Page 12 of Empire of Wrath and Ruin
"Tell me about your prisoner," she said firmly, her tone brooking no argument. The steel had returned to her voice, but underneath it I could hear the faint tremor of whatever revelation had struck her. "Now."
There was no avoiding it any longer. I pulled off my boots and socks, dangling my feet in the warm water of the pool. The heat felt good against my skin, and the sight of the colourful fish swimming lazily in the depths helped calm my nerves.
"She is not exactly a prisoner," I began carefully.
"What is she, exactly?"
The simple question hung between us like a blade. I watched a fish with scales like living emeralds dart between the carved stone decorations at the bottom of the pool, gathering my courage.
"She is my mate."
Aytara went very still. When she spoke, her voice was carefully controlled. "Your mate. A human mate."
"Yes."
"An Imperial human mate."
"Yes." The word came out rougher than I intended.
She was quiet for a long moment, her gaze fixed on the water. When she looked at me again, her expression was unreadable. "Have you claimed the bond?"
Heat flooded my cheeks, but I forced myself to meet her eyes. "Yes."
"Taveth." My name was a sigh of disappointment and concern. "The claiming cannot be undone. You know this."
"I know." And I did know, just as I knew that part of me had been counting on that very fact. Once claimed, the mate bond was sacred and permanent. Even if the elders decided they couldn't allow an Imperial to remain in the city, they couldn't force me to give her up without destroying me in the process.
Clever boy,the shadows whispered approvingly.You have secured what is yours.
"Breaking a mate bond would leave you vulnerable to the Veyr-sha," Aytara continued, confirming my own thoughts. "The darkness would claim what remained of your mind within days."
The Veyr-sha. The madness that had taken my father, that lurked at the edges of every shadow-touched mind like a patient predator. I had felt its pull growing stronger over the years, especially since the first whispers had begun. Only my control, my training, and my sheer stubborn will had kept it at bay.
"You'll speak to the elders?" I asked, hating how young and desperate I sounded.
"I will." She reached over to squeeze my shoulder, and I felt some of the tension leave my body. "They cannot afford to lose you, not now. The Empire grows bolder with each passing season. Their attacks push deeper into our territory, and the resistance movements within their borders have been systematically crushed. I fear the Emperor means to finish what his ancestors started centuries ago."
The weight of her words settled over me like a shroud. War was coming—real war, not the skirmishes and raids that had defined my lifetime. The Empire would not be content to test our borders much longer.
"But Taveth," she continued, and steel entered her voice again, "you must understand something. She may be your mate, but she is still Imperial. She was raised to hate us, trained to see usas monsters. She fought against us in that very battle where you claim to have found her."
“She does not hate me,” I insisted, though the thought struck me that when he woke after last night and found herself bound to my bed, that might have changed. I pushed the thought away. “I led her through the city, and she was only awed by the city and fascinated by the people. I saw no malice.”
"Perhaps. But a lifetime of Imperial conditioning doesn't disappear overnight. She cannot be trusted, not fully. Not ever." Aytara's eyes bored into mine with the intensity of her conviction. "Take what you need from her. Breed her if the gods will it. But never, ever trust her completely. The moment you let your guard down, the moment you begin to believe she truly belongs among us, she will find a way to betray everything you hold dear."
Her words hit me like physical blows. Part of me wanted to argue, to defend Livia's honour and integrity. But another part—the part shaped by years of warfare and betrayal—knew that Aytara spoke from hard-won wisdom.
She is right,the shadows murmured.The Imperial cannot be trusted. But she can be controlled. Kept. Used.
"I understand," I said, though the words tasted like ash in my mouth.
Aytara studied my face for a long moment, as if trying to determine whether I truly meant what I said. Finally, she nodded. "I hope you do, child. For all our sakes."
I rose from the bench, bowing formally to show my respect and gratitude. "Thank you, Mother. For everything."
"Go carefully, Taveth. And remember—power without wisdom is destruction waiting to happen. Don't let the shadows convince you otherwise."
I left her there in the gardens, surrounded by beauty and warmth, while I descended back into the darkness of the templeproper. Her warnings echoed in my mind as I walked, mixing with the ever-present whispers that grew stronger the deeper I went.
