Chapter Thirty-Nine

I had never been inside the Imperial Ballroom. And yes, its name had to be capitalized. It was that grand. That important. The floor was polished green marble, the walls mirrored in panels framed in gold, and the indigo ceiling was scattered with diamond lights to mimic stars. The Emperor had a dais on one side of the room, bordered by trees in enormous pots and canopied in silk as if we were outdoors. But he didn't sit upon his throne, not once while I was there. Instead, he walked among the Wraith Lords, shaking hands and hugging his warriors, celebrating with us. And when he wasn't speaking to lords, he was dancing with a duchess.

Holding Sally aloft with one arm while his free hand held hers, the Emperor of Varr spun his daughter as they laughed together. His purple hair streamed out to slap other dancers, all of whom smiled as if they'd been blessed by the Goddess.

That wasn't so far off. We were all blessed. Even the Corrupter—or ex-Corrupter, rather—felt the Goddess' smile upon him that night. I know because he told me.

"I feel her now," Ara said as he led me around the dance floor. "Not just through you. I have my own connection to the Goddess."

"She was always with you, Ara. Death just dulled your ability to sense her."

"No, Ember. He cut me off from her entirely." He made a soft sound of marvel before saying, "Before I was taken by Death, I never thought much about the Goddess. It was only afterward that I realized how each of us is born with access to her. How she touches our souls and gives us the key to finding her. Only when Death had me and I lost her key did I know that I had it."

"Most of us don't feel her because she has always been there," I agreed. "I didn't grow up feeling connected to her either. I never considered myself a religious man. Even now, I wouldn't call it religion. It's more certainty. Knowledge of the way of things. There is an aspect of faith to religion, but we don't need that, do we? We simply know."

"Yes." Ara slowed to a stop and pressed his forehead against mine. "We know."

Aranren's hair fell forward, creating a veil between us and the rest of the room. It felt as if we had suddenly gone invisible, and I loved that, loved being alone with him in a crowded room. I know I hadn't been imprisoned by Death for long, a blink of an eye compared to how long Ara was held, but that time felt like a lifetime to me. At least a human lifetime. It felt as if I had known Ara forever and loved him even longer. I couldn't imagine that I had once hated him. It wasn't possible. But that was the power of love, wasn't it? It wiped away the past and made you focus on the future.

And our future was glorious.

"It's time to settle this," Xaedren said.

Ara lifted his head and revealed the rest of my lovers standing beside us, wearing serious expressions.

"Settle what?" I asked.

"The bond, Ember," Ara said. Then he asked the men, "Do you really feel it's still necessary? If we'll be living apart, the only bond that matters is our bond to Ember. It's not as if we'll be fighting together."

"He's right," Kel said. "And frankly, I'm looking forward to having Ember to myself."

Xae grunted and looked at Rath. Ratharin was staring at Aranren, but then he shifted his gaze to me. I shrugged. As far as I was concerned, this was between them. I was already bonded to Ara.

"Is the bond complete without us accepting him?" Rath asked.

"No one had to accept Xae," I said. "And Ara's right; we won't be fighting, so we don't have to worry about uniting. He was the one we were going to unite against."

Taroc snorted. "True."

"But this is your decision," I said. I looked from them to Ara. "And yours, Ara. I will accept whatever you five decide."

"Come with us," Taroc said to Aranren. Then he turned and walked away with the rest of my lovers.

Ara kissed my cheek and smiled. "We'll figure it out, love." Then he followed them.

I watched them go with a frown. When I said it was up to them, I didn't mean they should leave me out of it completely. But that was their decision too. Aranren was still broken, recovering from Death, but he was no weakling. If my other lovers thought they could force him into doing what they wanted, they'd be sorely surprised.

I wandered further away from the dance floor as I started to smile.

"Ember," someone said softly.

I spun, instantly recognizing the voice. "Caleb?" I rushed over to him. "Oh, Goddess! Caleb!" I yanked him into a hug. How could I have forgotten about him? "I'm so sorry I had to leave you behind."

