Ash

“Loose arrows!” I rushed Raven, knowing I had only seconds. Maybe less.

The arrows were not loosed; the confusion he placed in their minds had worked to his advantage. I leapt at Raven and he flicked a hand at me, holding me above his head with ease. Air held me tightly, squeezing my ribs and lungs, drawing the breath out of me. I struggled, but I might as well have fought iron bands as the air that was around me.

I was going to die if I didn’t do something. I called on the earth and ripped it away from under Raven’s feet. He stumbled and I dropped. He was on his knees. Not a perfect kill position, but I would make it work.

I sucked in a breath and was running at him in a flash even while my muscles screamed for me to breathe more first. I went low this time, dropping to my knees, and using the earth to propel me forward, both swords driving toward Raven’s chest. He flicked a hand at me and I was thrown to the side and slammed into the wall of the throne room. He pinned me there.

“You are a tenacious bastard. I don’t really want to kill you, you know. I would have just done it if I’d wanted to,” he grumbled, rubbing his head as he stood. I clenched my fingers, the only thing I could do.

Elk was there, holding the king over his shoulder, standing like a statue. Unable to deny the power of Spirit Raven had over him.

Raven laughed, whatever seriousness I’d seen gone in a flash. “Oh, Ash, this is going to be fun. I wouldn’t want the king to banish you, that’s too easy. And you’d go right to her, and we can’t have that, can we?” He tapped a finger against his lower lip as he slowly began to pace the room. “You see, I have plans, and they don’t involve taking the throne here yet. Can’t rush these kinds of things, you know.”

“You’re a—”

A binding of air slapped over my mouth. Raven tipped his head to one side. “No bad language in the throne room, please. My mother hates a potty mouth. Except in bed, perhaps I’ll give you to her. But wait, you were already in her bed, weren’t you?” He winked and I tried not to gag.

Another thing I’d done my best to forget. As the queen, Cassava could call any she wished to her bed. And that included me for a period of time. I shivered, pushing those memories away. They would not help.

Raven walked to me, dragging my body down so we probably looked like we stood side by side. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to make sure all the Enders and guards hate you. And then I’m going to let my father loose and they,” he pointed at the others, “are going to tattle on you.”

I refused to close my eyes, the utter loss of what I’d planned washing over me in a wave unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I’d failed Lark, Bella, and our family of Terralings.

Raven snapped his fingers and the world sped up triple time. The king was yelling, Elk and Dreg outed me as a traitor, and I hung against the wall, unable to refute any of it. Unable to even fight back.

I’d never felt so helpless in all my life, not even when I’d been forced into Cassava’s bed. Not even when I’d been forced to bed Bella.

Not even when I’d watched Lark walk away from the Rim.

Rage and crushing disappointment battled over me for control of my emotions.

“Ash, what have you got to say for yourself before I banish you?” The king was in my face, his eyes flashing as though lightning danced in them. I’d not even seen him approach, so lost in my own misery as I was.

The gag of air was removed from my mouth. “You are a fool and will destroy our world if you keep on as you are. Your mind is broken, old man. I pity you, for you were once a man worth laying my life down for. A king I was proud to call my leader. Now . . . I am embarrassed I ever followed you.”

The king’s eyes widened, and behind him, I saw Raven nod slowly. “Well said.”

Basileus pointed at me, his hand trembling, the Spiral again echoing his emotions. “You are bani—”

“Father, wait,” Raven said. “I think perhaps you might be acting in haste.”

The king slowly turned. “Raven, what are you doing here? I thought you were missing?”

I wanted to shake my head at his confusion, but I couldn’t even do that. Raven approached his father, bent and whispered in his ear. Slowly the king nodded. “You are a wise young man, Raven. Thank you.”

Raven grinned and gave me a wink. “You can thank me later. Even I can see that the world needs true warriors, Ash.”

I didn’t understand his sudden shift. But my attention was brought back to the man I’d called my king for so many years. No more would I bend my knee to him. “What would you do then, Basilieus?”

“Raven has pointed out that losing Lark has pushed you over the edge. I can understand that. I loved her mother that way too and her loss . . . it was . . . .” His eyes softened and for a moment I saw the king I knew and loved. He shook his head. “You need time to cool off. Throw him in the dungeon for a few months.”

My weapons were taken from me and I was yanked away from the wall. Or maybe more accurately, Raven allowed me to be taken.

Arms and legs bound tightly, I was dragged off to the very dungeons I’d planned for the king to be taken to. Through the Spiral and across the short distance between it and the Enders barracks, we saw enough other Terralings that I knew the word would fly that I was being punished for something.

Once more in the barracks, I was glad to see that Belladonna was not there. Hopefully she would not try and get me out of here. A few months in the dungeon I could handle; it would give me time to plan. To decide what step to take next. That was the only thing that kept my head up, and my small amount of hope intact.