Page 130 of The Ashborn

Dove Port may have bent to the war, but it did not break. Not fully.

The first true rays of sunlight spilled across the wounded city, gliding over it in a soft, fragile gold. Kienna exhaled a shaky breath from the bottom of her lungs.

The city needs help, Ruva whined, pushing her head onto Kienna’s arm.

Behind her, Connak cleared his throat. His mind trailed them every step of the journey through the forest. For a commander of stealth, he was piss-poor at being quiet around her.

“Mind telling me why you’re running?” he asked, stepping into view. The light kissed his high cheekbones, illuminating the green in his eyes.

“I’m sure you already know.” Kienna adjusted the charm on her wrist. She turned to see him standing at the edge of the trees. “Mind telling me why you followed?”

Connak shrugged. “I go with the wind.”

Kienna swirled her eyes upward, and Connak’s mouth tugged into a ghost of a smile.

“Does Danek know?” he asked, casual in tone, though the weighted pressure pressed in underneath.

Kienna tilted her head. “Yes, I told him I was leaving.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Ruva stirred beside her, gently pressing the thought into Kienna’s mind. The bonds.

Her stomach tightened. Kienna huffed out a breath, attempting a laugh. In their moment together, it never crossed her mind to mention that parts of her belonged to others as well. At the thought, a queasy sensation arose. She brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “He knows you can…talk to me. Through the mind.”

Connak’s face didn’t soften. “You need to tell him. A bond is eternal, and he should know that you’re connected to our souls. He deserves to understand what that means for him.”

Kienna stared at her boots, kicking lightly at the damp moss underfoot. “I don’t even understand what that means.” A breeze stirred through the trees behind Connak, slipping through the canopy and sending a shiver crawling down Kienna’s spine. She hugged herself. “I don’t want to claim that part of me yet.” She dared a glance at Connak again to see if her words struck him hard. They didn’t appear to. These were things he probably already knew from being one that was bonded to her thoughts. “I need to know who I am away from it first. Which only makes your presence here a little difficult.”

Connak stepped close, staring into the city and its destruction, with the Lysiria to their right and the Goldmere flowing majestically to their left. He stared at it with pain. “Moira first,” he said, pulling away from the sight. “We’ll figure out the rest later, but we’ll need to be quick about it. There’s not a single person in Trinity who will understand your leaving like this. Danek doesn’t count.”

—Moira—

Moira curled up in her bed, staring at the wall. The apartment’s structure remained unsteady, cracked walls and jutted floorboards reminding her of what she had lost. Tislin once lay in this bed, healing his body. She tried to find his scent. Anything to remind her of him. Everything smelled burnt.

When the front door opened, Moira didn’t budge. If someone wanted to ransack the place, she’d let them. There was nothing left there she wanted to hold onto. Footsteps sounded behind her. She almost didn’t turn, but the intruder smelled of calming rain. Moira let a single tear run down her cheek. Emotion flooded her when Kienna sat and pulled Moira into her arms. An ember sparked in her chest.

“No one sent word back since the armies packed up. I didn’t know if you were…” She trailed off. Thinking of everyone she loved dying brought her overwhelming grief.

Kienna shushed her. Ruva padded over to place her head on Moira’s lap.

“You’re not alone anymore, Moira,” Kienna whispered. She adjusted her body on the bed to lie down, holding her tightly.

Moira fell into it. “I miss Tislin. I would trade anything with Rhior to have Tislin back.”

“I know.” Kienna stroked her hair.

They lay there for a while. Moira eventually felt comfortable enough, safe enough, to sleep. She couldn’t before. The walls flickered with a shadow that reminded her of the man she fell in love with, and grief kept her awake. She knew it wasn’t good for the baby, but she had never known hurt like this. Despite all the things she endured with the king. Despite Rhior pushing her away and telling her in a roundabout way that they’d never see each other again…none of it hurt like this.

Tislin was stronger than any man around them, even now. He fought against shadows and willed them to his command. He implored himself to be honorable, even with the darkness seeping through him. He was the best of them all, and he was gone forever.

Kienna’s loving embrace helped Moira ease into the grief. It took away the lonely ache to know someone was there for her. Someone remembered her. Moira knew, of course, that Kienna was temporary. The energy in the air around her danced differently. Something else commanded Kienna. It was a force Moira would never fight against.

That sort of power held Moira tightly. She sank into the cleansing smell, letting Kienna keep her warm for a moment. Through that warmth, she drifted into a dreamless stupor.

—Kienna—

“They left the city alone,” Kienna gritted through her teeth. “How could Tristian do that?”