Page 149 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“Emmeline! Go to sleep!” The voice was far away, almost as if it were at the end of a long tunnel. I opened my eyes and looked around, wondering where it came from.

“Did you hear that?” I asked Rain, and he blinked at me before shrugging and shaking his head. “I swear someone just told me to go to sleep.”

“Considering it’s after midnight, it’s not a bad—” He stopped, and I felt his panic a half-second before he spoke, turning to me with wild eyes and a paling face. “Cyran.”

“Oh gods, do you think? It was a man.” I slammed my eyes shut and tried to focus on the voice, willing him to talk to me again or pull me into slumber. I didn’t hear him again, no matter how hard I tried. I wondered if I only heard him the first time because I was on the edge of sleep. But how could I possibly expect to fall asleep now? Terror and adrenaline rushed through me, and I knew it would be impossible.

“Emma, breathe with me. Calm down. We need to get you to sleep.” His racing heart erupted through my thoughts, and I knew he was just as worried as I was. I waited for a few moments, trying desperately to calm down to be able to fall asleep, and I couldn’t. “I can try to slow your heart if you want me to.”

“No. I don’t even trust myself doing it.” But what he said gave me an idea.

“Take my breath. Rain. Take my air.” He was going to have to make me sleep. I didn’t particularly want to get punched into a comatose state, so the thought of cutting off my air supply was the next best thing. Just enough to make me pass out, just enough to connect me with the man who had my daughter. I couldn’t think of another way.

“No, Em, what the hell?” His falsely calm demeanor shattered as he shouted at me. I inhaled a deep breath, trying to soothe us both.

“I’m clearly not going to be able to do it on my own, and we need to know if it was Cyran and find out what he wanted to tell us. Take my air until I pass out. You’ll know I’m alright when I start breathing again, and you’ll be able to hear my heart. Then wake me up in a few minutes?” I was sitting up, awkwardly pulling my feet out of his lap as he watched me, eyes dangerous.

“I don’t like it.” His brow was furrowed, and he squeezed my ankle.

“Well, me neither, Rain! But it has to be done.” I laid back down, waiting for him to do it. “Don’t warn me, j—”

Air whipped out of my mouth, and I felt my throat clamp down while I tried to inhale deeply, against my better sense. I didn’t want to fight it; I wanted to sink deep into unconsciousness and quickly, but my body wasn’t having it. I was only a little bit scared, though, knowing it would pass, and I’d be asleep soon. He wouldn’t kill me, and we had to see what was happening. I tried to channel the calm my logical brain was experiencing while the animal inside me bucked at the pressure. I reached down, trying to grab Rain’s hand. Finally, as he hovered over me, his voice a soothing caress of words I couldn’t understand, the edges of my vision began to blacken, and I closed my eyes.

“Emmeline! Finally! Get to the Cascade!” It was black, and I couldn’t see anything. Cyran’s voice echoed in the space, and I didn’t even feel my body. It felt distinctly like being on the verge of sleep, that quiet ease into unconsciousness before your body jerks, bringing you back from the brink of temporary death. But I didn’t wake up.

“Where are you? Where’s Elora?” The panic which had taken over my body moments before was now taking over my mind.

“I’m trying to stay asleep. We’re on our way—early. He took Elora, and I’m trying to figure out where she is. Get therenow!” Cyran was panicking, and I reached out, wondering if I could hear his heartbeat. I was unnerved, scared this could be a trap.

His heart was pounding so fast I could barely distinguish it into separate beats.

“Ships and on foot. A thousand men. Hurry!”

I plummeted, falling through the dark, awareness of my body slipping back into my mind. I sat up, gasping for breath, Rain coming into blurry focus. I felt my hands snake up to my throat against their will, clutching to get air. I took a deep breath through tears, and rasping, I managed to get out the words he needed to hear.

“Go. Now. Cascade.”

Withinanhour,wewere assembled with Rain’s guard at the barracks. There were hundreds of soldiers stationed at the Cascade thanks to his careful maneuvering since we’d been in Astana, but we were still outnumbered. I wasn’t sure how Rain intended to do it, but our plan was to take the same path he and I traveled earlier that day, maintaining the rifts so the entire guard could get through. I wasn’t sure we could do it and still arrive, divinity reasonably untapped, ready for whatever might happen when we got there. What I was sure of was I hadn’t had a chance to let the panic and hysteria climb up any further. We didn’t have the time. The minute I got words out to Rain, he’d disappeared through a rift to rouse Dewalt and the others before rifting straight to the barracks. It took me a few minutes to catch my breath without pain, and I had to drink an entire pitcher of water, the dryness in my throat causing me to cough incessantly. With Rain at the barracks preparing his men, Dewalt and Lavenia ran to ready the horses, and Mairin came running into my bedroom in a harried state, under the impression from Rain that he’d left me unconscious and barely breathing. By the time we rode in, not traveling by rift to save my divinity, the guard was nearly ready.

Thyra found me shortly after we arrived, carrying a heavy chest with Dickey. When it slammed down, Dickey was on his knees in a heartbeat, opening it. I felt a lump in my throat when I realized it was my armor. I knew I’d be wearing it at the Cascade, but the reality was staring me in my face. I looked up and found Rain’s gaze on mine as he spoke to one of his men. He gave me a quick nod, and I felt something like pride push across the bond to me. Swearing, Thyra pulled out a padded garment from the trunk, having to tug a bit to pull it out, and she brought it to me, strapping it across my chest. It was almost like a tunic, and I knew it would protect me from the harsh angles and metal of the breastplate. Between the two of them, they had me fully armored within minutes. I was grateful for Dickey, knowing I’d chosen my squire well when he brought out all my weapons and let me choose which ones to arm myself with. Thyra, to my surprise, was braiding my hair back similar to hers but let most of it hang loose down my back.

