Page 78 of An Empress of Earth & Darkness

Torin looked down at his littlest brother and said, “You better get these infirmary blankets off of you. If you have Blacksteel blood in your veins, you will be there. You are a key part in all of this, and I won’t leave a brother behind.”

Delight and relief shone in Kellen’s eyes, and Torin wasn’t sure which outweighed heaviness in his heart.

A seer. A True Dreamer.

Emara’s words drifted through his head.

It’s an incredible gift.

I do not see how that is anything but an advantage when you are a hunter.

Thorin only knew how this evening would have gone if it had been his father who had found out the truth. But Torin had vowed that he would be better than his father ever was. If he could do that, it would mean more to him than winning any fight or hunt.

“Wait,” Kellen said, jolting up as everyone moved. “I have one more detail to share.”

Everyone turned to him.

“It wasn’t all horror that I saw in my vision. When I mentioned the Lake of Rhiannon before, it was because that’s where I saw the both of you bind your souls to each other.” He looked at Torin and then the empress. “That’s the place where Torin and Emara will get married. That part is set in stone.”

Emara took to her chambers to ready herself for dawn. How much sleep did the people of the magic community actually need? She was part of it now and still her body knew damn well that it needed rest. Her back ached, her head pounded, and her eyes were stinging like she had opened her eyes under sea water. Emara’s legs felt heavy as she made her way around her own room to pack for her mission. She had no idea what to pack, her brain unable to function. What would she need?

As she folded some fighting gear into a satchel that she had brought with her from Mossgrave, her heart started to thump in her chest. When Kellen had mentioned everything about the vision, he had waited until the very end to confirm that she and Torin would marry. Instead of feeling it was too soon, something in her chest told her that it was right. It was like the ancestors of the Otherside had been there, setting that part of their story in stone, like the Gods had acknowledged their path by sending him that vision. And even though they travelled for something greater, she knew in her heart that that was where they were supposed to join each other in oath.

She would marry Torin Blacksteel at Lake Rhiannon.

Her next inhale of breath was hot and thick as it swelled in her throat. Although it felt right, that didn’t take away the nerves. In the human world, a wedding took place on a part of land that was governed by the elite, and the bride and groom had to request a treaty of marriage vows from the Minister of Coin. It was over and done within an hour. However, it wasn’t like that in the hunting world. Some unions went on for days.

This was more than a wedding; it was an alliance. It was strength and harmony. It was two powerful houses of the magical factions coming together.

She needed a minute to breathe. Before she added anything else to her satchel, she quickly made her way to her bathing chamber. It was too hot for a bath in the summer heat, but the coolest thing in the room was the floor. As she folded down onto the floor, the temperature of the cream and white tiles found her skin, stealing her breath. Basking in the coolness, she lay for a few moments, processing every part of what had happened over the last few days.

If Lorta or Kaydence found her like this, they would be worried, so she threw a gust of air at the door, enclosing her in her bathing chamber alone.

Her thoughts were loud and so was the pulse in her ears.

Torin had challenged his father, the duel, the new commander, the treaty, the ring, the proposal…

Marry me, here. Marry me now. Marry me tomorrow. Marry me any time you want. But just be mine forever.

She had sat on the commander’s desk, taking in the details of Torin’s bruised face, his eyes, his mouth. The corners of his lips had turned up as she had uttered the word “yes.” Yes, she would marry him. What they had was eternal. Emara would never forget how his crystal eyes had explored her face like she had said something unbelievable, how he had picked her up by her thighs and embraced her until she couldn’t breathe. They had both laughed as they had kissed. He had cupped her face in his hands and just looked at her in awe before kissing her breath away again.

And what had come next was even more beautiful. He’d lifted her up onto the desk and whispered promises to her whilst he kissed every part of her skin. He left no parts of her flesh untouched by his mouth or his hands. Her body had arched into his mouth as he had devoured between her thighs.

Her pulse raced now even thinking of it.

Bringing her hand above her flushed face, she wiggled her fingers, and the stunning diamond that sat on a gold band twinkled. Torin had kept his mother’s ring for his wife, and it felt like the stone had been cut especially for her. It was timeless yet fierce. And in a few days’ time, another band would sit on that same finger, signifying their marriage.

She turned from her side to her back, feeling the cool tiles press relief into her spine. She let out a massive exhale. Emara had no idea what awaited them on this journey, or if they would even be successful in finding the ancient relic, but she was certain she had found her own path. It felt right, regardless of how terrifying it might be and how much it had broken her. It was making her stronger, giving her the grit and determination it took not only to be an empress, but a warrior too. Should the Dark Army find them in the race for the Protection Stone, she would be prepared. Emara would fight them until her arms could not swing anymore. She might not have the blood of Thorin running through her veins, but she did have Rhiannon’s, and she knew that the God of the Moon and Dreams would never give up on her. If Rhiannon could fight the Dark Army, she would too. If Rhiannon had found a way to stop an almighty war, so would Emara—no matter what it took.

She would find a way.

As she looked down at her hand, the black diamond winked at her. Rhiannon must have heard her thoughts and granted her the grace to dream as her eyelids fluttered shut and exhaustion took over.

The Empress of Earth had suggested to Breighly that she could portal her back to the Ashdale Forest, but she had politely declined. Sybil was kind to offer, but she fucking hated portals, and she was already dreading using one tomorrow to get to the Crismon Dock at dawn. She didn’t want to puke up her guts in front of everyone in the clan. Breighly had no idea how she could drink a tavern dry and never hurl up her guts, but the minute she stepped through a portal, the Gods decided to give her a jittery stomach.

Her belly churned at the thought of it. The lights. The spinning sensation. The feeling like your lungs were collapsing in your chest and that stars were burning through your body.

She shuddered.

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