Of Ash and Embers (The Mist King Book 2) by Jenna Wolfhart

Author:Jenna Wolfhart [Wolfhart, Jenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Four

Kalen

“Tessa!” I gently shook her shoulders. “Tessa, please wake up.”

Panic tore at my throat and my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Golden strands of hair escaped from her braid, and I pushed them back, helplessly staring down into her vacant eyes. Her chest still moved, but she looked dead inside, as if the crone had infected her with Oberon’s curse.

I jerked up my head as the four of them stumbled closer. “Stay away from her. I won’t let you lay a fucking hand on her again. I don’t care who you are. I will blast my full power on you if you do not take a step back.”

They seemed to hear me. The crones paused, and then stumbled back, their milky eyes trained on Tessa.

“What have you done to her?” I demanded. “Undo it. Now!”

No answer. They clearly couldn’t speak, and shouting at them would not wake Tessa from this coma. I had to get her out of here. Our mission had failed. Oberon was nowhere to be found, and even if he was, I would not fight him with Tessa in this condition. He would see her weakness, and he would try to take her.

I slid my arms beneath her body and lifted her from the floor. Her head rolled against my chest, and her eyes finally slid closed. The beating of my heart was almost painful. I’d fought many enemies through the centuries but none quite like this—helpless women trapped in a burning city by a fae who had used them for his own gain.

“Can you undo what you’ve done to her?” I asked them.

Four pairs of blank eyes stared back at me. They didn’t move. They didn’t speak. I shook my head.

“Tessa wanted to get the four of you out of here, but I’m tempted to let you burn for this.” I tightened my hold on Tessa’s slack body. “But I won’t. Only because she wanted to save you. Follow me down these stairs if you want to be free.”

Again, no answer. I turned, kicked the door open, and jogged down the spiral stairwell. None of the crones followed. So be it.

When I reached the ground floor, a new dash of fires roared through the streets. Holding my breath, I charged into the smoking ruins of Albyria. A sudden wind caught the flames. They flicked up toward the sky like a serpent’s tongue, a bolt of orange through the mists.

I ran through the last remnants of the once-great Kingdom of Light, one of the three remaining strongholds of Aesir. A strange helplessness took seed in my gut as I dodged a building crumbling down. The blackened wood groaned under the weight of its collapse. Yes, Oberon had been a terrible, cruel king. And yes, many of the light fae had followed his path.

But I’d never intended to bring ruin upon this entire kingdom.

Albyria might rebuild, but it would never be the same. A hollow ache took shape in my chest.

The gods had taken so much from the fae.

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