“Oh.” I frowned. “Is that where we are now?”
The Emperor chuckled. “Yes, Ember. I'm afraid I haven't wandered far from my homeland. My fortress is on Krix. The village of Tusara is nearby. That's why I chose it. If something goes wrong, we will have my army on standby.”
“I see,” I murmured. Then I sent Rath a heavy look. There was a way through the Corrupter's ward, but I wasn't sure if my lovers wanted me to—
“There's another way through the Corrupter's ward,” Xaedren said, shocking Rath, Kel, and me. “Death Magic.”
Everyone went still.
The Emperor's face twitched. “You were only to use that magic in an emergency, Lord Ember.”
“Is this not an emergency, Your Imperial Majesty?” I asked.
“No, it's not.” The Emperor leaned forward. “I know Death has been good to you, but do not trust this entity, Lord Ember. I assure you, Death Magic may seem beneficial, but it has a price. Usually, that price is part of your soul.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “A part of my soul, Your Imperial Majesty? Are you sure?”
The Emperor lifted a brow. “How else has the Corrupter become what he is?”
“Death told me the Corrupter wasn't ready to use Death Magic, Your Imperial Majesty. It can drive men insane if they aren't strong enough to control it.”
The Emperor's expression turned pensive. Then he shook his head. “This is what is so worrisome about the consciousness you speak to. It says things that challenge what we know to be true. It makes sense. It acts as a friend. But is it a friend? How can we be sure?”
I shook my head. “There's no way of knowing.”
The Emperor nodded. “All we have to go on is what the Goddess put in our hearts. She leads us, Lord Ember. And what she's telling me now is Death is deceiving you.”
“Son of bitch,” Rath cursed. “No more, Ember.”
“No more what?” the Emperor narrowed his eyes at me. “What have you done?”
“Death has been training me,” I admitted.
The Wraith Lords, those who weren't my lovers, snarled and shouted in protest. The Emperor just stared at me.
When the Lords had calmed, the Emperor said, “Why did you think this was wise, Lord Ember?”
“We all agreed to it,” Xae said. “Death convinced us. He said it would be better for Ember to learn how to control the magic in case he does need to use it. In light of what he said happened to the Corrupter from misusing the magic, we thought it best to see Ember trained. But we've been overseeing every session.”
The Emperor sat back and sighed. “It sounds reasonable. What does your heart tell you, Lord Ember?”
Everyone looked at me.
“I don't know if it's my heart, but my instinct says that learning how to control a magic, any magic, is not a bad thing. And I'm doing well with it. I made a tree crawl out of the ground, dance about, then go back to where it was without hurting it.”
The Emperor blinked. “You made a tree dance?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“It was amazing, Your Imperial Majesty,” Keltyr said. “And I didn't see anything horrible in it.”
“Nothing beyond upsetting the course of nature,” the Emperor said. “Trees are not meant to move as men.”
“Is that so terrible, Your Imperial Majesty?” I asked. “I didn't hurt the tree. The exercise wasn't about that. It was about finding the Death inside all things and using it.”
“Yes,” the Emperor murmured. “Using it to make a tree act like a person.”
“Do we not use the elements to do our will?” Ratharin asked.
