Page 236 of Lady for Embers

“Because I care too much about you to let you do this,” Cassius snapped.

“Unless I take you to Aelyndee, right?” Cyrus sneered. “Once you’ve forced me to peel back every imperfect layer of myself, then will I be good enough?”

“Knock it off. You know that is not the reason.”

“You’re right. It’s not. What did you say to me? That Ideservemore?”

“You do deserve more than being my godsdamn power source, Cyrus. You deserve so much more than that.”

“That is a godsdamn excuse,” Cyrus retorted.

Cassius gave him an incredulous look. “An excuse for what?”

“You tell me I deserve more, that I do not value myself enough. When in actuality? You make everyone feel like they are never enough for you so that you don’t have to let anyone else in.”

Cassius lurched back as if he’d struck him. “What are you talking about? We have talked about plenty of personal matters, Cyrus.”

“Who was with you when you met your mother, Cass? Who is the only one who could force your power to manifest when she was in danger? Who did you ask to come with you to meet Tybalt?”

“Scarlett and I have known each other nearly our entire lives,” Cassius bit back. “I am her Guardian. I trained her at the Fellowship. We are soulmates. You cannot fault me for being close to her.”

“I don’t. I fault you for refusing to let anyone else see all of you. You accuse me of not being willing to let you all the way in, of not being ready for this, but you’re the one not ready for this because you can’t let me in either. You make anyone who tries to get past the masks jump through godsdamn hoops to prove that we are deserving of you. Me. The High Witch. You make demands that are damn near impossible. You make us feel undeserving of you because you make us feel unworthy in the face of your mask of perfection. But here’s the real kicker: You’re just as broken as the rest of us. The rest of us just have the balls to admit it.”

“Get out,” Cassius said, his voice low and gravelly. His pupils had shifted, eyes glowing. “Get the fuck out.”

Cyrus stared at him for a long moment before turning and stalking to the door, but right before he pulled it open, he looked over his shoulder. “I was coming here to tell you that after we gotback from the Southern Islands I wanted to go to Aelyndee with you. For the ?rst time since Thia, you made me feel seen. I never want to step foot in Aelyndee again, but for you, I would have. I would have jumped through every godsdamn hoop if you’d have let me.”

“Get out,” Cassius said again.

Cyrus pulled the door open, stepping into the hall. He paused for the briefest of moments when the door had clicked shut, his hand still on the handle. He inhaled deeply before he let it go and crossed the hall to his room to get ready to go to the islands.

To get ready to smell the sea.

Razik Traveled them to the Water Court, and from there, Briar made a Water Portal to the Southern Islands. Cyrus immediately turned away from the blue waters rolling onto the shore. He stared at the cliffs rising high above them off to the left. He’d never been to the Southern Islands. None of them had, other than Rayner. None of them had wanted to come to a place that had housed such horrors.

Rayner was beside him, his features hard, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

Cyrus reached over, clamping a hand on his shoulder. “You good, Rayner?”

“Let’s ?nd her and get out of here,” he muttered back.

“Lead the way, brother,” he said, squeezing his shoulder once before releasing him.

Rayner stepped in front of their company and turned to face them all. In addition to Razik and Rayner, Azrael, Briar, Sawyer, and Neve had come. They shouldn’t need this many, but Azrael had said Talwyn was adamant they go today and be prepared for Alaric, that he might have already found her. Cyrus wasn’t sure how that would be possible. He had no way to get inside the cliffs.

“We stay together. No one touches anything,” Rayner said. “Those rooms are still spelled, even if no one has been in them in centuries.”

He turned, leading the way to the cliffs.

“Where is Abrax?” Neve asked, looking around for the spirit animal. “I thought Talwyn said he had been guarding the princess.”

“She did say that,” Cyrus said. It was concerning he was not here, and he tightened his grip on his bow. He’d talked Eliza into letting him borrow her Fiera arrows. They’d been a gift to her from Sorin when he had made her the general of the armies. Arrowheads made from the same material as their blades, mined from the Fiera Mountains and imbued at Anahita’s Springs to contain ?re magic when wielded by a Fire Fae. Eliza had been pissy as hell about being relegated to the sidelines yet again, but she’d eventually relented and let him borrow them.

They reached the base of the cliffs in a matter of minutes, and when Rayner raised his hand, Cyrus saw the brand glowing on the inside of his wrist. It was a combination of Anala’s symbol and something else, and it ?ared brightly before disappearing once more. They all stepped back as an archway took form, a cavernous hall appearing within.

They waited for Rayner to go ?rst, but Cyrus could feel Briar’s restless energy. He couldn’t blame him. If this had been Merrik or Thia or—

Well, if this had been someone he loved, he would be just as anxious.

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