Page 112 of Burn Her They Said
“Now that you have finally arrived,” Emperor Aldritch says, ignoring Varic, “we must celebrate!”
His grimy hand clasps mine, dragging it to the crook of his arm, before gesturing for everyone to follow as we lead them toward the Imperial Palace.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Reunification
After what seems like a thousand steps, my boots strike flat ground as we reach the landing into the catacombs. Sharp creaking pierces my eardrums when two Guards pry the old wooden door open, then stand aside to allow us entrance.
His Majesty and his Guards stride in first, then Lars steps forward to be near Malin, placing Varic and me in the center. The tight space shrinks around us—feeling as if the curved gray marble walls are all closing in on us.
I hold a connection with both Varic and the Emperor, though Varic’s anxiety takes precedence as it swirls inside his chest.
My hands itch with the need to soothe him in this space he’s required to endure because of the vow he’s taken for me.
Cirrin and Fray scan the Guards before and after us to keep watch, so I pull in a deep breath and grab hold of Varic’s hand with the safety they provide us. Varic’s eyes dart to mine with panic overtaking his expression. The light behind his eyes is dimmed, and my heart constricts, so I rub circles with my thumb to keep his attention.
His chest rises and falls, and I flare my nostrils while pulling in a breath, making my breasts strain within the leather stretched across my chest, nearly distracting him as his gaze flicks down before meeting my eyes again. I purse my lips and let out the breath. His eyes fall closed, and a small smile curves up the side of his lips.
He squeezes my hand all four times, and I narrow my eyes, though no translation is offered. His chest rises as he breathes in through his nose, then his lips part.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “I don’t think you know what this means to me.”
Time slows as my chest constricts. He’s enchanted me. One whispered incantation—his sorcery.
I move in a haze, ensnared by his impossibly bright brown eyes—a tether I have no power to sever. His expression and posture have lifted; his gaze conveys both gratitude and awe. Yet there is still pain within him, despite his relaxed shoulders.
We walk hand in hand as my heart gallops with the risk we are taking. He turns to me, magnetically pulling, as his eyes lock on mine and he squeezes my hand another four times. He maintains our gaze, though the bright light streaming in ahead means we are nearing the end of the tunnels.
Something in his gaze—something about his tender somberness—strikes my chest because he’s doing it again.
He’s seeing me. All of me.
Fear prickles in my stomach, shifting me away from anything resembling happiness.
Varic silently mouths a message, with his lips forming the words, ‘look at me.’
Heat rises along my skin, and I wish to tell him ‘I am’.
He’s all I see.
And it terrifies me.
The bone-rattling boom of the door to the secret passageway makes the sinking feeling all the more real as we are once again trapped within the Imperial Palace. My vision goes in and out—blurring, then refocusing—as I move in and out of a trance-like state.
Varic squares his shoulders when it becomes apparent a large crowd awaits us dressed in their finest, regardless of the early morning hour, as they gawk from the perimeter with goblets of wine in hand.
“We have arrived!” His Majesty yells, turning my blood to ice as he stalks over, and just before he makes contact, the kiss of Varic’s magic trills up and over my skin before His Majesty can wrap his wormy hand around my arm and pull me flush with his chest. Raki’s bug eyes shift to stare at me as I gulp down my anxiety. The Emperor’s wine breath blows the tiny hairs falling over my ear as he whispers, “What took you so long to get here this morning?”
My brows meet in the center as I stare forward, unsure what to say since he already had his answer from Varic. Though it doesn’t matter. I must appease him. “I apologize for keeping you waiting,” I say with false sincerity.
“Hmm.” He noisily licks his lips, pulling some of my stray hairs between them in the process. I suppress a shudder, feeling as if I’m vibrating from the inside as I pull my head just far enough to extricate each one, then grimace as the damp strands settle over my skin.
“You like to toy with my emotions. Making me wait. Making me worry!” He laughs into my hair, and I close my eyes against his outburst, his breath reeking of sulphur, steak, and wine. A cough overtakes him, and he bends forward with the effort to catch his labored breath, allowing his grip around my arm to shift enough so I can pull away from his chest. “For now, we celebrate your safe return!”
My eyebrows rise higher than intended as the Emperor places a hand on the small of my back, and I recoil inwardly.
“Feeling cold, my little witch?” I shake my head demurely, needing to avoid the consequences of exhibiting needs in his presence.
