For a moment, I think he’s going to refuse as he stares at me in silence, and then he lowers his voice, drawing me aside. “My father was Elonian. He served the alderman of the House of Fomalhaut for many years—Queen Morvarid’s father.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask, a shiver running through me. I’ve had enough of Elonian intrigues to last a lifetime.
“Because there are those of us who know what truly happened here.” He bows and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “We are in your debt, Starkeeper. All of Oryndhr is in your debt.”
I suppose it’s to be expected that those who believe in the old gods will suspect what truly happened, even if the news outlets proclaim otherwise. And I can’t pretend that I’m not who I am, either. Inclining my head, I accept his quiet sentiments.
“When did you get here?” someone shouts, and before I can process the voice, I’m pulled into a bear hug. The viceroy melts into the crowd, and I focus my attention on the newcomer. Or newcomers, as I see Clem over his shoulder as well. She’s dressed in royal armor, likely now one of Roshan’s future kingsguard.
“Aran!” I clasp him back just as tightly. I had to forgive what they’d done to release my anger in that temple, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t still hurt. They say that forgiveness releases the forgiver, and that’s true, but no one ever tells you that the sting of betrayal doesn’t just vanish. Forgiveness takeswork. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. You, too, Clem.”
I see the instant relief brighten her face, and it warms me. When Aran finally releases me, she sweeps me up so tightly I can barely breathe. “It wasn’t all a lie, you know,” she says. “I liked you from the start, and even though I was there to ferret out information on Javed and the chosen for the Dahaka, I felt like I had made a friend in a court full of vipers.”
“I know what you mean,” I confess. “I felt the same.”
She exhales, her regret heavy. “I don’t want to lose that. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Already done.” I laugh and reach for Aran, pulling him back in with us. “I am happy to see the two of you.”
“Not as happy as we are to see you,” he says, his face and voice choked with emotion. “After what you did in that room for him...”
He breaks off as I stare at him, while Clem moves a discreet distance away. “What do you mean? How do you know what happened?”
“Because I’m the one who found you both.” His eyes flick to his motionless cousin. “Lying tangled in each other’s arms. He had a heartbeat, while you had none...” He trails off, staring at me as if unable to collect or articulate his thoughts. “I saw what you did.”
“What I did?”
He swallows hard. “I saw you become what you were meant to be. In all my time as a magi, I never knew what it meant to feel the touch of Saru. I felt his light blazing through you when you saved my cousin. Thank you for that.”
A tear trickles down my cheek. “I couldn’t let him die.”
“So, you offered him your life.” He wipes the tear away, his owneyes damp. “Your magic saved him. It saved you both.” He laughs aloud, embracing me again. “It has been a true honor, Suraya. You are everything we Elonians ever hoped for—the guardian of Oryndhr.”
I shake my head, stunned by his words. “I didn’t do any of it alone. We did it together.”
“Youbrought us together.”
I shake my head and glance over my shoulder. No, it was Roshan who had brought them all together. The prince who had fought for his people’s freedom, who had battled tyranny in his own house, who had put everyone else’s lives before his. Even mine... and even though he had broken my trust. The ache in my chest intensifies as I stare at the sleeping figure. “Will he wake, Aran?”
Aran turns to meet the eyes of the viceroy, who claps his hands once. Like magic, people melt from the room until we are the only two left, aside from Clem and a small contingent of guards at the entrance. “I hope so. People are praying he will.”
“Do you believe?”
He eyes me. “In the gods?”
“Yes.”
“People choose to believe in something. What’s important is that theyhavea choice. To believe, not to believe, to be arcanist, to be modern. It’s all the same thing. Good versus evil. Light versus dark. The truth versus the lie. We’re all searching for meaning, Suraya. How we get it isn’t the goal... it’s in the journey.”
“I think you’re a very wise man,” I say.
He winks. “Let’s just keep that between us. I’m thinking of cultivating a reputation of being a scoundrel.”
We both chuckle quietly until the moment grows somber and we both stare at our future king, so strong and beautiful in repose. “What do I need to do?”
“You know what to do, Suraya. It’s your magic that burns inside of him. You just have to give him a reason to live.”
“Oryndhr needs him more than ever,” I say.
