Page 173 of Tears for a Broken Sky
Jasper stepped in, silent, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She didn’t push him off.
She didn’t have the strength to.
“We will get her back,” Slade said, stepping forward, his voice steady.
I didn’t say anything.
Because she was right.
“Let us come with you,” Caelen added, tone gentler now. “Let us help.”
Syrena turned to him, eyes still rimmed with fury and something softer beneath. “How much help can you be?” she asked, voice clipped.
“We screwed up, Your Highness,” Caelen said. “We thought—” He stopped himself. Shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what we thought. I own this. We all do.”
He took a step closer. “But please. Let us try to fix it.”
Syrena stared at us, her grief forging steel in her gaze.
No longer just a mother.
A queen.
“Fine,” she said coldly. “But if she dies—”
She swept her eyes across each of us, one by one.
“I will hold every single one of you responsible. Is that clear?”
The wind off the sea felt colder somehow.
We nodded.
Because there was nothing else we could say.
Chapter 40
Leo
Maddie and I were led through the narrow alleys of Duskfall’s slum district, where the buildings leaned like drunks, their sagging roofs patched with cloth and rusted metal. Barefoot street kids darted past us, chasing each other through puddles, their laughter sharp against the dull murmur of the city. The air was thick with smoke—woodfires, mostly.
A group of women sat on worn steps, watching us with guarded eyes as they shelled nuts into a dented tin. Somewhere nearby, someone was playing a tin whistle—off-key, but oddly beautiful.
Maddie clutched my arm tighter as we stepped around a broken cart half-sunk into the mud. I didn’t blame her. This place felt like it was barely holding itself together.
She leaned on me, legs like jelly. That last magic burst had wiped her clean out—but her eyes were open. That was something, at least.
Once we stepped inside a hut we were gestured towards the table and a couple of bowls of food were placed before us.
For a moment I just stared at it.
“It’s safe. I wouldn’t waste my poisons.” The woman said, almost jokingly.
“Oh, great. That’s reassuring.” I muttered, eyeing the bowl. Still… it smelled too damn good not to try.
I picked up a spoon carefully and tasted it.
It was delicious.
