deep in his spine, and he couldn’t breathe around it, couldn’t out-scream it—
White light flared.
A flutter. Far in the distance.
Not the gold or red or blue of flame. But white like sunlight, clear and clean.
A flicker through the dark, arcing like lightning riding through the night …
And then the pain converged again.
His father’s eyes—his father’s raging eyes when he announced he was leaving to join the guard. The fists. His mother’s pleading. The anguish on her face the last time he’d seen her, as he’d ridden away from Anielle. The last time he’d seen his city, his home. His brother, small and cowering in their father’s long shadow.
A brother he had traded for another. A brother he had left behind.
The darkness squeezed, crushing his bones to dust.
It would kill him.
It would kill him, this pain, this … this endless, churning pit of nothing.
Perhaps it would be a mercy. He wasn’t entirely certain his presence—his presence beyond made any sort of difference. Not enough to warrant trying. Coming back at all.
The darkness liked that. Seemed to thrive on that.
Even as it tightened the vise around his bones. Even as it boiled the blood in his veins and he bellowed and bellowed—
White light slammed into him. Blinding him.
Filling that void.
The darkness shrieked, surging back, then rising like a tidal wave around him—
Only to bounce off a shell of that white light, wrapped around him, a rock against which the blackness broke.
A light in the abyss.
It was warm, and quiet, and kind. It did not balk at the dark.
As if it had dwelled in such darkness for a long, long time—and understood how it worked.
Chaol opened his eyes.
Yrene’s hand had slipped from his spine.
She was already twisting away from him, lunging for his discarded shirt on the bedroom carpet.
He saw the blood before she could hide it.
Spitting out the bit, he gripped her wrist, his panting loud to his ears. “You’re hurt.”
Yrene wiped at her nose, her mouth, and her chin before she faced him.
It didn’t hide the stains down her chest, soaking into the neckline of her dress.
Chaol surged upright. “Holy gods, Yrene—”
“I’m fine.”
The words were stuffy, warped with the blood still sliding from her nose.
“Is—is that common?” He filled his lungs with air to call for someone to fetch another healer—
“Yes.”
“Liar.” He heard the falsehood in her pause. Saw it in her refusal to meet his stare. Chaol opened his mouth, but she laid her hand on his arm, lowering the bloodied shirt.
“I’m fine. I just need—rest.”
She appeared anything but, with blood staining and crusting her chin and mouth.
Yrene pressed his shirt again to her nose as a new trickle slid out. “At least,” she said around the fabric and blood, “the stain from earlier now matches my dress.”
A sorry attempt at humor, but he offered her a grim smile. “I thought it was part of the design.”
She gave him an exhausted but bemused glance. “Give me five minutes and I can go back in and—”
“Lie down. Right now.” He slid away a few feet on the mattress for emphasis.
Yrene surveyed the pillows, the bed large enough for four to sleep undisturbed beside one another. With a groan, she pressed the shirt to her face and slumped on the pillows, kicking off her slippers and curling her legs up. She tipped her head upward to stop the bleeding.
“What can I get you,” he said, watching her stare blankly at the ceiling. She’d done this—done this while helping him, likely because of whatever shitty mood he’d been in before—
Yrene only shook her head.
In silence, he watched her press the shirt to her nose. Watched blood bloom across it again and again. Until it slowed at last. Until it stopped.
Her nose, mouth, and chin were ruddy with the remnants, her eyes fogged with either pain or exhaustion. Perhaps both.
So he found himself asking, “How?”
She knew what he meant. Yrene dabbed at the blood on her chest. “I went in there, to the site of the scar, and it was the same as before. A wall that no strike of my magic could crumble. I think it showed me …” Her fingers tightened on the shirt as she pressed it against the blood soaking her front.
“What?”
“Morath,” she breathed, and he could have sworn even the birds’ singing faltered in the garden. “It showed some memory, left behind in you. It showed me a great black fortress full of horrors. An army waiting in the mountains around it.”
His blood iced over as he realized whose
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 1 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 2 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 3 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 4 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 5 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 6 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 7 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 8 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 9 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 10 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 11 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 12 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 13 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 14 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 15 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 16 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 17 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 18 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 19 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 20 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 21 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 22 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 23 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 24 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 25 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 26 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 27 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 28 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 29 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 30 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 31 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 32 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 33 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 34 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 35 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 36 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 37 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 38 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 39 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 40 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 41 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 42 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 43 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 44 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 45 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 46 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 47 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 48 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 49 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 50 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 51 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 52 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 53 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 54 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 55 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 56 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 57 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 58 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 59 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 60 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 61 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 62 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 63 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 64 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 65 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 66 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 67 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 68 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 69 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 70 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 71 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 72 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 73 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 74 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 75 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 76 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 77 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 78 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 79 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 80 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 81 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 82 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 83 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 84 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 85 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 86 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 87 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 88 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 89 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 90 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 91 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 92 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 93 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 94 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 95 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 96 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 97 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 98 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 99 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 100 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 101 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 102 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 103 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 104 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 105 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 106 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 107 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 108 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 109 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 110 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 111 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 112 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 113 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 114 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 115 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 116 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 117 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 118 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 119 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 120 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 121 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 122 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 123 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 124 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 125 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 126 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 127 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 128 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 129 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 130 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 131 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 132 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 133 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 134 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 135 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 136 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 137 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 138 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 139 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 140 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 141 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 142 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 143 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 144 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 145 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 146 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 147 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 148 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 149 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 150 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 151 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 152 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 153 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 154 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 155 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 156 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 157 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 158 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 159 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 160 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 161 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 162 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 163 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 164 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 165 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 166 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 167 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 168 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 169 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 170 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 171 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 172 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 173 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 174 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 175 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 176 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 177 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 178 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 179 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 180 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 181 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 182 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 183 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 184 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 185 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 186 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 187 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 188 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 189 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 190 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 191 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 192 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 193 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 194 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 195 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 196 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 197 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 198 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 199 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 200 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 201 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 202 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 203 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 204 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 205 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 206 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 207 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 208 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 209 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 210 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 211 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 212 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 213 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 214 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 215 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 216 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 217 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 218 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 219 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 220 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 221 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 222 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 223 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 224 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 225 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 226 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 227 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 228 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 229 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 230 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 231 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 232 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 233 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 234 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 235 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 236 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 237 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 238 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 239 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 240 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 241 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 242 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 243 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 244