Page 98 of Once the Skies Fade (Immortal Reveries #2)
Chapter 98
Calla
R eturning to my throne with Matthias standing to my right, I was so focused on the peace swimming in my veins—a peace I’d never thought possible again—I didn’t hear Isa name Phillip as Graham’s successor as royal advisor, and only mildly registered the light applause that followed. It wasn’t until a door slammed closed and a heavy silence fell over the room that I blinked out of my own thoughts and back to the present.
A guard approached the dais with Raven and Sera still bound in chains, and Isa and Phillip each slipped behind Matthias and me. When they stopped before me, I rose from my seat and dipped my chin to each of them in greeting. Raven donned a kind smile, and even Sera didn’t look like she hated me quite as much as she once did.
Peering over their heads, I first addressed the entire room. “Due to recent events, I have decided to renounce the law which exiled all humans from Arenysen.”
The silence seemed to intensify somehow, and wary stares greeted me. Panic struck, a heavy weight dropping into my empty stomach. My shadows, still relaxed by Jocelyn’s tonic but roused by the sudden anxiety, thankfully remained settled. Drawing in a slow breath, I shifted my gaze to the women before me.
I can do this.
I’m the queen. I can do anything.
“Raven Keen. Sera Hawthorne. With this change in the laws, I—with those gathered as my witnesses—pardon you both. All charges are dropped. You are free to go.”
Two guards stepped forward to remove their chains. While Raven approached and offered me her hand—which I gratefully accepted—Sera maintained her distance, remaining guarded, but at least she wasn’t glowering at me.
“Thank you,” Raven said before skirting off to greet Matthias with a hug.
Sera merely nodded in silent appreciation. When she didn’t move to leave, Matthias stepped past me and bounded down the steps to wrap his sister in a tight hug. He whispered something in her ear, and I could have sworn I detected tears in her resulting laughter. Holding her at arm’s length, he angled his head at her and said, “I will stop by to visit. Promise.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Isa asked, dropping her hand to my mount’s neck as she handed me my reins.
“Yes, Isa. We have so much to do here. I need you to help Phillip get settled so he can help coordinate the trials for the former Assembly members and the healer. Plus, I’m traveling with Emeryn’s own esteemed general?—”
“Former general,” Matthias clarified, bringing his horse up alongside mine and flashing his too-charming smile at both of us.
“They don’t know that yet, though,” I noted, but then a thought struck me, and I swung back to look at Isa. “Or do they? Did we send word to them about the tournament outcome?”
Isa nodded. “We did, along with our condolences for King Nevan.”
Matthias leaned over his horse’s neck to speak around me. “And did we happen to mention the bond or?—”
Shaking her head, Isa laughed quietly. “No, I left the story of this”—she waved her hand between us—“for you to share yourselves.”
“Excellent,” Matthias whispered as he settled back in his saddle, a mischievous smile on his face.
As we neared the gate, the pair of guards straightened at their posts, stern looks plastered to their faces. Their expressions shifted, though, when they recognized Matthias. They greeted him with beaming smiles, and I marveled at just how loved he was here in Emeryn and here I was, stealing him away from them.
It’s not stealing if he willingly agrees to leave.
“Has the ceremony started?” Matthias asked one of the guards. He reached back for my hand while the male answered.
“Not yet. Another hour, I believe.”
“Good,” he said and nodded to the guards as he led the way through the gate and up the familiar gravel driveway.
I tried not to think about the last time I’d been here, and how I’d fled without saying goodbye. Would Lieke be cross with me? Would Connor welcome me back here? Would I be able to handle seeing Brennan’s grave?
Matthias squeezed my hand and leaned toward me. “Don’t worry, Killer,” he said. “I’ve got you.”