Page 64 of The Ashborn

“Which way would have swayed you? Do you want me to be the Elvish Belok? An Ashfell? Who would have been enough for you?”

“It’s not what’s enough for me. If you don’t know, then you’re flying by the course of the wind, and my business will remain that.”

After a long silence, Kienna said, “I respect that.”

She didn’t expect to arrive at that conclusion. Even Tristian seemed shocked. Kienna couldn’t even suspect what Tristian was doing, but he was given the role of leadership. Not her. He commanded armies that respected him. He earned Broan and Danek’s respect, and even Connak tolerated his orders. From the short amount of time she spent with the High Commander, Kienna gathered him to be a careful man who only acted out of the benefit of the people.

“You’ll need to agree to come to dinner, though,” she said, filling the void. “Moira is meddling, and I think we could all use another face between us after last night.”

Tristian didn’t need to know that Danek almost closed Moira in a room with Tislin to die to get Kienna away from the shadows. Or that Connak left them there to get drunk because they couldn’t find a way to get along anymore. The tension would be high enough without that knowledge living in his head. But even Kienna could see the need for a mediator in case the topics ever came up.

“I’ll bite,” Tristian said, starting back into the city.

She fell in lockstep with him for a moment, a sense of pride overcoming her. Had she really managed to loosen the elusive High Commander? As a smile touched her face, her eye caught on the alleyways leading to Ash’s workshop.

“Oh, shit! I mean…sorry.” She blushed from her outburst. “I will meet you there. Just let yourself in. Ruva will take you back!”

Tristian cocked a brow, but she was already turning toward the back of the city where the workshop was. Through everything, she only now realized she’d never returned to Ash after checking on the ship. Had anyone even told him what happened?

Chapter 25

—Danek—

“At least try to move your fingers a little,” Connak said. He coaxed Danek to continue moving. The first time he tried, the muscles in his forearm stretched and radiated with pain like lightning striking him and burning away his ability to flex.

The pain alone brought stars. Danek refused to try again. He stayed in bed, jaw tight, staring out the window at the sea. Since Liora healed his hands, his fingers remained locked. He should have been sleeping through it all to see if rest would bring him any relief, but Danek was too angry. Whatever Tislin got himself into would have killed all of them. More so, none of them were good at protecting themselves as they should have been.

“They’ll get stuck,” Connak said.

“I don’t care,” Danek replied, voice flat.

Connak groaned. “I need to check on Tislin. I’ll be back. Fucking stubborn⁠—”

He closed the door behind him and left Danek sitting on the sheets. The scent of warm roasted chicken layered with the sharp brightness of lemon zest drifted through the house. If Danek wasn’t too busy brooding, he would have thought the air smelled like sunshine, a perfect way of describing Moira’s cooking. Though this was not his normal state. He probably wouldn’t even be able to pick up a utensil to eat the chicken, so he only curled into the bed and stared at the wall.

Another thirty minutes must have passed before he heard Kienna’s voice echoing near the door. “What do you mean he won’t let you help?”

He didn’t hear Connak’s reply, only his muffled voice.

The rattling of the door followed, slamming open as Kienna stormed in. “Get up,” she demanded. Danek didn’t move. “Your legs aren’t broken, Danek. Get the fuck up.” She reached for Danek’s arm and pulled. Danek resisted. “Danek, look at me.” When he didn’t turn, she walked around the bed to meet his stare. “We’re going to fix your hands, so get the fuck up.”

By then, Moira dropped her cooking and approached behind Kienna to shut the door. The golden apron draped over her chest fit a little snug. She must have been cooking a lot lately. And with not training daily… Danek’s thoughts trailed again. His fingertips ached.

“Connak says Danek won’t even tell him what’s wrong with him,” Moira said. “Maybe we need to do the cold and hot thing again?”

“I wouldn’t have messed them up,” Danek finally said.

“Messed what up?” Kienna asked.

He felt guilty even thinking it, but Liora’s work on his hands was subpar at best. Not that she wasn’t skilled at her trade, but healing work took way more heart than she gave. She went in for precision and stitched the life back in with skill alone. No emotion. Danek learned long ago that emotion fueled the best versions of his magic. That’s why he let himself care so much. Liora took that from him.

“Can you move them at all?” Kienna observed his fingers, running her hands around them. Her touch burned, and Danek pulled his arm back. It only made him angrier. In what world would Kienna’s touch ever hurt him?

He set his jaw. “I need to get out of here.”

Danek swung his legs over to the other side and reached for the knob. He yelled from the exertion of his fingers, but he pushed through the pain to get the door back open and again to leave the apartment, and then once more to get out onto the streets of Dove Port. He turned toward the shipyard. He thought about climbing the boat the Blades helped build, but Danek couldn’t climb anymore. He thrust his fist into the wood. His knuckles blistered and cracked open. He didn’t care about the pain anymore. Fuck Tislin. Fuck the shadows. Fuck Connak. Fuck all of it!

“You done?” Connak’s voice came from behind.