I grab her arm again and yank her back. She crashes into my side, breath escaping her lungs with awhoosh. Her knees buckle, but my tight grip keeps her upright.
I’m so distracted by Mayah’s lack of self-preservation, I’m caught off-guard when a voice says, “That’s no way to treat your wife, Vayru.”
An achingly familiar voice.
Every muscle locks in place.
Slowly, I turn. I sense her energy signature before I see her—a soft, calming thrum.
It can’t be. She can’t be alive. It’s impossible.
But the rebels move aside, and a woman steps through. A hood conceals her face, but I don’t need to see her to know.
It’s my mother.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Shedropsherhood.My stomach drops to my boots.
It’s her. Skies damn me, it’s really her. The years have aged her—dark hair now streaked with white, deep lines etched around her mouth and the corners of her eyes.
“Impossible. He—he had you killed.”
Guilt flits through her dark gaze, her energy signature pulsing softly. “I’m so sorry, Vayru. I left.”
She leftme.
She’s been alive this entire time.
“Varad didn’t kill me,” she continues, stepping closer. “But he wasn’t kind to me, either. YouknowI suffered.Everynonwielder suffered. I couldn’t bear it anymore. So when I had the chance, I left.”
I left. I left. I left.
“You left me withthem. Alone.” My voice cracks, steeped with bitterness. “He told me you went home. To Volca.” A deep, shuddering inhale. “He was lying.”
She nods in understanding, taking another step forward. “He didn’t know where I went. He was trying to appease you. Varaddidn’t see me as a threat.” Her lips twist into a hateful smile, fingers absently rubbing her wrist. “He should have.”
“You could’ve taken me with you.”
My power roils inside me. It begins to rain.
She shakes her head, tucking her hood back over her head. “I wanted to. But I couldn’t. I’m so sorry, Vayru. Varad would’ve torn the world apart to find me if I had you.” She raises a cautious hand. “But I kept tabs on you. I watched you grow. The strong wielder you’ve become. The formidable Commander.” Her gaze cuts to Mayah. “And I was thrilled to learn of your marriage. That perhaps, you two would find happiness in each other. Meerah would have wanted that.”
Mayah’s breath catches.
My entire body tenses.
The rain hammers the ground.
“You knew my mother?” Mayah whispers.
Fuck. Fuck. Skies,fuck.
Tairna nods. “We were both nonwielder mothers of royal children. We both fled, sought refuge with the rebels. It’s where we met. The first time I saw you, Mayah, you had a toy reindeer in one hand and were clutching Meerah’s leg with the other, looking suspiciously at grass. Like you didn’t trust it because it wasn’t white and cold.” She cuts her gaze away. “I told Meerah to send you back. That she’d endangered herself by fleeing with you. But she wouldn’t listen. And the price was her life.”
No prickles.
My throat is tight as I study Mayah’s face, watch the conflicting emotions flit across her features.
