Nodding, they re-emerged into the windowless hallway, setting out again.
“So, my mom was a healer?”
“The best to be found. Not only was that her ability, but she was the most knowledgeable person I knew. She always had more love for her research than she did in politics, but once the Academy started, she made it a priority along with your father. She had a heart of gold, your mom did.”
“Why start the Academy then?”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “There was a lot of unrest along the borders, especially between the Shattered Isles and Kiero. People using their abilities for worse, or not knowing how to control them. The Academy was the start of a school that would help protect the land and its people with gifted students. Its main purpose was to help people like us so their power wouldn’t consume them.”
“What went wrong then?” Emory asked.
Memphis murmured, “The need for power. And that’s the hardest to understand. Looking back, no one saw it coming. I found out after, that it had been rumored that your father was keeping an artifact of ancient magic. Something that, if wielded, would make you unstoppable.”
Her blood ran cold. “And Adair has it?”
Memphis peeked at her. “How much do you remember, Emory?”
She shrugged. “Right now? Nothing. It’s more like I feel a connection to things I see. Like the forest, that stirs up a lot of feeling.”
Memphis nodded. “You have to take it in a day at a time. You must understand, we did what we all thought was best. Adair was our friend. He was one of my best friends. But to him, there were more important things. His family name and the never-ending lust to be the best. He believes that anyone who doesn’t have a strong ability is not to be worthy of a choice.”
Chills snaked down her spine, her mouth running dry as Memphis continued, “After your parent’s death, and after the Academy fell, the world changed. Adair’s wrath spread through Kiero, and people either joined his kingdom or he killed them. When it comes to you and Adair, you have always had a target on your back, Em.”
Emory stopped dead in her tracks. “What do you mean?”
Memphis cleared his throat, not meeting her eyes once more.
“Memphis, what?” It came out more as a plea as she pulled him toward her, stopping him.
“It was well known that Adair always had feelings for you. On your fourteenth birthday, he had it planned to move on these feelings. His family and your family had been close and, honestly, were two of the most powerful family names. He had always believed you two to be destined.”
“But I rejected him?”
Memphis didn’t have to say anything more but looked at her with hollow eyes.
Emory looked down at her shoes. “I rejected the now Mad King, who once believed that we should have ruled Kiero together.”
Memphis sighed. “That’s exactly why you hold the most power over him. Not only does your ability trump his, but you are the only person who can reach him. He has never let you go, Emory.”
Ice settled over her heart, strong and unveiling. She stared down the hallway as she walked, processing everything. Memphis followed more slowly, giving her space.
She whirled around. “Why did I say no to Adair? It sounds like we were really close.” Her heart thundered, her gut twisting.
Memphis’s gaze roamed over her face, lips, and trailing. His silence said enough. His look said enough. Heat crawled up her neck, and she pushed forward, not knowing what to say.
Did she have feelings for Memphis once?
If that was true, she had left him to love a ghost, a memory. Pushing the thought down, Emory didn’t know what to say. There was no time to dwell on what could have been if she had stayed.
Memphis clearly sensed her discomfort and, thankfully, broke the silence. “We’ll just pick up some bows. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us.”A small twitch sneaked out the corner of his mouth, and she sighed internally.
It wouldn’t be awkward.
The armory was located at the end of the hallway and was like an iron cave. Rows upon rows of steel blades, armor, and bows hung neatly. Coolness washed over them, and Memphis instantly lit up when he started rummaging through a small carved chest, murmuring to himself.
Emory stood, surveying his back as he looped strange clear goggles and straps over his arm. “What exactly do we need these for?”
Chuckling, he winked over his shoulder. “You asked to see all the parts of Kiero, and though seeing every inch of it is impossible right now, I can show you something beautiful.”
Something beautiful?
Several minutes of collecting items later, a slender bow strapped over her shoulder, and a quiver full of arrows, they left the armory. Memphis held the goggles, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.
As they walked, Emory looked at the building around her. Patches of older looking brick peeked out from below the windowsills.
“You guys did a lot of work here,” Emory stated.
Memphis shot her a look. “After Adair took the throne, not only was Kiero ravaged by looting raiders and the dabarnes, but the countryside was assaulted with waves of unexplainable destructive magic. Gases that have wiped out cities, explosives that have destroyed whole forests. Alby has observed it while on his scouts, so over the years we have reinforced the Academy with lots of kieroian steel. In case we are in line with one of these attacks, it will protect us. The metal absorbs the impact, making it stronger.”
Chewing the inside of her cheek, Emory nodded. “That’s reassuring.”
Reaching the end of the hallway and at the elevator, Memphis pressed a worn button and glanced at her. “Emory, what do you see when you look around you?”
“A war zone,” she replied.
“But, past that? Past the loss and the hiding and the divide, what do you see?”
Mulling this over, clasping her forearms, the gates groaned open in
