Kingdom of Ash

and didn’t dare let himself look behind them
—to where he knew soldiers were moving
Gavriel deeper into the city. Somewhere safe.
Gone. His friend, his brother was gone.
“Your Highness.” A panting, blood-
splattered ruk rider stood on the battlement
wall. He pointed to the horizon. “Darkness
veils much of it, but we have an estimate for
the oncoming army.” Rowan braced himself.
“Twenty thousand at a minimum.” The rider’s
throat bobbed. “Their ranks are filled with
Valg—and six kharankui.”
Not kharankui. But the six Valg princesses
who had infested them.
Rowan willed himself to shift. His body
refused.
Gritting his teeth, he peeled back the armor
on his shoulder and reached for the wound.
But it had sealed. Trapping the iron shard
within. Keeping him from shifting—from