"You're sorry?" Caleb pulled back. "No. I'm sorry, Ember. I'm so sorry. I should have tried harder to speak to you, to tell you about the corruption inside me."

"Caleb, it's not your fault. You were used, and we didn't know you were suffering. I'm just glad you're all right."

"Thank you," he whispered. Then he shuddered. "It was awful."

"I know. I've experienced a version of it."

Caleb nodded. "Yes, I saw you."

My face went red. "Oh, fuck. Yeah, you did. I remember. That's embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed. It wasn't you. I know that better than anyone."

"Not entirely me, no. But a part of me was still there. Enough to recognize you. The rest of me was Death."

"Yes, as most of me was."

That was the moment I realized that I had been one of the Corrupted. I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before then. I guess because it was different for Ara and me. We were corrupted both more and less by Death. His puppets but also his companions. It was a strange thing Death had done to us. Strange and terrible. But at its root, it was corruption. I should have been immune to it, and I would have been. If only I hadn't welcomed the corruption in.

"Maybe it's good for me to know what the people I'm trying to save are going through," I said. "No other Wraith Lord has that perspective."

"But you've already saved us," Caleb said.

I let out a soft laugh, letting go of the heaviness of my past with it. "You're right. I forgot that for a second."

"It's hard to believe it's over."

"Yeah. And we've only experienced the war for a few decades. Some of the Wraith Lords have been fighting since the beginning." Then I paused. "Wait. How did you get here?"

"Oh, Lord Vexen brought me. He said you'd want to see me."

"Lord Vexen?" I murmured, remembering the man who had found me in the arrival chamber. "That was kind of him." Again , I added in my head.

"Yes, he's the one who brought me back to the citadel too." Caleb looked around. "I can't believe I'm in the Imperial Palace. It's so beautiful. And did you see Sally? She's royalty now, but she has no idea how incredible that is."

"Yes, and doesn't that make it even more wonderful?" I grinned.

"It does. And that's because of you as well, Ember. You haven't just saved Varr, you've changed it for the better. And it will keep changing because of you."

"I helped and inspired, but it's not all because of me."

Caleb laid his hand on my arm. "Mostly."

I chuckled. "All right. I'll take that from you this once because we're friends."

"Are we?" His hand slid away. "Were we ever friends? Those conversations you had were with the Corrupter, not me. They weren't real."

A memory hit me—Caleb staring at me with love and longing. Except that hadn't been Caleb. I thought Aranren and I had fallen in love while we were becoming friends. But for him, it had started before that. Holy shit. Even as the Corrupter, Ara had loved me.

I cleared my throat and said, "He wasn't you all the time. Or rather, you weren't always him. And now, we have the opportunity to truly get to know each other. We can become better friends. Start again."

Caleb finally smiled. "I'd like that."

Then I overheard a conversation between the Emperor and General Ranor.

"I can't trust this," Ranor said.

"I understand," the Emperor said. "And that's good. I have no intention of disbanding the Wraith Lords. They will continue to live as they are unless they wish to leave the citadel, but their role will now be to keep the peace worldwide."

"Keep the peace?"

"Yes, between the races."

"But you have governors in place with officers who police the cities."

"And sometimes, they need help," the Emperor said. "I've often sent my soldiers. But now, the Wraith Lords will take that role. The summoning crystals can still be used, just in another way."

"Very good, Your Imperial Majesty," Ranor said. "And if this . . . situation is not permanent, the Lords will be ready to defend Varr."

"Not permanent?" I couldn't help crashing the conversation and slipping away from Caleb with a pat on his shoulder. "Why would you think this isn't permanent? I assure you, General, Death has no hold on Aranren. I felt that connection shatter."

"And I believe you, Lord Ember," Ranor said. "I believe that's what you believe. But this has all happened so fast, and I need time to know for certain that it's real."

"Lord Ember, the General is only being prudent," the Emperor said. "He's a military man who has fought this war from the very beginning. You must not scorn him for his wariness, but instead, appreciate his caution. He has great wisdom in these matters. It's why he's the General of the Wraith Lords."

"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty." I bowed to him. "Sorry, General. You have my utmost respect. I'm just touchy about Aranren."

