Page 64 of Lies That Blemish
That revelation nearly made me fall off of her back.
‘We were told it was an asteroid or alien rock that brought you here,’I told her.
‘Close. Part of our world did break off, which is why we, older creatures who are ancient enough to remember, go along with that story. But it was my grandmother and her rage for the fallen love who was taken from her early.’
This revelation was blowing my mind, and the fact that Liana was probably the only Talanagi old enough to remember this was furthering my point.
‘All Talanagi? Are they from your world?’
She nodded.‘But my specific island is only firebirds.’
Wow. So when her grandmother exploded with magical rage, she’d pulled other creatures from outside her island and plummeted them here?
‘So if you flew through the fire sky…?’I asked her.
‘I tried a million times before I bonded you. I’d run out of air, die, rebirth. I’ve been trying to get back to my daughters since I fell.’
A sob formed in my throat at that admission. ‘Liana, you have daughters still alive up there?’
‘I hope so.’Her voice was sad.
My mind went back to what she’d just said.Before I bonded you.
‘And now that we bonded? You could theoretically breathe, right?’The entire reason creatures bonded us was to be able to leave the small confines of the Wilds and breathe outside. She could survive the fire aspect of the fire sky, or portal as she called it, but not the lack of air. But now she should be able to.
‘Theoretically,’she confirmed.
I could see the capital city coming into view, and even though I was worried about Victory, and nervous about meeting Maxim and what that entailed, I had to follow this conversation through. ‘Why don’t you try?’I asked in shock.
Even before she answered, I knew what she would say.‘I won’t leave you in turmoil. I won’t leave another daughter that needs me.’
My heart fissured at her words.Daughter. Liana was the mother of so many. Onyx, me, even Kohen, and my sisters. She was always worrying about us, protecting us, mothering us.
I couldn’t say anything to that. I had no words. So instead, I leaned forward and hugged her neck, letting the cold tears slip down my cheeks and fly off into the sky. This entire time, she could have left me and gone home, and she didn’t.
‘I love you,’I told her as she began to descend into the center of town, where there were military personnel all gathered in a circle.
‘And I, you, young one.’
I sat up, wiping my face and reeling in my emotions for the task ahead.
Liana’s story about her grandmother had shocked me.
How her world fell apart did sound eerily similar to my current situation. I’d gotten emotional, and I was okay with allowing myself to cry now when I felt like it and to say those three special words. But right now I had to push all of that down and bring out the cold-hearted leader that my father raised. Empress Aisling Everhart was about to meet Prime Leader Maxim Vlek of Luska, and I was going to make that bastard release my sister or die trying.
Chapter 21
Aisling
I slid off of Liana,my hard boots hitting the cold ground, and stared at the group of men and women before me. They all wore Luskin red uniforms, but one had a particularly cold look to his eyes, a tall blond male with sharp features and dead black eyes. Chills ran down my spine when I looked into them.
Maxim.
‘Go now,’I told Liana.
‘Maybe they will let me stay. I could help?—’
‘Go help evacuate my people. You promised. Go, before they decide otherwise.’
