Page 63 of Ashen Wings

“I can’t.” My fists curl at my thighs. “I need to see this through, but I promise you, Yaris. I will return. You’ve accepted me into your home, taught me so much…I promise. You won’t lose me again. I’ve only just found you.”

I offer his own words back to him out of reassurance, but my heart slams against my sternum. There’s so much truth woven through them I can practically taste it. Yaris may be the only kin I have left in this cruel, despondent world.

Fuck, I’ve opened myself up like a trove, and maybe I’m terrified, but I’ll be damned if I let the progress I’ve made slip from my grasp so easily. “This is not the last time we’ll see each other. I swear it to Astora.”

“You’ll always have a place here. Even when I’ve met Morvayne. My home is yours for as long as you want it.” He tucks his empty hand back into his robes and offers a sad, glittering smile. “Gods be good, I know you don’t think so, but you truly are your mother’s daughter.”

My heart strums, but I swallow the ache like a bitter tonic. “No I’m not.” I laugh, the sentiment barely reaching my eyes. “I’m more stubborn than she ever was.”

He chuckles, letting the tension between us simmer until it’s barely noticeable. “And now you sound like her, too.”

29

By morning, I’ve packed the few things I brought and meet Jace and Yaris in the foyer. The opal remembrance token, purchased from the dragonstone carver on our first day here, is tucked safely in the interior pocket. A blanket of things left unsaid sits heavy on each of us.

“Ready?” Jace asks, the gruff tone of a sleepless night rough in his throat.

“I guess so.” My satchel strap burrows into my shoulder, suddenly weighed with regret. Yaris’s eyes soften in the early dawn’s light, reflecting shades of pinks in swallowed tears.

“Remember what I said, Nova. There’s a home for you here always,” he whispers. I glance at my boots, shielding myself from the well of grief building in my belly. Maybe it’s the shared trauma of losing our home or the comfort in knowing he’s upheld my mother’s memory, but I sputter up a quiet sob before falling into his outstretched embrace.

His arms around me are both warm and welcome. I’m a child again, curled up on my father’s chest, the rise and fall of peaceful breaths soothing the heartache of innocent mischief.

“Thank you, Yaris. For everything,” I whisper. My tears stain his linen tunic with droplets of a loneliness I’ve barely allowed myself to feel.

“Keep practicing.” He slips something in my pocket. “Only you decide who you are. Never forget that, Nova.”

I take a lingering breath before ripping myself away.

“Thank you for your kindness, Yaris.” Jace glances between the pair of us. His inky eyes are somber witnesses to our gut-wrenching goodbye, but I’m grateful for his interruption. We have to go now, otherwise I may never leave. One more second and I’ll find myself back upstairs, refolding clothes back in their now empty drawers.

“The Ashborne crown is indebted to you. If there’s anything I can ever do to return your favor, please, just send word.”

“Keep her alive,” Yaris says as he dips his chin in a stiff nod. Jace takes my hand. His touch is a spark of reassurance through me, like he sees my conflict and makes it his own. A glimpse of understanding flicks through the stoney expression etched in his features. I know this is hard, his eyes seem to say. One more glance over my shoulder sends a slice of finality through me, and we step into the foggy morning silence.

The city sleeps under a blanket of mist as we near the faction’s outskirts. Heartbreak claws its way through me, stealing any words I’m capable of mustering. Most farewells have always been met with my blade or the spilling of blood, but this one hurts. My mind can’t fathom the utter grief of walking away from a life I begged for, so I stay quiet.

“He was right, you know,” Jace says finally, the words a low murmur.

“What do you mean?”

“Our agreement isn’t worth your life.”

I catch myself before stumbling over a loose brick in the cobblestone.

“Yes it is,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “Only the rich live well on this continent. You should know that better than any of us. If I’m to build the life I deserve, I need that payout. Besides, Finnick wouldn’t simply forgive my absence…nor my debt.”

“When the time comes, Nova, I’ll handle that fucker myself.” He grits his teeth. The tracking link ripples down my spine, like the old mercenary can hear our conversation from across the continent.

“But this payout ensures you won’t have to. I just want a clean slate, a life without any more bloodshed, and if this is the only path to it, so be it.”

Jace watches me with intentional reflection. There’s a shadow around him I can’t quite pinpoint, like smudged ink or faded language. It’s faint, but my heartbeat roars in my ears. Is he having regrets? Is the King of Shadow, heir to the midnight throne, reconsidering our bargain? Is he one pinch point away from letting me walk free?

“I’m not rescinding our deal so wipe that expression off your pretty little lips, starling.” And as quick as it came, the moment’s gone. “I need your help. No Sovereign survivor is going to willingly speak to me. Silver hair aside, you can be quite convincing.”

I scoff and fall into line beside him. “You’re insufferable, King Ashborne.”

Between strides, he leans down and brushes his lips against my ear. My throat goes drier than the desert when his breath tickles my jaw. “And yet, you can’t keep your eyes off of me.”