Kingdom of Ash

So Aedion leaned in, and kissed Lysandra,
kissed the woman who should have been his
wife, his mate, one last time. “I love you.”
Sorrow filled her beautiful face. “And I
you.” She gestured to the western gate, to the
soldiers waiting for its final cleaving. “Until
the end?”
Aedion hefted his shield, flipping the
Sword of Orynth in his hand, freeing the
stiffness that had seized his fingers. “I will
find you again,” he promised her. “In
whatever life comes after this.”
Lysandra nodded. “In every lifetime.”
Together, they turned toward the stairs that
would take them down to the gates. To death’s
awaiting embrace.
A horn cleaved through the air, through the
battle, through the world.
Aedion went still.
Whirled toward the direction of that horn,