Page 54 of A Touch of Royalty

“Child,” Emryn skidded to a stop in front of a huge mirror that was completely reflecting the Mother chained to her throne. “My Eyes, My Wings, My Child.”

“Mother.” Emryn went to her knees. “Mother, what am I?”

“You are her Wings.” Asan appeared in the mirror, banishing the image of the Mother. “Her last hope.”

Emryn clutched at her head, the blank gray shredding further. “I don’t want to know.” She cried. “I-”

“You are the Moon Mother’s child.” Asan said, seemingly oblivious to her distress. “Her Eyes, Her Wings.”

“Emryn-” Cas was there. He would help her as the skin over her memories shredded further. A pain in her back searing and terrible, focused like red-hot pokers over her shoulder blades.

“Release them, Emryn.” Asan said. “Let them free, become who you are meant to be.”

“What?” Emryn looked up at Asan as the pain took her over.

She saw them unfold in the mirror. Sun-bright, starlight, tearing free of her back, of her gown, throwing flecks of scarlet up the walls as they forced themselves free.

She didn’t want them. Emryn reached over her shoulder and gripped one of the wings, pulling it and screaming with the pain in her chest as she tried to tear it free.

“Emryn, stop!” That was Cas, Cas’ hands on hers, removing them from the star-feathers. “No darling, don’t do that. I need you to breathe for me.”

She tried, but the feathers were brushing her spine and something in her recoiled from the feeling.

“It’s leftovers,” Asan said and a cool hand came down on her head. “Emryn, take a deep breath and hold it.”

She did as she was told, feeling something in her head tear free. It was possibly the worst pain she had ever experienced in her life. The feeling of flesh being torn from bone.

When the pain faded, she was left shaking in Cas’ arms, half conscious and utterly confused.

“Take her to bed,” Asan’s voice said. “Let her rest and tomorrow I will explain the rest of my findings and what they mean for the pair of you.”

36

COLLAPSE

Cas took her through to their bed, setting her on her feet for just long enough to divest her of her shredded, bloodied gown. “Don’t go, Cas.” She pleaded, eyes brimming with tears.

“I won’t go,” he told her, moving to pick her back up and tuck her in. The wings were in the way, massive star-bright things that lit the air around them.

And her back was still sluggishly bleeding where the wings had torn their way out. He got a warm cloth and dabbed the streaks of blood away, watching the skin seal right around the base of the wings. She was healing as he watched, and he had no idea how he was going to explain to his mother that his wife had grown wings.

Asan would have something to say about it, no doubt. But she’d asked him not to leave, and so he would stay with her until she fell asleep.

Which didn’t take long at all. She went slack and faded down into sleep, wrapping herself around one of the long pillows. Emryn whimpered a little, shifting in her sleep, but calmed quickly.

There was no way he was going to be able to sleep, not with so many questions drumming his head. So he left her to rest and went back to the last place he’d seen his tutor.

Asan was still there, kneeling in front of the mirror where there were a few of those starlight feathers littering the floor.

Cas stopped a few feet from his tutor and cleared his throat. Asan turned to face him, holding one of Emryn’s feathers in his hands. “Gather these,” he said sternly. “Let no one have one unless they are firmly trusted.”

“Can you explain all this?” Cas took the feather that Asan offered him. “Why has my wife gone half bird?”

“They are manifestations,” Asan said, as though that made it better. “Between us, we ought to be able to ensure she can hide them unless she wishes them visible.”

“Manifestations of what?” Cas asked, feeling a little desperate.

“Emryn is one of the Moon Mother’s guardian birds,” Asan said, as though that explained everything. “Or, to be more precise, she has the soul of one.”

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