Chapter 51
Emmerick
The gaudy hue of all the golden fixtures and chandeliers in the hall contrasted harshly with the black marble tile. I’d need to do something about it...
This needed to be home.
I couldn’t hide out at Lamoreaux forever, despite its appeal. Even if Elsedora enjoyed me in her space, I was uncertain how to act around her.
Every moment left me wanting more nights falling asleep by her side, more quiet conversations by the fire, just more.
Coming on too strong would only scare her off, but it grew harder not to admit my dreams to her.
I’d woken long before the sun to find Elsedora’s arm strung across me.
It had taken all of my restraint not to pull her to me and kiss her awake.
A man could get used to such a sight in the morning; her auburn hair had been in disarray, and her sleep-filled expression was so at peace.
But when dawn broke, only a note lay in her place.
How long would it take her to quit running? Would she ever?
The Helos ballroom buzzed with activity.
White linens threw themselves across tabletops, charmed to set up on their own. Red roses stuck out from the centerpieces that were placed atop each table.
A domed glass ceiling spanned above us, encased with lines of iron that nearly matched the darkening gray skies. The burgundy stained glass was beautiful, but the metal frame made me feel imprisoned here. Flakes of snow collected on the panes, threatening to obscure the clouds.
A row of Lynx stood watch at each entry point, as though waiting for my orders.
The same feline creatures had once attacked me and Asterie in the woods. Now they responded to my commands like trained house cats.
“Uh, run along. Protect the perimeter. Be nice,” I said, with a wave of my hand. Though ghastly to look at, they made loyal guards. I’d get used to them; there was no alternative.
The Lynx chattered, whiskers on their rodent-like noses wiggling as they filed out of the room.
I let out a deep sigh and rocked from foot to foot. Maybe I had time for a run. The snow taunting me through the stained glass above told me no.
“Ah—glad you found your ‘kingly finery’ as Aunt El called it when she picked it out,” Lark piped up from behind me. I spun to greet her.
“She picked this?” I asked, attempting to curb my surprise.
The Princess smirked. “Seems she had a vision for how you might look in it. Rather smartly groomed. She chose well.”
I hummed in agreement and scratched at my collar. The black jacket fit perfectly, but the threaded gold seams itched. Of course the seams were gold.
The same thread embroidered the North Corridor’s sun crest across my back. El had chosen a lighter pair of gray dress breeches and brown shoes, which softened the sharpness of the look.
“Thank you for being kind to Dritan,” she said. Her curls were pinned up off her nape, but she still wore a casual tunic and loose breeches.
My brow furrowed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
She shrugged. “I think he’s always assumed you might be skeptical or unwilling to accept him. He went so long not knowing you… but he would like to.”
We would fix this with small talk over dinner until we could find deeper ground to dig up all our buried memories and share them.
I would know my son. If he’d let me.
“Well… that’s a shared sentiment,” I said. “I look forward to changing that.”
The warmth in Lark’s expression nearly melted me; that disposition, being so pleased to see someone else’s happiness, came from neither of her parents. It was all her aunt.
“Still feeling confident about this plan?” Lark whispered.
I nodded. “Yes.”
We’d decided that she and Dritan would be the ones to deliver the news about her union and his lineage to the realms.
It felt cowardly to allow them to share the announcement alone. I did not want their marriage, their union, overshadowed by the revelation of Dritan being my heir. Though that fact legitimized their coupling beyond rebuke. This would be a joyous moment for them.
“I must get ready, but see you soon,” Lark said before scurrying away.
A figure clad in black velvet tapped my shoulder next. “Well, Sir Emmerick, you clean up nicely.”
Seeing Asterie there, hands folded in front of her, took me by surprise. Her long dark hair fell neatly over her shoulders, blending in with the gown. She wore her signature unreadable expression.
I cracked a smile. “You sound surprised, my friend,” I said as I wrapped both arms around her, trapping her hands awkwardly between us.
She huffed out, “Recently, I’ve only seen you beneath sheets.”
“Please tell me you understand how that sounds,” I laughed. When she retreated from my grip to assess me, her brow furrowed.
“How what sounds? You were sleeping beneath sheets.” Her expression softened, and she took my hands in hers. “And you owe me—and Fen—an apology. For years you could have spoken with us? Why haven’t you? Is it something that we did?”
Straight to the point. Unsurprising.
