Page 116 of An Empress of Air & Chaos

“Callyn, absolutely not. I have enough.” Emara pushed out her hand.

“I think you might like it. The minute I saw it, I thought of you.” Cally reached into her purse and gripped something in a green velvet pouch and handed it over.

“I am not taking anything else from you.” Emara tried to push it back.

“If you don’t take it, I will throw the biggest bitch fit you have ever Gods-damned seen.”

Emara let out a laugh and took the jade pouch into her hand, scowling at her best friend in jest. She reached in and pulled out a solid gold hair comb. Emara gasped as its beauty lay in the palm of her hand in the shape of a crescent moon. The comb was encrusted with stones that danced in the light, sending out flashes of scarlet, indigo, yellow, and cerise. Its weight was surprising for something so small. Emara couldn’t even imagine how much coin this would have cost.

“Callyn…” Emara looked up.

“I know how you look at the moon. You always have! Now you have your own moonlight.” Cally’s voice wavered slightly. “Even when the clouds are grey, and the moonlight cannot escape through, you have your own.” She took a deep breath and then continued, “And, of course, it completed your outfit.” She tried her hardest not to let any emotion form.

Emara opened her mouth to speak, but nothing could have prepared her for that.

She tried again. Nothing.

“Don’t,” Cally said, putting out a hand to stop Emara from speaking. “If there is anything in the world that represents who you are, it’s the moon. She shines in times of darkness and everyone looks at her to lead us into a better day.” Cally’s smile was small but it was full of warmth and love. Emara fought against the crushing feeling in her throat and rushed towards her best friend. Her sister, not in blood, but in life. In her own kind of oath. She flung her arms over her.

“And although she herself shines bright, she never dulls the light of the sun,” Cally finished. She dug her chin deep intoCally’s shoulder and squeezed her tight. “Okay.” The blonde pulled back. “We don’t do mushy, and my face is too pretty tonight to mess it up with your tears.” She laughed and pulled further back from their embrace. She took the crescent moon comb and slid it into Emara’s hair. “There, perfect! Now let’s see what this uplift is all about.”

Chatter in good spirits floated down the foyer to Emara before she could see anyone. As they rounded the corner, her stomach twisted into an anxious knot and she swallowed down her nerves as she saw humans and Hunters congregating in small circles, laughing and conversing.

At first it was challenging for her to pick out which were human and which were Hunters due to everyone’s formal attire, but to her now-trained eye she could see more muscle definition in the males who stood amongst the human crowd.

Marcus Coldwell made his way through the group, advancing towards them in a finely-made suit. One that Emara was used to seeing on Elite males. “Emara, don’t you scrub up well.” He smiled kindly. “I can see this one hasdone a great job of hiding the bruises on your arms.” He gestured a hand to Cally. “You also look wonderful tonight, Miss Greymore.” He bowed his head.

“Well, thank you, Marcus.” Cally tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, revealing her bejewelled earlobes. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“It’s not often us Hunters get to dress to impress, but tonight we have our work cut out for us, keeping up with you beautiful ladies.” He expressed some Hunter charm and Emara realised she had never seen that side of him. It was nice to see an informal Marcus.

“You are too kind,” Emara added. “I do have one question: How do we actually get to the uplift? Surely, we can’t be walking.” She gestured to the shoes on her feet.

Magic swirled in Marcus’ eyes. “We are absolutely not within walking distance. Not even in practical shoes.” He looked down at her feet, judging the heel size. “We are going to portal in.”

“Portal in?” Cally said, way too loudly.

In the gardens of the Tower, a Witch in a dark green cloak waved her hands in front of her like she was an artist mixing paint on a canvas. Air blew around the shrubbery and the trees groaned in response to the building enchantment. Hunters were now gathering outside, partnering with a few of the villagers. They, too, were looking around, nervous. One woman in a beautiful yet simple gown caught Emara’s eye and offered her a smile. She smiled back. She guessed she wasn’t the only nervous one.

The Witch worked her arm around in a circle motion and a ring of shimmering air grew. Flashing lights appeared in the middle of the circle, displaying green, dancing flames that merged all the magic together. An iridescent pool of blue-green was in the middle of the whirling vortex of what looked like water but was not. The rippling magic of the portal looked like it could tear out cities from their roots and Emara let out a sharp exhale, taking in its irrefutable power.

“Everything is going to be fine,” said Marcus. “It isn’t that bad.” His boyish grin told her otherwise. “Just don’t let go of my arm; you must always keep contact with me. Thorin knows where you would end up if you didn’t.”

Emara swallowed.

“Will it ruin my hair?” Cally’s eyes were wide with fear. Not of the portal, but at the thought of one strand of her sandy hair being out of place.

Emara wanted to scream as she watched Hunters, one by one, lead their dedicated humans through the portal. They hadn’t shrieked or panicked; they had simply vanished.

“Our turn.” Marcus let out a small laugh and linked Cally’s arm with his. He held out another arm for Emara to hold. With a small wish that it was Gideon’s, she took hold and walked into the vortex.

Walking through the portal felt like she had been flung into a cauldron of stars, darkness, and infinity. Every inch of her body felt like it had turned to liquid. Every cell tingled in her blood, sparking magic to life. A gust of power knocked the air from her lungs, hitting her from the side. Clutching on for dear life, Emara dug her fingers into the arm of Marcus’ suit jacket, who also had Cally screaming on the other side of him.

Although Emara had closed her eyes and tried to hold back the scream that crawled up her throat, she could not hide her trembling. She could see flashes of colour through her shut lids and swirls of blackness with spots of light, all meshing into one as they spiralled around and around.

A sudden thud onto concrete made the bones in her ankles groan and Emara opened her eyes as she took a breath of fresh air. A sudden slap of cold hit her face and she hurled over, spewing the contents of her stomach onto the path. Trying to steady herself on her heels, she placed a hand on her navel and pulled her hair round to one side. Feeling like she had sea legs, she stood up straight.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad, actually.” Cally’s tone was light and full of amusement.

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