Chapter 31 #2
“Mira, Varam, take the spares.” I turn to Ellie. “Would you do me the honor of allowing me to ride with you into the city?”
She leads me to her horse without a word, and settles into the saddle with far more grace than the last time I saw her mount. Once she’s in place, I get up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist. She settles back against me with a soft sigh.
I dip my head to press a kiss to the hollow of her throat, then touch my lips to her ear. “Show me what trouble you’ve caused during my absence, Mel’shira.”
She laughs quietly, and nudges her horse forward.
When we pass through the main entrance to the city, the destruction is clear.
The Authority built this wall to withstand sieges.
They were reinforced with iron rods and anchored deep into the bedrock.
I can see remnants of the iron sticking up in places.
Bringing them down should have taken months.
Ellie has only been here for days. It makes no sense.
“Ellie, the walls. Did you do that?”
She glances back at me, and bites her lip. I have the distinct impression that she’s fighting a smile.
“There’s so many things I have to explain, but not here. Not yet.”
As we move through the streets, people come out from buildings to watch as we pass. Some dip their heads, some bow. Others just stand in silence.
“They know who you are.” Ellie’s voice is quiet. “Word spread quickly once the fighting began, that it was Veinwardens coming to take the city back.”
The closer we get to the center of Ashenvale, the more the people who are watching show expressions of hope, relief, and joy. Some look at me as though I’ve returned from the dead—which in many ways, I have.
Scorch marks on building walls suggest lightning strikes. I recognize Ellie’s power at work. But there’s other damage that puzzles me. They raise questions that make no sense.
Then we turn a corner and the Lirien Spire comes into view. Shadowvein banners hang from every level, rippling in the breeze.
My throat closes. The Spire. My childhood home. The place I should have ruled, if Sereven hadn’t betrayed me.
The horses come to a halt in the middle of the plaza, and Ellie twists in her saddle to look at me.
“We should probably dismount here.” Her voice carries an odd mix of nerves and excitement. “I need to tell you how we managed to take the city before we go inside and meet some of the people who helped.”
We dismount, and three Veinwardens appear to lead the horses away. I keep my attention focused on Ellie.
“The Ashenvale Knot have been keeping a secret.” She takes a deep breath. “There are Veinblood survivors. Entire settlements who have been hiding for years.”
Her words rock me, and I actually take a step back. “That isn’t possible. The purges—”
“Were never as complete as the Authority claimed. The other bloodlines survived. Flameveins, Earthveins, Tideveins and Windveins. They all survived. They are the ones who brought down the walls. They’re the reason we were able to take the city.”
The revelation stuns me. All this time, we thought I was the last. How could we have been wrong?
“How many?” My voice comes out rough.
“Hundreds. They’ve been hiding in plain sight, scattered across the countryside, living as farmers, and merchants, and craftsmen.”
The ground seems unsteady beneath my feet. Everything I thought I knew about the state of my people, about what the Authority managed to accomplish—it’s all wrong.
“The Spire is ready for your return. And your people are waiting to see you.”
My people. She’s not talking about Veinwardens, who fought for us, and kept the cause alive. She’s talking about Veinbloods who hold their own magic. And they’re waiting inside the Lirien Spire.
My father ruled over Meridian from that tower.
His father before him. Generations of Shadowvein Lords who believed their line would continue until the world ended.
None of them could have imagined it would fall to betrayal from within, or that it would take a woman from another world to win it back.
The thought of entering that space, of claiming the authority it represents sends a complex mix of emotions through me.
Responsibility, because these people will look to me for guidance in whatever comes next. They’ll expect me to know how to rebuild what has been broken, and how to lead them into the future.
Pride, because this represents vindication of everything I’ve fought to achieve. Every year of imprisonment, every second of torture, every choice to resist rather than submit. All of it has led to this moment.
And fear. Because leadership demands skills I’m not certain I possess. I know how to survive. I know how to fight. But ruling over people as High Prince instead of a commander at war? That is an ability I’ve never had the chance to develop.
Ellie’s hand finds mine, as though she’s aware of the thoughts running through my head.
“Are you all right?”
I look at the Spire, at the banners flying, and then at the woman who made all of this possible.
Ashenvale is mine again. But more than that, Veinbloods survive.
And now they need their prince.