Page 45 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
Jalend walked close behind me as we made our way through the temple corridors, his nervous energy practically radiating off him in waves. The frequent questioning sessions had worn on all of us, but he seemed particularly on edge today, constantly glancing around as if expecting threats to emerge from the shadows.
Following Tarshi's advice, I had been completely honest about my involvement with the resistance during my interrogations. Every mission, every piece of intelligence I'd gathered, every Imperial weakness I'd helped exploit—I'd laid it all out for the Talfen interrogators, hoping that my willingness to share information would shift their opinion of us from enemy spies to potential allies.
The council chamber looked exactly as it had when we'd first been brought here after our capture, but the atmosphere felt different now. Less hostile, though still cautious. The tiered seats were full, council members in their dark robes watching our entrance with expressions that ranged from curiosity to resignation.
Aytara sat in the high seat, her silver hair catching the light from the torches mounted along the walls. Beside her stoodTaveth, his pale eyes scanning our group with an intensity that made me wonder what he was seeing that we couldn't.
The revelation that Tarshi had a twin brother had been shocking enough but seeing them together over the past week had been surreal. They were identical in every way that mattered, though Taveth's shadow magic marked him as clearly Talfen while Tarshi remained recognizably one of us. The family resemblance was impossible to deny, and it had certainly complicated the council's deliberations about what to do with us.
But it was the figure standing near the centre of the chamber that made me stop in my tracks.
Mira.
She looked exhausted, her usually immaculate appearance replaced by travel-stained clothes and wind-tangled hair. Dust covered her from head to toe, and there were dark circles under her eyes that spoke of hard riding and little sleep. But she was unmistakably the resistance leader I knew, the woman who had coordinated countless operations against Imperial forces. And more importantly, a highly respected Talfen warrior who knew us and could speak for us. Hope flared in my chest at the sight of her, as well as relief that she hadn’t been killed since we’d left.
"Antonius," she said, nodding in my direction. "Marcus. Septimus. Good to see you're all still breathing."
"Mira," Marcus replied, his voice carefully neutral. "This is... unexpected."
"I imagine it is." She turned toward Aytara, her posture shifting into something more formal. "High Priestess, these men are exactly who they claim to be. I can personally vouch for their commitment to the resistance and their value as allies."
Aytara studied Mira for a long moment before nodding slowly. "Your word carries considerable weight with this council, Mira of the Imperial City. It was, in fact, the deciding factor in our deliberations."
Relief flooded through me so suddenly that I felt lightheaded. We were going to be released. Whatever that meant in practical terms, it had to be better than rotting in cells while Livia remained out of reach.
"However," Aytara continued, and my relief faltered slightly, "your freedom comes with conditions. You will be confined to the city—any attempt to leave will be considered an act of hostility. You will share any intelligence you possess about Imperial forces and strategies. And you will place yourselves under the protection and authority of Taveth, as Livia's acknowledged mates."
The formal acknowledgment of our bond with Livia sent a thrill through me, even though I knew it was largely a political necessity. If we were to be kept in the city, we needed official status that explained our presence and value.
"We accept," I said quickly, speaking for all of us. "Gratefully."
"Then let this be done," Aytara said, gesturing to the council, who all nodded their agreement.And then I heard footsteps running down the corridor, light and quick and achingly familiar.
"Livia," Septimus breathed, and I turned toward the sound just as she burst through the chamber doors.
She looked healthy, thank the gods. Tired, perhaps, and thinner than I remembered, but whole and unharmed. Her eyes swept over our group frantically, as if she couldn't quite believe we were real, and then she was moving.
I was closest so she hit me first, launching herself into my arms with enough force to stagger me backward. Her face was wet with tears, her whole body shaking as she clung to me like I might disappear if she let go.
"You came," she sobbed against my chest. "You actually came for me."
"Of course we came," I murmured, my own eyes pricking with moisture I wasn't prepared for. "Did you think we wouldn't? Did you think we'd just leave you?"
The sight of her, the feel of her in my arms was better than I had spent all these last weeks imagining. It was like stepping from shadow into sunlight, feeling that connection snap back into place with an almost audible click. The constant ache I'd carried for weeks simply vanished, replaced by the warm certainty of her presence in my mind.
She pulled back just enough to cup my face in her hands, studying me as if memorizing every detail. "I was so afraid something had happened to you. When I heard you'd been captured, when they wouldn't tell me anything..."
"We're fine," I assured her, though my voice came out rougher than I intended. "All of us. We're all fine."
She turned then, and I watched as she moved through our group like a woman starved, embracing each of the others in turn. Marcus lifted her off her feet, spinning her around despite the formal setting. Septimus held her with shaking hands, his usual stoic composure cracking completely.
When she reached Jalend, he pulled her into a fierce hug that spoke of depths of feeling I hadn't fully appreciated before. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispered against her hair, and there was something in his voice that made me wonder what he wasn't telling us.
The reunion was interrupted by a polite cough from Aytara. "Perhaps we should conclude our business before continuing with personal matters."
Livia stepped back, but she remained close to our group, as if she couldn't bear to put distance between us again. I noticed that Tarshi and Taveth both watched her with an intensity that spoke of their own bonds with her, and I wondered how that dynamic was going to work in practice.
"Mira," Aytara said, turning back to the resistance leader. "You mentioned urgent news from the Empire. Perhaps now would be appropriate to share it with the full council."
