Page 107 of A Reign of Embers

Raul’s chin grazes my hair with his nod. “Nothing could keep me away for long.”

He cups my face and kisses me so hard my knees wobble.Then, with a squeeze of my hand, he’s slipping back into the hidden passage behind the wall.

Lorenzo moves to my side and tucks his arm around my back. His illusionary voice has never sounded more emphatic.“He’ll be fine. He’s the toughest of all of us.”

Neven grunts as if protesting the evaluation, but not enough to outright argue.

The corner of Bastien’s mouth quirks upward, though his eyes remain somber. “The rest of us are here for whatever new threats you might face. If I’d had any idea what Sabrelle would inflict on you?—”

I reach out to touch his face. “It’s all right. If you’d been in Vivencia during the worst of the pox, you’d probably have caught it too. I’m glad you were safely away.”

He leans into my touch. “And I’m glad you still had people on your side while we were gone.”

His gaze slides to Marc, who’s stayed by the door. My first husband offers a crooked smile, though his gaze is only warm as he watches us. So much of that old hostility and jealousy has melted away in the past few weeks.

Whatever else we’re facing, that one victory feels like a miracle.

He isn’t the only support Bastien was thinking of, though. The prince of Cotea cocks his head. “How long will your sister be staying?”

I square my shoulders. “I was actually going to talk to her next. I think she’d better head home now that the threat of the pox has diminished and she can take some of the cure with her. The Accasian troops are waiting for her orders.”

I find Soreena in the guest bedroom she’s been assigned, not far from the one where I slept when I first came to the palace as a princess adrift. Thank the gods I was able to offer her better hospitality than I received.

My sister takes one look at my expression and appears to gird herself. “It’s time?”

“I don’t think we can afford to wait any longer.” I clasp her hands in mine, grateful to be able to come this close to her now. “Is there anything I can give you to make the journey or the task at the end of it easier? I could send a few Darium soldiers with you for the road?—”

She’s already shaking her head. “That would only draw more attention to me when I want to go unnoticed. The best you can offer is a fast horse, a discreet note to ensure I can swap for another at the waystations, and a stock of travel rations so I have to stop as little as possible.”

“I can have that prepared before the next bell.” My grip on her hands tightens. It hurts nearly as much to let her leave as it did Raul. “Thank you again. For everything. Knowing you’ll have my back, that we’re fighting this uprising together—it won’t be easy, but it won’t be quite as hard.”

“That’s the best I could hope for. Stay well, little sister. Your Imperial Highness.” Her eyes twinkle with mischief before she pulls me into a hug.

“Father will be able to get word from me through the governor’s mirror,” I say as I hug her back. “But I know it could take a long time for a message to reach you and the Accasian troops from the capital. So watch for my sign, and then march as quickly as you can.”

Soreena dips her head briskly. “We may not arrive for the start of the battle, but we’ll help you end it.”

Before I can get any more caught up in farewells, one of my guards calls through the door. “Your Imperial Highness, you have a message to answer.”

Gods, can I not get a moment to breathe?

But I don’t want to delay my response. His phrasing means one of the royals of the outer territories is reaching outthrough the mirror. I expected as much soon but didn’t know exactly when it would happen.

With my pulse thudding at a faster rhythm, I give Soreena one more quick squeeze and hurry out into the hall.

Marc leans his head close to mine. “The king of Cotea.”

That’ll be a good start. I square my shoulders, girding myself for more negotiations. “I’ll need Prince Bastien with me for this conversation. Someone summon him to the office. And have one of the pages prepare everything my sister will require for her departure.”

I give the page my instructions on my way back to the mirror room. Bastien catches up with us when we’re just a few paces away.

Axius opens the door to the imperial office. “He’s ready to speak when you are.”

I lift my chin, thoughts of all the assurances I need to make to King Stanislas flitting through my head and rattling my pulse. “I’d like it to be just the prince and me for this discussion, to give every appearance of discretion. We should be perfectly secure with all of you stationed outside in the hall.”

Axius only makes a slight grimace as he strides out of the room. I leave Marc and the rest of the guards behind as well, venturing through the long office and past the sliding panel concealed by a bookcase into the smaller, windowless mirror room.

The mirror is positioned so the viewer on the other side of the enchantment can’t see the doorway. I gather myself a little more, shut the inner door firmly, and position myself in front of the mirror with enough room for Bastien to stand beside me.

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