Page 125 of An Empress of Earth & Darkness

You are the key to it all.

Cally had said the same thing, but in a completely different way. The way Balan said it sent the most vile shivers through her.

She could see it now, her two worlds unfolding in front of her. If she stayed in the Light, she might lose Torin forever and still face the Dark Army anyway. But if she went with Balan now, maybe she could find a way to kill him herself.

She gritted her teeth. “Give me the Stone to ensure he lives and you have a deal.”

“No,” Torin begged. “Stop. Emara, s-stop. Let me go. I will always be with you.”

She turned to look down at the only man that she ever loved as his blood spilled out around her knees. “I love you, Torin Blacksteel. I love you more than the moon loves the stars,” she whispered as she lowered her mouth to his and placed a delicate kiss to his lips. It wasn’t enough, but his life was so fragile that he couldn’t take any more. “And I will find my way back to you, back home. I promise.”

Emara could hear Gideon and Artem screaming in the background, restrained again by Balan’s darkness. She could hear a howling wolf. As Balan, King of the Underworld, ordered her to rise, she did, blocking out everything else in the kingdom. She would do anything to save Torin. If Balan wanted her to play at being the Empress of Darkness, she would.

Before Torin could try and pull her back down, she filtered a light healing spell over him to put him into a sleep. His lids shut, and she hoped to the Gods that they would open once more when she was gone.

Balan smiled as she walked towards him and he pulled a silvery stone from his armour. She could feel the pull of its power calling to her like the others had, and as he held it up, she could see little souls swimming underneath the rock’s surface.

“Place this over his heart and it will beat again. He will awake at dawn as an immortal solider, living as old as the trees if your Gods allow him.” He threw the Stone at Sybil. “I will be back for that Stone, little Empress of Earth, and soon.” He looked towards Emara. “Come with me, Empress of Darkness.”

“Wait,” she called out, her heart pounding. “When you return for the Stone, I need you to promise me that you will not harm a person standing here.”

“Emara, Torin’s not breathing,” Sybil wept.

Emara’s heart shattered. Her gaze flicked to her father, but before she could say anything to him about not keeping his end of the bargain, he said, “Give it a moment.”

Emara’s eyes darted back to Sybil, who had her hand over Torin’s chest and the Stone on his heart. Even one second was too long to wait, and the pain that drove through her heart was enough to bring her to the ground.

Sybil lifted her gaze and found Emara. “His pulse is faint, but it is there.”

A sigh of relief not only swept through her, but the crowd too.

“Keep that Stone over the warrior’s heart,” Balan instructed. “You wouldn’t want all of these deals to not be worth it.”

Rage built up in Emara, but he had a point. All of this couldn’t have been for nothing. Balan turned, and a tendril of darkness pulled Emara with him.

Like her air, it wrapped around her entire body and swept her towards the portal. Taking one look back at her clan—her family—she whispered, “Look after him and tell him I am sorry.” She looked to Gideon, who was as pale as snow, and Arlo with Kellen now in his embrace. Breighly stood alone, her eyes teary. “Look after each other. I will find my way back to you all, I promise.”

Then she turned her back on them and vanished into the portal. Balan’s tendrils clutched her hand as she travelled into a world of brutality and darkness to become empress.

Torin felt a coolness wash over him. It was calming and relaxing. It was beautiful. But it was clearly magic; only magic could lure him into a false sense of security like this.

“I love you, Torin Blacksteel. And I will find my way back to you, back home.”

Torin sat bolt upright. A scream left Sybil’s lips as she jumped back. Gideon shouted too, but then he moved in towards him.

Gideon threw his arms over him. “Brother...” And his body sagged against his own.

“Torin...” Kellen kneeled beside him, and both of his brothers embraced him.

His body hurt, as did his head, but it was nowhere near how much his heart hurt.

But why?

“Where is she?” he breathed, replaying the last memory of her crying face. Torin looked at his brothers, who had pulled back from their embrace. “Where is Emara?” he asked them again. He placed a hand where the shadows of the Dark King had penetrated his soul.

He was healed.

Kellen fell back on his ass and ran a hand down his dirty face.

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