Chapter 30
Chapter thirty
Rynna could feel the weight of the stares on her, hear the murmurs ripple through the crowd as they crossed the parapet toward the great hall where the Wardens awaited.
“Let me go!” One of the men stationed at the entrance struggled against his comrade, his hand gripping the hilt of the short blade strapped to his waist. His dark green Hollow-born garb bore the Pulse Reach crest, faintly illuminated by the soft glow of the sun.
“He deserves to die for what he did! I’ll slit his throat right now and save everyone the trouble! ”
She glanced around and saw at least five others, their eyes filled with barely restrained fury, fists clenched, hovering on the edge of action. Her heart quickened, and she picked up her pace, forcing the others to keep up with her.
“You sure this was a good idea?” Thorn asked quietly from her left, with Kaelith walking tightly between them. The rider had already slipped away at some point.
“Not in the slightest.” She ground her teeth, keeping her face neutral. “But it’s out of my hands once we turn him over. What will happen, will happen. I’m prepared for the consequences.” She hoped her voice carried more confidence than she felt.
In truth, beyond Fenn, she was terrified of how Lady Takara would react.
The Ember Warden had accepted her story of a past life and entanglement with the traitor after the Ascension when she’d been installed as the new leader of Ember Reach.
Fenn had insisted they could trust Takara with the truth, that she was a better Warden than the one before her. And he’d been right.
“Rynna—” Kaelith began, but Thorn shoved him forward, cutting him off.
“Do not speak.”
At least he’s not trying to speak mind-to-mind, she thought, squaring her shoulders as they walked through the door.
The Warden meeting hall loomed ahead, its towering stone pillars casting long shadows across the polished floor with carvings of all the elements engraved into the ancient walls.
Light streamed in from narrow windows high above, illuminating the banners of each Reach hanging between the columns, their colors bright but worn with age.
In the center, six large chairs formed a semi-circle, occupied by the five ruling Hollow-born from the strongest and largest of the Reaches, leaving one chair empty for the long-disappeared Void Reach.
Pulse Warden, master of the life element, sat with arms crossed, while the Tide Warden’s expression remained calm and poised, like the surface of a still lake, though subtle ripples beneath hinted at unseen currents.
Then there was the Gale Warden from Wind Reach, and the gruff Stone Warden, who drummed his fingers on the arm of his seat, each tap resonating through the ground beneath him as if the earth itself responded to his touch.
And at the center was Lady Takara, eyes blazing with fire as she watched them enter.
Rynna looked to the back of the room, where Fenn leaned against the wall, arms folded. His eye softened with relief when he saw her and Thorn, but as soon as his gaze landed on Kaelith, his frown returned, and his arms crossed tighter.
Fuck, she thought, her brow knitting. Was she really prepared to deal with Fenn’s reaction?
What if he leaves me? Pain bloomed beneath her breastbone.
As they reached the center of the hall, heads turned, and whispers rose in disbelief as Hollow-born exchanged glances, eyes darting between Rynna, Thorn, and the notorious traitor standing between them.
Lady Takara folded her hands into a steeple, the long sleeves of her crimson and gold robe cascading like silk. Her dark hair, pulled into an elegant bun, was adorned with glimmering ruby hairpins, their piercing tips glinting in the light.
She lowered her face behind her hands, the soft glow of the lanterns casting shadows across her sharp, porcelain-like features. For a moment, she remained still, deep in thought.
Then–
“It seems, against all odds, you succeeded in your mission to bring Vessel Thorn back to us.”
The woman had only barely approved the wild idea of sending Rynna at all, but considered it worth the risk, given Rynna’s undisclosed experience and skills.
“Yes, ma’am.” Rynna swallowed hard.
“Thank you, Awakened. You are dismissed.” Takara’s eyes found the older Hollow-born. “Thorn, stay for debriefing. If you’re well enough.” Her gaze lingered on him in careful assessment.
“Yes, ma’am. I am.”
“Very well.” She straightened and looked across the room. “And will somebody please restrain this one?” Her focus locked onto Kaelith. “Both his hands and his mouth.”
The room erupted in an instant, voices clashing in argument.
Oh boy, Rynna thought, relieved at the dismissal.
