Chapter 4
Emmeric
Once Zane had composed himself, they all sat down within the dead emperor’s bedroom to discuss what in the nine hells had just happened.
Talon and Zane occupied a couch, Kaz was in a wingback chair with her legs folded underneath her, and Emmeric and Iyana sat side by side on a love seat.
The new emperor was on the verge of crying again as he apologized for divulging their plans to his father.
Talon slung an arm around him, tucking Zane in close to his side.
Other than Kaz, Talon seemed the most composed out of all of them, even though he had been dead less than a day ago.
They all reassured Zane they in no way blamed him for anything that had happened, and any one of them would have given him the information under the same duress.
However, Emmeric knew that wasn’t true, because Iyana had been under Uther and Azazel’s special care for over a week, and she had given them nothing.
Zane didn’t need to know that, but he assumed Iyana could feel his pride radiating down their bond.
He hoped it would counteract the panic she had experienced while Zane was recounting what he had been through.
Emmeric and Iyana told the group what they had encountered once they wandered into the tomb of the original Aztia and Kanaliza.
Emmeric related what the mural had shown, leaving out the portion where he thought he saw a familiar star depicted as beheading someone.
He thought Iyana might not appreciate hearing that just now.
Iyana then told them about her brief journey and chat with Alessia, the first Aztia, and how she had claimed the amulet.
Kaz and Talon said Uther and his forces had arrived around an hour after Em and Iyana had wandered into the tomb; although, with the strange atmosphere of the Dead Lands, they couldn’t be certain on the timing.
They all were aware of what had happened next—Emmeric and Iyana joined the battle.
Iyana healed Zane and then defeated Uther within that magical dome.
Emmeric didn’t want to think about her being underneath that barrier, beyond where he could reach her; the feeling of her saying goodbye down their bond and then rejecting the magic he tried to send her.
Then, seeing her in Altair’s grip, the panic and betrayal she’d been experiencing, and watching her almost die within his arms.
Haltingly, Iyana told them all about what Altair had done—draining her magic completely, ripping it from her soul, then tearing her amulet and necklace from around her neck.
Absolute rage filled his soul like a roaring fire.
Iyana turned to him, raising an eyebrow, and he forced himself to control his emotions.
He didn’t know how to block her out the way she was capable of, so she felt everything he did, and just as strongly.
Emmeric didn’t care if she had some insight into his emotions.
If it helped her to trust him even further, then that was fine with him.
Nobody brought up Talon dying, and Iyana did not speak of her time with him in the Everlands.
Then it was Emmeric, Zane, and Kaz’s turn to tell Talon and Iyana of why the sky was no longer filled with stars. Once Altair had finished his tirade, Kaz had pounced at him, and he’d disappeared into thin air. Not long after he had left, all the stars had fallen from the sky.
“So all the stars who used to enslave humans are here?” Talon asked.
“It would appear so,” Zane replied.
“So now what do we do?” Iyana’s voice was tired.
She hadn’t had much of a chance to sleep before Zane started throwing things.
Emmeric slid his arm around her shoulders and tugged her into him.
Part of him glowed inwardly when she leaned into him without a fight, then dimmed when he realized it was probably because she was exhausted and numb.
He had sensed nothing from her other than tiredness since Altair had stolen her magic.
“I thought we’d go back to Nyr,” Kaz said. “We’d be safe there. There are still wards present around the kingdom from hundreds of years ago. I don’t think the stars should be able to get through. At least, not without one of us leading them in.”
“Didn’t you say once you left Nyr, they typically wouldn’t let people back in?” Iyana asked.
“Yes, for normal people, that’s true. But not for the crown princess.” Kaz smiled widely, throwing a wink at Iyana.
The Aztia’s head turned to the side as she squinted at Kaz. “I could see it.”
Kaz threw her hands in the air. “Finally. Someone who isn’t surprised that I might be royalty.”
A spark of humor filtered its way to Emmeric, but swiftly died as Iyana returned to her previous state of numbness. She tilted her head to look up at him with dull brown eyes. “You can say it,” she whispered.
