Facets of Revolution (The Firebird Chronicles, #4)

by T.A. White

It was why the forty-three loved her and Jin so much—though they made sure the two never realized. Kira and Jin were the sun and the forty-three the planets that watched over them from afar. Only intervening when the worst possible outcome was assured. Such as was the case on Rothchild.

“When all else fails—beat them until they submit. Or you could kill them. Whichever you think best.” Jace stared at her in stunned amazement. “That is a spectacularly bad plan. I would be court martialed. They might even bring back hanging as a method of execution.” “Naw. I’d help you hide the bodies.”

A little bloodshed never hurt anyone. Sometimes it was even necessary.

“She’s not the only one we’ve put by your side either.” Kira’s tiny flinch made Aeron grin. “Do you think your encounter with the young lord and his sister on O’Riley was an accident? Wake up, Phoenix.”

War was coming. Chaos would follow.

People underestimated how reassuring it could be simply to have a companion when you faced your greatest fear. Not to have them fix the problem but rather hold your hand through the worst of it.

Nobody deserved to be that happy outwardly. Nobody.

“Do you know what the worst feeling in the world is? It’s being powerless as you watch the world burn around you.”

Just once, she’d like to take the easy route. Not have to fight tooth and nail to survive. Was that too much to ask?

“How unexpected and rare,” Torvald murmured. “You’re quite sensitive. It’s been a long time since a beloved of the Mea’Ave partook in the adva ka. I think I’ll see some interesting things this cycle.”

“Once something is broken, it will never be the same,” Kira said without looking at him. It didn’t matter how hard you tried. The pieces could never be glued together in exactly the same way. There was always a trace of the original break. “Perhaps it won’t be exactly the same and will carry the proof of its survival, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There’s a certain poetic beauty in that,” Raider answered.

“I miss my coma.”

“I study everyone who might become an issue.” “I find the fact you consider me dangerous enough to be wary of highly flattering.” Kira scowled. “Who said anything about me being wary?” A teasing look settled on Graydon’s face. “You would only take precautions if you thought I was a threat. I’m gratified to know I’ve made such a good impression.” Kira stared at Graydon like she thought he’d lost his mind. “Most people would feel sad to know their lover considered them dangerous.”

It was so rare to find someone who matched her in every way. She didn’t have to hold back with Graydon. He could take her worst and return the favor.

There was something appealing in knowing she could give him every part of herself. The good. The bad. And the vicious.

All any of us cared about was surviving back then—though why we were fighting to stay alive, I have no idea.” Those days had been dark. Hope a word that held no meaning. It would have been easier to give in. Some did.

“To be honest, I’m tired of being the one to survive. I have no intention of outliving you.”

Alexander’s lips twisted. “My youngest sister may have been ignorant of her origins but the same can’t be said of the rest of us. The forty-three have been watching you. We are not impressed by what we’ve seen.”

“Himoto always said if you couldn’t be respected—be feared,”

“I don’t mind being a monster if that’s what’s needed to protect her,”

Extermination. That’s what she was about to do to him. Exterminate him so thoroughly that even his ancestors felt it.

“Are you going to renew your vow after she passes her adva ka?”

He wasn’t going anywhere after Kira’s adva ka. He’d stay right next to her.

he would be right there next to her while she did it. A support and a shield against those forces that would batter her brilliance into dust. The sword that would cut through her enemies. Anything she wished, he would be.

“I’m proud of you,”

For so long, home was a concept she didn’t understand. It was something other people had. Never Kira. This feeling right here must be what so many spoke about. The thing they wanted to defend even at the cost of their life. She understood now. This was something worth defending. If memories were a strand of pearls that could be collected, she’d store this one in a place of honor to be taken out and cherished those times when she forgot what home meant.

Finn was the first to kneel. Then Wren. From there, a wave caught, spreading through all those present. Kira looked over the sea of Tuann who knelt on one knee, a hand to the ground and the other touching their heart as they bowed their heads.

“You proved you were worthy.” “How?” Graydon lips touched hers in a light kiss. “You’re Kira. That’s enough.”

right now there was a voice whispering in her ear that she wasn’t worthy. That she’d disappoint them.

It left her in a difficult predicament—particularly because a growing part of her no longer wanted her long-coveted freedom. It wanted this family. All she needed to do was let herself accept it.

“This was your father’s weapon and his mother’s before him. All the way back to the first Overlord,”

Once mature, the candidate it selected would convey it to a new home where it would take root.

To say nothing of the fact that those who spent an extended time with such a creature often walked away changed. Sometimes the Mea’Ave unlocked additional affinities within the recipient. Other times it enriched what was already there.

“There are signs that indicate Kira may be a beloved of the Mea’Ave,“ Graydon revealed.

You are someone destined to stand out.”

She’d worked hard to earn a reputation as a terror. How disappointing that years of effort meant nothing in Tuann society.

“Because you’re forgetting all those you lost aren’t sweet children anymore.”

“Believe me when I tell you they’re not the children you remember. They are killers. We are killers.”

“Fight like hell to drag them out of that darkness when you finally find them again,” Kira told her. “Make them remember that there were once people who loved them.”

“I see your pain,” Graydon whispered. “I can feel it burning in my chest.” Emotion moved through his gaze. Tenderness and love as he pressed his forehead against hers.

“From this second forward, you shall not know fear or sorrow. For I am with you. Your shield and your sword. Defender and protector. The shelter in the storm. This I so swear as the child of Marcus and Ashlyn, former son of House Roake and the Face of the sixth Tuann emperor, Torvald Elden.”

“The oath of Aliria can only be given once in a lifetime.”

“There’s no need to fret. The oath is a promise of protection and support between two equals.”

“An oshota’s vow is one of service. I will fulfill your orders to the best of my capability. The oath of Aliria is a promise of help whenever you face strife. As such, the giver does not serve at the other’s behest. In simple terms, it is a promise offering protection. Nothing more.”

She’d long passed the age where she prayed for someone to rescue her.

History was written by those who betrayed their nearest and dearest.

“Prove you are worthy. Prove you can survive.”

“Stay back. Things are about to get dangerous.” “Why do you have a smile on your face when you say that?”

The emperor was famed for his sensitivity and intuition that far surpassed any other Tuann, except one, that Graydon had met.

Most were only capable of passing the adva ka. To reach higher, more sacrifice and ability would be required.