Chapter 331: Titles
Liam ended the call with his mother only after promising three separate times that Enia could come to Nuria.
Not immediately.
That distinction had required considerably more negotiation.
"As soon as the borders stop resembling the beginning of an international incident," Liam had said.
Enia had not appreciated the wording.
"As soon as things are calm enough that nobody shoots at a diplomatic aircraft," Arik had corrected from beside him.
That had been worse.
Eventually, Liam settled on, "When the political nightmare becomes slightly less of a nightmare."
Enia accepted it only because Mirelle had begun asking whether Nuria required visas.
The call disconnected.
Liam dropped his phone onto the sofa cushion and leaned his head back.
"I survived the Ether Trial."
Arik stretched one arm along the back of the sofa behind him. "You did."
"I survived Felix."
"Yes."
"I survived an imperial coronation."
"Barely."
Liam turned his head.
Arik smiled.
"And somehow," Liam continued, "telling my mother she cannot immediately fly into a newly emerged empire was the most exhausting part of today."
Arik bent and kissed his temple.
Liam had just begun considering whether they could finally escape to their bedroom when another phone vibrated.
Arik looked toward the low table.
His personal phone was flashing beside the crown he had abandoned there.
Gabriel.
Liam laughed.
Arik gave him a look.
"You laughed at me."
"That was different."
"How?"
"I was being lectured by my mother."
"And I am about to be lectured by Gabriel."
"Exactly. Much funnier."
Arik picked up the phone.
He answered the video call.
Gabriel appeared immediately.
He was sitting in what looked like one of the private rooms in Damian’s residence, dressed far too formally for the hour in a dark navy shirt with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. Behind him, tall glass doors opened onto a terrace overlooking the illuminated city.
Damian stood near the windows with a drink in one hand.
Neither of them spoke.
Arik raised an eyebrow.
Gabriel slowly closed his eyes.
Like a man who had spent months preparing himself for death notifications and had instead received footage of an ancient empire materializing from the ocean.
Then he opened them again.
"You’re alive."
Arik’s expression softened.
"Yes."
Gabriel nodded once.
The relief was unmistakable despite the severe set of his mouth.
"And Liam?"
Arik shifted the phone.
Liam leaned into view.
"Also alive."
Gabriel stared at him, at Arik, and then back at Liam.
His gaze paused on Liam’s ceremonial clothing.
Damian took a slow drink in the background.
Gabriel inhaled.
"Wonderful."
Liam almost smiled.
Gabriel pointed toward the screen.
"Now explain why every international news agency on the planet is currently referring to you two as the Emperor and Empress Consort of Nuria."
Arik leaned back into the sofa.
"Because that is accurate."
Gabriel closed his eyes again.
Damian laughed into his glass.
"I told you not to ask questions you already knew the answer to."
Gabriel ignored him.
"You disappeared."
"Yes."
"For over a year, and then this morning an entire empire appeared."
"Technically—"
Gabriel opened his eyes.
"Do not."
Liam covered his mouth.
Arik looked offended.
"That is usually Liam’s line."
"I have learned from experience."
Damian crossed the room and dropped into the chair beside Gabriel.
Unlike Gabriel, he looked delighted.
His dark shirt was open at the throat, and his hair was slightly disordered as though Gabriel had dragged him away from whatever he had been doing the moment the first verified recordings from Nuria appeared.
"So," Damian said, looking at Arik. "Emperor."
Arik sighed.
Damian’s grin widened.
"And Liam is your empress consort."
Liam nodded.
"Yes."
Damian glanced between them.
"Of course he is."
Liam frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"It clearly means something."
"It means that somehow this is exactly the kind of absurd outcome I should have expected."
Arik smiled.
Gabriel looked toward the crown visible behind them.
His expression changed again, but this time into disbelief.
"You actually did it."
Arik followed his gaze.
For a moment, the humor left his face.
"Yes."
Gabriel’s shoulders lowered as over a year of tension seemed to leave him all at once.
"You’re both safe?"
"We are."
"And this isn’t temporary?"
Arik understood the question.
"No."
Gabriel nodded.
"Good."
Damian looked toward him.
Gabriel’s mouth tightened.
"What?"
"You were going to say something sentimental."
"I was not."
"You absolutely were."
Gabriel’s glare had no effect.
Liam shifted closer to Arik, tucking one leg beneath himself. The formal layers of his clothing were becoming increasingly uncomfortable, but he had lost any realistic chance of escaping them soon.
Gabriel noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
Liam went still.
Damian’s attention sharpened.
Gabriel pointed again.
"Those are not only coronation clothes."
Arik looked toward Liam.
Liam looked toward Arik.
Damian leaned forward.
"Oh."
Gabriel went very quiet.
Arik lifted his left hand.
The ring caught the light.
"We married."
Gabriel stared.
Damian stared.
Then Damian began laughing.
Gabriel rubbed both hands over his face.
"Of course you did."
"We were already planning to," Arik said.
"You got married inside the inaccessible empire while everyone outside was wondering whether you were dead."
"That is an unnecessarily negative description."
"It is an extremely accurate description."
A door slammed somewhere behind Gabriel.
All three men on the call looked toward the sound.
Footsteps followed.
Fast ones.
Gabriel turned.
"Cecil—"
The door flew open.
Cecil appeared in the frame wearing black trousers, an untucked pale shirt, and absolutely no concern for doors, privacy, or dignity.
"Move."
Gabriel stared at him.
"This is my room."
"Move."
Cecil crossed behind the sofa, caught Gabriel by the shoulder, and physically leaned around him toward the phone.
His eyes found Arik.
He stopped.
For the first time since entering, Cecil had nothing to say.
Arik’s smile disappeared.
"Hello, Cecil."
Cecil stared at him.
Then his gaze shifted briefly to Liam.
Back to Arik.
"You asshole."
Arik blinked.
Cecil grabbed the phone from Gabriel.
"You absolute fucking asshole."
Gabriel reached for it.
"Cecil."
"I thought you were dead."
Arik went quiet.
So did Damian.
Cecil’s anger lasted perhaps another second before it collapsed under something much less controlled.
He dragged one hand through his hair.
"You couldn’t send one message?"
"The Gate—"
"I know about the Gate."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because I’m angry."
"That is fair."
Cecil stared at him again.
Arik’s hair still held faint traces of sovereign gold at the ends. His black ceremonial robes were open slightly at the throat now, the rigid imperial mantle discarded somewhere outside the room.
Alive. Very obviously alive.
Cecil exhaled.
Then he noticed the crown.
His eyes narrowed.
"No."
Damian started laughing again.
Cecil looked at Arik.
"You became emperor?"
Cecil stared between them.
"And married?"
Cecil handed the phone back to Gabriel.
"I need alcohol."
Damian lifted his glass.
"I’m ahead of you."
Gabriel caught the phone before it fell onto his lap.
For several seconds, nobody said anything.
Then Cecil turned back from the drinks cabinet.
"Congratulations."
Arik smiled.
"Thank you."
Cecil pointed at him.
"I’m still angry."
"I assumed."
"And I’m visiting."
Gabriel sighed.
"So are we."
Liam looked toward Arik.
Apparently Enia would not be the only person waiting for Nuria’s borders to calm.
Arik reached beneath the camera and took Liam’s hand.
For months, their world had contained only the people trapped inside the Gate.
Now everyone was coming back.
One call at a time.