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Lorcan nearly recoiled at the words, their horrible truth He was five hundred years old He should walk away--he shouldn’t be so damned bothered by any of this And yet Lorcan snarled, "You’re jealous That’s what truly eats away at you"

Elide barked a laugh that he’d never heard before, cruel and sharp "Jealous? Jealous of what? That de before it s that I am jealous of, Lorcan, is that she is rid of you"

Lorcan hated that the words landed like a blow That he had no defenses left where she was concerned "I’m sorry," he said "For all of it, Elide"

There, he’d said it, and laid it out before her "I’m sorry," he repeated

But Elide’s face did not war on her heel "And I don’t care if you walk off that battlefield to jealous of Maeve for co Lorcan’s affection for centuries Elide li her teeth so hard her jaw ached

She was almost to the first of the saddled birds when a voice said behind her, "You should have ignored hi "Pardon"You ht as well have kicked a male already down"

Elide hadn’t uttered a cross word to Gavriel in all the time she’d known him, but she said, "I don’t see how this is any of your business"

"I have never heard Lorcan apologize for anything Even when Maeve whipped hiize to her"

"And that iveness?"

"No But you have to realize that he swore the blood oath to Aelin for you For no one else So he could reh that you will have atheir wings in anticipation of flight

She knew Had known it the moment he’d knelt before Aelin Weeks later, Elide hadn’t knohat to do with it, the knowledge that Lorcan had done this for her The longing to talk to him, to ith hi to hold on to her anger longer

It hy she’d gone after hiht Not to punish him, but herself To remind herself of who he’d sold their queen to, how profoundlyline to hi, hateful lie

Elide turned to Gavriel again "I don’t--"

The Lion was gone And for the cold flight over the army, then over the sea of darkness spread between it and the ancient city, even that wise voice who had whispered for the entirety of her life had gone quiet

Nesryn lingered by Salkhi, a hand on her mount’s feathered side, and watched the party soar into the skies The twenty ruks hadn’t just been bearing Aelin Galathynius and her companions, Chaol and Yrene included, but also more healers, supplies, and a few horses, hooded and corralled into wooden pens that the birds could carry Including Chaol’s own horse, Farasha

"I wish I could go with the down Arcas "To fight alongside the Fae"

Nesryn gave her an aet that opportunity soon enough, if we march to Terrasen after this"

Nearby, a distinctly male snort of derision sounded

"Go eavesdrop on someone else, Yeran," Borte snapped toward her betrothed

But the Berlad captain only answered back, "A fine coirl"

Borte rolled her eyes "When they teachtechniques and I use the, you can tell "

The handsome captain stormed over from his own ruk, and Nesryn ducked her head to hide her s Salkhi’s brown feathers "You’ll be ain withhis arms "It would be unsee"

Borte smiled with poisoned sweetness at her betrothed "I’ll just have to kill you sorinned back, the portrait of wicked amusement "Some other tiht that gleamed in the captain’s eyes Or the way Borte bit her lip, just barely, her breath hitching

Yeran leaned in to whisper soirl’s eyes widen And apparently stunned her enough that when Yeran prowled to his ruk, the portrait of swaggering arrogance, Borte blushed furiously and returned to cleaning her ruk