“A warrior queen.” She murmured it, more to herself than to me, as she faced me with a small pot of black paint, shoving her thumb into it and swiping it in a thick line across my eyes and bridge of my nose before she dragged a bit down my cheek from under each eye. Thyra repeated the process with her own eyes before quietly turning back to the now-empty chest on the ground, carrying it away to the barracks. I glanced around, noticing none of the other female soldiers wore the same paint, and I felt humbled, knowing she chose to share her traditions with me and found me worthy of them.

I glanced down and let out a shaky breath; I looked every bit the warrior queen she’d labeled me. My sapphire cloak from Rain billowed around me, and the dark armor seemed almost black. The hair Thyra hadn’t braided blew in the wind as well but stayed out of my face. I caught the gaze of a few of his soldiers, who all peered at me with deference, but I could feel a quizzical, if not dubious, nature about their glance. I realized, to them, I was a princess. A future queen. The only useful version of me they’d seen was when I picked off a tírrúil with an arrow and then brought one down with my touch after it had thrown me to the ground. A few had witnessed my spar with Rain, but I hadn’t yet proved anything to most of them. Compared to Lavenia, who they’d known and fought beside for years, and Queen Shivani, who was renowned for her unique abilities, I was untested, no more than a royal who barely deserved to be there. I was the reason for all of this—the upheaval of troops and traipse across the continent. I’d known some of his guard might have resented me, and I’d been upset about it before. I had asked these people to risk their lives. Granted, the Cascade was worth protecting in its own right, but I couldn’t help feeling responsible. I tilted my chin up, pulling myself up to my full height, though it was not much, and purposefully made eye contact with each soldier who would meet my gaze. I tried to show my pride in them, my confidence. These people were looking to me now, either for encouragement or to question my tenacity. I would give them what they needed to the best of my abilities.

Rain finally blew out one of his coded whistles signaling our departure as he made his way to me. I felt his gaze track over me in assessment. His emotions pushing down the bond were too numerous and fluid to pinpoint exactly, but the one I felt most clearly was determination as he approached. He wore armor as well, and my chest tightened as I took him in. His breastplate matched mine, the darkened steel hammered to perfection. But where mine had the intricate floral etchings, feminine yet deadly, his was simple. There was no need for it, its purpose solely to protect his body. His appearance promised pain and retribution, and I basked in the knowledge that he would bring it to those who took our daughter from us.

“I’m going to do the last rift into the Cascade, and I want you as rested as you can be. So, that means you need to get us to our apple tree, dear heart.”

I nodded, ignoring the fact that my divinity wasn’t at its full capacity because of all the rifting we’d done before. I didn’t have a choice. I knew both Rain and I would fight through a headache and more. I knew we would fight to the death for her, divinity used and gone, or not. But the fact we’d both be tapped when we got there was unsettling. I pushed aside the nervousness, knowing there was no point in it. We were doing this, getting to the Cascade and retrieving our daughter.

The guard was organized into two rows, and I walked to the front where Dewalt and Lavenia were at the head of each line, waiting for us. When I opened the rift, it wasn’t quite as wide as it needed to be for the two lines to go through at once, so Dewalt led his line first until Rain came up behind me, putting his hands on my hips and his breath on my ear. His touch strengthened me; I felt the way our divinity pooled together, opening a deeper well inside of me. His whisper in my ear guided me through stretching the piercing of reality a bit wider, and Lavenia began leading her line of soldiers through as Dewalt’s line finished up. When Rain and I followed through, I let the rift close behind me. The squeeze he gave my hip as we walked through told me he wouldn’t be letting go until we got to the Cascade, likely realizing the benefit of the connection. Opening it with him wasn’t nearly as taxing as opening one by myself.

By the time we reached the docks at Nara’s Cove—hours later—my divinity wasn’t nearly as tapped as I thought it would be. I had a mild headache, only slightly worse than what I’d had before Cyran’s illusion. Since Rain and I had held onto each other during each rift, we were able to move and recover faster. It had taken the two of us nearly twice as long earlier in the day, but we didn’t have that kind of time now. Dawn was breaking, and I stared out across the water, straining my eyes, knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to see land, let alone the Cascade. The guard picked up some rations, certain that once we rifted inside the fortress, most would stay there and defend it, and rations in case of a siege would not go unused. I felt for my weapons, anxious to use them and terrified of needing to. I didn’t bother with my bow, opting to carry as lightly as possible, knowing the moment I spotted Elora, I’d abandon the battle, and I’d need my sword to cut through the thick of it. As the sun fully breached the horizon, illuminating the sky more and more, I felt Rain’s presence next to me. He spotted it when I did.

“Smoke.” I felt him tense, and the sharp tang of fear made its way down our bond.

Just there, on the horizon, almost imperceptible, there was a cloud of black smoke. It seemed too close to shore to be from the Cascade, but I inhaled a sharp breath. We needed to go. It didn’t matter what we’d be walking into. We needed to leave now. I started to pull Rain away, back toward the soldiers who were amassing supplies, before he stopped me.

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