It was a known fact that war was inevitable. There would always be some extremist able to rally followers to their cause and spark a revolution. This time, it was the King in the North. She didn’t disagree with all he was doing. The Sorcerers should have never been sent into hiding, and the number of her kin murdered in the Emperor's name was something she didn’t like to think about often. But this self proclaimed king didn’t just want freedom for the Sorcerers, he wanted justice, and that was something that she didn’t stand behind. His goal had never been peace and that is what Kamira believed in. That's what she truly wanted.
There was a small part of her that always hoped being the wife of Lord Tarkiin would have allowed her a chance to push for change—that she could whisper her beliefs and ideas into his ear and he would take them to the council. But she never had the chance, and what she discovered about Tarkiin in their short twenty-four hour marriage was that he cared for nothing but himself and his own thirst for power.
Kamira knew peace could be spread throughout the realm. With the right ruler at its helm and an overhaul of the vicious, harmful laws put forth by the Emperor, unity could happen, demolishing the Brother’s belief in the pyramid of Koruum. She would love to see their pyramid come crashing down around them.
The more Kamira discovered of Doraan and the closer they became, the more she truly thought that he might be the one able to do it. His passion and love for Emmoria was evident, but the only thing that stunted him was his hatred of sorcery. There was a bold determination that resided just behind his eyes—a resolve and a fight that not many had. If she could prove to him that Sorcerers were not a stain on this world, but rather a potentially powerful ally, then she could get him back home to sit at the helm of the realm.
“Are you ready?” Doraan came up beside her, following her gaze to the rolling hills, snaked with fog and pops of yellow spread throughout.
She huffed, looking at him with a shrug. “As ready as I'll ever be.”
“Kamira.” His voice deepened, growing quieter. “I want you to know that doing this for me means everything. It…”
She placed a hand on his arm. “I know, you don’t have to say it. I know what it means, and if I succeed, I know what that means, too. I am with you.”
His eyes widened, a sparkle in them giving way to the emotion he felt at her words. He turned his head away and brought a hand up to his mouth, clearing his throat. “The sea is rough here, we can move a bit further along the coast to where it’s calmer.”
“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.
“Right, then.” He raked a hand along his scalp, still not looking at her. “The skiff is ready for you.”
Kamira looked over the railing and down to the small boat waiting for her far below in the rocky Uskdar sea.
“Listen,” Doraan said, gripping her shoulder and turning her to look him in the eye. “If you feel unsafe, if you fear for your life at any moment, come straight back here. Understood?”
“I can take care of myself, you know.”
He brought his other hand up to rest on her other shoulder. “I’m serious. We know nothing of the Brothers. They are very secretive and they might not take lightly to someone poking around in search of them. If you ever feel in danger, leave and don’t look back.”
“Understood.” She nodded, watching as relief washed over him.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks,” she replied before climbing onto the boarding ladder. Before she descended, she turned to him with one last thought. “If I succeed in this, I want you to give sorcery a chance. I’m risking my life for you and your crew because I believe in you, Doraan. You are my Emperor, you are the people’s hope, both the Gifted and Ungifted alike. They need you. Emmoria needs you.”
Doraan’s gaze took on a far away look as his brows drew together and his chest rose with a deep, sorrowful breath before he looked back at her, locking onto her eyes with a fierceness that sent a chill through her core. “I will try.”
Kamira offered him a small smile and nodded. It was as good an answer as any she would get from him. She climbed down the ladder, boarded the small craft, grabbed the paddles, and rowed herself out to sea. She didn’t dare use her sorcery for help since they were all watching her every stroke as she got closer and closer to shore. She could see the worry on all their faces, the distress in their eyes. They didn’t think she would make it. That thought made her curious as to what would happen when one of them tried to get close to shore. Did they run into a solid force like the ship did when she had tried to guide it to shore? Were they flung backward several feet? Or could they literally not will their own limbs to move, left frozen in place? She would have to ask when she returned.
Waves chopped against the boat from the strong, eastern current. She gritted her teeth and channeled her strength to row until theCursed Soulwas no more than a black blip along the horizon.
By the time she reached the sandy strip of land, she was heaving and gasping for breath. Kamira jumped out of the craft, shrieking at the bite of the icy water on her shins as it seeped into her pants. She grabbed the edge of the boat and trudged it fully onto land before collapsing into the sand, rolling onto her back, arms outstretched beside her, panting.
The heat from the bright sun above made her exposed skin tingle. She sheltered her eyes from the light with a sand-covered arm, sputtering as sprinkles of sand landed in her mouth.
Kamira pushed herself up to observe her surroundings. Squinting against the bright sun, she scanned the seemingly endless stretch of shore, searching for a spot to hide her boat and ensure she had a way to return to the ship. Tall dunes leading into grassy peaks were all she could see. There was no gift of a large boulder or small crevice to stash it, only the beach and plenty of it.
She took a deep breath and stared at the mounds of sand before closing her eyes and reaching down into her core, tugging against the well of sorcery she knew was there, and pulling forth that piece of her that called for the manipulation of the earth. It was like calling forth an old friend eager to help. It was the one element she hadn’t touched while on theCursed Soul.
She had practiced both water and air constantly, feeling more comfortable each day using those gifts. She continued to dabble with fire, only using it in small doses, and it was still as sporadic as it had always been. She couldn’t figure out how to keep it under control—it was like trying to tame a wild beast that constantly bucked and reared with every command.
Now was her chance to at leasttryto move the earth.
She dusted the power off like an old book that had sat collecting sediment for years. The last time she attempted the use of earth sorcery was before she had married Tarkiin. She stilled her mind and centered herself in the nature around her, feeling its subtle ebbs and flows beneath her feet, so close to both water and air. Kamira grasped it, pulling on the sand around the craft. She opened her eyes as the grains moved at her command and watched the boat sink beneath the surface until it was completely hidden from view.
She smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. The element had come to her so easily. Practicing these last few weeks helped. Kamira could feel the spurring of a great power within her ever since she started using her gifts more. She felt like up until this point, she had only used a small spark of what she was truly capable of. Just tapping into the surface. She was still afraid to dig too deep, worried she would lose control and hurt someone, or herself. That was something she would deal with another time, attempting to use her full power when she was unhurried and alone, but for now, the morning sun was moving high overhead, and she needed to get to Neilmaar, quickly.
She dug her hands and wet boots into the dune, struggling to climb as sand fell away beneath her grip. “Bleeding Stars!” she shouted as she slid all the way back down to where she had started. Huffing, she collapsed to her knees on the beach, grumbling in annoyance. She was so tired.
