Nyx looked like a fish out of water, gulping for air. Mouth closing and opening wordlessly, she finally turned a deep shade of red and stalked out without a second glance at them.
Memphis held out a hand toward Emory, pulling her back to a standing position. The world tilted, and he said, “Come on. One foot in front of the other. I’ll get you patched up.”
Blood roared in her ears, and she leaned into Memphis, allowing the world to take on a warped perspective.
“Breathe, Emory. Breathe.” Memphis’s voice cocooned around her mind.
Emory looked down at her shaking hands, trying to register what had just happened. Every minute took her closer to a tight knit web of emotions and betrayal she didn’t ask for. It wasn’t her fault she had been rescued, nor was it her fault for being brought back. She was trying to pick up the pieces and learn the secrets of her past for herself, not simply accepting what was thrown at her.
In the two weeks that have passed, each day, she was being morphed into a version of herself she didn’t think was possible. In a world that shouldn’t exist. But she had chosen to try and was learning exactly what that would cost.
Her world took a drastic dip, and Memphis hurriedly brought her around another corner, supporting her aching body. They came to a smooth iron staircase, but instead of being dark silver, it was an incandescent white, making it look like it was carved from ice.
Memphis noticed her staring and said, “Some kieroian steel can be manipulated with heat to achieve this color. We are lucky Jaxson listened in class all those years ago.”
Their footsteps clanged around them like bells tolling, marking every second. She could feel his gaze boring into her, and looking up through her lashes, she murmured, “I’m okay.”
Coming to a full stop, he said, “You’re okay? What about me? What about Nyx? Emory, what were you playing at? Nyx is just looking for an excuse to have it out with you. You are far too important to me for you to put yourself in these situations without me around.” Memphis clenched her forearm, fingers white.
Her eyes locked onto his hold. “Memphis, let me go. Now. I’m not some lost kid for you to control. I can make my own decisions.”
He stepped back. “Decisions that will land you hurt or worse? Emory, I will not lose you again.”
“But you can’t keep me in a cage, Memphis! I’m not your property and never have been! Stop treating me like your pet and show me that I am your equal! Show me my world. I want to see all the parts of it, good and bad, but I won’t from behind these walls. Let me try to understand what you have lost, so I can understand just exactly what I am fighting for.”
Memphis stepped closer, his breath hot on her cheek. “You don’t understand.”
Emory threw her arms out. “No, I don’t. Allow me to learn. I can’t hide down here forever. I have gotten one afternoon, Memphis, one day to get out.”
She knew she had hit a nerve when his jaw tightened and eyes narrowed. Several seconds passed in silence until he stiffly said, “Fine, okay, fine. But we are swinging by the infirmary and the armory, and that is nonnegotiable.”
She couldn’t keep her elation in place, even through her wounds. “Even though we are weapons enough?”
Memphis picked up his pace. “We aren’t weapons against everything that is out there. And besides, you will be of no use if you’re beaten half to death.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Up they climbed, Emory noting Memphis’s furrowed brows, his lips turned down, as the tensely continued in silence. They made it to the top of the staircase where a closet of a room was located on their right. Memphis ushered her in without a word and quickly set to work grabbing an arrangement of jars. Emory took a seat and tried to stifle her groan but was failing terribly.
Finishing, he held a strange dried root in front of her. “Eat this, and I’m sorry in advance about the taste. Thistlewood is one of the oldest healing roots in Kiero. Your mother researched its properties; she was a wonderful healer, he said, all this while not quite meeting her gaze.
Emory tentatively took the grey root from him, popping the whole ting in her mouth, chewing fast. She tried not to wince as a harsh heat swept in her mouth and throat as she ate it.
Crouching down in front of her, he rested his hand gently on her knee. “Emory, look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten mad. A lot of that is between Nyx and me and has nothing to do with you.” He took a steadying breath. “And you were right. You deserve more. You deserve to pull your weight, to know the truth. I’ve spent so long knowing you’re the heir and being bred a soldier that I was blinded by my duty to keep you safe. And we have been hiding for so long, I grouped you into that rule. I’m sorry. Can we start over as friends?”
Heat flushed her cheeks, taking in the man in front of her with his heart bore on his sleeve. A thousand doubts flooded through her unexpectedly. Was he only playing another card in the game? But to get to the truth, she had to take her own risks. To play this game, she had to be just as daring. And she didn’t have many offers of friendship as of late. Eyes watering from the thistlewood, Emory smiled. “Of course.”
He patted her knee, standing up. Memphis had been right about the root. Almost instantly, a cooling sensation swept over her muscles, her dizziness gone.
Revitalized, Emory followed suit. “Any idea about where we are going?”
“Now that, I am going to keep a
