"So, if Lady Ashlynn needs me, then that's what I'll do."
Riwal's declaration echoed through the sitting room, landing on Tosha's heart as hammer blows. Suddenly, the warmth of the hearth had gone from comforting to stifling, and the room that had felt cozy and intimate transformed into a prison cell she couldn't escape from.
Ten years ago, she'd watched her husband's body burn on a pyre while she held Riwal's tiny hand in hers. Tonight, she would stand beside him and watch over another pyre for Riwal's grandfather. And now, she could all but see the pyre that would consume her son's body when he rode to a war that he was too young to fight, and too proud to turn away from.
