Ashen sat at his desk, the pile of scrolls and papers spread before him. He tried to read, tried to let the black ink on parchment settle in his mind, but the words blurred. His brother's last words clung to him like smoke, drifting into every thought.
Don't forget what happened to the last prince.
Ashen's jaw tightened. He had trained himself not to get worried at Adam's taunts, but this time the words dug deep. They weren't just a threat. They were a reminder of how quickly the court could erase someone.
His quill snapped between his fingers, spilling a drop of ink onto the ledger he had left unopened for days.
He stared at the blot, then pushed aside the other files and pulled the tax ledger which was getting his brother worried closer. If he could not push his brother's voice away, then he would at least use it as fuel.
The ledger smelled faintly of dust and oil. He flipped through the pages, eyes scanning the neat columns of numbers.
