I could see by the haunted look in his eye that he was being serious. It wasn’t an idle suggestion. He meant what he was saying.
I squeezed his hand tighter in mine and smiled at him.
“If you let an enemy like the Changelings do what they want, if you let them walk all over you and don’t put up a fight, they will never let us live in peace,” I said. “I’ve known enough bullies in my life to know that. The only chance at peace we have is in the hands of these chieftains. If they can’t come together, if they can’t find peace between them, we’ve already lost.”
My response wasn’t a surprise to him. Still, he looked disappointed. He turned to face the stage where the chieftains were now in each other’s faces, and so was the audience, growing even more belligerent and aggressive. They began to shove each other. A couple even pulled out weapons.
It was going to be a slaughter.
“For our future then,” Fiath said.
He released my hand and stepped through the crowd, heading toward the stage.
“Wait!” I said. “Where are you going? Fiath? Fiath?”
No one stopped him or prevented him from climbing the steps to the stage. They were too busy preparing to fight each other.
The chieftains paused when they saw him approach. They glanced at his hands and body for weapons. He had none.
His appearance, at least, had stopped them from fighting.
My heart was in my throat. What did Fiath think he was doing?
He was going to get caught in the crossfire and get seriously hurt.
Or worse.
“And who are you, friend?” Qi said, a small smile on his face.
“I am a lone and weary traveler,” Fiath said.
“Which tribe do you belong to?” M’rar Thres said.
“I belong to every Titan tribe,” Fiath said calmly. “The same as all of you. We are brothers. We are sisters. We’re here to fight the enemy, not each other.”
Even the audience had paused to watch the scene taking place.
“For hundreds of years, we’ve fought bravely against each other,” Fiath said. “For power, for glory. Sometimes for the fight itself. Now we must fight for all those things. But it must be together. We cannot let our petty squabbles defeat us. We must destroy the Changelings.”
Qi snorted and shook his head.
“And who do you think is going to lead us?” he said. “I will not bow to M’rar Thres, and he and Nus will not bow to me. I respect A’nshon but even he can’t unite all the tribes.”
“You must follow the one true leader of all Titans,” Fiath said simply.
“And who’s that?” Nus said.
“The emperor,” Fiath said.
Qi waved a hand dismissively.
“The emperor is dead,” he said.
“He’s not dead,” Fiath said.
“We all saw the attack,” Qi growled. “No one could survive that. You’re a fool to think anyone could.”
Despite his harsh words, his sadness and desperation were etched on his face. Even he respected the emperor.
Fiath paused a moment and turned to look into the crowd.
At me.
His expression was concealed by his hood and I wondered what he was thinking.
“The emperor did die,” Fiath said with a nod. “Then, he was reborn.”
He reached for his hood and pulled it back, revealing his gorgeous face.
A gasp was torn from every Titan’s throat.
“It can’t be!” someone shouted at the opposite end of the room.
“He died! It’s impossible!”
The chieftains’ eyes dropped to Fiath’s wrists, looking for a band of skin. Of course, there was none. Fiath was not a Changeling.
The Titans whispered to each other.
“It’s the emperor!” they said. “It’s him! It’s the emperor!”
They dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves. An entire sea of Titans fell to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor.
Nus and M’rar Thres immediately dropped to their knees too. Qi and A’nshon remained standing. They were most powerful chieftains and less likely to want to give up their power.
They shared an uncertain look.
“How… How do we know you’re the real Emperor?” A’nshon said, voice shaking with reverence.
“Do you doubt your own eyes?” Fiath said. Then he spoke with a strong and steely voice. “Do you question me?”
A’nshon dropped to his knees.
Only Qi remained. The most powerful and aggressive.
“I… I saw the explosion,” he gibbered. “Every… Everyone said you were dead.”
His voice was full of pain and anger.
“We mourned you,” he said. “The entire empire mourned you. And you’re still alive?”
He wasn’t being angry or combative, I realized. Tears shimmered in his eyes and his voice shook. His knees smacked the floor hard and he bellowed: “The emperor has returned! Long may he reign!”
“Long may he reign! Long may he reign! Long may he reign!”
The entire hall erupted with the mantra.
Fiath and I were the only people still on their feet. Me, just barely. My knees felt weak and could have collapsed at any moment.
He looked at me, with the Titans—his Titans!—prostrated around him as far as the eye could see. He looked unsure. He didn’t know how I would react.
Neither did I.
With tears in my eyes—but for entirely different reasons than the Titans—I turned and ran.
Somehow, my feet found their way back to our room. I never could have done it consciously. I was too busy reliving the past twenty minutes of my life.
I couldn’t stop pacing. I ran my hands through my hair and shook my head. I even screamed.
How was this possible?
How did I not know who he was?
Because you aren’t a Titan.
He was so burnt and battered and bruised, even his people hadn’t recognized him.
Then why hadn’t he told me earlier?
I kicked the bed and immediately regretted it. I hissed through my teeth and rubbed my toe.
Why did he let me discover the truth like that?
Why did he let me fall in love with him?
I dumped myself on the bed and cried openly into my hands.
It was the shock more than anything. It was an absolute and total
