Page 143 of Lady for Embers

Cethin’s mouth snapped shut, his silver eyes hard.

“Is there another way to help her, Cethin?” Kailia asked, utterly calm and collected. Sorin wanted to throw something at her. There was no way she understood the gravity of this situation. Did Cethin tell his wife nothing?

“You should be able to reach her with your twin ?ame bond,” Cethin said, rounding back on Sorin, accusation heavy in voice. “Nothing should be above that. The gods designed it that way.”

“This has happened one other time,” Cyrus said, seeing the violence simmering in Sorin’s eyes. “Mikale came to Scarlett in a mirror. She called for him down the bond, and he did not hear her.”

“Before or after it was Anointed?” Cethin asked.

“After.”

“Impossible,” the king scoffed.

“Not impossible,” Sorin ground out. “The bond has felt different since I almost died—”

“Youdiddie,” Cyrus cut in.

“I thought it was because the bond was Anointed shortly after. Just an adjustment, but...” He trailed off, running his hand over her hair again. She was trapped in her head. With Mikale. Alone. The gods knew what he was doing to her.

“The cost,” Cethin said, his voice pained. “This was the cost for you to come back.”

“No,” Sorin said, shaking his head. “The cost was my power. Itis slowly depleting. It is not as it once was and becomes less by the day.”

“Until there will be nothing left. Until you will, essentially, be powerless,” Cethin said, his tone growing softer, gentler. Placating. “Until you are merely a mortal with a longer lifespan. Mortals do not have twin ?ames, Sorin.”

“No,” Cyrus snarled. “That is... not possible.”

“It is,” Cethin said. “She said there would be a cost. I offered to pay it. I gladly would have, but she said it would not be me.”

Sorin could hardly breathe. He could scarcely hear them anymore. Sounds were muf?ed, and the voices were droning, mixing with one another until he couldn’t tell who was speaking.Thiswas the sacri?ce required of him to stay with her? Their twin ?ame bond? His magic? Without it, he could not be her Source. And she could not claim another as long as he remained living. What kind of fucked-up games were the Fates playing?

“Who? Who said that?” Cassius asked, cutting through the din of his spiraling thoughts.

“Sera?na,” Cethin answered.

“Sera?na,” Cyrus repeated. “You spoke with Sera?na?”

“I dream-walked to Sorin beyond the Veil,” Cethin said. “I was searching for Arius, to beg for him to send Sorin back. I knew...” His voice was thick with emotion as he glanced down at Scarlett. “I knew that this would truly break her. That she would implode and take the world with her. I knew that without you, she would have no hope, and we would all fall with her.”

Cethin cleared his throat, Kailia threading her ?ngers between his and leaning into his side. “Our mother sent me, gave me enough power to do such a thing. Dream-walk beyond the Veil. I was racing death itself, hoping to ?nd you before it was too late, but Sera?na found me ?rst. I thought she was going to make me leave, take you to Arius herself. I begged her, on behalf of Scarlett. When she ?nally agreed, she said there would be a cost.”

“Did she say anything else?” Cassius asked, lowering to the bed beside Sorin and reaching for one of Scarlett’s hands.

“She told Sorin to go home, and that Anala would ?nd it interesting that you were bonded to Amaré.”

“Why?”

Cethin shrugged. “My guess would be because he is not the most powerful ?re Fae.”

“But hewasuntil... ” Cyrus argued.

“That is a debate for another time,” Razik said. “What do we do now, Cethin?”

“She is strong enough to break the dream-hold he has on her. I can feel her reserves,” Cethin said. “He should not be able to hold her there.”

“He controls her in those dreams. She has told me as much,” Sorin said.

“Then she lets him,” Cethin replied. “He may have had to kill aSera?na Legacy to get those gifts, but she is still stronger and more powerful.”

---