Page 63 of Lies That Blemish
‘I feel like I’ve failed myself,’I said. We were both coming to terms with the fact that I was doing this. I was literally flying into enemy territory to marry an evil man against my will.
‘You could never fail me. I know it will be hard, but I want you to drop me off at the capital and then fly back to help Kohen. If Maxim allows it…’
‘I don’t know if I can leave you,’she admitted.
I nodded, my heart pinching.‘I know, but I have to think of my sister. She’s terrified and alone. I have to also think of my people. Kohen will need your help. You will be of no help to me. Maxim will make sure of that.’
We passed another rider just hovering in the air, giving me a smug look as I passed.
‘This reminds me of the Great Fall,’she said, and I bristled. She never spoke of it, but maybe now she was ready.
‘How so?’I pried a little, ready to respect her if she went quiet or changed the subject.
‘My grandmother found her mate, a firebird from a less respected tribe. He had a humble family name and was not seen as powerful, but she loved him—she chose him.’
My heart pinched at her words.
‘We mate for life. Once you choose, that is it. The bond is forever. But the council had other ideas. She was our tsarina and could only mate the best.’
‘What happened?’I was so enthralled in the story that I hardly cared that I was flying through Luska soldier after soldier.
‘They mated, had my mother, then my mother mated and had me. When you are immortal, long stretches of time are not a factor. So, for the first few hundred years, the council allowed my mother’s mating.’
Allowed. I didn’t like the sound of that.
‘Until war came knocking. A rival nation led by a male ruler set his sights on my grandmother. Offered peace for her… hand in marriage, as you would say.’
Ahh, now I could see how this story reminded her of what I was currently going through.
She was silent a while, reflecting, no doubt. I didn’t want to push her, but I was desperate for the ending of this story.
‘And…?’I added after a few minutes.
‘Things got bad. This male did dark things to force the council’s hand. They killed my grandmother’s mate in order to try to force her to mate bond with this new male.’
I gasped.‘Is that possible? You said you mated for life.’
‘We do mate for life, not cemented by a ring or wedding vows but by a spiritual bonding, a sealing of two souls that is hard to describe.’
I stroked her neck.‘That’s okay. I understand. So what happened to your grandmother? Did she marry the rival male?’
I felt a profound sadness fill Liana.‘She did not. She was set to step down, make me tsarina, but the second she found out the council killed her mate for political gain, she…’
Liana stopped talking, and I was enraptured with anticipation for the ending of the story.
Stars, don’t let her stop here!
‘She exploded, lashing out with every ounce of her power, which is the greatest my people have ever known. The reaction caused a tear in the fabric of space and created what you call the fire sky.’
What!
As if I couldn’t be any more shocked than I was.‘What do you call it?’
‘The sky portal,’she said quietly.
My eyes nearly fell out of my head.‘Liana, what are you saying?’
‘I’m saying, young one, that the sky portal leads to my world.’