Through the years, Elsedora had kept me apprised of Asterie’s and Fen’s well-beings—they had taken to running a school for Source-wielders out of the Central Tower.
When not there, they were advising in Luz, traveling the realm, and spending a few weeks every summer at the cabin where they had met.
They lived the life they both deserved, together.
“It... it seemed harder,” I admitted. “I’m so sorry, Asterie. I am here now.”
Asterie’s eyes glistened, but she nodded. “I understand. But we missed you.” So quickly, she’d accepted the answer as enough. I deserved so little of her grace.
“Foreseen any doom lurking in our midst lately?” I asked her.
She squeezed my fingers and a deflated sigh escaped her. “I wish,” she said.
I chuckled. “You wish doom upon us?”
“Well, no, no. It would just be helpful if the moonstone showed me anything of use anymore. I’ve been unable to conjure more than a few visions of approaching storms and mundane things aside from you waking. I suppose that vision was useful.”
I balked. She had predicted... “You knew I would wake?”
She shrugged. “The details were murky, but I have seen this moment before. Brace yourself.”
“For what?” I didn’t understand.
“The boy Knight has risen!” Fenris’ voice carried from the grand stairway as he descended. “Get a good beauty sleep?”
Fen slapped my shoulder too hard when he reached us. Trailing behind him, Vangard, their pet wolf-beast, skulked. The creature smelled my hand and let out a low grumble. Still not my biggest fan.
I took Fen’s arm and drew him in for a quick, bear-like embrace. “Indeed. Wouldn’t want to look like you, old man.”
In earnest, Fenris looked no older than forty. The gray streak in his beard, where a scar lay, added some maturity to his appearance, but immortals aged very little.
“Fair enough. Have you seen my sister loitering around here somewhere?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, not since she left the estate this morning.”
“This morning?” Fenris asked, with a quirked brow and an intrigued smirk. My face grew hot, and I rubbed the back of my neck. “She’s grown, but I can still threaten to burn your balls clean off if you have ruined my innocent little sister’s honor.”
His threat rang out in jest.
I hoped.
“Nothing like that. She’s a friend,” I said too quickly.
“Mhm,” Fenris mumbled. “Yes, I’m sure that’s why you’re dancing in place right now.”
I hadn’t noticed my foot tapping against the marble until he mentioned it and halted the movement.
“She’s flown Mayra to check on the west border before the festivities,” Asterie chimed in.
I stilled. “What for?”
Asterie placed a hand on my arm. “Nothing to fret about. There have been camps of soldiers set up along both sides of the border for over a year. Lark shared what Prince Bringham told her. There has been movement. The West doubled their men in the past few days, but there will not be a war—Bringham knows he’s outnumbered. ”
I scratched my chin. “Then what’s he playing at?”
“I believe he’s trying to bait us into making a move to win support from the townships nearest. If Source-wielders used force against the troops, it would make the lords nearby skeptical. He wants land, and he won’t hesitate to make us the villains to take it.”
Rubbing a hand down my face, I scoffed. “It really never changes. From one ruler to the next, there will always be greed and conflict.”
Asterie squeezed my arm once more before she said, “We stand a chance of changing it someday.”
I hoped her words proved true.
“With that, I renew my alliance with the Central, East, and South Corridors. The North has prospered under interim leadership. For that, I thank those who ruled in my stead and dedicate myself to the best interest of this Corridor.”
The one face I wished to see in the crowd still hadn’t arrived.
Sybilla stepped forward with that terrible golden crown. I bent so that she could reach my head; the crown felt as heavy and out of place as the first time I’d worn it.
The Lynx at the ballroom doors chattered with excitement, and the North Corridor lords, full of food and drink, seemed appeased as they gently clapped their praise.
With that, I nodded and ended my sincere, albeit short, address. I stiffly descended the stage’s steps as the strings picked back up behind me, filling the air with jovial sound.
This evening was about dismissing any lingering ties with Bringham. I shook hands with and smiled at anyone who approached me. The conversations were dry but amicable.
“Well said, King Mattock.”
“We wish you the best of luck.”
“It is good to see you awake.”
I grabbed a flute of bubbling wine to curb my nerves.
All the while, I searched the room for the woman I wanted by my side for every one of these conversations. I flexed my free hand, wishing that pacing counted as good manners. A woman in a red dress passed me—she looked peculiarly familiar, and I couldn’t place from where.
