Elmerah shook her head. “He needed the magic to open it, not to use or maintain it. Even after Egrin was dead and the cauldron destroyed, it remained open.”
“So then we find a way to close it,” Rissine decided.
Elmerah’s entire body tensed at the thought. That would mean clearing out the cavern—going back down there . . . but it would also mean finding Egrin’s body. Assuring herself that he was actually gone. She knew without that proof, the nightmares would haunt her forever. She would always be jumping at shadows, wondering if one would turn out to be him.
She felt Alluin watching her as she finally nodded. “We will discuss it with Saida.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just wait until she embarks for the Helshone?” Rissine asked. “I imagine we don’t want Malon anywhere near the portal, and it seems where she goes, he goes.”
It was a thought, but she really wasn’t sure they could close the portal without Saida. She just didn’t know enough about it. Perhaps if they could locate the Fogfaun . . .
Alluin’s hand alighted upon her shoulder. “We should all get some rest. The decision will be clearer in the morning.”
Everyone nodded their agreement.
Alluin helped her stand, but she gestured for him to wait just a moment more. She looked down at her sister. “Once the portal is taken care of, where do you intend to go?”
Her sister tilted her head. “I intended to ask you the same question.”
She took a deep breath, trying to still the first flutter of panic. Now that Egrin was finally dead, there was something she could no longer ignore. She had no home. Now that she had fulfilled her purpose, she had nowhere to go.
She imagined Celen would want to return to the clan he had left behind in Faerune. That’s where Saida eventually would go too. Killian would return to the Illuvian forest, now that his people were safe. Isara would remain in the Capital. Alluin—he had his people. He had his sister and Vail. They had accomplished what they set out to do . . . would he now wish to part ways?
All that remained was her sister. But she and Rissine were strangers in this land—their own people turned against them. Joining up with Celen’s clan held little appeal. Being stared at like an enemy as the Capital was rebuilt held even less.
She realized everyone was watching her, waiting for her reply. “I will figure it out when the time comes.”
Her sister watched her closely, but nodded. “If you try to run from me again, I will find you.”
She let out a weak laugh. “Yes, I believe you.”
She turned away with Alluin, ready to find a soft bed, though she feared the nightmares that would come soon after.
Rissine’s question plagued her as they walked down the hall, and Celen excused himself to find a little sparrow. She had just saved the Empire from demonic ruin—or she had at least played her part— and now everyone who’d depended on her would have no further use for her magic. She wouldn’t be needed at all.
Elmerah had little trouble finding an unoccupied chamber near Rissine’s. Most of the Makali had chosen to set up camp in the courtyard, and the keep was massive. The majority of the rooms would remain empty.
Alluin followed her into the chamber, shutting the door behind himself.
Her eyes burned as she thought of asking him the same question Rissine had to put to her. Would he return to the forests to rebuild his clan? Would he go off in search of a normal life?
She smoothed her hand across the heavy brocade coverlet. The bed frame was heavy oak, accented with two side tables and a large armoire pushed against the opposite wall. The window, its light slowly dimming as evening fell, was framed by thick emerald curtains.
Feeling nervous, she walked toward them. “Better not let Rissine see these. She might try to make a new coat out of them.”
She sensed him right behind her, then his hands lightly gripped her arms. He gently turned her around. “About Rissine’s question—”
She held up her hand. “You don’t have to make me feel better. I’m used to having nowhere to go.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He smoothed his hands up and down her arms, observing her expression. “I just wanted to say . . . you can choose. I don’t care where we go from here.”
Her throat felt tight. “We?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it, stepping back and letting his hands fall. “I apologize, I shouldn’t have assumed. You might have plans that have nothing to do with me.”
“You thought we would continue on together after this?”
“I just assumed.” He took another step back.
She hated the sudden hurt in his eyes, but it also told her all she needed to know. She moved toward him, closing the space between them. “You know, the entire time I was in Egrin’s cage, I never once doubted that you would come for me.” She took another step, putting herself close enough to sense his warmth. “When I thought I was going to die, I was simply glad you were still alive.”
He searched her face, his expression wary, then he shook his head. “When Egrin took you—”
She gave him a soft smile. “I know.”
“When I saw you standing before that cauldron—”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “I know.” She removed her finger, then pressed her lips against his.
She had a terrible moment where she thought he would not kiss her back, then his arms clamped around her and pulled her close, deepening the kiss.
When he finally pulled back, she was left breathless, her thoughts swimming like a dizzying whirlpool. She inhaled deeply, then managed to say, “You know, when people see us together, they are going to stare.”
He tightened his arms around her, pulling her close. “Elmerah, I have faced Akkeri, Dreilore, and demons for you. I can handle a few stares.”
She laughed, then kissed him again. Suddenly, not having a physical home was entirely unimportant. The only home she needed was right in front of her. She felt it when he kissed her, and when they finally went to sleep in each other’s arms. She didn’t need to belong anywhere else. Home was right in front of her all along.
