Page 104 of Of Blooming Embers
Arms crossed, Kaden lingered at the group’s edge, staring off into the courtyard. He didn’t offer me any sort of apology, and I didn’t offer him my attention. I’d leave him to his brooding and contrition.
Gavrel’s hand rested in the curve of my lower back. “Get your fill of food, gather supplies, and we’ll head out.”
As the others went to prepare, a soft rustling sounded behind me as Gavrel stepped closer to me. I chewed on my lower lip, turning my face toward him. His mouth curled. “Lift your hair.”
I did as he asked, looking into his eyes as he fastened a delicate but sturdy golden chain around my neck. After dropping my hair, I reached for the pendant that had plunked between my breasts, the raven-black stone humming against my skin.
Wetness immediately glossed over my eyes as I gasped. My other hand fumbled at my belt. When my fingers met the empty leather bottom of my satchel, I looked at Gavrel from under my lashes, running my thumb over the carved face of the pebble.
My talisman.
“Where … how?”
“I found it in the Murk. Must have fallen out when we came through the portal.” He took the stone from me, placed a kiss on it, and then tucked it between the V of my dark tunic. “I found a shop in the city yesterday. Thought you’d like to have it with you always. It’s of no use if you lose it.”
I closed my eyes, not caring if tears trickled down my cheeks. “Thank you. This means more to me than you know. I love”—my breath hitched, fear clinging to a different kind of declaration—“it.”
His emeralds shifted over my face, diving into the watery depths of my gaze. “I know,” he whispered, his words heavy. “As do I.” He wrapped one arm around me and cupped my jaw, guiding my lips to his.
I sank into his kiss, tasting the wet salt of my gratitude and unspoken words.
When we separated, he placed one last kiss on my brow andswiped his thumb over my cheek, drying my skin. His dimple flashed. “Now, let’s go find the wyverns.”
We joined the others as Breena, Marek, and Rhaegar readied their rucksacks, taking portions of food that would travel well. Kaden chewed on an apple, his bag nowhere to be found.
“You ready?” Gavrel asked his brother, one brow lifting.
“I’m staying here for a few days. Going to see if I can find Ma.”
Gavrel’s eyes widened. He breathed in, and his mouth parted as if he was going to argue, but then he thought better of it and simply nodded. “If anyone can find her, you can.”
Kaden’s shoulders relaxed, his bottom lip dropping for a moment before he composed himself. “I’ll find you,” he murmured, hesitantly placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder. A pained expression slipped over his face as he looked at me. As his arm dropped, so did his shoulders. Sighing, he bowed his head and left the courtyard.
The odds that he’d find Hestia were slim, but if it gave him a purpose, something to do while he worked through her death, his nightmares, and heartbreak, then so be it.
“Excuse me.” The melodic words made us all jump. Wren appeared out of nowhere behind us, her wings settling down her back. “Did I hear that your friend was looking for another astral? Can I be of assistance?”
“He’s trying to find his mother. She was culled when he was young,” I explained, my hand finding Gavrel’s.
“Oh, by the Ancients. He won’t find her here,” the guide said, head bowed. “Culling is a nasty business. It not only takes the physical, but the astral body as well.”
My heart lurched. Marek’s jaw twitched as he sealed his rucksack, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the fabric. We hadn’t seen Yaya in Aion, not that I had expected to with so many citizens, but still. She could be alive. My stomach knotted, thinking of the alternative. Or she could be …
“Say more,” Gavrel ordered, taking a step forward.
She wiggled her fingers above her head, and a puff of glittering mist burst and fluttered in a halo around her. “Culling returns beingsto the aether whence they came.” She looked at us with pity. “They simply cease to exist.”
Gavrel cursed, rubbing his hand on his chest, jaw locking, and my heart bounced.
“Sorry to deliver such sorry news. ’Tis a burden I don’t wish to bear, but honesty is the best tonic.” She ruffled her wings and turned to leave. “Safe journey to you all. I’d be careful of those beasties. Just because you’re astral doesn’t mean getting chomped on doesn’t hurt or that you won’t get yourselves sent to the aether.”
Wincing, I stepped toward the exit, following Kaden, but Gavrel held fast to my hand. “Let him go. He needs hope now more than the truth. He’ll take it better if he finds out his own way.”
“Like how I found out you were my khorda?” I retorted, and then immediately regretted lashing out as Gavrel’s mouth pinched.
“What the?” Rhaegar croaked, dropping the banana he held. Breena picked it up from the ground and shoved it in her open rucksack as Rhaegar found something particularly interesting inside his bag. Marek ignored us completely, but one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.
Gavrel looked at me, his expression patient as he rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. Too stubborn for my own well-being, I scowled at him, my mind working through his words and mine until my jaw and shoulders slackened.
