“Your council does not care for your lives,” he continued, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “And we refuse to allow them to use the Veythar as a shield for their rot.”
The grey-haired woman from the front row slapped her palm against the wood of the platform. “How can you promise that, Master? War takes everyone!”
He looked down at her and nodded. “We have given you our word. Now, it is between the people and the High Court to decide the next move.”
“Is it true, Master Veyr?” a young man called out, raising a flickering torch. “Are you and Lady Kaelia truly bound?”
Talon looked down at me, his eyes warming until the blue glow seemed to soften. “I will let my woman do the talking.”
I could not look at the crowd, not when this man looked at me like I was the only thing left in a burning world. Instead of words, I rose on my toes and pressed my lips to his.
The sigh that left me was entirely involuntary, and the feeling of being in his arms again had a tear rolling down my cheek.
“I love you,” I whispered against his lips. “In this lifetime and everyone after.”
He growled low in his throat, his hands dropping to my waist to pull me even closer. “Forever, little flame. And even that is not long enough.”
The world vanished for a moment—the rain, the guards, the mob—until a furious shriek from the Great Hall shattered the peace. I fell back onto my heels, turning to find Evander’s projection vibrating with rage, his face a furious red.
“Kaelia Vaser!” he roared. “You are hereby exiled from Haelen. If you are ever seen crossing the bridge again, you will be executed on sight!”
A phantom pain twisted in my chest. I would never forage these woods again. I would never see the familiar glow of my family’s hearth. But as I looked at Talon, the weight of the lossfelt small. I would not barter my soul for a cage, no matter how familiar the bars.
I turned back to the crowd, my spine straight. “Let this be an example of what a true bond looks like. The Sayel knows no bounds—Veythar or mortal—and I hereby declare that Umbral will no longer accept the bound who are discarded by this city!”
A loud roar of cheers escaped the crowd. Talon smiled down at me proudly, bringing an excited flush to my cheeks, and led me down the stairs.
As we descended, hands clapped on our shoulders, and heads bowed.
“Kaelia! Kaelia!”
We walked through the tunnel of Veythar, the dark cloaks forming a wall of protection that did not end until we reached the mouth of the bridge.
In the furthest corner, huddled against the river’s edge, I saw them.
I broke from Talon’s hold and lunged forward. My mother’s arms were around me before I could speak, her breath hot and rattling against my neck.
“Go,” my father rasped, his hand landing on my shoulder. “Go, and do not look back, Kaelia.”
“I will find a way,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. “I will find a way back to you.”
“No,” my mother sobbed, pulling back just enough to frame my face in her trembling hands. “Just live. You stay on that side of the water and you live.”
I looked over at Lyra. She offered a watery smile, her face pale against the dark sky. I screwed my eyes shut, the reality of the bridge—the border between my past and my future—finally settling in.
“I love you all,” I rasped.
My mother cried, her thin arms wrapping across her stomach. My father draped his arm across her shoulder, tucking her face into his side and smoothing out her hair.
“We are proud of you, Kaelia,” he said, his voice thick. “Even if you have given us the fright of our lives.”
I bit my lip, forcing back the mention of the witch and the lies that had led us here.
“Goodbye,” I whispered, turning toward the bridge where Talon waited, his hand extended, ready to lead me into the dark.
43
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE