Chapter 34 Sariel #2
“Blasphemy, he said, when the light first leaked from my eyes on my thirteenth year.”
Sariel frowned at the discovery of yet another lie.
“At your coronation ceremony you said your father declared your gifts from the goddess.”
“An easy lie to make, when Henri lies in a grave,” she said.
“No, Sariel, I experienced them far sooner, and when my father found out, he made it clear they were born of the sins of Kanth. He bade me never reveal what I could do. It was a burden I was to bear, secret and foul. And I did. I did. For years, I pleaded with Leliel to take away this light. I prayed for her to cleanse my blood, for it was a curse, a vile curse. My father, he never doubted, not after what he saw in Kanth. Not even on his deathbed. That is why I had to wait. That is why I could not reveal myself, my true self, until he lay cold in his coffin.”
She lifted a hand, and from within her palm a golden thread of radiance rose.
It swirled, the light sparkling as if composed of a thousand grains of sand, and then spread about, becoming a winged sword, the cross-guard eye blinking once.
A clench of her fist, and it scattered, gold dust fading into nothing. The tent fell once more to darkness.
“Was he wrong?” she said, so softly, he wondered if she truly wished for him to hear. “I don’t know. Perhaps I am a monster, a most beautiful, gilded monster.”
Sariel remembered his sword upon her throat as she stood naked before him, the waterfall roaring behind her. He remembered his desire to name her a monster for wielding the radiance within her. It seemed he was no better than a foolish human king.
“Damn any who would hold you responsible for the nature of your birth,” he said, and though he left it unspoken, he considered himself among them. “It is no curse, Isabelle. It is a blessing. You are a miracle upon this land, and I would see no man or woman denigrate your worth.”
“Miracle,” she whispered. Her expression was as stiff as iron, and yet tears slipped down her face.
“No, Sariel, I am no worker of miracles. Leliel does not speak to me. I have prayed to her each and every night of my life, but not once has she deigned to answer. I have lied to my people. I have lied to my kingdom. I am not gifted by the heavens. I am not chosen by the goddess.”
She lifted shaking hands. Resolve washed away her sorrow. Anger spiked fire into her tired eyes.
“I am the daughter of servants, and cursed with evil blood, but it will be enough. I will be enough. Leliel may not speak to me, not yet, but I will deliver to her a world beholden to her beauty and free of those who would cast her aside. The Church of Stars will burn, and Mitra Gracegiver scream out his repentance from the streets of Racliffe for daring to banish our goddess.”
She closed her eyes, finally at peace.
“And at long last, I will hear her voice, for how then could she refuse me?”
Sariel stared at this powerful enigma of a woman.
By all rights, he should call her delusional for destroying so much in the name of the goddess.
She was a liar, a usurper, and she was manipulating her people’s faith into unifying Kaus behind her cause, all in hopes that she would hear a whisper from the divine.
But that strength of hers, that fierceness, it could topple mountains and move the stars.
Even the unbreakable Tower Majestic might crack when she struck it with her fist. Sariel could not have asked for a more worthy champion to bring his brother low.
Nor could he deny the hope he felt when he listened to her speeches.
The promises she made, they were so akin to those of the Heartless King, and yet, and yet…
He reached out to her, his fingertips gently brushing the sides of her face. His forefinger traced the last of her tears, pushing it away. The gold of her eyes shone bright, and it soothed away his uncertainties.
“We shall march upon Castle Kanth come the dawn,” he said.
“It will be a hard trek through the Frostlash Forest, with many opportunities to slow our progress and ambush our forces, but I am confident we can reach it by the end of the week. Once there, we shall crush King Laurence, tear open the castle’s walls, and reveal to the world the depravities your father witnessed.
Whatever the sins of your birth, they shall be atoned for, and at last, the entirety of the west unified under your banner. ”
Isabelle grabbed his hand and held it against her, forcing his palm to cup her cheek. She did not smile with her lips, but the radiance in her eyes glowed ever brighter.
“Thank you, Sariel.”
Her skin was so soft. His thumb brushed her mouth, felt the warmth of her breath, felt the gentle curve of her lips.
He leaned closer, saw her lips part, heard her hold her breath.
All the world turned unreal, this moment isolated, a potential hope he had never considered.
If he would but lean a little closer, if he would close his eyes and give in to the softness underneath his fingertips…
Their lips touched, not even a kiss, just a furtive meeting, and then he forced himself away.
“I should rest,” he said, yanking his sword free of the dirt. “We have a long day ahead of us.”
Isabelle’s arms fell to her sides. Her fingers curled the fabric of her trousers within her fists.
“Do not tell Faron any of this,” she said. “I know you are close to your brother, so please understand, I do not make this request lightly.”
“You would have me lie?”
“Faron’s dedication to me is strong, and his heart, so kind. I fear how he may react if he learned the truth of Leliel’s promise. Please. Consider doing so for his sake, if not mine.”
Sariel pushed open the flaps of her tent.
“I will not lie to him,” he said after a long moment. “But for you, I will remain silent. Consider that the best I may give.”