Chapter Nineteen
Saida
Saida’s eyes were so tired she had to hunch over the map just to make out the old borders. Candles burned along the edge of the table, and sconces lit the high walls of what was once Egrin’s war room. Isara sat across from her, while Daemon had long since retired. The Makali clan leaders had gone too, while Brosod remained.
“We can extend this border here,” Isara was saying, pointing to a line just north of Faerune. “Those lands are largely unused, and there should be enough lumber for future construction.”
Saida rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Perhaps we can form a treaty with the Nokken to expand further east, though it will be difficult to convince the remains of the High Council after what happened.”
While she looked forward to seeing her father, she dreaded the arguments she would be having with Cornaith and Immril once she returned home. They would not want Malon, the Nokken, or anyone else within what remained of Faerune. And she did not blame them. They had accepted the Arthali grudgingly, but only because the Arthali had never directly gone to war against them.
Malon’s hand on her shoulder startled her. “You should rest. You can finish negotiating the new borders in the morning.”
She looked up into his silver eyes reflecting the flamelight. “We have limited time, and much to do.”
“And it is not your task to do all of it.”
With a heavy sigh, she looked toward Isara. “I suppose he’s right.”
Isara pushed up her newly acquired spectacles. In her simple, cream-colored gown with her curls all askew, she looked like anything but an empress. The Makali would support her for now, but they could not remain forever. Could this strange girl with demon blood in her veins really rebuild an empire? Would the people accept her as their leader?
“We should all rest,” Isara decided. “Tomorrow is likely
to prove . . . trying for us all.”
It was a vast understatement. Isara would need to address what remained of the people of the Capital. Repairs would be planned, the lingering dead would be burned. Ships would be sent out to see what became of the Akkeri—they had departed, but that was all that was known. Had Hotrath been killed? Was their curse finally broken?
“Saida,” Malon said, regaining her attention. He took a step back and offered his hand. He still wore his simple charcoal gray clothing, with the circlet upon his brow. He had been the only one to not end the day ragged and bloody. How many had he killed with no retribution?
She took his hand and stood, saying farewell to Isara and Brosod. Her own clothes were undamaged, though she was dying for a bath.
Malon held her fingers gently, leading her out of the war room and down the hall, stopping along the way to light a lantern instead of summoning his usual wisplight. A chamber had been assigned to her earlier, but she quickly requested she be moved to the room next to Elmerah’s. If anything happened, if the portal reopened, or if Egrin wasn’t really dead—
She wanted to remain near her friend.
They ascended the steps, then walked silently down another hall, the lantern casting long shadows on the stone walls. The keep was so quiet, she knew it must be late, but she had lost track of the hours. She felt ready to collapse by the time they reached her door.
Malon stepped ahead of her to open it, peering inside to make sure all was safe and clear. Once he had deemed the room acceptable, he moved inside and set the lantern on a low table.
She walked toward the bed, then turned to find him lingering, showing no plans to leave. “Surely you don’t intend to watch me sleep.”
Shadows seemed to dance in his eyes. “Of course not, it’s just—”
The hesitation in his tone caught her off guard. He normally spoke with such authority. It made her soften her next words. “What is it?”
He glanced out toward the empty hall, then quietly shut the door and moved toward her. “It’s just—” He splayed his hands wide. “You have what you wanted. Faerune is safe. A new alliance will be formed with the Capital, and now with the Makali.”
His words made her heart beat a little faster. She had an idea what he was getting at, and she wished he wouldn’t ask.
“I’m just wondering what you intend to do after we keep our promise to the Makali. Will you assume your mother’s position on the High Council?”
There it was, the question many more would ask of her in the coming days. She would be expected to join the High Council, to sit up in the High Temple, making decisions for her people and doling out rewards and punishments where needed. Even just the thought of a life like that made her sick to her stomach. Not that it was a bad life—it was an honor—but it had never been what she wanted.
“I see you have considered it,” he said, reading her expression.
She slumped down onto the bed. “It’s what’s expected of me.”
“But?”
She buried her face in her hands, then muttered, “What of you? What do you intend to do?”
The bed shifted as he sat beside her. “When all of this began, I wanted a better life in Faerune. I wanted a home that would not cast out any it deemed unacceptable. I believe that if you take your seat on the High Council, that dream will be a reality.”
She lifted her head to watch his face, noting his pained expression.
“Even so, I know I will never be welcome there. I knew as much from the start, but it seemed worth the price. To know I had brought about such change, even if I could not directly be a part of it.”
“And now?”
He laughed softly. “I thought this conversation was supposed to be about you.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. She had no idea what she wanted, she only knew what she didn’t want. “I don’t want to join the High Council. I don’t want to go back to my sheltered life. I want to see the world. I want to stay with my friends.” She removed the circlet from her hair, twirling it in her hands. “But I don’t know what to do with this.” She held it up. “After we bring life to the desert . . . how can we go back to anything resembling the lives we lived before?”
