Free Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass) by Sarah J. Maas

at his side.
    “It is the law,” Darrow said simply. “One generations of Galathynius rulers have honored.”
    There was such a roaring in her head, and such a still emptiness in the world beyond.
    “The Valg march on us—a Valg king marches on us,” Aedion pushed, the general incarnate. “And your queen , Darrow, might be the only person capable of keeping them at bay.”
    “War is a game of numbers, not magic. You know this, Aedion. You fought at Theralis.” The great plain before Orynth, host to the final, doomed battle as the empire had swept down upon them. Most of Terrasen’s forces and commanders had not walked away from the bloodbath, so thorough streams ran red for days afterward. If Aedion had fought in it … Gods, he must have been barely fourteen. Her stomach turned. Darrow concluded, “Magic failed us once before. We will not trust in it again.”
    Aedion snapped, “We will need allies—”
    “There are no allies,” Darrow said. “Unless Her Highness decides to be useful and gain us men and arms through marriage”—a sharp glance at Rowan—“we are alone.”
    Aelin debated revealing what she knew, the money she’d schemed and killed to attain, but—
    Something cold and oily clanged through her. Marriage to a foreign king or prince or emperor.
    Would this be the cost? Not just in blood shed, but in dreams yielded?To be a princess eternal, but never a queen? To fight with not just magic, but the other power in her blood: royalty.
    She could not look at Rowan, could not face those pine-green eyes without being sick.
    She had laughed once at Dorian— laughed and scolded him for admitting that the thought of marriage to anyone but his soul-bonded was abhorrent. She’d chided him for choosing love over the peace of his kingdom.
    Perhaps the gods did hate her. Perhaps this was her test. To escape one form of enslavement only to walk into another. Perhaps this was the punishment for those years in Rifthold’s riches.
    Darrow gave her a small, satisfied smile. “Find me allies, Aelin Galathynius, and perhaps we shall consider your role in Terrasen’s future. Think on it. Thank you for asking us to meet.”
    Silently, Aelin rose to her feet. The others did as well. Save for Darrow.
    Aelin plucked up the piece of paper he had signed and examined the damning words, the scribbled signatures. The crackling fire was the only sound.
    Aelin silenced it.
    And the candles. And the wrought-iron chandelier over the table.
    Darkness fell, cleaved only by twin sharp inhales of breath—Murtaugh and Ren. The patter of rain filled the black room.
    Aelin spoke into the dark, toward where Darrow was seated. “I suggest, Lord Darrow, that you become accustomed to this. For if we lose this war, darkness will reign forever.”
    There was a scratch and a hiss—then a match sputtered as it lit a candle on the table. Darrow’s wrinkled, hateful face flickered into view. “Men can make their own light, Heir of Brannon.”
    Aelin stared at the sole flame Darrow had sparked. The paper in her hands wilted into ashes.
    Before she could speak, Darrow said, “That is our law—our right. Youignore that decree, Princess, and you defile all that your family stood and died for. The Lords of Terrasen have spoken.”
    Rowan’s hand was solid against her lower back. But Aelin looked to Ren, his face tight. And over the roaring in her head, she said, “Whether or not you vote in my favor, there is a spot for you in this court. For what you helped Aedion and the captain do. For Nehemia.” Nehemia, who had worked with Ren, fought with him. Something like pain rippled in Ren’s eyes, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Darrow cut him off.
    “What a waste of a life that was,” Darrow spat. “A princess actually dedicated to her people, who fought until her last breath for—”
    “One more word,” Rowan said softly, “and I don’t care how many lords support you or what your laws are. One more word about that, and I