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‘Look,’ he murmured, pointing it out to Thea.
For amid the ashes, something bloomed.
Leaning down, he kissed Thea, long and slow. Despite the wreckage of his cabin, hope awakened in his chest. For the first time in a long time, he realised that beneath the festering darkness, the world had been beautiful, and it would be again.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
THEA
The weeks after the battle for Thezmarr were long and gruelling, but there was nothing Thea was dreading more than the meeting due to start at any moment. She’d already put it off for as long as she could.
Ironically, the war council chamber was one of the largely untouched remnants of the fortress, the room unchanged but for the boarded-up window behind the thick curtains that were now in tatters. It had always been dimly lit, though someone had recently added more candles so it wasn’t as dark. Their flickering light illuminated the mahogany table running down the room’s centre. Six high-backed chairs surrounded it, along with several other mismatched seats that had been crammed in at the last minute. With the nearby shelf overflowing with books and the trolley of decanters in the far corner, Thea wasn’t sure how they would all fit, but to her dismay, they managed.
Soon, she found herself seated at the head of the table, with Wilder to her right and Audra to her left. Something was different about her former warden. She wore her spectacles again, and her usual stern expression, but…
‘Your daggers,’ Thea blurted. She had returned the one in her possession only days before. ‘Where are your daggers?’ The jewelled weapons had been a part of Audra for as long as Thea could remember. She was never seen without them strapped to her belt.
‘I had to give them back sometime,’ Audra replied, with a note of amusement.
‘Back to who?’ Thea blinked. ‘Weren’t they yours?’
‘More of a long-term loan…’ Audra’s eyes twinkled. ‘From Iseldra, Morwynn and Valdara.’
‘The daggers belong to the Furies?’
‘What did I tell you, Thea? The smallest blade can make the biggest difference.’
Gobsmacked, Thea opened her mouth – to say what, she didn’t know – but the rest of the room had now filled with familiar faces: Wren, Cal and Kipp, Torj, Vernich, Adrienne, Esyllt and Farissa. It felt strange to be there without Talemir and Drue, and even more surreal when Thea sought out Anya at the other end of the table, and she wasn’t there. As the others settled into their seats, she kept waiting for Anya’s patience to wear thin, for her to silence them with a snappy remark or sarcastic comment. Neither ever came, and it made her chest ache.
‘Still no word from Dratos?’ Adrienne asked, glancing around the room.
Thea shook her head. ‘Not yet… but give him time.’
Adrienne merely nodded and sat back in her chair.
‘Well.’ Vernich’s gravelly voice cut across the table. ‘Who called this damn meeting?’
Thea suppressed the urge to groan and pinch the bridge of her nose. Instead, she thrust her chin at Esyllt. ‘He did.’
Esyllt threw her a sharp look before addressing the company. ‘It was high time we discussed the state of the midrealms and the plans we’ve put in motion to get the kingdoms back on their feet. First… the original fallen kingdoms.’
Thea steeled herself. ‘It was agreed that we’ll leave Talemir and Drue to decide how Naarva moves forward now that the shadows have receded from its lands. They’ll advise us in due course what their intentions are for the kingdom and its capital.’
‘And Delmira?’ Torj asked.
Thea swallowed. ‘I have never had any interest in being a princess or queen. That has not changed. Wren?’
Wren looked up, the movement revealing the fresh scar down her throat. ‘I see no reason to raise Delmira from its ruins any time soon. It can house no displaced people, its lands are barren, and its restoration is not paramount to the tasks we find ourselves facing with the rest of the midrealms. We go where we are needed first. We do what we can. With so many of Thezmarr’s great alchemists gone, that is where I mean to start.’
Thea’s heart ached, both for Wren and for the loss of Sam and Ida. Wren’s voice hadn’t faltered, her shoulders hadn’t caved, but Thea could see the tapestry of sorrow in her eyes.
‘And what of Tver, Aveum and Harenth?’ Adrienne asked. ‘There have already been reports of riots in Hailford, and —’
‘We’ve taken care of it,’ Audra cut in. ‘The beloved sister of King Artos’ wife, the late Queen Maelyn, has been temporarily granted regency. The people of Harenth loved Maelyn, so the appointment has been welcomed warmly, particularly by the common folk.’
Esyllt spoke next. ‘Thankfully Queen Reyna is much recovered since the battle for Aveum. It was with the help of her visions that we were able to track down King Leiko of Tver. He was under the empath control of Princess Jasira, forced to do her bidding. Upon the princess’ death, that fugue state seems to have lifted, and though he is weak, with the help of Thezmarr, he will be able to rule Tver once more.’
‘Is Thezmarr in a position to offer help?’ Wilder asked bluntly. ‘I don’t mean to detract from the good work we’ve done here, but —’
