Kingdom of Ash

Led by Maeve and Erawan, now a mere
hundred yards from the city walls.
Only ancient stone and iron stood between
them and Orynth.
Darrow hesitated. In shock. The old man
was in shock.
But Evangeline pointed a finger. Out
toward the gates, toward Maeve and Erawan.
“Look.”
And there she was.
In the deepening blues of descending night,
amid the snow beginning to fall, Aelin
Galathynius had appeared before the sealed
southern gate.
Had appeared before Erawan and Maeve.
Her unbound hair billowed in the wind like
a golden banner, a last ray of light with the
dying of the day.
Silence fell. Even the screaming stopped as
all turned toward the gate.