Page 104 of To Scale the Emerald Mountain

Cescily hooks her arm through mine and pulls me to a street cart, ordering two ears of roasted corn. She thanks the owner and tips him heavily. “Come on, there’s a great park a few blocks over where we can eat.”

We weave through the crowds, Cescily holding me tight in one hand and our snack in the other. We round a couple corners, and the noise begins to diminish. There’s a large grassy area in the middle of the city, complete with a lake where people paddleboat in the hot sun. Lampposts line the sidewalk running around the outside square of the park, all boasting different colored flags with the Vahnsing crest of the dual faced sun.

“Alec is missing out, not being here to see you experience The Capital for the first time again.” I turn to Cescily, surprised to see her watching me with deep affection. “He was beside himself to see how much you loved our city, how excited you were knowing that it would be yours, too, one day.”

My heart squeezes, and I dig for those memories—for the first time wishing I could find them.

“He’ll be sad to know he missed out on reliving the magic with you. But it’s his own damn fault. Kraeston and I do agree that he’s being too gentle with you. You weren’t gentle even as a child. And you are not a child anymore.”

“No, I’m not,” I agree.

“You two have been endlessly entertaining. It’s been so fun watching Alec cater to you like he’s your own personal servant all these years. I thought he was going to kill me the first time you came to the palace. I couldn’t stop laughing at how the great, feared King of Quinndohs was beside himself trying to make this little girl happy. Accommodating your every whim. I couldn’t believe it when he rearranged the king’s chambers because you said the lighting in the bedchamber was better for reading, and that it needed a reading nook.”

Cescily laughs merrily at the memory and continues.

“I lost it the next morning when Alec just gave you the rooms and moved into his childhood bedroom because you liked the overnight changes so much. Not even a thought. Just ‘Oh, you like it? It is yours!’ Hilarious. Hilarious!”

She shakes her head and nibbles her corn with a sly smile. “You know, he hasn’t been clean shaven in twenty years? You once told your father that he needed a beard like Alec’s. Alec assumed that meant you liked it and has kept it since. Hedefinitelywanted to kill me when I pulled that memory from him while my powers were manifesting.“ Cescily shrugs her shoulders innocently. “He had his guard down. He was so embarrassed when I told you.”

Beaming, I imagine Alec bickering with his younger sister. I can practically hear Cescily laughing over learning something so personal, like a nosey sibling digging into thoughts recorded in a diary.

“Alec’s always so broody. But any time you come around, he becomes this giant, walking, bleeding heart. Desperate to make you happy.” Cescily pauses, giving me an interested look before continuing. “Women do like that type, don’t they? And they especially like your broody man.”

My head snaps in her direction, and I inexplicably see splashes of crimson.

Cescily laughs fondly.

“See, you’re just as bad as Alec. Only you get all murderous rage. Also, hilarious. Oh! Can I please tell you about the first time you killed someone?”

My mouth drops open with shock. “I’ve killed someone?”

Cescily laughs. “Yes, Elly. Just the one.”

I’m surprisingly unbothered by the idea and smile to myself. I nod at her, encouraging her to go on.

“Not long ago, you were here to visit, and you were different. Your maturing was nearing completion, and your moods were nothing short of unstable. Alec took you out to lunch, and some woman there kept giving Alec inviting looks. I’m talking crazy bedroom eyes—the exact same bedroom eyes you were giving him.”

My cheeks heat. It’s odd to hear someone I don’t know tell me about a version of myself that I don’t remember in such an uninhibited way. Cescily throws her head back and laughs.

“You kept getting more and more angry, and then finally, you threatened her. She left, but you were too far gone at that point. You followed her out into the street, I mean a busy street, and fucking zapped her from the ground up. Burned a hole straight through the center of her.” Cescily laughs hysterically at the memory.

“The damage control was insane! Alec shut down the whole block and called every single family member in the city to come wipe memories. The first-row seat from every vantage point was well worth the days of recovery. And you just kept shrugging your shoulders over and over—saying she deserved it. Ate a fucking icecream while her still smoking body was carried away. Alec refuses to admit it, but we all wager that was the day the mating bond truly woke for him.”

She laughs again and studies me lovingly.

As Cescily finishes her story a tiny drop of dark fluid pounds against the glass barrier blocking my memories, much more insistent than before, and quickly breaks through.

The sun shines through the white umbrella shading our outdoor table at a cafe. We sit in a bustling portion of the city, eating from a tray of decadent cardamom cream puffs and drinking dessert wine.

I laugh hard as Alec finishes telling me about how he and Father used to fight as boys, getting into physical altercations as often as he did with his brothers. Alec tells me they often abandoned their powers in favor of throwing their fists. Given their attitudes towards each other now, I’m not surprised.

“You men. All you want to do is fight.”

Alec looks at me indignantly, but his dark eyes dance with playful light. “Allyouwant to do is fight.”

My shoulders shrug. “Fair point.”

Alec smiles at me while I twirl a finger in my long hair and gaze at him through my lashes with doe eyes.