The Deathsinger: Book 2

Ch. 38: Sisters

After all this time, it was strange standing before the portal to judgment and the Other Realm. Dycidium.

Remiel's grip tightened on my hand as I walked closer. We kept our steps slow and cautious as we circled the ravenstone arch. Beyond a prickling sensation between my shoulders, there was nothing here that suggested this was anything more than a random archway in the middle of the woods. An archway that led to nowhere but the other side of our grassy clearing.

"This is it?" I asked, willing it to change into something a little...well, more.

"I imagine it must be a sight when it's lit," Remiel suggested. He dropped my hand and peered around the sides. "Do you think the flames went around the ravenstone or filled the center?"

I stepped closer, raising my hand to reach through the open middle. Bits of that night flashed through my mind, but I couldn't recall where the flames originated. By then, Mara had pulled the fire into her.

"Morana, don't!"

He snatched my hand away just before it slipped into the space between and pressed my palm against his chest. His heart thundered beneath my touch, and when I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing but black pupils ringed in a sliver of gold.

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

"The portal is closed."

Remiel huffed and pressed his lips together as he fought for control of himself. "You carry the blood of the Fyrbyrd and the Shadow King. Who knows what paths might open for you. Don't do that again."

Drawing my hand away, I glared at him. "Don't order me about."

His brows knitted together, and he drew his shoulders back as he stepped closer to me. "Don't act like a foolish little girl."

A gasp escaped me. "I cannot believe you just said that."

"And I cannot believe you–"

"Oh my gods," a sultry feminine voice groaned. "What have I done to deserve this? So many sun cycles have passed since I've heard another voice besides my own, but I think I preferred the silence over this bickering."

When Remiel pulled me to him, I didn't fight him. Together, we turned to find the speaker leaning against a tree and picking at her nails. Though the shadows obscured her features, the ripples of amber light moving under her skin confirmed her identity.

"Mara."

She raised her head. Fiery eyes met my own. "Is that my name?"

"Yes. Mara Bedisa, princess of Araphel," I said, straining against Remiel's trembling grasp.

There were so many things I still could not remember, but flames or no flames, I knew those eyes. A surge of love swelled in my heart. Until this moment, discovering all these things about myself had felt almost as if I was learning about someone else's life. But with her in front of me, it suddenly became very real. I knew I had looked into them a thousand times and had found comfort, love, and laughter.

None of that was there now, but I hoped it could be again.

Mara clicked her tongue against her teeth and pushed off the tree. Her curly hair hung to her hips, and when she stepped into the light, I realized she wore nothing but her curls and ash. Slashes of red appeared on Remiel's cheeks, and he roughly cleared his throat. If Mara was aware of her nakedness, she did not show it.

"Princess." She wiggled her slender fingers in the air. Wisps of smoke curled from the tips. "That sounds mighty impressive, but if I am a princess where is my crown and my castle?"