I glanced over to see Caleb's bitter expression. He looked up and met my stare. I didn't have to read minds to know what he was thinking. The Emperor cared more about the Varraens than the humans.
“This isn't right,” I said.
“Lord Ember, this is a war,” the Emperor said gently. “I could order them to go, but I'm not. I'm asking. And all of them don't have to go. Just a few would do.”
“So, we must pick?” Hannah asked in horror.
The Emperor bowed his head and sighed. “I understand. And as I said, I will not force you to—”
“I'll go, Uncle Emperor,” Sally said as she climbed off the bench and went up to the Emperor. She curtsied and smiled. “I'm not afraid.”
“Oh, Sally,” I whispered. “No.”
The Emperor smiled tenderly and crouched to bring himself to her height. Cupping her cheek, he said, “Your bravery humbles me, Sally. I shall see it rewarded, I promise.”
“That's all right, Uncle Emperor,” she said and took the hand that cupped her cheek. “I don't need a reward. Just let me come back here after. I like it here.”
“Sally, you may live here for as long as you wish,” the Emperor decreed.
“I'll go too,” Jacob, one of the teenagers, declared.
“I'll go,” Lisa, eight years old, said.
A broken sound came out of me.
One after another, the kids without parents held up their hands. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my cheeks as the children showed as much heart as any Wraith Lord. And the Wraith Lords were not unmoved either. They stood and held their fists to their hearts in salute.
“Mom,” Wenda, sixteen, said to Vivienne. “Mom, we have to go too.”
“No.” Vivienne clutched her one-year-old son to her chest. “No, I'm sorry. I just got you back. I can't lose you again.”
“Mom!” Wenda waved her hand at the standing children. “I can't let them go without me.” She got up and went to stand with them.
“Wenda, you get back here!” Vivienne snapped.
Wenda lifted her chin. “I'm sixteen. Nearly grown. I'll make my own decisions now, Mother. And I'm going with the others. They need me.” She took Lisa's hand. “I was the one who looked after them when we were imprisoned. I can do it again.”
Vivienne started to weep.
“Please, everyone, please,” the Emperor stood up but kept his hand on Sally. “I am not sending children into a battle. They will be carefully guarded, I promise you. They will never be endangered. The Wraith Lords will be by their sides every second and fade them to safety before they even come withing view of the Corrupter.”
Sniffing, Evina stood up. “Where my wards go, I go. But I must protest, Your Imperial Majesty. You ask too much of mortal children and of people who have lost nearly everything.” She went to stand with the kids, but on her way, she kicked me. “Get up, Lord Ember,” she hissed. “I'll need you to look after the rest of the humans while I'm away.”
I looked up at her through my tears and saw her eyes full of them as well. Taking a deep breath, I stood and nodded.
“Good.” She slapped my arm. “You are their champion.”
Shit, even Evina knew it.
“Well, then I'll be going along to protect them,” Nex said as he got up and went to stand beside Evina. “The rest of you will have to carry on without me.”
“Oh, how will we ever survive?” Finn called out.
With that, the mood in the room lightened. The Emperor was right. He wasn't sending these kids to their deaths. Was it unfair to ask them to do this after what they'd been through? Yes. But he was the Emperor, and he had to make hard decisions like this. I could see the strain on his face as he stared down at Sally. Great Goddess, that little girl had more courage in her pinky than I did in my whole body.
I met the Emperor's stare and nodded. Was I still mad? Yes, but I would accept this.
“We'll go,” Harcut said and stood up, ushering his four boys to their feet, then picking up the youngest, only three, and hefting him onto his hip.
