Chapter Seven
The next day, the entire citadel, staff included, attended the mating ceremony of Nexhavaren of the Gold Tytra Clan and Evina of the Frenhal Bear Ladrin. It was held in the newly built village of Fress, where Evina cared for the orphaned human children and where I had grown up.
It was good to see the village full of people again, even though most of them were visitors. In addition to the Wraith Lords, there were also Evina's clan, the residents of Fress, the human recruiters, and the Emperor of Varr. Oh, and the Emperor brought his adopted human daughter, Sally.
Sally was decked out like the duchess she was—or was she a princess now? I'm not clear on royal titles. I just knew her status was higher than everyone's but the Emperor's. Her long brown curls were pinned with jewels, but those gems couldn't compete with the sparkle in her eyes when she looked at her father.
Emperor Sarthares held Sally's hand as they strode through the crowd, but when they stopped to speak with people, she often played with the lavender ends of his dark purple hair. He pretended not to notice, but I saw his lips twitching several times. Finally, they made their way to my group.
“Uncle Ember!” Sally exclaimed as she released her father's hand to run to me.
I scooped her up and hugged her. “Ugh! What are they feeding you at the castle? You weigh as much as Xaedren.”
Sally giggled. “I'm growing up! I've already grown two inches. Daddy marks it on the wall.”
I lifted my brows from her to the Emperor. The image of the Emperor marking one of his beautiful walls with lines to indicate how tall his daughter was getting bloomed in my head. It was something my mother had done when I was a kid, but our walls were made of plaster, not marble and gold.
“Is that right?” I asked Sally. “What does he use to make the marks?”
“A knife!” Sally exclaimed. “He carves the notches into the frame of my bathroom door. Agal fainted when he saw them.”
I burst out laughing. “I bet he did.”
Agal was the Emperor's manservant, and he did not appreciate anything that messed with the beauty of his master's domain. Even if it was his master.
“Agal is fine,” the Emperor said. “And I want those marks there forever. They will be especially precious after . . .” he trailed off as his eyes went misty.
Oh, it was happening already. This is the tragedy of an immortal loving a mortal. The Emperor would have a couple of centuries with Sally at most. Although that seems like a long time, it's not for an immortal. One day, the Emperor would be alone again. I had a feeling that Sally's childhood bedroomwould be preserved after she reached adulthood so that after she was gone, her father could sit there, surrounded by his memories.
“After I die,” Sally finished, shocking us all.
“Sally!” the Emperor exclaimed.
“What?” Sally looked at her father with innocent, brave eyes. “Death is not bad, Daddy. It's just an end to one life and the beginning of another. I'll go to be with the Goddess and my first parents. And I don't want you to be sad when I go. We have a lot of time to be together. I want to fill it with so much fun that you'll smile even after I'm gone.”
All of us gaped at her. Not because of her courage, but rather the wisdom in her words. And the sweet, sweet kindness. But there was one thing she said that hit me hard.
“Death is not bad,” I whispered in revelation.
“Ember,” the Emperor growled. “Do not take meaning from that which wasn't meant.”
“Huh?” Sally frowned at him.
“Yes. Huh?” I repeated as I set Sally down.
She went to collect hugs from my lovers while I waited for an answer from the Emperor.
He sighed before giving it. “I had a dream last night. The Goddess came to me and said she had comforted you, but it would not be enough. She said you understood the path you had to take and the destination you must reach, but you were hurting yourself unnecessarily along the way. I believe her words were, 'He is tripping over his own feet.'”
I gaped at him.
“Ember?” Rath asked. “What's wrong?”
“She did comfort me. It was just the other night. And I understood. I asked her to comfort Aranren too,” I said.
The Emperor nodded as if he wasn't surprised. “She finds many ways to communicate with us. Sometimes through visions, sometimes through dreams, and sometimes it's just a feeling—her presence.”
“That's it,” I said. “It was a peaceful warmth.”
