Arcemis's Arc

Chapter 15 of 16

Arcemis walked with Amira along the road below the golden citadel. He had told her the war was won, but he had not told her the harder truth. Now he made himself say it. "I have no land," he said. "No house. No name worth giving you. I promised you a home, and I own nothing." Amira stopped and touched his cheek. She was still weak from her long sleep, but her green eyes were steady. "You never needed to give me a house," she said softly. "But there is something you both need to hear." Cade came down the road toward them. The elf oracle had guided Arcemis from the start, naming the guardians and reading what was to come. His pale face was calm, but his eyes carried the weight of a vision. Behind him walked Circe, quiet as a shadow, her purple gaze fixed on Amira like she already knew the words. "I saw your birth, Arcemis," Cade said. "You are the lost son of Creole, the last true king of Lumera. The crown is yours by blood." He turned to Amira. "And you were never Rhademus's daughter. He stole you as a child. You are my twin sister, born of Crystallis. A princess." Arcemis stared at the golden towers rising behind them. The pale walls he had fought to protect his whole life. "Mine," he said. The word felt too large for his mouth. "He speaks true," Circe said, her voice low and certain. "I have looked into him. There is no lie in an oracle's marrow." Amira laughed, bright and sudden. She gripped Arcemis's hands. "You wanted land to offer me. You have a kingdom. And I am not a stolen orphan. I am your equal." Arcemis felt the old ache loosen in his chest. For years he had chased purpose and a place to belong. Now both stood before him in stone and blood. He pulled Amira close and kissed her, and the guardians who remained gave a rough cheer. They married beneath the citadel's high arch. Cade spoke the vows. Circe held the rings in one pale hand and did not smile, but she watched with something close to peace. Arcemis took the throne of Lumera with Amira beside him. The kingdom he had bled for was his to rule. That night Cade's eyes went white in the middle of the feast. He gripped the table's edge. "Something followed us out," he whispered. "In Nethera, when Circe sealed the last door as its new keeper. A black essence slipped through the ripple before it closed." He looked at Arcemis with dread. "Vaphos is not fully gone. A piece of him is loose in the world." The hall went silent. Arcemis stood, his crown new and heavy on his brow. He had won a home and a wife. Now something dark was already hunting them both.