I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Just stood there, hand resting on my sword, eyes empty.
“As it turns out,” Ashton replied, “Thorne has recently realized the error of his ways. He’ll hold the line for us now.”
Vael’s lip curled. “Last time we met, he tried to kill me.”
“And?” Ashton’s smile was lazy, careless. “You are, admittedly, rather difficult to like.”
Vael stepped closer—just enough to cast a shadow over me. He leaned in slightly. “Tell me, Thorne. What of my Elira?” His voice was almost kind. Almost gentle. “Where did she go?”
A flicker. The mantra stuttered.
Order before—
I clenched my jaw. “I will find her,” I said. “The traitor. Elira.”
Vael’s expression didn’t shift. “No,” he murmured. “Not a traitor.”
He stepped back, addressing Ashton now. “My darling. My chosen. She will be returned to me, yes?”
Ashton sighed, shifting his weight. “We’ve discussed this.”
Vael’s eyes narrowed. “I need her back, Ashton. Or there is no alliance.”
The air tightened. Even the Sentinels behind me seemed to still.
Ashton’s voice was clipped. “You’ll get what was agreed. But if you think I’ll hand over a weapon like her without conditions—”
“She is not aweapon,” Vael snapped, sudden heat behind the words. “She is my promised.” He exhaled, slow and reverent. “She must miss me terribly.”
I felt a pang in my chest. Sharp. Unbidden.
But I disregarded it.
I must be ready. I must serve my king.
A wistful smile ghosted across his lips. “She should see the temple I’m building for her… marble floors, obsidian arches. A throne of glass and gold, fit for divinity.”
Ashton practically rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. I’m sure Elira is justdevastatedwithout you.” He crossed his arms, voice turning colder. “But do remember—Ifound her first. Which means she falls undermyclaim. My right as king—”
“Pah.” Vael’s lip curled. “You are no more king than I—”
“Myright!” Ashton cut in, sharp and sudden, voice cracking like a whip.
The tension cracked through the air, hot and immediate.
“Do not mistake your delusions for divine authority, Vael,” Ashton said coldly.
“She was inmycustody. My tower. My lands. And if she slipped through my grasp, then that failure is mine to correct—not yours to gloat over.”
Vael’s eyes flared crimson. “And yet it wasyouwho let her vanish. Again. Tell me, Ashton—does your grip slip so easily on everything you claim to own?”
A heartbeat of silence. Then Ashton smiled.
“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”
“The deal was – “ Vael began
“The deal was you help me find her. You help me stop this little – rebellion of the northern Isles. And in return I grant you access to her.”
