Page 128 of The Spark that Ignites
Zyphira snorted, the sound utterly shocking. She cleared her throat and recited, “Golden flower, silver petal, more precious than any metal. Hot iron in thy veins, bond, tether, melt the chains. His bones, her skin, through love alone bring the next kin. Burden and bless, sixteen and four, no more, no less. Seek the six and the half, together burn it all with wrath. A story to rewrite, a spark to ignite. Do not forfeit peace for pain, for only ash will remain. Before the beginning, begin again.” Zyphira’s spectacles dipped as she gave her a satisfied smile.
A chill snaked down Emmery’s spine as the words glazed over her skin. “I feel like I should have written that down.” There was too much, and it sounded like nonsense. This was real life and that was poetry. A jumble of words strung together to make her life a damn mess.
“It is carved into the Skyborne Temple, where the basin awaits thekhaosflame. Where Prince Vesper told you of your destiny.” She drummed her fingers together. “However, he neglected to tell you of before. The past you shared. It’s important for you to know.”
Emmery’s world stilled and her skin pebbled. She opened her mouth to speak, and no words came. She sat there for a tense moment before finally choking out, “I’m sorry ... past we shared?”
“Yes, the years before you lost your memory. Before you returned over the Iron Gate.”
Her pounding heart thrummed in her face, throat, ears and she couldn’t catch her breath.
Emmery’s mind raced, reaching and sifting and weaving it all together.
Back to all the moments Vesper and her shared together.
Briar’s familiarity. Callias’s unexplained distaste for her.
Juno’s name being the same as her stuffed horse.
Her clothes fitting effortlessly.
Her room at Castle Dusk, tailored for her.
She clutched her head, her fingers threading into her hair. “No.”
“Those holes in your memory are there for a reason, child.” She peered at Emmery above her spectacles. “You did not wander the woods after being attacked and you were missing for two years, not two months. You were here before. Called to the gate where the Merikhs found you, took you in, cared for you and you took a blood oath to marry the Prince of Ellynne. You had a bright future here until everything happened.”
“I don’t understand how I was gone. My family didn’t remember—” Emmery’s heart stuttered. “Wait. I was betrothed to ... Vesper?”
“The pactum that sent you back over the gate was powerful magic. Powerful enough to defy the fabric of time. Before you completed your trial and assumed your magic. Before you crossed the gate, though those here remember and everything you touched remains. Only death can sever a blood oath, unlike the pactum. Death or magic of this magnitude.” Zyphira smiled again. “And yes. You were his and he was yours.”
The room was suddenly too small, the walls shrinking and she pulled her knees into her chest, rocking in the armchair.
Deep breath in. Out.
In. Out.
She wanted to cry or scream or both but all she could do was sit there and rock. It wasimpossibleand yet, all the pieces fit, all the frayed scraps and threads pulling together after all this time.
“That lying piece of shit,” Emmery muttered hotly under her breath. “He knew all along and he ... kept this from me. Like this was some twisted game. I’m going to—”
“It was not,” Zyphira cut her off, shaking her head. “This wasn’t easy for the Prince, though his regret does not excuse hisactions. He was under quite a lot of distress the last time I saw him. Though I’m sure he’s under a mountain more now.”
Quiet saturated the air as Emmery rubbed her aching chest, fixating on a torn thread of the rug. She blinked back tears. If they were engaged ... how did Vesper feel about her? How did she feel about him? They were friends, but had they been more?
Emmery recalled him saying how he thought he was in love once and her heart twisted. There was no way he loved her now.
“Why—” She choked on the word. “Why does he hate me?”
“The boy does not hate you.” Zyphira leaned forward. “You two share an incredibly complicated past.”
Too many questions bubbled up in her throat and she exhaled a heavy breath full of them. She would start with the most important. “Why did I lose my memories? What happened?”
“It was a trade.” She drummed her fingers on her thin leg. “A bargain for your safety. Unfortunately, pactums are a blind spot in my visions. I cannot see the implications of them, nor the details. My son has made sure of that. I only know what I have been told.”
She pressed her palms into her eyes in frustration. “I don’t understand.”
“It is not for me to tell,” Zyphira said, her voice full of regret. “I wish I could.”
