Page 157 of The Eye of the Fifth
That earned another silence. She broke it again.
‘I thought I might be on trial with you. They thought I’d stolen the Eye for your mother. They thought I’d betrayed them.’
‘So I heard.’
‘Does… does she want it?’ There was worry in Kyra’s voice now.
‘She did. A long time ago. I haven’t heard her mention it in years, however.’
‘Only a Warden can get into the Four Mother’s tomb. Did she ever sendyouto steal it?’
‘Yes.’
A pause. ‘And did you realise, like I did, that Naal had already taken it?’
‘I did.’
‘Did you tell the Empress that?’
Here it was. A truth that Gedeon had withheld for many, many years. One that had eaten him up inside, one that he had almost divulged to his mother multiple times, but somehow, never could. ‘No,’ he said in a low voice. ‘My mother would never tell me why she wanted the Eye. She was always maddeningly cryptic with her intentions. But I know our world’s history well. As much as I sympathised with her cause… I couldn’t be the one responsible for the release of Dohra and the miraqni from their prison. Impossible as it may seem, it wasn’t worth the risk. So, I lied.’ Gedeon blinked away the memory of that day. Returning to the Black Castle, empty handed, and with no information to give his mother on the Eye of the Fifth’s whereabouts. ‘A lot of people died that day. Once she knew the Eye was possibly forever out of her reach, her wrath knew no bounds.’
Kyra muttered, ‘Collateral damage.’
Gedeon could not help his grim smile. ‘I’m glad you’re catching on.’
He heard her move closer to the bars of the cell, the iron of her shackles clanking. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for what happened in Avaldale,’ she whispered. ‘A friend died in an attempt to keep my identity a secret. A whole ship load of sailors were killedjustfor their affiliation with me. My brother went free, and I can’t regret that… but Naal’s right: at what cost?’ She exhaled, and Gedeon could have sworn he scented the saltiness of tears now. ‘It never should have been me. I don’t deserve to be the Earth Warden, Gedeon.’
That was the first time she’d uttered his name. It made him pause before saying, ‘I have spent my entire life thinking the same thing. Prince or Fire Warden… a constant battle.’
She sniffed. Iron clanked again and Gedeon assumed she’d wiped her nose with a hand. ‘Well, aren’t we a miserable fucking pair?’
Gedeon smiled again. He quite liked her vulgar mouth. Darkness wreathed from him unexpectedly. Its shadows swirled around him, but they were content. At peace. Gedeon’s brow furrowed. ‘Yes, I… suppose we are.’ Quietly, he told her, ‘Do not judge yourself too harshly for what happened. As powerful as we are, even as Wardens, we are still mortal. We are not exempt from mistakes. Try to remember that, above anything.’
They came to release Kyra sometime later. That grounded, earthy scent wafted up his nose again as she was moved from the cell. She did not bid him goodbye, but he listened to her footfalls, soft compared to her hulking companion’s, as they dragged further away from him, and he wondered if she would vote to save him when the time of his trial came.
They were two sides of the same coin, after all.
Chapter Forty Three
A Dance Of Life And Death
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Gallena’s Temple, Pheanon.
Kyra.
Somehow, though her mind was a thundering swirl of shame, grief and fear, Kyra slept. Mankar had been the one to relieve her from the ice cell, and the moment she stepped foot in her room (which appeared to have been completely untouched, save the fire crackling in the grate), she threw herself on the bed and slept.
And slept and slept and slept.
In her dreams, a throne of blackened wood called to her. Over and over it called, but it was not her name.Earth Warden,it whispered.
Kyra had never seen such a thing, nor heard such a voice. And when she awoke suddenly to the soft sound of knocking at her door, it took her a moment to shake that ancient voice away.
She stretched her arms wide and rubbed at her eyes. Her body was stiff and still caught in the grasp of deep sleep. She had no concept of time in this room; there was no natural light to be found in the centre of the mountain. She might have been asleep for hours. Days, maybe, and she wouldn’t have known.
The knock sounded again.
