Kingdom of Ash

Aelin weighed the ancient amulet in her
palms, ran her thumbs along the golden seam
of its edges. For a heartbeat, she was again in
that cozy room in a riverside estate, her
mother beside her, bequeathing the amulet
into her care.
Aelin traced her fingers over the
Wyrdmarks on the back. The runes that
spelled out her hateful fate: Nameless is my
price.
Written here, all this time, for so many
centuries. A warning from Brannon, and a
confirmation. Their sacrifice. Her sacrifice.
Brannon had raged at those gods, had
marked the amulet and laid all those clues for
her to one day find. So she might understand.
As if she could somehow defy this fate. A
fool’s hope.
Aelin turned the amulet back over,
brushing her fingers along the immortal stag