Page 69 of Up In Flames
“Oh, fuck,” I whispered and stopped short.
“Sally,” Kel said.
“She doesn't see him.” Xae pointed at Aranren. “Understood?”
I nodded.
“Who's Sally?” Aranren whispered.
“Oh, just one of the children you kidnapped, then orphaned,” Kel drawled.
Ara's face went white.
“Kel!” I hissed.
He just shrugged.
“That could have been me, Keltyr!” I said. “Would you be treating me like this if I had done those things while possessed by Death?”
Kel winced.
“It's all right, Ember,” Ara said. “I'm just happy to be free of Death. Their scorn is a small price to pay.”
“Aranren?” the Emperor's voice came from down the hall.
All of us turned to find the Emperor standing in a doorway, half into the hall. He looked back and said, “I'll be right back, my darling. Uncle Agal will keep you company until then.”
“All right, Daddy!” Sally said.
Ara's eyes widened as he whispered, “Daddy?”
The Emperor shut the door and strode slowly down the corridor until he stood before Ara. “Aranren?” He looked down at the manacles, then back at Ara's face. “It's you, isn't it? The real you.”
“Yes, my friend. It's good to see you without Death's darkness weighing upon me.”
“You knew,” I whispered.
The Emperor's golden stare shot to me. “Yes, of course. I've always known that Aranren was innocent.”
“Why didn't you tell us?!”
“Ember, he couldn't,” Ara said. “He knew he had to defeat me. It didn't matter that I was being controlled. There was no way to save me. Not that he knew of. Telling his soldiers that I was innocent would have only weakened them.” He looked back at the Emperor. “So you bore that burden alone. I'm so sorry, Sarthares.”
“No, I'm sorry, my friend.” The Emperor's eyes filled with tears as he pulled Ara into an embrace. “I gave up on you when I obviously shouldn't have.”
With his wrists chained together, Ara couldn't return the embrace, but he did lay his cheek on the Emperor's shoulder. When I saw that, my chest clenched and a sliver of jealousy ranthrough me. It was ridiculous, especially with how many lovers I had, but love often is. I knew that Aranren had loved Sarthares. Probably still did. The Emperor never loved Aranren in that way, but he did as a friend. It was obvious to everyone in that hallway. And things change. All those years of regret could have turned into a longing for something he thought could never have.
The Emperor stood back and swiped at his eyes. “I will do everything in my power to free you, Aranren. But if I can't, you know what I must do.”
Aranren nodded. “If that's what must happen to end this, then so be it.”
“What?” I whispered. Then, much louder, I said, “You're not going to die!” To the Emperor, I said, “You're not killing him. I didn't bring him here for that.”
“It is only a last resort,” the Emperor said.
“It's no resort,” I shot back. “Not a first or a last or anything in between. I've already freed Aranren from Death. Now, I'm going to bond with him and give him access to Spirit. Spirit will make sure that Death never reclaims him.”
The Emperor blinked. His jaw fell open. He looked at Aranren. “That . . . may just work. Are you willing to do this, Aranren?”
