Page 66 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

Emara’s heart stopped.

“I wasn’t human, Emara.” Cally looked at her through her lashes that glittered like the moon had sprinkled stardust all over her face. “I was born a witch—to the House of Water, to be precise.”

Emara didn’t breathe for the longest of seconds. “You—”

She nodded. “So do not feel guilty about my death. I was in this even before you were. That was how the Gods had written my path.”

“You are a witch?” Emara made a gurgling sound like she was being strangled. Maybe she was. Maybe her magic was betraying her and sucking the air from her lungs. That’s what it felt like. “No,” she managed. “No, that’s not true.”

“It’s true. I had to come back and let you know that your guilt isn’t properly placed, and to tell youwho I am.”

Emara stumbled back a few steps, ears buzzing. “You were from the magic world?”

Callyn paused, her eyes glazing over. “When I was born, my mother believed a prophecy that a Spirit Witch had spoken of that claimed that I would never gain any magic.” A sadness filled her eyes, and it was so unlike her to show her soul the way she did now. She had always protected her soul. “And my family saw that as a sign from the Gods that I wasn’t worthy of being in the coven. They believed that I was undeserving of being inducted into The House of Water from birth.” Cally’s head tilted downwards, and Emara felt a new set of tears track down her face. “The woman who called herself my mother didn’t know if she should turn her back on the coven and face a lifetime of ruin or stay within the coven and face a lifetime of shame for giving birth to a muted witchling. So instead of my mother aborting me from her womb, she gave birth to me and dumped me in a random village outside a temple of worship. I was sent to an orphanage, where I lived until I met you.” Their eyes met. “Until I met your grandmother.”

Emara wanted to go to her, to hug her and comfort her, but in fear that her spirit would disappear, she rooted her feet into the ground.

“She knew what you were,” Emara breathed. “Didn’t she?”

Cally nodded. “She did. No matter how small my magic flickered, your grandmother would have sniffed it out the minute she saw me. She may have given up her life in the magic world, but she was still powerful and wise.” She giggled softly, and the laugh warmed the brokenness inside Emara’s chest. “That’s why she took me in. She knew where I had come from and wanted to give me a second chance. She knew that my magic was extremely faint, and there was little she could do about it. Still, she didn’t want to give up on me. I have a feeling that she had learned from past mistakes, and this was her chance to put things right in the eyes of the Gods. She could give me—us—a normal life.”

Emara stood for a few moments in silence, letting the astonishment dissolve in her mind as she looked at her best friend. An orphan of the covens. Her grandmother had known about Callyn the entire time.

“Was it real?” Emara looked over her best friend’s face, her chin revealing a shake. “What we had, the friendship, was it real?”

Cally moved properly for the first time in her new form. She had always been ladylike in how she walked, but now she glided like a goddess. She stopped just a touch away from Emara. “Of course, it was real. Don’t you dare for one second question that. Everything about us—every laugh, every tear, every fight, every night we stayed awake talking for hours—it was all real. Your grandmother wanted me to make you feel as normal, as human, as possible. She didn’t want you to find out who you were. And, ashamed of my magical background, I was happy to play human too. After all, who wants to be a witch who has no more magic than a mere village girl?”

Emara bit back her sobs. “Why? Why didn’t she want me to know who I really am? I need the truth, Callyn.”

“Because it was dangerous, Emara.” Cally’s tone turned more sinister, and Emara’s spine curled at the sound. “It still is. Look what is happening to powerful witches across the kingdom. And do not think you are being overlooked because you are new to this world, because you are not.”

A potent silence stiffened in the air.

Emara took a deep breath and asked, “Am I powerful enough to protect myself?” Gods, she had so many questions to ask.

“I don’t think you need me to answer that.” A small smile pulled at Cally’s lips.

“I need you to answer it.” Emara’s throat threatened to close as she spoke. “I can’t”—she looked down at her trembling hands—“I don’t think I can do this.”

Cally walked a little closer again. “What you need to do is let go of everything that holds you back from being who you truly are. You need to live in the moment, live in your light. You need to follow your gut and trust your instinct.” A glint of emotion flickered in her eyes. “I think we have both learned that life is so desperately short and utterly fragile, and you must make sure you live, Emara. Not just exist, live.”

“I am trying, but I—”

“I know you miss me.” Her glowing hand reached up, hovering over Emara’s arm. But she couldn’t feel her touch even when it rested atop her skin. “And I miss you more than you will ever know. I gathered enough strength to come to you tonight to let you know two things. You have the most powerful witches that ever graced the kingdom on the Otherside, backing every step you take. It is time for you to be powerful too, just like them. Feel your magic, awaken it properly. It is time for you to be everything that an empress is, fierce and strong and bold.” She looked over at her, her face changing. “And the second was that it is time for you to give into your heart, because with the wall you have built around it, you won’t ever unleash that force, that superpower, that is brewing beneath your surface.”

Emara knew exactly what she meant by that. If she had been with her every step of the way, then she would have seen everything. She was referring to how much she suppressed her feelings for a particular Blacksteel brother.

“But you and him—”

“Don’t,” Callyn cut her off again in that best friend kind of way. “We were nothing to each other. But you are something to him. You don’t need to be on the Otherside to see how he feels about you. The witches up here can’t believe how much he has softened.” She let out a small giggle. “He has a few fans up here, believe it or not. He’s infamous, even in the spirit realm.”

Emara snorted through her tears and rolled her eyes, wishing she could hug her best friend and not let her go.

Cally rolled her lips before saying, “I love you, and I promise that when you are finding it hard to breathe, I will be there, keeping the air in your lungs.” Cally’s voice broke, but she pulled back the sadness that had weaved onto her face. “I will be there, holding your hand. And I will have your back. Always.” A tear ran from Cally’s eye. “We all will. Your ancestors have waited a long time to see you wear your moonlight like a crown.” She smiled, her face gleaming with pride. “The road you are about to take will not be easy, but when you walk it, just know that you are not alone.”

Emara’s sob heaved in her chest, and every inch of her body left like it could have crumbled. “I will never be alone. Not when you will always be in my heart. I will never forget you, Callyn Greymore.”

“You better not!” She grinned like a summer morning as tears also dripped down her cheeks. “Make me proud, Emara Clearwater. I don’t doubt for one second that you will. This was always your destiny.” Cally’s figure flickered in and out, her face still smiling. “It’s time for me to go back.”

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