Page 80 of The Ember and the Emerald

Ahav sagged into the dirt and blinked, then jerked upright. Color returned to his flesh as his wounds wove together, disappearing altogether. “I see it!” Awe lit his face. His gaze found me. He eased upright, kissed my cheek, then laughed and hugged me. “I see the truth. I suspected, but now I know. You are her. My daughter. My beloved princess.”

I hugged him back, clinging. “Yes.”

“You are perfect and wonderful, and I will protect you. I know how now. At last, at last.” He held me tighter before jumping up, striding over and hugging Jasher, too, swinging the confused man around. “It’s so clear what I must do.”

I shot to a stand, floundering. “What’s clear?” I’d never been so happy and perplexed at the same time.

He gave my chin a little tap. “We all have a part to play, my precious Moriah, and I’ll play mine till the end. Return to the palace, and I’ll meet you there,” he instructed, bending to retrieve the array of weapons once hidden under his fallen form. “Tell the guards the path is marked in gold.”

Seriously? That was all I got? “Please. No more mysteries. Tell me everything now.”

He paused long enough to meet my gaze. “I’m the one who must die, so you can live.” In a hurry, he dashed the way we’d just come.

Jasher didn’t stop him, just watched him go.

Ahav planned to die? No. Not happening. There was no reason for his death. “We can’t let him go.” I grabbed Jasher’s hand, intending to follow the king. Out there by himself, in monstra territory, on monstra home turf, Ahav was at a serious disadvantage. He needed us.

But my Tinman snapped, “He’s a good warrior who has snuck in and out of the monstra strongholds many times. He’ll be fine. He said to meet him at the palace, so it’s safe to assume he will not let himself die before then. We require water, princess.”

Okay, good point. “My tears. I can⁠—”

“Your tears have already dried. We need a body of water. Go. Find it.”

The cuffs recognized Jasher’s voice as Ian’s proxy, forcing my body to obey his command without hesitation. He trailed me, sticking close, his promise now echoing inside my head.

Our tables will turn, princess, I swear it. I will be free…and you will be my prisoner.

Suspicions sparked. He’d saved me, but he still had plans for me, didn’t he?

“Open a waterway to my childhood home,” he commanded. “We’ll travel there together.”

The newest compulsion hit like a lightning strike, and I ground my teeth. Was I this irritating when I’d been the one at the helm? “I don’t even know where your childhood home is.”

“Doesn’t matter. The cuffs will take care of that.”

We approached a fork in the cavern, the sound of trickling water drawing me left. Then, suddenly, we were there, standing before a bubbling cenote, the haunting scent of limestone tinging every breath.

Want it more than air.

Without thought, I extended my arms toward the steaming water. The desire to leave this place frothed inside me. Though I spoke no commands and offered no instructions, the water broke into a slow whirl. As I watched, amazed, that whirl increased in intensity. Going faster, faster still, until the center sank, creating a funnel.

I walked into the void. Unlike before, I experienced no discombobulation. It felt as if I simply glided down a single step.

One moment I stood inside the cavern, the next I occupied an abandoned, surprisingly spacious hut with streams of sunlight cutting through small slits in the straw roof. Sparse furnishings: three small beds positioned side to side, a tub of water partially hidden by a sheet, a round table with four chairs, and a small kitchenette with a short counter, a sink, and a handful of shelves lined with dishes. A wood-burning stove filled with ash.

A great improvement from my last accommodations.

And just like that, my adrenaline crashed. Pain spiked from injuries I’d forgotten during the race to safety. Weakness invaded my limbs, quieting the hum of power beneath my skin. My knees quaked.

“Get comfortable,” Jasher muttered.

My legs carried me to the trio of beds, and I plopped onto the mattress of the closest with a sigh. “No wonder you hated me,” I mumbled.

For some reason he blurted out, “Malkom is Ian’s master, and Sin is Malkom’s.”

I rubbed my temples. No wonder Elowen considered the pair our biggest threat. “So. What’s your plan? Hold me prisoner forever?”

“Stay within this structure, and do not leave it,” he said, heading for the exit. “I will return.”