Kingdom of Ash

to the brink of death. Only into an iron coffin.
She scowled. “If you’re about to tell me
that you feel guilty for it—”
“We both have things to grapple with—
about what happened these months.”
A glance at him, and she knew he was well
aware of what still clouded her soul.
And because he was the only person who
saw everything she was and did not walk away
from it, Aelin said, “I wanted that fire to be
for Maeve.”
“I know.” Such simple words, and yet it
meant everything—that understanding.
“I wanted it to make things ... better.” She
loosed a long breath. “To wipe it all away.”
Every memory and nightmare and lie.
“It will take a while, Aelin. To face it,
work through it.”
“I don’t have a while.”
His jaw tensed. “That remains to be seen.”