Page 117 of Of Blooming Embers
Both hands clutched the hilt of my broadsword, biceps ticking in anticipation, the blade hovering above her like the pendulum of a clock. My nostrils flared as I lifted my weapon higher, preparing for a swift retribution.
But just as my muscles tensed, ready to deliver the blow, words like cool velvet skimmed over my awareness. “I hate to intrude, but I must.” I froze, turning warily toward the voice. And a stutter of breath clogged my windpipe. From the shadows, the being emerged and uttered one word.
“Gavrel?”
NOT YET THE END …
(Read on for TWO e-book exclusive bonus memories!)
EXCLUSIVE E-BOOK BONUS MEMORY 1
GAVREL ~ EIGHTEEN TURNS OLD: SPRING
A few days ago, I celebrated my eighteenth birthday, yet I felt unchanged. I wasn’t any more a man than I had been then. The realm was still rotting before our eyes. Food and resources were depleting.
So, I’d done it.
I’d joined the Order in hopes that I could be of use. That I could better protect those I loved. Make some sort of difference for our realm.
My mother was upset with me for enlisting, and it was no secret, at least to our family, that she despised the Elders and their laws. It was likely why she had asked me to go on this walk with her: to try to convince me to change my mind.
However, I would continue to disappoint her because I was still leaving for Pneumali City in a couple of days to begin my training.
I glanced at her as we walked through the grymwoods, her aura sparkling in shades of honey and caramel as she made contact with various trees. Her energy soaked into the trunks, leaving a healthy, reddish tint where she’d touched.
Earlier in the turn, she’d confided in me that she was a Druik. I assumed she believed this revelation would persuade me not to join the warrior legion, making me worry for her safety and think that her premonitions were true.
Hestia Larkin was not one to shy away from a bit of coercion when she considered it to be for the safety of her family. The thought curled the corners of my lips.
“Sweetheart, you know very well my dreams have never been wrong. If you’ve never believed me before, I need you to heed me now.” My mother gripped my forearm, her light green eyes pleading. The moonlight skimmed over her ebony waves, making the crests appear blue.
I kissed her cheek, tucking her hand into the crook of my elbow. “Tell me then. What have the Fates whispered in your ear?”
“Gavrel, I’m serious.” She paused, turning and placing a palm on each of my biceps. “Morpheus himself came to me last night.”
One of my eyebrows lifted. “How blessed you are, Ma. The Ancient of Dreams paying you a visit.”
She ignored me, wrapping her arms around her middle. “He came to me. Said that you were in danger. That Seryn was in danger.”
Seryn?
What did she have to do with me? I’d always felt a kinship with her. The need to protect her had been relentless. But she was my brother’s best friend. She was like a little sister to me.
“Gavrel, she’s … she’s your khorda.”
My heart stilled, a disbelieving huff clogging my throat. “Ma … that’s … that’s absurd.”
Her eyes softened as she studied me. “Is it? You know your father and I are khordas. It is rare, but it’s possible.”
“If this is some trick to get me to stay, it won’t work.” I scoffed, running my fingers through my shaggy waves.
“It’s not a trick, my love. My dream warned that you both were in danger, and that you needed to take action to hide your bond. I know not from what or whom, but it was clear that it was a matter of life and death. There are things you … you don’t know.”
I narrowed my eyes, voice lifting. “Enlighten me then.”
“Hush now, you know the Elders have ears everywhere.” Ma placed her hand on my arm once more, her thumb brushing back and forth. “Before Seryn was born, Maya fled her home—wherever that may have been—and asked me for a protection rune that she eventually embedded in Seryn’s neck. She said that the girl was destined for great things, but that if others knew too soon what she’d become, they’d destroy her. Destroyus.”
My breaths were shallow now, confusion and fury battling within me. At the thought of anyone harming the girl. Anyone harming those I cared for. My mother’s words slammed against my skull, prying into the crevices of my beliefs. “You aren’t making sense. She’s only thirteen. What threat could she pose?” I pulled from her hold. “Fated? This can’t be true.”