Across the ballroom, Asterie and Fenris spoke with Lark. I noticed Dritan had joined her, but for now, he stayed a few feet away, trailing her like a lost puppy and trying not to draw any attention to himself.
I didn’t want to force him to confront anything he was not yet ready to. El would likely tell me fear clouded my judgment. When Dritan and I had spoken earlier, I’d nearly invited him to come live in Helos with me. He had his own life to build; I’d need to find a natural way to be a part of it.
To my relief, a head of auburn hair bobbed down the staircase, and my mood lifted. Stopping halfway, Elsedora pulled on a pair of heeled shoes. The slit of her dress allowed for an enticing display of long legs as she wrestled the shoes on. She wore a throwing dagger in a garter on her thigh.
Even when she was frantic and hurried, her grace took my breath away. The silk gown draped her in solid, shimmering gold. Thin ties were cinched together at her waist, and the fabric spilled down her body like running water.
A lump formed at the back of my throat.
I loved that color. On her.
She held a small black clutch, which she shuffled through for rouge and applied it to her lips before smacking them together and drawing far too much attention from anyone in the room with eyeballs.
I held my breath as she crossed the crowd to me.
“How do I look, puppy?” She spun slowly, allowing me to appreciate her from every angle.
Her hips swayed with more confidence than I’d seen since the early days of making her acquaintance. I set down my wine flute to spin her around by her hand, needing to revel in her glow. Our touch felt charged and indulgent.
The gown dipped between her breasts, and the back was completely open to the waist. Sheer sleeves hugged her arms—freckles poked through the gauzy material.
I drank in every detail, from the way her still-wet hair was pinned neatly at her nape, to the teardrop-shaped amulet that adorned her chest.
“You look incredible,” I breathed out. “And I missed you.”
The second statement slipped out so easily. Both couldn’t be more true. She straightened, meeting my gaze. A bubbly, almost bashful laugh escaped her. Almost.
“I missed you too, puppy.” The gleam in her eye gave me confidence; she meant it. I craved her spark of mischief—the sense of not knowing where she would go next, but wanting to follow her anyway.
With a quirked brow and a tilt of my head, I asked, “Ahh, is that why you fled your bedchamber so quickly this morning? Missed me so much?”
She blushed, and my chest swelled. Everything else in the room slowed.
The string instruments and piano could play all evening.
The guests could get good and drunk.
I’d be busy soaking up every moment that she looked at me with something akin to longing. Whatever affection she gifted me would be worth enduring the Sethe curse a million more times, even if it shattered me in the end.
“Apologies,” she answered. “I had to check in on the West Corridor.”
“I heard. Should I be worried?” Hating the thought of her in the same room as Bringham, I clenched my fists at my sides.
She tsked and cocked her hip. Sources. I loved the way she commanded my attention. “Down, puppy—no political scheming tonight. I need to give you your present,” she said with sultry delight.
A present? My mind sank to ungentlemanly depths.
Oh, right. My birthday.
“How did you know?” I asked.
She huffed a laugh. “Do you think Angeline ever let me forget when your birthday is? I was going to wait until tomorrow, but it suits the jacket.”
She reached forward, extending something bronze. An ornately engraved pocket watch.
“It belonged to my grandfather, then to my father. I found it in some crates above the stable. It seems no one thought to loot the attic, and my parents must have stowed away beloved possessions there.”
She attached the watch chain to my lapel and pushed it down into my coat pocket, her fingers trailing down my chest nonchalantly—as if her touch didn’t set me on fire.
She continued, “I found it decades ago when I returned to Lamoreaux looking for this.” She lifted the teardrop necklace—her mother’s. I recognized it; she’d excitedly recounted the day that Fenris gave it back to her. She only wore it on special occasions.
“Surely, this should go to Fen.” I couldn’t take one of her family’s heirlooms. I placed a palm over the ticking clock in my jacket pocket, feeling the calming thrum of time.
She shook her head. “He wanted me to have it, and I want you to have it. So, it’s settled. Happy early birthday, Emmerick.”
She rose on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my cheek, lingering there for a decadent moment.
This would inevitably end so terribly for me.
She held my tender heart. I’d let her tear it up and stomp on it if she wished to—it was dreadful and wonderful.
But the subtle tick of her father’s watch in my pocket told me maybe she wouldn’t leave me destroyed.