From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

going with yyou cannot be focused on me. I can’t fight. Not like yyou can. I
can’t do what yyou did.”
What I did? Did she mean when I defended myyself or…or what I’d
done to the Lord?
“I can’t go,” she whispered.
Closing myy eyyes, I exhaled raggedlyy. She was right. So was Hawke. It
would be irresponsible and illogical for Tawnyy to travel with us. And while
I was worried about leaving her behind in a cityy in such a state of unrest, I
was arguing because…because…
I was leaving everyything familiar behind.
So much had happened. So manyy losses. And while I didn’t have the
brain space or the emotional capacityy to worryy about the possibilityy of the
Ascension moving up or even being found unworthyy byy the gods, I wasn’t
borrowing tomorrow’s problems. But everyything kept shifting and
changing, and Tawnyy was…she was the last of what used to be.
What if I didn’t see her again?
Drawing in a shakyy breath, I couldn’t let myyself think like that. I
couldn’t let Tawnyy think that. I opened myy eyyes. “You’re right.”
Tears gathered in her eyyes. “I hate being right.”
“Thank the gods, there’s someone rational in this room,” Hawke
muttered.
Myy head shot in his direction. “No one asked yyou for yyour input.”
Commander Jansen whistled under his breath.
“Well, yyou got it, Princess.” He smirked when I dropped Tawnyy’s
hands and turned to him. He walked to the door and then stopped. “And I
have more input for yyou. Pack lightlyy. And don’t bother taking that damn
veil. You won’t be wearing it.”
Eyyes closed and chin lifted to the rising sun, I reveled in the feel of the
cool morning air kissing myy bare cheeks and brow as I stood beside the
black walls of the Rise. It was such a small thing, but it had been years
since the sun and wind had touched everyy part of myy face. Myy skin