“Tell me why he has yet to put you on trial.”
“Because I am the Champion reborn,” Vi answered honestly, deciding her best chance was to ingratiate herself to the queen. She had just lost one powerful ally on Meru; she could use another. “So I can help rekindle the flame.”
“I have always known Ulvarth to be greedy, but not stupid,” Lumeria murmured. Then, louder, “Can you rekindle it? Can you bring Yargen back to us and collect her scattered power from your lands?”
“Scattered power from my lands?” Vi repeated. She suspected she understood—she had heard about Yargen’s fractured power—but sought clarity nonetheless.
“To seal Raspian away, Yargen split herself—one part into the staff she gave the last Champion, one part to the seal Raspian’s tomb, and one part to the flame.”
“As you know, the tomb is gone,” Vi said.
“The staff, then. There are records it was split and—”
“Transformed into a crown, an axe, a sword, and a scythe,” Vi finished. “Yes… But all that remains is the scythe.”
Lumeria was silent for a long time. She folded her hands in her lap and Vi heard a soft sigh. Underneath the fabrics of her veil, the queen hunched slightly.
“Then it may already be too late.”
“I have the scythe in my possession,” Vi said quickly. “Well, Ulvarth has it. But it is here.”
“I will pray for that to be enough,” Lumeria said wistfully. “But a fragment of a fragment of the Goddess’s power does not seem like it would be sufficient to stand against a god.”
And Vi had the visions to prove it wasn’t.
“Deneya, you may escort the princess back to the Archives now. Thank you for speaking with me, Vi Solaris.”
Vi stood at the dismissal. Deneya guided her back through the door and down the stairs. They crossed the walkway in silence, the knight pausing at the entrance to the archives, hovering like the clearly unspoken words.
“Vi,” she said delicately. “You have a path more difficult than any can comprehend. The only one who can truly understand it is the Voice.”
She bit back protest that Taavin was clearly the last person in the world who understood her. If he did, he would’ve never put her and her father at risk.
“But should you ever need me, no matter the time or place, seek me out. My sword is yours.”
“Thank you,” Vi said, trying to hide her discomfort. She didn’t trust the woman’s eagerness. Perhaps Lumeria had put her up to the task.
Or perhaps she was another trying to get close to her for their own gain.
“Good luck, Champion.”
Deneya gave a small bow, returning back the way she came.
Vi watched her leave before wandering back into the Archives. She returned the book she’d started reading on the last War of Light to its place on the shelf. Her mind was too full to try to process the knowledge within.
A fraction of a fraction of the goddess’s power wouldn’t be enough to stand up against Raspian.
It made sense and gave credence to her visions of Raspian shattering the scythe and striking her down. But all the other crystal weapons had been destroyed. Her father had told her that much.
Vi clutched the watch around her neck and for the first time wondered if, perhaps, the future of their world couldn’t be saved.
If there was only one path forward—into the eternal darkness of death.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The light streamingthrough the window of her room dimmed to night as Vi paced. It seemed like now the days were more darkness than anything else. The moon dominated the sky almost perpetually and daylight was only a couple hours.
Finally her feet came to a stop and Vi let out a groan of frustration. She knew what she needed to do. But it was the last thing she wanted to do.
