Page 124 of A Kiss From Death
I have a feeling my world is about to flip upside down again.
Clearing his throat, the Vanquisher standing on the other side of my door slightly bows. “Miss, the Empress has requested your presence in her private chambers.”
My pulse hammers in my neck, and I give the man a curt nod. Hade saddles up next to me protectively and links his arm in mine, always my rock when I’m feeling anxious.
“I’ve got you.”
My shocked eyes collide with Hade’s already staring back at me. He just spoke in my head…the bond. I forgot the Eternal bond allows you to speak in each other’s mind. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed hearing his voice in my head, having a constant line of connection to him until this very moment.
“We’ve got each other,”I send down the bond to him, pouring as much love as I can with it. He squeezes my arm as we walk down the endless hallways to my mother’s chambers.
The grand doors open to showcase an opulent room. We walk into a sitting room at the front, where a giant black velvet couch sits in the center, bracketed by two chairs and a short table.
The Empress lounges on the couch, sipping a glass of champagne, while a lady I don’t recognize sits expectedly next to her. I notice her bright blue eyes first, her soft black curls floating about covered by a veil. She has a certain glow to her light skin that has my eyes snagging for a couple extra seconds. I hesitantly enter the room, and both of their eyes snap up to meet mine.
When my eyes clash with the Empress’, a million repressed emotions simmer to a breaking point. “Mama?” I gasp.
“My baby,” she breathes lovingly, gesturing me forward. I run towards her as she scoops me up into one of her healing hugs I’ve missed so much. She drags her palm down the back of my head in a maternal way that makes me want to ball up in her lap.
“I don’t understand,” I whisper into her neck.
“That’s what I’m here for, my child. It will all make sense, love. You just have to trust me. Can you do that for me?” I nod, and she strokes my hair one last time. “Good girl. You have always been the key to a brighter tomorrow, and now is the time to begin.”
We part, and I settle into one of the chairs next to the couch. I would expect Hade to settle in the other across from me, but his protective nature takes over. He moves to stand behind my chair, like a gargoyle looking over me to scare away my enemies.
“Alright, let’s begin,” my mother says. “What’s the last thing you remember, Nyxi?”
I nervously nibble my lip as my mind rewinds to my last lucid memories of living here in Lunaria. “My coming of age celebration. You kept telling me how much you loved me. You told me you hid a birthday present under the floorboards of the library and to only seek it out when I knew the time was right.”
She nods once. “And did you seek out that gift?”
It’s me who nods this time. “I did. Although at the time, I did not know I was looking for my own gift. Before the blessing ceremony, I snuck away because I kept feeling this curiosity as to what the gift could be, this pull to the riddle even though the Crucible was over. I found my old diaries in the library a while back and have been reading them over for answers. In the last one, I wrote about a gift left for me in the library, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”
“You found it exactly when you should have, just as I asked. Fate has a way of pushing things into action. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become.”
“What do the journals or my gift have to do with any of this? How did I end up in Fallout? Why did I not remember you or Hade or living up here?”
“There is one more important question. It is the key to it all.”
I know the question she’s begging me to ask, because it’s also been at the forefront of my mind and the thing I’m most confused about.
“Where did all the magic go?” I question.
“Exactly, my dear. I’m glad you asked.” She smiles at me with such pride. My heart feels funny trying to divide my mother from the cruel Empress I’ve endured.
My mother gestures over to the quiet lady next to her, who has been observing every detail. “This is Hesti. She has helped guide you in times when I could not.”
I look over at the soft, quiet lady next to my mother in confusion. “I don’t understand. No offense, but I’ve never seen this woman in my life.” She shines me a sweet, understanding smile, and it eases my nerves an ounce.
“Just because you’ve never laid eyes on her, dear, does not mean she hasn’t helped guide you in times of need.”
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. Now that I think about it, I’ve always felt like I had a sixth sense guiding me through lifedecisions. I always thought it was my gut getting me through tough times, but maybe it washer.
“You helped me during the Crucible?” She nods once with a genuine smile. “You helped me escape Tank and Jade in the first round, pushed me towards certain blocks to pull for round two. You even shoved me towards the boat to sit in for round three.”
Oh gods,Rayah. I was shoved towards the boat that would ensure my survival while simultaneously sentencing my friend to death. It’s not fair; it isn’t right.
“You, my youngling, are what’s most important. You are the key to it all, and your survival is crucial,” Hesti responds in a firm but loving tone.
