Page 72 of Steeling Light
A drop of blood wells up, but it’s gold rather than red, and she presses it against my forehead. It’s like lightning has struck me. My body goes rigid as power courses through me in such volume that I don’t know if I’ll survive.
Then it’s done, and I blink my eyes. Everything seems to be just a little brighter, and when I hold up my hands, they’re glowing gold. I don’t have any strong emotions running through me, so I shouldn’t be using my powers, but then I realize it’s the same glow that my mother has.
“You are now my Champion,” she says seriously. “You will fight for the forgotten. You will bring hope to the hopeless. You will protect those who cannot protect themselves. You will wage no wars, nor claim any lands beyond what you already hold. You are mine until your death or the wars are ended.”
I feel a chain forming on my soul much like a magical oath would feel. It binds me to my mother. Even if I closed my eyes, I could sense her presence. I could find her no matter where she was if I had enough time.
“I must go now, Ainslee,” she says softly. “Enjoy your time with your betrothed because soon enough, I will call upon you. And when that happens, time will be in short supply.”
Then she disappears, and I’m left staring out at the city that I’ve begun to call home.
Chapter 40
He was my past and my future from the beginning. I simply didn’t know it. A heart and soul know when they’ve found their match. Sometimes it takes the mind a little longer.
~Ainslee Emlyn, personal journals
Rhion
The Keep of Steel has never been so beautiful as it is today. Hundreds of both Immortals and humans sit in the Throne Room. All of Ainslee’s friends have shown up—Darian, Maeve, Hazel, and even Cole after he was somehow raised from the dead. My generals, minus a certain missing one, sit silently as they watch the ceremony. The entire room that is so often empty is filled with hushed murmurs, creating a rising drum of anticipation.
It’s nothing compared to my racing heartbeat.
I’d never expected to bind my soul to anyone, but in a thousand years, there has only been one who made me want to, and today she’s doing me the honor of fulfilling her betrothal.
A blanket of starlight shines from above us, a marriage gift from her mother. For the first time in history, true starlight shines in the Keep of Steel, and it is more beautiful than I could imagine. It’s nothing compared to the woman standing in front of me. Her dress seems to be made of gold, and yet it’s almost made of nothing at all.
She is the Champion of Hope. Goddess-touched, and capable of weaving her power in exciting new ways. And yet, she’s the same girl I fell in love with when I was only a child. Her eyes still sparkle, and now, no one in the world can miss the glow she puts off.
But it’s for me she glows today, not the crowd. Today, her sparkle is mine, as is her radiance. There is nothing in the world I could wish for more. Not the Throne I claimed. Not the saving of the world. Not even my own happiness matters as much as seeing her like this.
Her hands clasp mine, her palms turned downward, and she smiles at me. I know I’m supposed to say words, but how can I do that when all I want to do is kiss her? A touch of the fear of my childhood creeps in. What if I ruin it all? What if she’s only doing this because she promised me? What if I’m simply the best choice available rather than the man she dreams of?
I wouldn’t want to cause even a moment of her pain, even if it meant my wildest dreams were coming true.
She seems to understand, and her fingers tangle in mine, breaking the ritual stance. She holds them no differently than she did when we were children. She may glow golden, but she’s still the same girl.
“Rhion, would you like to take a walk with me?” she asks with a smile. “A very long walk, for the rest of our lives and beyond?”
I can’t help but grin, but deep down my heart swells. She knows me in a way that no one else does. She may have just become goddess-touched, but I’ve worshipped at her altar for nearly a millennium.
“I don’t think there’s anything I’d rather do,” I respond, and our hands reset into the ritual stance. “I offer myself to you,” I say, and even though I know this is supposed to be a solemn moment, I can’t help but grin. My fingers turn into claws, and this time, they don’t dig into her palms. No blood wells up. Instead, they softly caress her smooth skin.
Her grin mirrors mine as she repeats the words that we said when we first connected our souls. “I offer myself to you.” The words dance around us, echoing softly in this separate world that we’re currently living in. No one and nothing can enter it or interrupt us. There is no crowd watching and no soft murmurs from the people witnessing. There is nothing in the world other than the two of us.
And those magical words.
Light appears, not like a torch being lit, illuminating the world. Instead, it appears as fireflies, tiny flecks of light that dance around us in time to our words.
“I have protected you,” I say, remembering how I stood over my father’s body. I’d resisted his commands, not because they were wrong, but because my soul desired Ainslee’s safety more than it was loyal to my father. Pride wells up inside me at the memory. I fought back, and I won. Because of the girl I love. Because of the soul that I so desperately want to share eternity with.
The tie between us tightens, slowly melding together and allowing us to share a single soul. And I understand the wordssteeling light. The fireflies around usshiftinto actual fireflies, becoming more than light, more than an illusion.
“I have made you smile,” she says, and wings made of light appear on both of our backs, glowing as brightly as any lantern. Dozens of nights spent together flash through my mind. The Moonlit Pools, the Hanging Gardens, and, more than anything, the night we were betrothed. Every moment with her has been an instruction on how to smile wider and laugh more.
We are no longer laughing between the tears. We’re simply laughing. It’s because of her that I know what happiness is now.
“I helped you to stand tall. I’ve shown you how to shine in the daylight.” It’s impossible to ignore how different she is now. The Countess of Light. The Champion of Hope. A gleaming beacon of the House of Light where she was forgotten so easily when standing next to Cole, Darian, or Maeve.
