Page 249 of Seasons of War
He finally met her eyes, and raw, unfiltered pain emanated from him like the heat of a wildfire. Too scorching to stand by, but she'd let the flames melt the skin from her bones to be here for him.
“I promised not to leave you again,” he said.
“You didn't. You're here, and this is all I need.”
This was too much. Too cruel.
Adelle needed to come back to them.
Please, please, please.
At least come back to Zayne. She'd never leave her son. What happened?
The furious, chaotic life blinked out of Zayne's eyes just as quickly as the elder's had when he died, and Kira watched him disappear from his body. Her breath caught at how quickly it all snapped away. How quickly he donned his mask.
His voice sounded cold as ice, but Kira understood in a way she never had before that it was the opposite.
“You'll survive this,” he said.
“You will too.”
The heartbreak of the night the soldiers stole her from her mother echoed from that day on, impossible to silence. And she knew these echoes would live with her for the rest of her life, no matter how far she traveled, who she became, or how much time passed. Kira hadn't begun to feel the pain of all that had happened this week.
But Adelle would always echo through their life too, and she'd relive every second of this agony to hold onto her. She had been worth loving, even when losing her hurt so badly.
Holding on to Zayne, she allowed herself to weep and pinched her eyes, while his remained open and lifeless on the sky.
“I'll take care of him for you,” she mouthed, not voicing the words meant for Adelle alone, “I promise.”
CHAPTER 58
Luke
The Capital
Kallum, Ciondo
833 P.C. [Post-Collapse]
Luke's family had spent the morning at Memorial Park with guests from all over Ciondo to honor the passing of his mother, which the empire believed came about from a heart attack. Each member of the family cast one handful of ashes into the air, returning her spirit to the Old Ones, and one into the receiving bowl for the Vault of Honor.
Steepled towers of ashes glowed with the sun around the park, the final resting place for those who lived a worthy life. The Phaedra only allowed Mom here because of her status. Otherwise, she would have been tossed out with the damned in the Ruins, lost to the desert forever.
Luke had scattered ashes many times, but never with his girls beside him. Never when it felt like this. His daughters had touched the golden tears falling from the Phaedra's statue, flowing into the black pebbles covering the park. The sound of their weeping looped through his mind constantly today, no matter what he did.
Now their sobbing reverberated off the prison walls while he walked the final stretch to Kira's cell and shoved her door open.
A startled gasp left her mouth, and she scampered off the bed, watching each step he took.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“My mom was fine before she met you.” He continued until he backed her up against the wall. “A few weeks of you, and now she's dead.”
Pain flashed in Kira's eyes, but it didn't satisfy Luke.
“Who will you kill next? You infected my mom with your ridiculous ideas. My brother doesn't need you twisting his mind either.” He eased in, forcing her to push herself against the wall. “I'm here to put a stop to this.”
Luke never entirely understood Kira. She could be quiet and shy, but when challenged, she was so defiant. This time, he witnessed a new side to her, perhaps the worst yet. Kindness shone beyond the fear in her eyes. “I'm so sorry you and your family are hurt.”
