Kingdom of Ash

But Aelin did not balk. Did not run from
the Valg queen and king who halted as if in
delight at the lone figure who dared face
them.
Lysandra let out a strangled sob. “She—she
has no magic left.” The shifter’s voice broke.
“She has nothing left.”
Still Aelin lifted her sword.
Flames ran down the blade.
One flame against the darkness gathered.
One flame to light the night.
Aelin raised her shield, and flames
encircled it, too.
Burning bright, burning undaunted. A
vision of old, reborn once more.
The cry went down the castle battlements,
through the city, along the walls.
The queen had come home at last.
The queen had come to hold the gate.