Memories flashed before my eyes. The first time Asinia asked her mother if I could stay for dinner, because she knew we had little food left. The mixture of hope and fury in Asinia’s eyes when she realized I’d come for her in Regner’s dungeon. The strained tension between her and Demos, slowly transforming into something deep, something precious. And the way she’d thinned her lips just weeks ago, referring to herself as a liability. Telean’s voice sounded in my head. “She was my best friend. We were supposed to have centuries.”
