Page 120 of The Spark that Ignites
The amulet pulsed against her chest as his words rang through her mind:Nothing is free. Nothing is fair.
Chapter Forty-Two
Clinging to Juno for dear life, Emmery trudged through the eerily silent night back to Ellynne. She would give anything for his off-key whistling to sever this impenetrable darkness. Slathered in a crimson nightmare of hers and Vesper’s blood, her hands violently shook. Battling tears, not from the pain but from the searing hollowness inside, her body grew distant, her destroyed thigh forgotten.
Because none of it mattered.
He was gone.
The first glimmer of sunlight illuminated the courtyard as she entered the castle gates and slid from Juno’s back. Her feeble leg buckled, and a hoarse cry ripped free, but she managed to stand, hugging the worn leather strap of Vesper’s sword to her chest. She left the packs on the ground but tucked the dragon essence into her pocket, the weight of it a boulder on her chest.
The stone wolves judged her as she limped through the doors, like they knew she’d failed them. The last true heir to their kingdom was gone.
And it was her fault. All her damn fault.
Slamming the doors with more force than necessary, she caught a glimpse of herself in those blasted mirrors. Not a trace of gold remained.
And yet, it hadn’t been enough.
Emmery collapsed, eyes falling shut as her blood crusted cheek struck the cold marble. Was she even breathing anymore?She couldn’t ... feel anything. Her ears rang, the outside world a warm, wet blur.
Footsteps pummelled the stairs as Briar and Callias rushed to the foyer, Briar in a black silk nightgown and Callias in a pair of soft sleeping pants, his golden chest bare.
Time stuttered.
Crawled.
They both froze, faces stricken as they took her in and glanced behind her. Emmery locked eyes with Briar and her stomach bottomed out.
Briar rushed forward and hauled her up, tucking her under her arm for support. Emmery’s leg shrieking as she stood, and fresh blood sprang free. “Merciful Deimos ... what happened? Yourleg. And where’s Vesper?”
Teetering, Emmery wished the ground would open and swallow her whole but there was no such luck. Briar’s face blanched as her gaze slid from Vesper’s bloody cuff to the wolf skull hilt of his sword peeking over Emmery’s back. Emmery cast her eyes away as that scarlet gaze swelled with a jumbled rush of emotion.
“Where is he?” Briar’s voice shook, the harsh reality of the situation sinking in. “Emmery ...where is he?”
No words came and she studied the ground like a mute imbecile.
The world whirled like she was trapped inside a fucking hurricane and all she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and cling to life.
Would they believe her? How could she tell them he sacrificed himself to save her?
He died.He died for me.I left his corpse in that crypt. He’s never coming back.
It perished on her tongue and unable to look at the sword, she pulled it from her back and extended it to Callias.
He clasped the hilt, his gaze a wild flurry, yet his words calm. “What did you do?” She wasn’t sure if it was his tone or the condemnation in his eyes, but she couldn’t linger a moment longer.
Fresh blood warmed Emmery’s pants as she wrenched from Briar’s grip and hobbled toward the stairs, not sure how she would make it to her room. She wouldn’t be surprised if she dropped dead with the chill seeping into her bones, muscles, and soul. Callias grasped her shoulder. Like a reckoning force, Aera sprinted down the stairs, teeth bared and wings flapping. He dropped his hand and backed away.
“What did you do to him?” he snarled. “I knew this was a bad idea. I told him—”
“Wait,” Emmery croaked, finding her voice. Notwhathappened. What didshedo. Meeting his stormy stare with rivalling venom, she spat, “You think I did this? You think I ...hurthim?”
Callias met her gaze with indelible assuredness. “Yes.”
Gawking at him in a mix of utter disbelief and sheer, raw hurt, Emmery turned toward the stairs, ready to crawl up them if she had to.
Briar emerged at her side, bracing her weight but Callias’s foreboding voice sang through the cold castle walls, his face a fiery red.
