Kingdom of Ash

But Yrene saw it then. What lay at
Erawan’s core.
The twisted, hateful creature inside. Old
and seething, pale as death. Pale, from an
eternity in darkness so complete it had never
seen sunlight.
Had never seen her light, which now
scalded his moon-white, ancient flesh.
Erawan writhed, contorting on the ground
of whatever this place was inside him.
Pathetic, Yrene simply said.
Golden eyes flared, full of rage and hate.
But Yrene only smiled, summoning her
mother’s lovely face to her heart. Showing it
to him.
Wishing she knew what Elide’s mother had
looked like so she might show him Marion
Lochan, too.
The two women he had killed, directly or
indirectly, and never thought twice about it.