Page 149 of Thorns & Fire
Thea didn’t look surprised.
‘So you’re saying that your magic is the key to Delmira being the most fertile lands in all the kingdoms?’King Leiko asked, eyes narrowed.‘This was the secret your ancestors kept from the midrealms for centuries?’
‘I believe so,’ Wren allowed.‘And now I am sharing it with you, as a show of good faith for the kind of ruler I will be.’
They stared.They stared and stared at her, but Wren did not fidget; she did not waver beneath the eyes that threatened to bore holes through her.
‘If there are no objections, I will consult with my counsel and devise a strategy to present to you shortly.’
Wren was trembling as she pushed her chair back, but she met Audra’s gaze from across the room and was shocked to see the Guild Master dip her head in respect.
Wren surveyed those gathered around the table once more.‘You asked for a queen,’ she said.‘Now you have one.’
CHAPTER 62
Torj
‘For decades, the kingdom of Delmira has been without a reigning sovereign, until now’
– Current Chronicling of the Midrealms
‘YOU REALLY DIDknow what I was going to do, didn’t you?’Wren looked at Torj in wonder, her hands trembling at her sides as they stood in the corridor outside.
‘Of course I knew,’ he replied, taking her hands in his, trying to absorb her fear.‘I knew the moment Thea offered herself up to take the throne.Before even that, really.’
‘But...’She blinked up at him.‘I didn’t know myself.’
‘You did,’ he told her.‘You just needed time.’
Her bottom lip quivered.‘I’m sorry...I’m so sorry—’
Torj took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her eyes to remain on his.‘You havenothingto be sorry for.Do you hear me?Nothing.With the weight of the whole fucking world on your shoulders, you have done what feels right to you, and that’s all anyone can ask.Delmira is your family’s kingdom.Your birthright.’
‘I don’t know what this means for us,’ she said hoarsely.‘Is that wrong?That in the face of yet another war, all I can think of is the fact that I might lose you?’
Torj kissed her, claiming her fiercely.She opened for him, moaning into his mouth, her lips moving over his desperately.
He broke away, pressing his brow to hers.‘We survived one war,’ he told her.‘We’ll survive this one too.’
He remembered when he’d first met Wren as a beautiful young alchemist in the Bloodwoods, the hem of her skirts muddied, dirt lining her fingernails...It wasn’t until years later that he’d discovered who she truly was – not only a fiery woman of Thezmarr, but a princess of the midrealms.
And now?
Now he was soul bonded to the future Queen of Delmira.
Torj peered into her willow-green eyes, watching as the dark shadows of grief morphed into determination.
‘Tell me what you need, Embers,’ he murmured.
She squeezed his hands.‘I need Kipp.’
CHAPTER 63
Wren
‘The dichotomy of the crown is that it shows a man everything he could become, while slowly taking away all that he is’
– The Midrealms Chronicles
