Leather breeches hugged her hips in a way that drew too much of my interest, knowing what lay beneath them. Her hair was in a side braid that had been wind-torn when we traveled and mostly stuck out on all sides now.
Amara squeezed my arm. “It’s something, isn’t it? I always dreamed of raising you by the water.”
Ah, right.The sea.
The vast ocean before us guarded the truth of where my admiration had wandered.
I swallowed hard, imagining what life could have been with Amara. But then there would be no Mama or Papa. “How did you know my parents back then? My mama would only tell me bits and pieces. She said she owed you for saving Papa’s life but never told me the details.”
Amara smiled. “Angeline is an old friend. Early in their marriage, she showed up at the doorstep of my tower. They usedto live here on the isles when they were young. Leo took a nasty fall off his horse. She begged me to heal him. She said she would take any punishment for the use of magic if I would just let him live. His injuries were beyond what any mortal healer could mend.”
My brows furrowed. I’d heard none of this before. “And you did. Even though it was forbidden?”
Amara patted my arm. “I did many things that were forbidden. And I regret not a single one. When I had you and realized I couldn’t keep you safe in the towers, Angeline offered to—” Her voice cracked, and I took her arm and veered us away from the table for a few more private moments.
“I understand.” I met my mother’s gaze.
She whispered, “I owe Angeline and Leo my life for every happy moment they gave you. I negotiated with the late King Wymark to hire them on as staff in Luz.”
She’d risked so much for me. “Thanks to all of you, I had an amazing life. But why charm us to forget you?”
Her lips turned down, and only then did I realize I’d used the past tense; my childhoodhadbeen so full of love, and I’d longed for nothing. Yet the past twenty years seemed like a dividing point.
I could find that happiness again. I glanced over at Elsedora, who had poured herself a glass of deep burgundy wine.
“If ever questioned, they were safer left in the dark. They agreed to it,” she answered. “I didn’t think the charm would ever break in their lifetime, that they would ever know who you truly were. I never meant to hurt them… or you.”
So not only had Amara lost me, but she’d lost her friends too in her sacrifice.
I frowned and said, “I’m sorry.” In understanding, forgiveness sprouted from my former resentment toward her. “And more sorry that I never asked to speak with you through the mirror.”
She closed her eyes, as though absorbing the words deep into her soul. When she gazed at me again, she shook her head. “You do not owe me an apology, Emmerick,” she said, wiping at her cheeks. “I am happy to see you safe—it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
A stretch of silence settled between us before she held out her hand for me to take.
When I clasped her fingers in mine, her expression brightened. “We should join the others; you must be tired from your travels. And Bringham is rather exhausting.”
I chuckled. “That’s putting it lightly.”
Lark and Sheffield had a map sprawled on the table already as we sat down across from them. Elsedora was standing, looking over Lark’s shoulder.
“King Sheffield is skilled in cartography,” Amara explained. “He’s been helping Larkspur and Elsedora find leads to new ruins.”
“Some legends of Henosis say that there used to be seven ceremonial sites to worship the natural Sources spread across the realms. I believe one to be here,” Lyl said. He pointed to a spot on the map—Belray.
“The Temple of Light is in Belray,” Lark said. “I suspect it is one.”
“What makes you think that?” Elsedora asked, leaning over further—her interest piqued.
Larkspur’s shoulders stiffened, and her mouth drew into a line. “It’s the oldest standing temple in Henosis and mentioned in ancient texts.”
My gaze narrowed on the Princess.
She so resembled her mother when she lied.
Sheffield continued, “By that logic, the oldest city in the Southern Isles is Ikanten. Just here.” He pointed to a village on the shoreline of a neighboring island. “And this small beach isrumored to be protected by a sea beast—no one ventures there. Have you explored it yet?”
“I haven’t.” Elsedora’s smile could light up a room.