He gently took the circlet from her, placing it upon the bed before taking one of her hands in his. “We could always remain in the Helshone for a time. I know Brosod would be happy to have you.”
Oddly, the idea appealed to her. She longed to see her father, to ask his advice, but beyond that . . . a docile life behind the crystal walls felt like a prison. She was not the same girl who had first run away, only to be kidnapped by pirates.
“You should rest,” Malon said softly. “We have many tasks before us, and after that,” he smiled, “I’m sure things will fall into place.”
He gave her hand a squeeze, then set it in her lap and stood, moving toward the door. He opened it, and she was almost able to let him go without another word, but the look in his eyes tonight had bothered her. She knew she shouldn’t care, but—
“Malon?”
He turned with the door ajar.
“Even if we did go back, if you weren’t welcome in Faerune, I would leave with you.”
He stared at her, his face unreadable. Finally, he asked, “Why? I kidnapped you. I put you in danger.”
She had the urge to look down at her lap, but forced herself to meet his eyes. She wasn’t a little girl anymore, blushing at uncomfortable situations. “Because I remember the guardsman who saved me that day in the snow. You may not remember him, but I do.”
He gave her a soft smile. He wasn’t the person he once was, none of them were. Perhaps that was the point.
“Goodnight, Saida.” He stepped into the hall and shut the door behind him.
She stared at it for a long while after he departed, then she lifted the circlet from the bed. She angled the moonstones so they caught the lantern light.
Please, Cindra, she thought. Tell me what to do next.
She waited in tense silence, but there was no reply.
Elmerah
Elmerah wasn’t sure what woke her, but when she stepped into the hall she found her sister had risen too. The hall was dark save a hint of moonlight, but it was enough to see Rissine peering her way.
“Do you feel it?” she whispered.
She nodded. Oddly throbbing magic echoed through the halls. It set her teeth on edge.
The next door down the other direction of the hall opened, then Saida stepped out, quickly spotting them. “Something is wrong.”
“What’s happening?” Alluin asked just behind Elmerah, making her jump.
Rissine’s eyes widened. “What are you doing in my sister’s room?” But then Zirin’s head poked out from her open doorway, and she quickly shut her mouth.
“It’s this way,” Saida interrupted. She padded barefoot down the hall. She still wore her clothing from earlier, with her hair pulled back into a long braid. Loose tendrils trailed in her wake.
Cursing under her breath, Elmerah hurried to follow, abandoning any thoughts of retrieving her boots. She wasn’t about to let Saida out of her sight. Alluin and the others followed after her.
As Saida led them down the stone steps leading to the main level, Elmerah couldn’t keep her hands from trembling. She already knew where they were going.
She took Alluin’s hand as they reached the crumbled opening in the floor leading to the ruined cavern. Another female figure had arrived first.
Isara looked over her shoulder at them. “I sensed it. It woke me. I think someone is trying to use it.”
Every instinct Elmerah possessed screamed at her to run. To turn around and be done with this place. Be done with demons and empires and everything else. “We have to go down there,” her voice shook. As much as she wanted to run, if the portal was being used, they had to stop it.
Isara nodded.
No one argued. They had not come this far to turn away now.
Together, they climbed over r
uined stones, making their way down toward the white light. Elmerah almost felt like she was floating, like her mind was trying to prevent her from facing her fears directly. She climbed down without hardly thinking, and suddenly she was there, within what remained of the cavern. It was only a third of what it had been before, most of the ground now buried in rubble. She didn’t see Egrin’s body or the remains of the cauldron—they were still buried.
Her attention drifted toward the portal lighting the cavern. Someone stood in front of that white light, moonstones glinting at his brow.
“Malon,” Saida gasped, “what are you doing?” She took a step toward him, but Elmerah grabbed her arm, holding her back.
Malon slowly turned toward them. White light lined his features. “You said it yourself, Saida. How can we possibly go back to the life we knew before? How can we be content when we know there is more to be had?” He turned back toward the portal. “Aren’t you curious where this leads? What it could be used for?”
Elmerah could feel Saida’s trembling where she still gripped her arm. “You promised to take me to my father, and then to the Helshone.”
“The High Council will have me killed, Saida. There’s nothing you can do about that. The moment I am rendered powerless, they will see to my demise.”
Before anyone could answer, sunlight flared through the cavern, blinding them. Saida tore free from Elmerah’s grasp. She blinked the stars out of her eyes just in time to see Malon pulling Saida through the portal.
She opened her mouth to cry out her friend’s name, but the words died in her throat. Malon and Saida disappeared in the white light, then the portal winked out of existence. The cavern turned pitch black.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Rissine groaned. “We should have killed him while we had the chance.”
Elmerah blinked in the darkness. It had all happened so quickly. “We never had the chance, and he knows it. He’s making sure we never do. But why did he have to take her?”
Empire of Demons (The Moonstone Chronicles Book 4) Page 18