Imperial (Insight #8)(28)
He raised his brow, asking me to halt. “I told you that I could not tell you the purpose of our absence. As I said before, the other kings assume I know nothing of the mist they have taken. If you lash out now, we will fail. This is a massive web of souls that must be tenderly unwound.”
“I cannot leave them to face these kings alone.”
“They are not alone. Our Fated feel deeply.” He glanced away. “They are connected with lights—soul to soul.”
I gasped. “Explain.”
“We never claimed them. They fell for hearts that belong to pure lights. They speak the sacred word, for they feel it.”
His eyes poured into mine. I knew he was telling me that our fated could say that four letter word that began with an ‘L,’ and I could almost swear he envied them for that. But that was a foolish assumption. The King of Anger knew better than to even think of saying or feeling such a word.
“And because they speak it, I am more than sure that the kings are assuming them as weak—that the power we are will not rise within them. But they are fools. Our Fated are empowered by the emotion.”
My eyes were wide, full of shock. “Vade…are they metallic?”
He glanced away, shielding his eyes from me, hiding the answer I would see there, and his thoughts offered no answers either. “No...”
“They could create it, though. If they are truly adored by a light, then they could create what you have always dreamed of—couldn’t they?”
His jaw clenched and his body tensed. I didn’t understand—this is what he always wanted: souls perfectly balanced that could teach others to harbor pure emotions and rise above them. This desire of his was deep-seated and powerful, deep enough that I would do anything to give him this dream. It was the purest wish I’d ever heard, peace for souls that will never know that he even existed.
Our dark Fated Escorts coupled with pure lights could pull this off. I knew they could.
The rigged emotions Vade was at war with subsided and his body relaxed as his eyes returned to mine. “Souls that are connected on a divine level are capable of creating such a thing…a precious soul…a powerful soul that will symbolize everything we have ever dreamed of. With the symbol of that soul in place, our fellow kings would no longer be able to harvest the emotions they invoke, for those in our charge will have risen above them.”
We stared at each other for countless seconds. I had no idea what he was thinking, what he was hiding from me, but I could feel a mix of joy and apprehension in his essence.
Vade had always been a stoic being, but right now I was going to weather as much of this conflict as I could. I would go to my Fated and sway Silas to find peace. I would redeem the dead taken from the Reaper, and I would avenge my line. I was going to avenge the time that was stolen from me. And one way or another, I would find a way to give my rush his dream: Metallic Energy.
A moment later, Vade nodded gently in my direction. A warm rush surrounded me just as my warrior clothes vanished and the garments of a queen replaced them to adorn my ivory skin. A long satin dress with a wide skirt and lengthy train was now covering me. The deep crimson was the color my line represented. My long, deep red hair was pulled flawlessly back, revealing my bare shoulders.
Within Vade’s hand now was a precious jewel, the first material gift he had ever given me. It was a necklace made of diamonds, the large ones, outlining the constellation of Leo, the stars that were above me at my birth, death, and rebirth. It was the royal constellation, one that both Vade and I shared. The mark was clearly visible on both of our chests, above our hearts. He gave me this gift so that all could see it, for only his eyes had or ever would see the flesh where my natural mark rested.
Carefully, he stepped forward and clasped the precious necklace around my neck. “My Queen, your line awaits you.”
His hands slowly fell from my neck and slid down my arms. On my finger he placed another sacred gift from him, a ring made of rubies in the shape of a teardrop that failed to meet—that is, unless his hand, his ring, was next to mine; together, the rings displayed the symbol of eternity, the span of existence we had witnessed several times over together.
His royal attire manifested on his body in that instant, a pristine black suit marked with crimson and a white tie. He was breathtaking in any light, but when he prepared to stand before his line his image was so powerful that I often lost the will to breathe properly.
I didn’t know if I could do this, see them all. I knew if I did, I would see all that was at risk, which knowing my almighty rush…that was the point.
Chapter Nine
Assembling the lines in one location is rarely done. In my past reign, it was only done thrice. Once when I was said to be a sovereign, Vade’s line was the only one that assembled at that time. Obviously, the other kings had their reservations. At that assembly, Vade announced that I would rule wrath and rage and those under his reign would assist me in such a manner until my line was established. The second was when Mazing called out to me and was introduced to Vade’s kingdom as my First—that was a glorious night, one that the Creator Himself attended.
The third and final time was when I called my line forth and informed them that we would no longer embark on the journey that the other kings were charging. I told them that though their hunger was intensified, they would not invoke such emotions but find nourishment within natural sources of the universe. I urged them to reprieve the wrath of Mother Nature, to subdue the storms that would harm the souls under our watch. No one in any line would openly protest their sovereign, but we can sense their approval or the lack thereof. That day, not one of them opposed my declaration. They each knew how dangerous wrath was and that invoking emotion would destroy more than it would ever create. Even though we could very well be at risk of starvation, they openly welcomed the stance I had taken.