“The empress and a Tink? There is no way. It would’ve been far too scandalous. Not to mention highly illegal,” Addi stated, injecting herself into the conversation.
Wyatt thought about it for a few moments. “She might be right, Nev. It would never be allowed. Every aspect of a Tink’s life is closely monitored and controlled. I mean every aspect. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, though. It would explain the falling out between the empress and her fiancé, Malicus,” he suggested.
“Wyatt, do you hear what you are suggesting? Let’s say I believe the two of you and Nev is the heir to the Obsidian Throne. You are suggesting the real reason the coup happened was that Nev’s mom decided to have a child with a Tink. That she would risk her kingdom, her throne, and her life because of what, love? Empresses and emperors are not like us, they do things for power. Not love,” she concluded, sounding incredulous of their suggestion.
Nev shook her head. “He was a Tink. I know it,” she countered, feeling frustrated.
“Okay. Well, let’s just play this out then. The empress was engaged to Malicus at the time of the uprising, and we can all see how well that betrothal went. Maybe the empress did fall in love with a Tink in secret, and then they had Nev. Then the coup happened, and Nev and her father fled the capital. If Nev’s father was a Tink, that might have aided their escape. It also may have made things extra dangerous for them,” Wyatt theorized, still trying to piece it all together.
Nev had been listening to Wyatt and Addi’s debate over her parentage. You are the risk worth taking, recalled Nev. “I think my father knew what the risk would be and took it anyway. Not for power, but for love,” she concluded.
Addi shrugged. “Look, it sounds great. Perhaps you and your dad were… are Tinks, and maybe your dad really did risk everything for love. Even so, we are talking about reality and not just some bard’s tale. So, answer me this: Why would any actual empress risk so much?” she inquired.
Nev looked at Addi and gave her the only answer she had. “Because it was worth it,” she responded steadfastly.
Feeling Nev was getting agitated, Addi relented. She replied with a simple, “Maybe.”
Nev sighed and said, “Parts of things are starting to make more sense, but I still don’t know why my father and I escaped and my mother didn’t.”
Wyatt was playing with the dark black ring on his finger that Nev had given him. It hummed with a quiet power that he thought was likely invisible to anyone besides Tinks. “I think I do,” he offered softly. “Nev, do you remember what you said when you handed me this?” he asked.
Nev thought and replied, “Yes.”
Looking at Nev, Wyatt took her hands in his and pulled her close. “You told me that you should give it to the one you love and that with it, they would keep you close to their heart and far from danger,” he stated tenderly. “What if it is that simple?” suggested Wyatt.
Nev looked confused.
“When I thought the prowler might kill you, I didn’t know how I would keep you safe. I just knew that I loved you, and I had to find a way. I was so determined to find a way to shield you. I remember holding your hands and feeling nothing beyond my love for you and my desire to protect you,” he explained softly. “The next thing I remember, I was standing with you in my bedroom. A place where I had always felt safe and somewhere that had flashed in my mind a moment before. We were suddenly out of harm’s way, and I was with the woman I love.”
Tears rolled down Nev’s cheeks. “You saved me… again,” she stammered, her voice trembling. “But it shouldn’t be possible for a ring to… and if it can, then why did my mother not survive too?” asked Nev, feeling overwhelmed.
“I don’t know. I can feel the power confined within it. The same energy stirs within your amulet and dagger. But I still don’t understand how it works or why your mom didn’t make it. Maybe the ring only works for Tinkerers. I mean… you are half your father, and it seems obvious that you inherited that trait from him. So, maybe your mom couldn’t use the ring. Or maybe it only works for two people? Didn’t your father say he left the woman he loved to save you?” he asked gently.
The realization of the truth hit Nev hard. She felt her knees go weak and her head spin. “She died so I wouldn’t. They both died so I wouldn’t,” she whimpered, her voice barely audible. The weight of her mother and father’s sacrifice pulled on Nev’s heart, and she felt herself struggling to come to terms with it.
Wyatt hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. “Nev, please look at me,” Wyatt pleaded gently.
Nev shook her head in refusal and pulled away from him. Becoming very quiet, she walked to the other side of the camp and sat down with her back to Wyatt and Addi.
Addi felt herself feeling sincerely sorry for Nev. True or not, it was a lot to wrap one’s mind around. It was obvious Nev was taking all of it pretty hard. Earlier, Addi had been so sure of her assessment of Nev and of her brother’s relationship with her. She had pegged Nev as just some troublemaker that Wyatt had grown sweet for, but maybe she’d misjudged them both. Either way, Addi decided she should give her brother and Nev some privacy. Nodding towards Wyatt as she walked past him, Addi grabbed her crossbow and headed towards the shore.
Wyatt gave Addi and brief smile and nod as he watched her walk past them towards the
