Page 5 of The Ashborn

“Solene was a musician, believe it or not.” Elowen chuckled, her eyes closing with the memories. “She could play any instrument you put in front of her.”

Moira stared at Elowen thoughtfully as she talked about the songs Solene would play for them and the dances they attended. It was a world of light-hearted memories, and Moira glowed with faint orange. Kienna knew Moira was anything but sad to hear about it, but Kienna’s heart grew heavy. She couldn’t let go of the rebellion.

“How did my mother convince an Elvish prince to join your fight against his people?” Kienna resumed her questioning.

Elowen placed seeds on the ground between the floorboards. “When Galric met Avenna, she’d only been searching for the Elvish people to heal her brother. He’d become painfully sick, you see. A rare disease that our natural herbs couldn’t cure.”

“Vaerin was sick?” Moira asked, eyes wide.

“He should have died, honestly. A disease of the mind from that woman he’d been fraternizing with. I won’t speak her name.” Elowen waved her hands in the air, whispering something about the woman being cursed with magic, which piqued Kienna’s interest even further, but then Elowen tsked. “Anyway, Avenna went to the forest, wandering around for days. Eventually, Galric revealed the city to her, if only to question why she would spend so long searching for what she knew she couldn’t have.” Elowen glanced out the window, her eyes flicking back to Tislin. “They wouldn’t heal him; their queen forbade it. But that didn’t stop Galric from visiting Dove Port more often.”

Moira placed her hand to her heart. “He was smitten.”

“Why didn’t he heal him anyway?” Kienna scoffed, not sure why anger was the emotion surfacing.

“He wasn’t a healer, hon,” Elowen answered.

Kienna searched but couldn’t find any pride within her parents’ story. It only made her sympathize with the king again, and she was tired of doing it. Connak had told her Vaerin was sick, but she didn’t realize it was meant to kill him or that he got it because of dark magic—from a woman, no less. Knowing how desperate for control he became, it was no wonder he tried to siphon it all from her to stay alive.

“So, what did you all do?” Moira was on her knees now, inching closer to Elowen. “I mean, as rebels? Why would you call yourselves rebels?”

A plump, rat-like critter with gray and white fur scampered onto Elowen’s lap. It happily munched seeds from her pouch, its beady black eyes gleaming with delight. She patted the thing and smiled at Moira. “The Elvish were worse back then, extremely closed off. They didn’t provide aid or food. No trade. They hid in the forest and refused to help when others struggled. Dove Port can hold its own most of the time, but there have been famines. And wars. Things a magical forest could have helped with, especially when they pushed other creatures out.”

She took a breath, and Kienna could almost see the memories replay in her eyes. “So, we ran missions. Harboring fugitives, pulling slaves from the forests before they disappeared behind the barriers, sending supplies to ailing cities, and even negotiating a treaty among the Elvish. Galric helped a lot with that, and Avenna’s family provided funds and supplies when they could. The rebellion may have died when Vaerin went mad, but we hope it will rekindle. And maybe that you⁠—”

Tislin cleared his throat. Kienna slid her gaze to him to find flames dancing in the shadows of his strong cheekbones. He neared the door, something glimmering in his eyes. “Excuse me.”

You should follow him, Ruva suggested.

Kienna needed the air. Hearing things her parents did to weaken the very reign she found herself under sent ripples through her skin. She only wished that she knew Avenna, that maybe she could have shared a life with her instead of sharing it with Avenna’s brother. And then there was Maren, whom she was now guilty of having forgotten. She excused herself and followed Tislin out into the crisp air, the distant echoes of the sea coloring the breeze.

Tislin stood in his normal stance, hands behind his back, quietly studying. He glanced at Kienna from the corner of his eye while shadows danced around them. He was hard to read. Kienna could never get a pulse on his thoughts, which was exactly what made him so fit for the Hollow Blades.

“I imagine you’re frustrated,” Tislin sighed. “Connak and I aren’t intentionally hiding this from you. I hope you know that.”

“This entire journey has been filled with riddles.” Doubt crept back in. “I hate riddles, Tislin.”

“Understood,” Tislin said, looking out into the city. “The Elvish don’t believe in clarity. We are bound by those customs and must allow others to find their own way.”

Kienna huffed, tightening her fists. She was fully aware Tislin knew way more than he was ever letting on at one time, but if he ever shared them with her, he’d lose his value. “That’s a shit answer. What can you tell me?”

“The movement Elowen talks about was powerful, but they always forget to mention Vaerin’s part in it.”

Kienna’s head snapped, disbelief striking her face like the palm of a hand. She had no words for that revelation. Her stomach dropped. The cold seeped in through the sea breeze, slipping beneath her skin. His name didn’t belong there, tied to what her parents were building. The puzzles in her head were piecing together and bending away from each other all at the same time. She only wanted to heal from the king, not have him woven deeply into her history. The fear struck the chords of a familiar melody and the fucking song returned.

Round and round the silence spins,

The dark has teeth and grins and grins.

Kienna rubbed her eyes to wipe the exhaustion away. “You will need to speak clearly, so I can stop wrestling with whose side I need to be on.”

“You have enough of us standing for you, Kienna, that you should not be concerned with sides and deception. We are not tricking you into a trap that will put you back into a similar situation to the King of River Storm. Connak, for one, has dedicated his life to you.”

“It doesn’t mean you’re the good guys.”

“There are no good guys in war,” Tislin said, the shadows flurrying around his eyes. “Probably no right or wrong side, either. Simply a cause you’re willing to die for.”

Kienna clung to his words for a moment. It was the first thing anyone said to her that sounded like the full truth. “What cause are you willing to die for, Tislin?”