"I understand," Ranor said. "You've gone through a lot very quickly, Lord Ember. It has concerned me, seeing you carry such a weight. I know you had help to ease the burden, but I'm glad that's over now. And, if it really is over, I wish you the greatest happiness with those you love."

"I already have it, General," I said. "But thank you. I hope you can relax soon and maybe retire."

General Ranor's silver eyes widened in horror. "Retire?! Bite your tongue!"

I laughed. "Don't you want something more than a soldier's life?"

The Emperor lifted a brow as we waited for Ranor's response.

It took him only ten seconds to form one, "More than a soldier's life? I don't know what that is, and I certainly don't want it." He bowed to us, then turned on his heel, and stomped away as if I'd insulted him.

I chuckled and looked up at the Emperor. "Was it something I said?"

The Emperor's laugh was more subtle than mine, a mere movement of breath, but his smile made it clear. "He's a good man. Honorable and true." He lost his smile to add, "I wish more for him as well. But we cannot force what we believe is best for people upon them, Ember. That would make us no better than Death."

I made a pensive sound. "You're right. True freedom is the ability to fuck up your life in any way you want."

This time, the Emperor didn't hold back, he burst out laughing, slapping my back as he did.

"Daddy!" Sally came running through the crowd, courtiers and Wraith Lords drawing out of her way with indulgent grins. "Daddy, I had ice cream!"

She leapt, her arms extended, and the Emperor didn't fail her. He crouched and caught her as if he'd done so thousands of times, and lifted her to settle on his hip.

"Yes, I see that, my darling," the Emperor said as he wiped a smear of chocolate from Sally's cheek. "Did you eat anything beyond sweets?"

Sally licked her lips and looked guilty. Then she spotted me—the perfect diversion. "Uncle Ember! Are you having a wonderful time? I'm having a wonderful time."

I grinned at her obvious ploy. "Yes, I am. But I know that I need to eat more than chocolate ice cream if I want to continue having a wonderful time. Otherwise, my stomach will get sore." I made a face at her. "And that will lead to lower parts of me getting sore. I don't want that."

"Ewww!" Sally exclaimed, then laughed. But as her giggles died down, the more serious expression of comprehension hit. "I think I should have a meat pie, Daddy."

"Yes, that is wise," the Emperor said. "And maybe some vegetables."

"I want broccoli." Sally looked at me to add, "Broccoli is my favorite."

"Mine too!" I exclaimed. "I like it steamed with butter and salt, that's it."

"My Sally likes hers smothered in cheese and buttered breadcrumbs." The Emperor grimaced. "But at least she'll eat it."

"Cheese, eh?" I squished my face at Sally. "But then you barely taste the broccoli. Have you tried it with butter and salt?"

Sally blinked. "Um. No, I don't think so."

"Maybe we'll take Uncle Ember's suggestion and try some together," the Emperor said. "I can go first to make sure it's good."

"All right. But if you make a face, I'm not eating it."

"Agreed." The Emperor sent me a grateful grin, then said, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Lord Ember."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." I bowed to him. To Sally, I said, "Goodnight, Your Grace."

"Uncle Ember, just call me Sally!" she chided. Then she leaned closer to whisper, "You're my favorite uncle now that Daddy is my Daddy."

I pressed a palm to my heart and bowed to her. "That is the greatest compliment I have ever received, Sally. Thank you."

She giggled again. "You're so silly, Uncle Ember!"

"Say goodnight to Uncle Ember," the Emperor reminded her.

"Goodnight, Uncle Ember."

"Goodnight, Sally," I said.

When I turned around, I found Caleb waiting for me, a soft smile on his face.

"Oh, Goddess! I'm sorry. I just left you," I said.

"No, that's all right. I listened in." His expression went grim. "I didn't know there was a chance this wasn't real."

"It's real, Caleb," I said firmly. "It's just going to take some time for people like Ranor to accept it. Don't worry. The war is over."

"All right."

"Now, let's raid the Emperor's buffet. Maybe we can start with the dessert table as Sally did."

Caleb beamed at me. "I love that idea!"