Kingdom of Ash

Rowan made himself stand there, to watch
the last moments of the Lady of Perranth and
his former commander. It was all he could
offer: witnessing their deaths, so he might tell
the story to those he encountered. So they
would not be forgotten.
The roaring of the oncoming wave became
deafening, even from miles away.
Still Elide and Lorcan raced, Farasha
passing horse after horse after horse.
Even up here, would they escape the
wave’s reach? Rowan dared to survey the
battlements, to assess if he needed to get the
others, needed to get Aelin, to higher ground.
But Aelin was not at his side.
She was not on the battlement at all.
Rowan’s heart halted. Simply stopped
beating as a ruddy-brown ruk dropped from
the skies, spearing for the center of the plain.
Arcas, Borte’s ruk. A golden-haired woman