Page 204 of A Vow of Embers

“She and Stephanos talked. I’m sure she’ll tell you about it tomorrow when she wakes up.”

They were all quiet for a moment, until Ahyana said, “You mentioned the life mage, but you didn’t tell us what happened after you took him.”

I quickly filled them in. “He told us how they do magic. To make a flower bloom, they use the goddess’s name and then a word related to that specific aspect. The goddess’s name is Dea.” I felt triumphantbeing able to share that information. “The life mages say ‘Dea Khloe’ and the petals open.”

Io pursed her lips. “All they do is say ‘Dea Khloe’?”

Suddenly every flower in the garden burst to life, surrounding us with a riot of colors and sweet smells.

And Io collapsed to the ground.

Chapter Sixty-Six

We tried to revive her, but Io could not be roused.

“Should we call a healer?” Ahyana asked.

Suri shook her head. I put my hand on Io’s chest and her heartbeat didn’t seem too slow or too fast. She was breathing normally, as if she were sleeping.

“How would we even explain what happened?” I asked.

We couldn’t. We either wouldn’t be believed or possibly would be accused of blasphemy, as women couldn’t wield magic. It was unfortunate that the person best equipped to answer questions and help Io was Io.

We decided to carry her back to her room to let her sleep. Suri grabbed her under the arms, I got her legs, and Ahyana rushed ahead to make sure the way was clear and the doors were open.

It was unmistakable what had occurred: Io had spoken the life mage’s words and had made every flower in the courtyard open, even though it was nighttime and they had been closed.

There had even been plants long past their blossoming stage that brought forth flowers.

Like Io’s power was exponentially stronger than the life mages’ despite her not having an amulet.

I wondered what that meant.

We got her into bed and Suri put the blanket over her. She looked peaceful and fine but we were all worried.

“What was that?” I asked, but my sisters didn’t have any answers, either. Io had done magic and none of us knew how to explain it.

“In the morning we can talk with Io and Zalira to figure it out. I’ll watch over Io tonight,” Ahyana said, and Suri nodded to indicate that she would also help. I was about to offer to stay when she reminded me, “You have a husband that I think you’ve forgotten about.”

My eyebrows shot up my forehead. By the goddess, I had been so worried about Io that I had forgotten about her brother, and I had been gone for a long time.

“Come and get me when she wakes up,” I said. I needed to know that she was all right.

Ahyana said she would and I got up and grabbed a vial of the sleeping draught and returned to my own room.

I braced my shoulders before I opened the door, reminding myself to be strong.

And I was immediately tested the moment that I saw him again.

“There you are.” He almost purred the words to me. “You were gone for far too long. I came up with another hundred ways to make you moan and—”

While he was speaking I hurried across the room and got onto the bed, crawling over so that I could straddle him again. I put my fingers over his mouth to make him stop talking. He tried to pull one into his mouth and I had to jerk my hand away.

“At first I was disappointed that you got dressed, but now I get the pleasure of watching you undress again,” he said, his honey-colored eyes glowing with promises.

Of its own volition, one of my hands went to my belt as if to undo it. I balled it up into a fist so that I wouldn’t be tempted to follow through.

“You need to sleep,” I said sternly. “You’re going to be upset tomorrow when you remember all this.”