Her stomach sank. “What does that mean?”
“It means that whoever did this—” She waved her fingers at Emmery who offered her hand once more. “They willed it themselves. This wasn’t crafted by the gods. It was made. Sculpted by,mmm, I’m not sure.”
Emmery’s breath quickened. “What can you tell me about it, Reize? Because I want only one thing. And that’s to be rid of it. I want it gone.” It had to be erased. She had no other choice.
For a tense heartbeat, Reize quietly drummed her fingers on Emmery’s palm. “Then I have bad news, dear.”
“No, come on. There has to be—gods, there must besomeway.”
“I’m afraid this bond, with how it was sealed, cannot be severed. Even by death. It’s the phrase that was used and something about the mixing of your blood.” She blinked once, twice, and on the third she said, “There isn’t much I can tell you, aside from its phrase and intentions.”
Emmery stared down at Aera and stroked her soft fur, desperate for more information, but scared of it. Her jaw tightened as she said, “Please.”
“The phrase that was used,” she tapped her finger on the bond and wiggled her nose, “wasMolh havan za vania. Una brelle aspretto.Senta el mio.”
A winded sigh slipped from Emmery. It sounded much prettier when Dez said it. “What does it mean?”
“It’s ancient Calmalian. Not many speak it anymore, but—” She leapt up to search her bookshelf once more until she pulled another text. As Reize flipped through the pages, Emmery chewed her cheek until it matched her bleeding finger. “It’s a version of an idiom but tailored.”
Dez loved his idioms it seemed.Vera da mieste.
Reize dramatically cleared her throat. “It says, ‘Beyond life, beyond death, beyond my last breath, I will wait—heart, body, and soul, I’m forever yours.’” Then she clapped the book shut and set it on the table as if she hadn’t just dropped an earth-shattering bomb.
Emmery’s stomach hit the floor, her heart along with it. The phrase was undeniably familiar. She swallowed past her dry throat, and dared ask, “And the intention?”
Reize pulled her mouth to the side. “Some things come through as images. Hands reaching in a dark room. There’s music, and black, gold, red, and silver. But I can tell you there was one force behind this. And it’s so strong, so potent, I have never felt another like it.”
In a broken voice, Emmery asked, “What is it?”
She’d been sure Dez had used her. Manipulated her as Nathaniel did. As Vesper had. How everyone she’d ever trusted had hurt her.
“Something most don’t have the privilege of glimpsing in this lifetime, let alone touch or hold.” Reize’s smile leaned a little sad, wistful even.
Emmery’s breath caught, and her chest was a fish on a hook, a leaf suspended in the wind.
“Love.” Her entire world narrowed on that one word. “It was forged by love, Emmery. And though I can see it in your eyes, my dear, it’s a road that meets in the middle. A window or a door. A bridge or a tunnel. And you two stand on either side of it. But it always connects.”
Emmery blinked hard, trying to process hearing what she already knew. What she already felt and now, could no longer deny.
Because there it was: right or wrong, steady or faltering.
Her truth.
“You always have and always will,” Reize said. “Together.”
Before Emmery could filter her thoughts, Reize added, “There is only one way to break the bond. One power that undoes all things. And it happens to flow through your veins.” She released Emmery’s hand and drummed her fingers on the splintered wood. “But you should know it has consequences, as all things do.”
Juno’s breaths misted the air as Emmery rode through the night well, into the day, and the following setting sun. And as she travelled, Vesper’s words rang through her head.
Promise me that in all this, the prophecy and finding this man, you won’t lose yourself. The gods may have carved this path for you, but don’t follow it if it doesn’t suit you. Make your own path. Fucking claw it into the ground with your bare hands if you need to.
Bleary eyed, she stumbled into Blackdawn Castle. When she spotted Brennen, she stalked over and threw her arms around him.
“You’re no longer angry about the Council?”he asked.
Face buried in his fur, she mumbled, “Oh no, I’m still furious. But I’m not here to see you.” She lifted her head and glanced around the empty foyer. “Is Dez here?”
Brennen offered a skeptical look. “He left about two hours ago.Why?”