Page 63 of The Ember and the Emerald

“Yes, my love.” She kissed his cheek and strode around the flames with the escort of ten on her heels. Upon reaching me, she wound her arm through mine and led me toward the exit.

As we entered the hallway, I nearly cried with happiness. Look at me, arm in arm with my mother. Her beloved honeysuckle and jasmine scent enveloped me, a comfort I’d missed with every fiber of my being after her disappearance.

“There’s something so familiar about you, Oracle,” she said, leading me slowly. So slowly. We passed other rooms in the catacombs, opulent areas with servants hard at work. “I think we’ve met before. Have we?”

Rather than answer flat out, I repeated her question. “Have we?”

“Hmm. The puzzle pieces are there but scattered,” she muttered.

I tamped down the urge to lean my head on her shoulder, tighten my hold on her, and spill every secret I’d ever kept from her. But I was set to leave in an hour and hunt down the Ember able to save her. Making such a life-altering announcement could derail those plans. I mean, really. Surprise! I might be the baby in your belly.

“Perhaps we met before King Ahav found you.” I could think of no better way to introduce the subject. “The time before you lost your memory.”

Stiffness invaded her limbs. “Perhaps.” She didn’t elaborate, as I hoped. “Tell me about the monstra you came with.” The command of a royal assured of her power.

I flowed with her. “His name is J—Tinman.” I wouldn’t break my promise to him, even though she was my mother. “He saved my life more than once, and now I’m trying to save his. Along with finding the Ember and saving the kingdom, of course.”

“I’m still reeling over Ian’s betrayal,” she said and sighed, slowing our pace even more, drawing out our interaction. “I’m having trouble reconciling the evil Ian you painted, the very one who sent that atrocious note, versus the honorable guardian I’ve known these past two years.”

In this, I could be totally transparent. “He’s very good at pretending. But if he has his way, he’ll kill you and the king and rule in your place, using the people’s fear of the monstra to maintain strict control.” Mandatory decapitations for the smallest of crimes. “What reason does Ian have to hate King Ahav?”

“I can think of none.” We reached my chamber door and stopped. Facing me, she clasped my hands in hers. Concern etched her delicate features. “His father worked for Ahav’s father, so they grew up together. They share interests, histories, and hopes.”

Had he concealed his wickedness all along, playing the long con, as my dad accused Jasher, or had something changed him?

Unwilling to let this moment end just yet, I probed deeper. “Anything else you can tell me will only help our quest. Details about your time before Ahav. Memories of Ian, his father, the renovation of the catacombs. Tidbits about the Ember, King Morris, or Andrea.”

Her nose crinkled. “I’ve tried to remember my life before Ahav. Nothing has helped. He believes I come from the otherworld, and maybe I do. But I’m a citizen of Hakeldama now. I told you everything I know about Ian. His father and the renovation unearthed only a handful of murals Ahav’s father destroyed. Talk of the Ember, King Morris, and Andrea has always made me uneasy, so we do not discuss them often.”

A new question to add to my growing list. Why had my grandfather destroyed the murals?

“Just…promise me you’ll guard my Ahav,” she beseeched. “Besides my baby, he’s all I have. My only family.”

Pangs threatened to rip me in two. “I promise, I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe.” I hoped the truth of my words gave her comfort. Honestly, I would die before I allowed harm to come to him, and thereby my mother.

“Thank you.” She squeezed my hands. “He’s precious to me.” Love glowed in her eyes when she smiled and rasped, “I cannot lose him as I lost—” She frowned, shook her head. “Someone. Who?”

Was she starting to remember?

Before she could stop me, I hugged her, clinging to the mother I loved and missed.

She’d told me the last time we were together, I’d confessed the king would die if we failed to find the Ember. This time, I swallowed the warning. Nothing would stop me from finding it, so, there was no reason to worry her.

Instead I simply whispered, “Be well, Sandrine.”

After a short hesitation, she hugged me back. Clinging as if she knew who I was, deep inside. “You, too, Oracle.”

When I could stand the emotion of it all no longer, I fled into my room. Maybe nothing had changed. Maybe everything had. But I had a purpose now, my goal clearer than ever. Fix everything or die trying.

19

GIVE ME BRAINS

Jasher, alive and well—check.

Kevin—lying down, as if resting.

The rocks—some in pieces.