Page 49 of A Blightress of Wrath
Hiseyes warred.
Black, blue, black, blue—an unending swirl of color fading in and out like ocean waves on a starless night.
“TheBlightis gone from this home we share,”Istarted, honing my anger into strength. “Butthere is one more taskIask of you.”
Fivesets of eyes locked on me, andIstood taller, straighter, no longer a channeler brought to the forest to save it, but aBaronleading in the fight to protect it. “TheBlightressdid not expect us to succeed in riddingFelgrenof her poison.Sheis feeling the effects of theBlight’sdestruction, possibly still healing from the syphoner trees we burned days ago.Sheis weak.”
Revichshifted slightly, and in the subtle movement,Iknew he knew whatIwould ask next.
“Wecan leave now.Iknow the way to her heart underground.Thetunnel will lead us to a portal.Itdoes not fade.Thatportal will lead to her heart.Wecan destroy it while she is weak.Shewill not expect that from us.”Inodded toPhilius. “Heno longer has a connection to her, and she is in the far corners of my mind.TheBlightis gone and she does not know of whatIspeak to you now.Iask if you will come.Ido not command it as one of yourBarons,Iask it of you as one of your family.”
Asmile tugged onPhilius’slips as he stepped closer. “Iwill come with you,BaronKarus.”
Liapulled her hair behind her, twisting the long length in her hands and tucking it into a bun at the nape of her neck. “Iwill not leave you now,BaronKarus.”
Inodded to her, biting down on the sob that begged to leave my chest.
Ilooked toTalonandIlyenna.Theyshared a silent conversation andIlyennanodded slightly.Talonkissed her temple and turned to me. “Wewill come with you,BaronKarus.”Heglanced toRev, adding, “Wehold onto hope.Wedefy the dark.”
Revich’sjaw feathered, but he didn’t look away from me.Hisnostrils flared, his eyes darkened to black, the war of blue a battle lost.Hedid not hold my stare as a lover, he analyzed me as aBaron.Forperhaps the first time since we’d met all those years ago in the foyer of theFortress, he looked at me asHeimlenhad.Asa woman with power, with potential, with a stubborn spirit and strong will.
“Iwill speak toBaronKarusalone,” he ordered, holding my gaze—the oneI, too, refused to break.
Neitherof us moved, neither wavered from the pull of our hearts, ever that thread of the bond we shared, now hot and drawn tightly as if we each tugged on the other side, attempting to bend the other to our will.
Therest of them left, wandering off to watch the rebuilding ofFelgren.
Istepped closer and he followed, closing the gap between us that had never felt right.Westood, chest to chest, him slightly taller, me with my hands on my hips, refusing to give into wrapping them over his shoulders and pulling him closer.
Hekept his hands in his pockets in a show of defiance of what we both wanted and what was right and natural, our bodies always finding their way back to the other.
“Whatis your objection,BaronRevich?”Iasked calmly and quietly, setting the formality of the conversation to come.
“Myobjection,BaronKarus, is that this is not a task we are ready for.Webring with us, who?Threechannelers in various stages of skill, an ancient lapis conduit, and twoBarons?Weplanned for a small army of channelers and conduits to do this.Isee no evidence we are ready.”
“Thequestion is not if we are ready, but if she is at her most vulnerable.Sheis weak.Ifeel it.Ifeel her cowering there in her palace of white stone.Isee her there on the floor in agony at the destruction we’ve done here.”Ikept his stare while jutting my chin. “Lookaround and see her pain.Nowis the time to strike when she is writhing on the floor and least expects it.”
“Ihave looked around, and do you know whatIsee?”Hisvoice came in a clipped growl. “Isee an impulsive channeler who wants revenge.Isee a frightened couple that would go to the ends of the earth for either of us and follow us blindly to their demise if we so asked.Isee a tired woman who fears making the same mistake she made hundreds of years ago.Isee my partner, my companion, aBaronof this forest, the mother of my child, pushing herself beyond her limits by way of pain and anger.Isee her most clearly of all.”
Iraised my chin, clamping my mouth shut and swallowing hard enough that it hurt.Igave him my love, pure as the first night we spent together.Iwas angry, frightened, determined to go to that heart and destroy it for good, but more than that,Idelved deep into my own soul, finding his there with mine, sending that image to him through our bond.
Hejerked, blinking rapidly.
Iopened my mouth, breathing deep and lifted a hand to his chest, covering the fabric—the skin and bones—which protected his heart. “Weall go or none at all.Whateveryou choose,I’lllove you still.”
ThemomentIreached out to him, his hand was there, pressing my fingers to his heart. “Theonly reasonI’llagree to this is because of our daughter.Igo for her.IfIdid not feel her so strong and steady through this stone,”—he pulled the green rock from his pocket, andIwatched in awe as it hummed in his hand, buzzing across his palm—“then none of us would be going.Wedo this for the future of the children of this forest, of this isle, and no other.Wedo not do this for ourselves, for revenge, for blind loyalty, for some regret we have to face—no.Wedo this forSaelyn.ForIlyenna’schild.Forall the children who are and are yet to be.Theydeserve a world in which this threat is just a history they hear in lyric and song before they drift to sleep.”
Hedropped the rhyzolm back into his pocket and pulled my hand to his lips. “I’mafraid becoming a father has made me as reckless as you.”
Ilaughed, taking my hand from his lips and sliding it through his hair, letting my body fall into his chest, delighting in the feel of his strong arms that slid around my waist.Theyalways would.He’dalways be there to hold me, even at our times of tension.
“Ilove you,”Iwhispered, hovering my own lips just below his and glancing from his brilliant blue eyes to his mouth.
Hetightened his hold on my body, my heart, pulling that tether as close as our bodies were in that healing forest we loved. “Andyou’ll love me still.”Hegrinned and winked, the gesture melting me into a puddle at his feet, whereI’dgladly worship for days on end as soon as we had rid the isle of the woman who haunted it.
“AndI’lllove you still,”Iagreed, pulling him down to join my lips in a kiss that we lost ourselves to as lovers,Barons, and deciders of the shadowed path we’d chosen.
PartThree
