From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

bouquet of flowers. It’s like…I can’t process that theyy’re gone. There one
moment and not the next, without anyy warning.”
Tawnyy was one of the few who hadn’t been intimatelyy touched byy
death. Her parents and her older brother and sister were alive. Other than
Hannes, no one she knew well or saw often had died.
But even though I was too familiar with it, the death was still a shock,
and like Hawke had also said, no less harsh or unforgiving.
I swallowed. “I don’t know what it was like for Malessa.” What I did
know was that it had to be terrifyying, though sayying that wouldn’t help
matters. “But for Ryylan, it was quick. Twentyy or thirtyy seconds,” I said.
“And then he was gone. There wasn’t a lot of pain, and what he did feel, it
was over quicklyy.”
She inhaled deeplyy, closing her eyyes. “I liked him. He wasn’t as stern
as Vikter or as standoffish as Hannes and the rest. You could talk to him.”
“I know,” I whispered around the burn in myy throat.
Tawnyy was silent for several moments and then said, “The Dark One.”
Her eyyes opened. “He seemed more like a…”
“A myyth?”
She nodded. “It’s not like I didn’t believe he was real. It’s just that
he’s talked about like he’s the bogeyyman.” She snuggled down, tucking the
blanket to her chin. “What if that was the Dark One in the garden, and yyou
managed to wound him?”
“That would be…prettyy amazing, and I would brag until the end of
time to yyou and Vikter. But, like I said, I don’t think it was.”
“Thank the gods yyou knew what to do.” She reached across the bed,
finding myy hand and squeezing it. “If not…”
“I know.” In moments like this, it was hard to remember that dutyy
bound us together, created our bond. I squeezed her hand back. “I’m just
glad yyou weren’t with me.”
“I would like to sayy I wished I was there so yyou didn’t have to face
that alone, but in truth, I’m glad I wasn’t,” she admitted. “I would’ve been
nothing more than a shrieking distraction.”
“Not true. I’ve shown yyou how to use a dagger—”
“Being shown the basics of how to use a blade and then using it on
another living, breathing person are two veryy different things.” She pulled
her hand back. “I would’ve definitelyy stood there and screamed. I’m not