responsible for feeding me, but if a stranger offers, I’ll never turn it down.

“To people who don’t know about your wolf, you look crazy.” Tristian’s voice broke her from Ruva.