Someone was shaking him.Emmeric awoke suddenly and his hand was halfway underneath the pillow to grab the dagger he kept there until he saw it was only Iyana.Her face hovered over his, her hair falling around them in a curtain that blocked out the rest of the world.Every last part of his body was screaming at him to touch her, but he found he was paralyzed by the look in her eyes.
“You were having another nightmare,” she murmured.
He had been.This one was different, though.Lately, his nightmares had been memories of the Dead Lands.This one…
“Did you see any of it?”he asked her, hoping she would say no.But she nodded.Emmeric brushed her hair back behind her ear.“Come here.”He tugged her gently back towards him, and she moved without complaint, tucking herself into his side.He sighed and focused on the feeling of her body next to his.Thiswas real—not the dream.
They had been on the battlefield, surrounded by stars.Zane and Talon were lying dead off to one side.Emmeric had been struck through the stomach by a sword, and he could do nothing but watch from the ground as Altair shoved his hand into Iyana’s chest and ripped out her still-beating heart.She crumpled onto the ground as Altair grinned in triumph, and all Emmeric could do was scream her name.
He shivered.Iyana tightened her grip around his waist.They lay like that for several minutes as the sun rose, slowly lighting the room.They’d need to go meet with the others soon to discuss everything they had learned the night before.Emmeric was comfortable where he was, though, and content to stretch this out as long as he could.
“So we can really send pictures to each other now?”Iyana asked quietly.
“It seems that way.Want to test it out?”
She shrugged.“Sure.”
Emmeric pictured a bright yellow flower blooming underneath a sunny sky and was rewarded when she smiled.
“That was beautiful.Daffodils are so lovely.We don’t see them often in the desert.”
“They were my mother’s favorite.”A sharp pang of grief clanged through his entire body, like it did whenever he thought of his parents.It had been thirteen years without them, but the memories were still painful.Iyana clutched him closer.He cleared his throat.“Your turn.”
A blurry image began to form in his mind, then slowly came into focus.He was standing in a room shirtless, and Iyana was kneeling in front of him, her lips wrapped around his—
“Iyana!”Emmeric thrust her away from him and the image dissipated.“Iyana, please, be merciful.”
She smirked up at him, her eyes twinkling with mischief.“Oh, this is going to be fun, I think.”Iyana grinned.“Come on, let’s go get some breakfast.”
Iyana rolled out of bed, but Emmeric flopped onto his back—he would need a minute to recover before he felt comfortable getting out of bed.He heard Iyana’s tinkling laughter as she went into the bathing room.No matter how nicely he asked, Emmeric knew she would show him no mercy when it came to this.Phaedros take him, this was going to be tortuous.
Chapter 20
Zane
Notlongaftertheysat down to breakfast in their room, Emmeric and Iyana joined them.Iyana appeared to be in oddly high spirits, especially considering the news they had received the night before.She had seemed extremely upset when Yrza told her she was the only one capable of banishing the stars.
“How’d you sleep?”Talon asked.
“Fantastic,” Iyana chirped.Emmeric blushed and remained silent.Zane glanced sidelong at Talon, who only shrugged.Something had happened between those two.Maybe Iyana was finally being honest with herself about her feelings for Em.But when they sat down, they seemed to be purposefully avoiding touching each other.
Kaz flounced into the room last, scooping up a pastry and biting off a sizable chunk.They all stared at her as she chewed her food.
“What?”she asked, her mouth still full.
“Oh, nothing,” Tal said.“Except for the fact that you’re, you know, a fucking goddess.”
“I always knew I was special.”
Zane could only gape at her.If the night before he had learned he was the reincarnation of one of the old gods, he’d have to be locked up in a padded room.It was bad enough that Yrza had confirmed Uther was his biological father.Part of him had been holding out hope that the man his mother had been with was his actual father, but now Zane had to live knowing a portion of that monster resided within him.
He had broken down to Talon about it the night before when they were alone in their room.
“You’re not your father,” Tal had told him.“You are so much better than he could have ever hoped to be, and he was not worthy to call you ‘son.’”Zane had cried for a long time while Talon held him.
Kaz’s voice jolted Zane out of the memory.“When do we leave for Istoria?”she asked.
“Are we all going?”Zane asked, looking between Kaz and Iyana.
