“You still need to tell me how you got to it so swiftly.” Taavin rested his palm on the small of her back.
“Right… Well, I went to the ball just as we had discussed…”
Vi recounted the events of the morning, the attack on Fiera, and her efforts to convince Fiera to take her to the sword.
“What did you say to her, specifically?” Taavin didn’t miss when she’d glossed over that part. “Usually Fiera is far more cautious with the sword.”
“I told her I was chosen by the Mother herself to defend this world and that I need to prevent the sword from falling into the wrong hands.”
“Vi, you can’t let them know who you are and why you’re here. If the Dark Isle gains knowledge of the Champion, it could change the course of events.”
“Just how easy is it to change the course of events?” Vi asked. “If I’ve failed ninety-two times, it must not be that easy.”
He crossed his arms, a sour expression dousing his features. “You’re right. It’s not entirely easy.” Taavin sighed, bringing his hand to his forehead. “Think of time as a river, flowing along. There are three types of things you will find in that river.
“The first are leaves floating along—these are people, pulled along by the course of fate, thrown this way and that by the flow of the world around them.
“The second are stones—things that are immovable. They will happen regardless of what you do. The river runs around them, its current and pace distorted by these events.” He held up two fingers.
“So… some things can’t be changed?” Vi said quietly. Taavin nodded. “What if Raspian being set free is one of those things?”
“It’s not,” he said quickly. “Raspian being set free is a result of other actions, not an action itself.”
Vi thought about that a moment and finally hummed in agreement. Raspian was set free because of the crystal weapons being destroyed. Prevent those actions, and he wouldn’t be freed.
“And the third thing in the river?” she asked.
“You—the dams and floodgates you create to guide the currents. The few locations where the river is quiet enough, or shallow enough, or narrow enough, to change how it flows.”
Vi leaned against the table, Taavin at her side, the sword behind her. She hung her head, eyes on the floor, staring at nothing. She had to function like a surgeon of fate—cutting and stitching carefully, or the whole world would bleed out and die.
“The Apexes of Fate,” she said slowly. “I canmakethem?”
“Yes. You, the previous Champion, and the crystal weapons.”
“That’s why there were so many in the North,” Vi realized. “Because the axe was there for a long time and helped shape the North itself?”
“Exactly.”
“So here in Norin, there must be many, too?”
“Indeed. And now that you have access to the sword, we will seek them out in time. At the Apexes, you will peer into the future, and there we’ll learn if your actions have led to a change in fate overall.”
“So where is the first one?”
“Don’t be so eager. You’ve done enough for now. Lie low for a bit, build trust.”
“There isn’t time,” Vi said hastily. “Fiera will be wedded soon, and then Aldrik will be born. That’s when the Knights take the sword, and my father told me that Fiera dies trying to protect it. We have months, Taavin, to prevent that from happening.”
“Remember what I said about stones in the river,” he said cautiously. Vi didn’t miss the ominous undercurrent to his words.
“Are you saying Fiera is—” Vi didn’t have a chance to finish.
The flames at their right brightened as a woman pushed her way through. The fire licked around her skin but didn’t touch it, thanks to a protective barrier. When she was through, that barrier shattered with a snap of light.
“Mysst soto sut,” Denja said instantly. Light spilled from her palms, weaving and solidifying into the shape of a war axe she hoisted with ease. Her muscles bulged against the thin fabric covering her arms. Her bright blue eyes leveled with Vi, Taavin having vanished. “We should talk, you and I.”
Chapter Twelve
