A low exhale reached her ears, and from the corner of her eye she saw the emperor gesture to his guards. The men obediently retreated a short distance, though they created a perimeter that would ensure the emperor’s safety. “I want to thank you personally, Amryn,” the emperor said quietly. “You risked a great deal in Esperance to protect my grandson, as well as Jayveh and Carver. I want you to know that you have my eternal gratitude.”
Her stomach twisted. She didn’t want this man to thank her for anything. He hadn’t killed her mother, but he was ultimately responsible for her death. He was the reason so many empaths had been executed. He was the reason Torin had witnessed the murders of his parents and siblings. He was the reason Amryn’s own grandparents had been executed.
“Do you believe Argent is dead?” the emperor asked.
The suddenness of the question—as well as its starkness—made Amryn tense. “Yes.”
He nodded once, unsurprised but clearly pained. His eyes returned to the carving, his voice quiet as he said, “I have lost far too many people that I love. It is an agony unlike any other.” His throat flexed as he swallowed. “The worst day of my life was the day I lost my wife. My sweet Sevee. She was taken from me, her life stolen by a man I had long viewed as a friend, until he revealed himself to be a demon.”
“Saul Von,” she said softly.
Old rage blistered, and the emperor’s jaw tightened. “Yes. Jeremiah tried to warn me of the threat that empaths posed, but I didn’t see it then. I was blinded by the face of a friend. The cost of my arrogance was my Sevee’s life. I wasn’t with her when she took her last breath, but . . .” A trembling hand moved to rest against his heart. “I felt it.Here. And when I saw her covered in blood . . .” He shook his head, pain lancing through his chest. “Too soon, my son and his wife were taken from me as well, by the same man. It is only by a miracle Argent wasn’t killed along with them. That Saul was caught before his blade could take my grandson’s life, his reign of terror finally ended.”
“Did you know Saul Von was an empath before you befriended him?” she asked.
The emperor frowned, and Amryn’s pulse quickened. Her mother and Rix had always told her to show no interest in empaths. She’d just broken their rule with none other than the emperor himself.
“Yes,” the emperor said. “I knew. Empaths didn’t hide back then, as they cower now. I believed he was my friend. That he shared my dream of uniting the kingdoms. He was instrumental in helping me bring my vision to light.”
It seemed so wrong, considering how Von’s story had ended.
The emperor’s eyes grew distant as he lost himself in memory. “Saul never liked Jeremiah, though. They disagreed frequently. But while the church warned that empaths were unnatural and had terrifying powers, they were not hunted. Not until Saul killed my wife, revealing that no empath could be trusted.” A fervor rose inside the emperor, and his eyes grew sharper. “They are manipulators. Liars. Pureevil. Their wickedness runs as deep as that of a demon from hell, and their aim is the same—to corrupt and destroy all that is good and holy. Every empath deserves to wander the Scorched Plains, wracked with eternal torment.”
Amryn’s heart pounded in her chest, but she did not flinch when the emperor set a hand on her arm.
He smiled gently, the action so at odds with the heated words he’d just spoken. “Forgive me, child. I can become carried away when I think of those who took so much from me.”
His words were laughably ironic, since they stood among priceless works of art thathehad stolen, each one a representation of the countless lives this man had ruined.
“My heart is weary and beaten down,” the emperor said softly, with all the weight of a confession. “It is as fractured as the stone before us. But it has not yet broken completely. And Argent . . .” He shook his head. “Until I know there is no hope, I refuse to give up my belief that he still breathes.” His eyes slipped past Amryn. “Ah. Your husband returns.”
Amryn turned to see Carver striding toward them, glasses of water in hand.
“I’m glad we had this moment to talk, Amryn,” the emperor said. “Thank you again for all you’ve done for me and the empire.”
I didn’t do it for you.That’s what she wanted to say, but she held her tongue and simply nodded.
When Carver reached them, she could feel his worry for her. He handed Amryn her glass of water and said, “I’m sorry, Your Eminence, but Hector wants us to continue with the tour.”
“Of course,” the emperor said. He gave Amryn a last smile. “I hope you enjoy seeing the rest of my treasures, my dear.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Tohim. Frankly, she didn’t know what to think about any part of their conversation. But she dropped into another curtsy, as was expected, and she was grateful when Carver took her hand and pulled her away, leaving the emperor and the ancient carving of her ravaged history behind.
The emperor’s treasury was a maze of interconnected rooms, sectioned off to hold countless treasures. The vast space was larger than any of the galleries they had explored today, but it was obvious this was not a public space. The only entrance was well guarded, and there were no windows. Flickering lamps and guttering torches lit the rooms. Hector explained the treasury was generally kept in the dark, and that it took nearly half an hour for trusted servants to light every room of the sprawling labyrinth.
Each room was filled with rows of display cases, tables, and chests filled with all manner of riches. Coins, pearls, gemstones, diamond necklaces and glittering crowns, swords and shields, bars of gold, books and scrolls. The sheer amount of items was staggering. It was even more mind-boggling to think these were treasures the emperor kept only for himself. A heaviness lodged in Amryn’s gut as she tried—and failed—to take in the sheer wealth. But the deeper they walked into the overwhelming rooms, the more that feeling grew. Even the bloodstone, which she wore hidden around her neck, seemed to hum in response.
She tried to focus on memorizing the path to the Dagger of Hafsin, taking in any details the Rising might want to know as they planned their heist. Since the treasury was organized by kingdom, she knew they were getting close to the dagger when Hector said they were entering the Hafsin collection. There were just as many artifacts here as in the other rooms, but it didn’t take long before Amryn spotted the large glass case filled with weapons.
She had never seen the Dagger of Hafsin before, but she knew it instantly. The old royal artifact was obviously the centerpiece of the display. The ceremonial knife was nestled on a slightly raised bed of purple velvet. The blade was only as long as a man’s hand, and it shined in the glowing lamplight. The short blade was pristine, but it was the dagger’s hilt that drew the eye.
Black metal, embedded with dozens of glittering gems, made it an almost blinding display of wealth. A large, dark ruby sat in the pommel, with smaller and brighter rubies and glittering diamonds decorating the cross guard.
A whisper rose in Amryn’s mind as she stared at the blade, her eyes drawn back to the large, dark ruby.
The bloodstone around her neck pulsed, vibrating with a euphoric surge of pleasure.
The heaviness in Amryn’s gut increased and her breathing thinned. She reached out with her empathic sense, brushing against a presence that had grown so slowly,she hadn’t recognized it. Especially since the low whispering hum had been drowned out by another hum she knew all too well now.
