Heat hits me as Bakva’s scorching air fills my lungs. Jude appears beside me, followed by Arian—her portal closing behind us with a soft whisper.
We’re here.
And somewhere in this cursed place, Annora is waiting.
Chapter Ten
Annora
After I leaveEmerin’s room, I head toward Asha’s study, desperate to talk to her again. I could never forgive myself if I didn’t try everything to bring her back to me.
When I reach the door, I find Commander Titanus standing there. He nods as I push it open and step inside.
Asha sits on a sofa, her shoulders curved inward. Next to her lies the wooden horse my nephew always carried everywhere.
My throat tightens. The last time I saw him, he was running through these halls, that same horse clutched in his tiny hand, his laughter echoing off the stone walls.
Now those halls are silent.
I take a step forward, but Asha doesn’t move, doesn’t acknowledge my presence. Her blue eyes, once as fierce as summer storms, stare unseeing at the far wall as the torchlight catches the tears tracking down her cheeks.
If my nephew were still here, none of this would be happening. Asha wouldn’t be lost in this fog of revenge. And she wouldn’t be working with Aleksander.
At least, I’d like to think she wouldn’t be where she is right now—so close to the edge, so close to falling into a bottomless pit of bitterness and hatred.
“Asha,” I say softly, not wishing to upset her, but to reach her and make her see that I’m still here. That I still love her. That I’ll always love her.
Tears shimmer in her eyes as she lifts them to me. “What are you doing, Annora?”
“Trying to reach my sister.” My heart clenches as I sit across from her and continue. “I love you, Ash. And I miss you so much.”
She sniffs but doesn’t respond.
“It’s not too late to change everything.”
Her arms tense, and for a heartbeat, I think she might respond, but she doesn’t.
“Ash,” I say, my voice fracturing. “You could start a new life.”
Something sparks in her gaze—a hint of longing, perhaps, or a glimmer of the girl she used to be. “It’s not that simple.”
“But it could be.”
Her attention drifts back to the toy. “I can’t. I’ve come too far to turn back now.”
My heart sinks, but I refuse to let go. “Asha, please. This path you’re on, it will only lead to more pain, more suffering. For all of us.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, and the finality in her voice makes my chest ache. “But I have to do this for our future.”
“Our future?” My voice trembles, but I still say the words. “What future is there in revenge? In allying with a snake like Aleksander?”
Her fingers clench into fists. “You don’t understand. House of Crimson needs to pay for what they did.”
“And then what?” I lean forward, desperate to break through her walls. “When everyone’s dead and gone, when there’s nothing left but ashes, will it bring your son back?”
Her voice cracks as she lashes out. “Stop!”
Still desperate to reach her, I press on. “Remember when we were little? How you’d tell me stories about the stars while we sat in the garden? How you taught me to be brave when Grandfather—”
