Where Ashes and Oaths Collide

Chapter 70: Time

Luz held Amelia there for a long time, his amber eyes closed tight against the back of his eyelids. The weight of her arms around him felt impossible– as if she were made of something far more precious than flesh and bone. His left eye opened. The amber there bright and clear, like a lantern in the dark. “I thought I would never feel this again,” he whispered into her hair, his voice raw. “Not without feeling like I was dying.” He pulled back just enough to look at her face, his hands still resting on her shoulders. His thumb brushing against her cheek, the metal of his gauntlet cold, but the pressure behind it so gentle it was almost painful. “But first you need to get Estrela Astuta?” she asked curiously. “Where is she? Will it be dangerous?”

Luz’s expression hardened, the warmth of the moment receding like a tide. The soldier in him reasserted control as he looked toward the window. “Estrela Astuta is at some old ruins on an island,” he said, his voice regaining its military precision. “The Santo’s order has fortified it. They know something is there– something they can’t name, but they are terrified of it.” He let go of Amelia’s shoulders, but only to take her hands in his. His gauntlets felt heavy and clumpy against her skin. “It will be dangerous. He will not come willingly, and the Santo’s knights will fight to the last man to protect him.” He squeezed her hands, his gaze intense. “And me?” she asked hopefully.

Luz’s grip on her hands tightened. He looked at Amelia– really looked at her– and the mask he had worn for six years cracked wide open. “You are coming with me,” he said, his voice low and absolute. “I am not leaving you behind. Not again.” He knew the danger. He knew the Santo’s order might see her as a hostage or worse as an enemy. He knew Mestre Escuro’s promises were never free. But as he looked into her green eyes, the calculation in his mind simply stopped. “We will take the skip at dawn,” he continued, his thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand. “I will find a way to keep you safe. I promise you, Amelia– I will not let them touch you.” He leaned down, his forehead resting against hers for a single, quiet moment.

“Good,” Amelia breathed out relieved. “For a moment I thought you might leave me here.” She leans forward to kiss Luz. The kiss was soft, almost tentative, but it hit him with the force of a physical blow. His eyes drifted shut, and for a moment, the world– the war, the darkness within him, the mission– ceased to exist. There was only the warmth of her lips against his, the scent of lavender, and the steady beat of his own heart. His hands moved from her shoulders to her waist, pulling her closer, his armour clanking softly as he leaned into here. The metal felt intrusive now, a barrier he suddenly hated. When she pulled back, he did not let her go. His forehead rested against hers, his breathing shallow.

“Never,” Luz murmured against Amelia’s skin. “I could not if I tried.” He opened his amber eyes. “So, we have tonight,” she said suggestively. “In this estate. How about a bath?” a low, rough laugh escaped him– the first genuine sound of amusement he had made in years. It was a rusty sound, unpractised, but it carried a warmth that reached all the way to his eyes. “A bath,” he repeated, as if the concept itself were foreign. “I have forgotten how to do anything that does not involve a blade or a command.” He stepped back just enough to loosen the heavy clasps of his armour. The black plate came away in pieces, clattering onto the rug with a series of dull thuds. Beneath it, the black veins on his neck pulsed faintly, but as he stood there in his simple tunic, the amber in his eyes remained steady.

Luz looked down at the white ribbon tied around his wrist, then back at Amelia. “I will follow your lead,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, losing its formal edge entirely. “I have already started boiling some water in the kitchen,” she said her hand moving to the corruption mark on his neck. “It was actually Lady Escuridade’s idea.” He leaned into her touch, his head tilting slightly as he fingers brushed the dark veins at his throat. He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding for years. “Lady Escuridade has a way of knowing things before I do,” he murmured, a trace of a real smile touching his lips. “She probably thinks I am lost cause without a proper scrubbing.”

Luz reached up, covering Amelia’s hand with his own. His skin was warm, the heat from his body fighting back the chill of the stone walls. “Lead the way then. I am not going anywhere,” he said softly, his voice stripped of all military weight. “Whoa,” she said placing a hand flat on his chest. “The water is not boiling yet. We still got some time.” He looked down at her hand against his chest, then back up at her face. “Time,” he said, the word sounding strange on his tongue. “I have not had that in a very long time.” He reached out, his fingers curling gently around her waist, drawing her a fraction closer. The heat radiating from him was intense. “You are right,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her lips before meeting her green eyes again. “We have time.”

Luz’s thumb traced the line of Amelia’s jaw, slow and deliberate, as if he were memorizing the shape of it all over again. The heavy, armoured commander was gone; on his place stood a man who looked like he had finally come home after a long war. “We could do anything…” she said suggestively. His gaze darkened with something primal and human. The suggestion hung between them, thick and heavy, and for a moment he looked almost overwhelmed by it. “Anything,” he repeated, his voice dropping to a low, rough rumble that vibrated against her palm. He did not move away. Instead, he leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear.