Reign of Embers

Chapter 10 - Deals

Yrene

Josie is still refusing to tell me what happened. On the short and very quick journey to my chambers I made sure that her arm had healed properly and tried to remove the darkness creeping up her arm - most disappeared after some encouragement but she'll probably have strange scars for the rest of her life. I sigh and look down at my daughters curled up and talking on mine and Chaol's huge bed. I smile, they have always got on so well.

From the huge open window drift sounds of people arguing in the courtyard below. I move over to close it but stop short when I hear who's talking - Chaol and Aelin. They're too far away to make out their conversation, but they both sound mad. I keep walking as the voices rise in volume, the kids don't need to hear this. However, as i'm about to close the window I catch some of what they're saying.

"Oh I'm sorry, all my family dying isn't enough for you?" Aelin shouts. What's Chaol done now? There's a moments pause followed by Aelin saying "What about Nehemia Chaol?"

It's so quiet that I hardly miss it, but down there I bet that everyone is wincing- Chaol especially. Nehemia's death is one of the things that keeps him up at night, the guilt he feels at not only feeling as if he helped cause her death, but losing Aelin's love and trust in him is immeasurable.

"Oh yeah lets remind me of another person who's death is on me." Chaol shouts, oh this is definitely not going to end well.

I contemplate shutting the window, but the girls have probably already heard the argument.

"Josie is not dead Chaol!" Aelin screams, confirming my growing suspitions abput what this is about. "Nehemia is dead. Sam is dead. The thirteen are dead. Gavriel is dead. My parents are dead. Everyone here has lost the most precious thing to them!"

"Aelin that was years ago! I am talking about what is going on right now."

"Oh so all of a sudden, their deaths don't matter because you want to put up a decent argument? Not cool Chaol!"

There's a slight pause where someone is shouting at them to break it up. Dorian.

"Both of you calm down ! Chaol, Aelin cares about Josie as well, she is her Godmother after all." Dorian shouts.

"Exactly! I care about Josie, and all the kids as if they were my own."

" Aelin, you can't understand what it feels to be a parent because you don't have children! and you probably never will, and if you do, then everyone who isn't immortal like you will be dead! "

No we've definitely heard enough now, this could get nasty. I shut the window just as Aelin loses her control on but her temper and powers.

"Take. That. Back."

I rush away from the window and see both my daughters gaping at me. I sigh - Today's been a long day.

"Mummy why was aunty Aelin and daddy shouting at each other?" Aislinn asks, she looks genuinely confused whereas Josie knows exactly what was going on.

"Don't you worry about it."

"Hmmm ok mummy." Aislinn nods happily.

"Aislinn why don't you go and look for Gavriel and Zephyr? "

"Wait Gavriel's here?" Josefin stops gaping when she hears his name, they've been best friends for years. For a while it was only them in the castle, with Josie just over a year and a half older. Both kids have some form of healing powers, so they often got quite competitive while they were training. All the children have grown up spending quite a lot of time together but in the years just after the war, Ardalan and Terrasen spent a long time in each others countries - meaning that Gavriel and Josie are extremely close and don't take the safety we feel now, or did feel until a few hours ago, for granted.