Page 50 of An Empress of Earth & Darkness

They both laughed awkwardly.

“You are going to win. My faith is in you, big brother.”

Torin said nothing. It was another silent acknowledgement of his appreciation. Gideon had always tried to remain in the middle when it came to the fight for dominance between his brother and father, but with what was coming tomorrow, he had to pick a side. He had to choose. “I will stand by your side, Torin.” Gideon placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned in. “And when you are victorious tomorrow, we will face this together. You are not alone in this. I will not let you face commandership alone. The Blacksteel boys always stick together.”

A muscle under Torin’s eye twitched. “Thank you,” he said, his voice strained and strangled with emotion.

The side of Gideon’s head rested against Torin’s. “You are going to win.” His hand cuffed the back of his neck. “And then we are going to get blindingly drunk and talk about all the silly things that I will need to stop you from doing as commander of this clan.”

Torin’s hand came up and tapped his brother’s a few times, and he nodded with his eyes closed.

The door to the rooftop opened, and both brothers turned to find the Empress of Air standing in the threshold. Her midnight black hair fell around her shoulders like a sheet of silk, and her silver strappy dress hugged body as the gentle summer breeze caught the fabric, blowing it against her skin. Her eyes were full of that steel and fire, but her face still remained so full of grace and beauty. They contrasted so brilliantly.

Gideon smiled before looking at his brother, who was staring at her like she was the Goddess Rhiannon herself. “I will leave you two alone.”

“Actually”—her hands dropped to her sides and her gaze lingered on Gideon—“it was you I was looking to speak with.”

“Me?” He couldn’t hide the surprise in his voice.

“Yes, if that’s okay,” she said gently.

“Of course.” He threw a glance at Torin, who nodded once.

“Come and find me when you are done,” Torin said to Emara as he walked towards her. His hands found their way into her hair, and she softened, closing her eyes. He pressed one small kiss to her forehead, and Gideon had never seen such a gentle gesture from his brother. It crippled his heart. He had seen him with her on many occasions, but now that his love for her was out in the world, they both seemed more comfortable showing their affection in front of others.

Gideon swallowed down a feeling he didn’t quite understand as Torin left the two of them on the rooftop.

There had been a time before Emara’s ascension, before the Amethyst Palace, when Gideon had sworn that he would fight for her. And he still would, until his last breath, but not in the way he once vowed. He wasn’t going to fight for her heart anymore; they had said goodbye to each other, standing in the foyer that day, yet somehow it had not felt like the end. But as they stood on the rooftop of the highest tower in Huntswood with the breathtaking sun falling into the earth behind them, whatever had happened between them felt like history.

She moved forward, her strides precise, before stopping a few feet away from him. “I tried to find you before today’s meeting.” She paused, searching his face. “I wanted to tell you about what angle Torin was going to take with the prime to see if you could do anything to persuade him to change his mind, but I couldn’t seem to reach you.”

“I was in the gardens with Sybil just before,” he said quietly. “The ones around the back, near the stables.”

“I know.” Emara nodded. “Lorta told me.”

Gideon felt his shoulders relax. “I help her plant flowers and herbs before mid-morning.”

Emara smiled, and true endearment shone in her eyes. “I can’t believe Sybil has turned you into a seedsman.”

“I find myself in the gardens more often than not now,” he said in return. “I mean, I am Sybil’s guard, so I am required to be there, but I enjoy it. Friendship is a funny thing.”

“Yes, isn’t it just?” She clasped her hands together.

A moment passed between them, causing them both to look out at the city. A few candles or oil lamps had lit the windows of homes, and the smoke from the chimneys began to look less powdery in the darkened light. The trees in the distance looked full and green, contrasting with the colours of the streets and buildings.

“I am sorry that you found out the way you did,” Emara said, so gently, “about Torin and I and the decision that my heart had made. So much has happened. There were probably so many moments I could have said something or told you, but—”

“But you weren’t ready then,” he finished, understanding completely.

The tension in her shoulders fell. “I don’t think I was ready for any of this.”

Gideon raised his chin. “You were. You were ready for all of it. You just didn’t see it coming.” He allowed a smile to turn up one corner of his mouth. “I mean, how can you predict falling for my brother?”

She let out a snort, and it was the first time her smile had reached her eyes today. “Trust me when I say I am still in disbelief.”

He laughed too. “I am not.”

She looked at him funny, but she didn’t say anything as her lashes swept down and then up again.

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