This meeting was about to get ugly. She also appreciated Takara’s subtle way of sidestepping any questions the other Wardens might have had about how, exactly, a low-level Awakened had found and infiltrated the enemy’s stronghold and got out again on her own.
The Rules generally limited her ability to intervene directly as she had, and her full skills were held largely in check most of the time, but if needed, her potential was close to limitless.
Her value was being a shaved knuckle in the hole for when things went horribly wrong, and to help nudge things away from disaster by enabling the true heroes.
But Thorn was one of Fenn’s only true friends, and she’d managed to convince both herself and Takara that he was Mission-critical, given his ability to help Bran channel and control the power of the Great Phoenix.
As she made her way to the door, leaving the commotion behind, she felt Fenn’s familiar presence slip noiselessly beside her, walking in step to escort her out.
He waited until the door to the great hall had closed behind them before speaking.
“I wish you’d told me you were leaving.” He paused. “But thank you for bringing him back.”
“You would have insisted on coming, and you’re needed here.” Her hands itched to touch him, but she held back. “You’re welcome.”
“I suppose we’ll need to talk about Kaelith,” he added.
“Yes.” She knew he wasn’t just referring to what the Wardens would decide. He understood at least part of her complicated history with both this world and the traitor.
Fenn stepped closer and lifted his hand gently to her chin, his fingers warm as he raised her face to meet his gaze. “Why did you save him?”
“I don’t know,” she choked, her throat tightening as the tears began to well in her eyes. “I had Skarn immobilized and was about to grab Thorn and run. But then I saw him…screaming for help from within Skarn. The old him. The one I knew over fifty years ago.”
Fenn’s eyes squeezed shut, his forehead coming to rest softly against hers. “Do you still love me?”
She blinked in shock. “What? How could you even ask that?” After everything they’d been through these past eight years? “Of course.”
She pulled him down into a kiss, pushing the mask aside, not caring who might see, but he didn’t respond.
His lips were soft and unmoving against hers. Then— “Are you sure?”
“Fenn, nothing in this world or any other could change that.”
He exhaled deeply, and then she felt his hand slide to the back of her neck. His fingers curled in her hair, and he pulled her into him with sudden force, hard and rough as his mouth claimed hers.
When he finally pulled away, they were both breathless, foreheads resting together, eyes locked.
“Okay.” He squeezed her fingers in his hand. Then his back straightened, and his shoulders squared, and in that moment, he was once again the Commander of the Alliance’s Third Regiment. “Okay.”
“Yeah?” Her voice shook with a mix of relief and disbelief.
“Yes.” He hesitated, his gaze steady on hers. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the things you’ve told me since the snake revealed himself in Gale Reach, and I’m not entirely surprised by this...with Kaelith.”
“What?”
“Look.” He searched her face. “We’ll talk about it later tonight. I need to get back inside, or they’ll think we’re doing something untoward out here.”
Damn, I love this man. Rynna smiled, knees weak. “And we wouldn’t want that.”
“No, we wouldn’t.” He turned toward the door, then glanced over his shoulder. “But, Rynna, I can’t control what they decide to do with him.”
Her brows lifted. Was he saying he would protect the monster for her if he could? “I understand.”
“Okay.” He nodded, then dropped his voice an octave, the rumble of it making her insides tighten. “I’ll see you later...back at our quarters.”
Then he was gone, disappearing through the door, leaving her standing in the hallway, clutching at the wall for support, undergarments suddenly soaked.
The next day, Rynna stirred awake, squinting against the morning light, and stretched across the small bed she shared with Fenn.
Reaching, her hand found the sheets cool and empty, though that was nothing unusual.
Fenn had a habit of rising with the sun to walk the camps, checking in with his lieutenants and the other Hollow-born under his command.
This morning, however, the rich, earthy aroma of freshly brewed coffee with the mouthwatering scent of sizzling pig skin.
“You’re spoiling me.” She cracked an eye open to see him standing at the small stove, wearing only a pair of loose, wide-legged pants that clung snugly to his narrow hips, barefoot and shirtless.
“First, last night, now this morning.” She paused, eyes narrowing.
“You didn’t want to talk about what happened with the Wardens when you got home. Now this. What’s up?”
He glanced up, hissing softly as grease popped from the pan. The kitchen was meticulously arranged, each utensil in its place, counters spotless, except for a lone splintered plate shoved toward the corner.