Emmeric frowned at her in confusion. “Say what?”
“I told you so.”
He couldn’t help himself—Emmeric brushed a lock of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Iyana’s typically golden tan skin was pale, and there were purple circles beneath her eyes. “Why would I say that?” he whispered, his frown deepening.
Tears welled and spilled over. Emmeric wiped them away with his thumb, giving her the space to finally feel something, even if it was an overwhelming sadness and despair.
“Because you told me repeatedly that you didn’t trust him. I believe your words were, ‘He’s blinding you with a handsome face and pretty words.’ And you were right. So, so right, and I dismissed you every time instead of listening to your concerns like I should have. So, say it. I deserve it.”
Gods, he wanted to. His instincts had been correct, and instead of hearing him out, Iyana had continued to push him away, forcing him to regain her trust again and again.
Emmeric remembered the day out in the woods after they had lost Zane, when he had confronted her with the information he’d found in the library.
And she had blindly taken Altair’s side without any proof from the star that he could be trusted. And she had shouted that she loved him.
I’ll drop it. But this is on you, Iyana. I’d hate to say ‘I told you so’ someday.
Now that ‘someday’ was here, Emmeric found the words rising up his throat, only to turn to ash on his tongue.
This woman had been through too much in such a short amount of time—her village had been attacked, her grandmother had died, she was captured and tortured, and then, to top it all off, the star she loved had betrayed and almost killed her.
Everything that her life used to be, everything she thought she might become, had changed literally overnight.
Were he to say those four words, so innocuous when separate, but together… Those words would break her.
So, instead, Emmeric shook his head slowly and dried more of her tears. “Mouse, I can’t say that. I won’t.”
They stared at each other, caramel-brown eyes looking into intense blue ones, as fatigue, fear, anger, sadness, betrayal, and confusion all flowed freely to Emmeric.
Gods, he didn’t realize one person could feel so many different things so intensely at the same time.
The flood of emotions from Iyana made it impossible for him to discern his own, and he didn’t especially care what she felt coming from him.
Not when she was gazing at him like that.
Somebody clearing their throat brought them back to the room, the others staring at them raptly. A small smile played on Kaz’s lips.
“I know we all need to get some rest,” Talon said, “but the part of the story I’m missing is how you had enough magic to heal me, Iyana, after Altair had stolen all of yours.
” Zane had stiffened when Tal alluded to his death, but the redhead drew slow circles on his arm and, eventually, the fledgling emperor relaxed back into him.
Iyana glanced up at him. “Right before I was pulled back to the tomb from my visit with Les, she gave me the instructions for how to imbue things with magic,” she said.
“Em and I discussed it, and decided to ‘store’ some of my magic within him, like Altair had said I could.” Her voice held strong and steady, not even cracking at the mention of the star.
“I thought you were adamantly against that, old man.” And it was Tal saying his nickname that made Emmeric fully realize how close he had been to losing his best friend; how close he had been to Talon never calling him that again, never hearing his laugh again, never wrestling over a piece of bacon again.
His sinuses burned with unshed tears, and Iyana gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I was reluctant to try then,” Emmeric said.
“But there really wasn’t anything else we could imbue, and we came to the agreement that it would be best to have some of her magic elsewhere.
Our thinking was in case she couldn’t master the amulet or ran out of her stores too quickly, then I could give her a better boost than simply channeling towards her.
We didn’t know what was happening outside—we didn’t know that Uther had already found us.
” Emmeric looked down upon his Aztia again.
She was drooping further, leaning into him more with every minute.
They really needed to wrap this up so they could all sleep.
“By the way, Mouse, that was smart thinking when you didn’t accept the extra magic I tried to shove at you.
Even though it terrified me at the time. ”
“Well,” she said, yawning, “I wish I could say it was from a superb moment of foresight, but it was really only because with all the magic from the amulet, any extra was going to essentially turn me into a murderous goddess. You barely pulled me back when I first used the amulet, Emmeric. I didn’t know who or where I was, only that I felt like Zaya reborn.
I could have accidentally hurt any one of you. ”