Page 53 of Of Blooming Embers
Breena’s eyes squinted at Marek’s back. “I am.” Her voice rose as she pushed her shoulders back, the ends of her hair flicking at her bare shoulders.
“Yeah, you are!” Seryn and Breena high-fived clumsily. I suspected they were feeling the mireberries.
“I’m fecking made of fire. Here.” She pushed her cup into Rhaegar’s empty hand, lavender sloshing onto his boots from both his and her snifters, and stomped off in the direction Marek had gone.
“Bloody void, woman,” Rhaegar groused, setting the empty glassware on the table and swiping his hands down his front. He sighed, tilting his head to the side. “Excuse me, I seem to be in need of another drink.”
I nodded and then looked at Seryn as she hummed to the music. “Did you see the procession on the other side?” she asked.
I glanced in that direction and could just make out a line of people heading toward the other end of the city, carrying bundles of flowers and flickering lanterns.
Seryn put one hand on my forearm, delight lighting up her face. “They give bog flowers as an offering to Selene.” Her touch left me to rest over her heart. “This place, Gav. The people. What they stand for. It’s just … just beautiful.”
“Quite beautiful,” I murmured, but I wasn’t looking at the crowd.
She sighed and then noticed my stare. Her chest flushed prettily.
“Seryn, I?—”
Interrupting me, Rhaegar returned, an older couple in tow. If they were human, they looked to be around seventy turns old. If Druik, they’d be ancient, considering how long the embered lived and how slowly they aged. “My friends, it’s my honor to introduce Eliz and Keethan Wynt. They were the ones to recruit me.”
Eliz, the shorter man with white hair, smiled kindly as the taller man, Keethan, dipped his rounded chin, his mouth lifting at one corner. “It didn’t take much, son.”
As Rhaegar grinned, I bent at the waist, my hand covering my heart. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Seryn bowed her head, placing a hand on her chest as well. “How did you all meet?”
“Well, you see, we often travel in the Pneumalian deserts. We prefer the dry lands, being that Keethan and I hail from the south. We came across Rhaegar in the city during one of our scouting trips, and the rest is history.” Eliz looked at the male next to him with adoration. “Thank the Ancients, Keethan and I found one another decades ago across the dunes. I’d be lost without my khorda.”
21
NEVER
GAVREL
Seryn sucked in a quick inhale, and the muscle within my chest flipped. Finding your fated was nearly impossible, especially nowadays. Most mortals were starving, lost to the Stygian Murk, or worse.
Keethan patted Eliz’s hand. “Same, my love. We’re quite fortunate indeed.” The taller man sighed wistfully and then lifted his chin. “We’ve been part of the cause since the beginning. Recruiting, espionage, you name it. We give the Somneia a run for their coins.” He tapped his forefinger against his temple. “It helps that our bond connects us. Mind, body, and ember, as they say.”
Seryn’s bottom lip dropped before she composed her look of fascination. “Excuse me if this is too bold, but I’m in awe of you. I’ve never met a fated pair before. At least, not that I know of. If you don’t mind me asking. Is it difficult to … to be so … connected?”
Eliz tittered, leaning into his partner as if Keethan were whispering something in his mind. He very well couldhave been. “It was quite the shock, let me tell you. Over time, you get used to sharing the spaces within you. Learn how to manage it as well.” He smiled at Seryn. “Boundaries, my dear. Always boundaries. We’re lucky in that we actually enjoy one another. Other fated couples aren’t so lucky.” His eyebrows rose. “I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about Elder Harrow murdering her fated.”
Seryn’s mouth pinched. “Ah, so the rumors are true? I suppose some consider having a khorda a weakness, even if you don’t undergo the Kollao Ceremony.”
Looking at his and Keethan’s joined hands, Eliz shook his head. “I’m sure some view it that way. Melina surely must have, but I also heard tell that her fated was not a good male. That’s neither here nor there, I suppose, considering the Elders are beyond salvation.” Eliz’s chin lifted, his conviction flashing across his eyes. “What others find to be a weakness, I see as a strength. Once we went through the ceremony, we were that much stronger. We were finally whole. If you fight the bond, it doesn’t disappear. It’s simply stagnant. But once you accept it, it blooms, and then the ceremony helps it flourish.” Keethan’s eyes softened as he looked at his partner.
I glanced at Seryn, my jaw ticking and fingers itching to take hold of her.
“When they met me, I was primed for recruitment. They didn’t even need to do their little mind talking tricks.” Rhaegar laughed. “We shared a meal and a pint, and we became fast friends over our fiendish dislike of injustice.”
Nodding, Keethan chuckled. “Joke’s on you, son. We’re always doing the tricks, and always want to enjoy a pint.” The older man thumped Rhaegar on the shoulder and then bobbed his head toward Seryn and me. “Wonderful to meet you both. If Rhaegar calls you a friend, then we shall as well. You make a splendid pair.”
Seryn bit her bottom lip, and warmth swept over my chest. I didn’t correct him.
“Enjoy the Revelry.” Eliz wiggled his fingers as they moved along, hand in hand.
“They are lovely, Rhaegar. Thank you for the introduction. I wouldask if you’d dance, but I respect my feet too much.” He laughed as a playful smile curved Seryn’s mouth, and I was unexpectedly tugged toward the dancefloor.
