The Ash King sinks onto the edge of my bed. “My advisors spoke to me tonight. Some of them want you to remain in your role. Others want me to send you home. They say you’re causing too much of a stir.” “And what do you want?” He reaches out, tentative, and brushes curls away from my temple. “What I want is rarely of consequence.” “I don’t think that’s true. You do what you want all the time.” “In small ways, yes. In larger matters, I must consider everyone but myself.” “You’re sending me away, then.”
