Chapters (61)
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Ashyn: One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Moria: Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Ashyn: Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Moria: Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Ashyn: Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Moria: Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Ashyn: Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Moria: Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- Fifty-four
- Fifty-five
- About the Author
- Back Ad
- Credits
- About the Publisher
“Under the circumstances, I can no longer expect anything but suspicion from the emperor. He’ll think I may be involved with these mercenaries. You’ll be safe once you’re there, and I’ll be safer if I go my own way.”
“Where?”
“Into the city. Just not through the main gates.”
“Will I see you again?”
“I don’t know.” His gaze met hers. “Do you want to see me again, Ashyn?”
Her heart hammered, and she searched his expression. He just sat there, gaze shuttered, waiting.
“I do,” she said carefully. “After all this, I wouldn’t want you to vanish into the city forever.”
“Well, I’ll need to vanish for a day or two. To be safe. Before I go, I’ll speak to Gavril and determine the best way for you to contact me. All right?”
She nodded.
“You’ll contact me when you want to see me?” he said.
Again she nodded, and he seemed to be waiting for some other response, but she didn’t know what.
Finally she said, “Have you told Moria you’ll be leaving?”
“No.”
“I can get her alone, so you can tell her.”
He laughed softly. “I don’t think I need to inform everyone individually. I’ll tell her and Gavril on the road tomorrow. I just wanted you to know first.”
“Thank you.”
He picked up another chunk of sticky rice. “Better finish up here. There’s a mob at the door, and they’re eyeing our table.”
Forty-eight
Forty-eight
They started before dawn the next morning, and Ashyn saw the imperial city as the sun rose. The wall soared twice as high as those of Edgewood, yet she could still see the tops of buildings beyond it. Buildings unlike any she’d ever seen—towers of blocks, every story smaller than the one below it, each with a sweeping, curved roof. Atop that was a rod. For lightning, Ronan explained. Being so tall, the rod attracted it, and thus kept it from the wooden buildings below.
The city itself was built into the base of a mountain, one as green as the Forest of the Dead. Beautiful, though, with the sun rising behind it.
Ashyn tried not to gape. Ronan rode close beside her, pointing out what they could see. Her sister seemed more interested in the wall, and was asking Gavril about it—how many gates, how many guards.
“Are you planning your invasion, Moria?” Ronan called.
“More like planning my escape,” she said, looking at the city and shuddering. “I can smell the place from here.”