“Tiberus’s fate is decided,” Vi said as gently as possible. “He’s long since chosen his path.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say that Tiberus would eventually fall to another as thirsty for power and conquest as himself. He’d fall before he ever had the chance to attempt attacking Meru. Though, knowing what she did of Meru, that fact was likely for the best.
“I know.” Fiera’s eyes were sad enough that they said everything her lips did not. She knew the man she’d married. “And my son?”
“What?”
“You can see the future, can you not? Or was it all a lie?”
“I can.”
“Then tell me: what is my son’s fate?”
Vi took Fiera’s hand, wrapping her fingers around the Empress’s. “Your son will live a hard life. But he will grow to be a good man. He will be the kind of man who loves his family and his people fiercely. He will defend them at all costs. He will be the kind of man who will board a ship and sail into pirate-infested waters for the woman he loves.”
Her voice cracked toward the end. Sorrow flooded her and the only lifeline Vi had was Fiera’s hand. She clutched it tightly.
“Good.” Fiera’s eyes closed as an expression of relief overtook her. She seemed to sit easier on her pillows.
“You didn’t ask about your fate.”
Fiera looked at her once more, a small smile playing on her lips. “I don’t have to.”
“Have you seen it?”
“Yes—in your eyes, right now.” Fiera squeezed her hand. Vi felt herself unraveling.
“I wanted to save you,” she whispered. “I’ve tried so hard. I’ve tried everything to save you.”
“The Mother has a plan for us all. I’m glad I could protect my people when Tiberus came. That I could honor my family and see the Ci’Dan bloodline live on… it is enough.” Fiera gently stroked her stomach.
Vi hung her head, shaking it from side to side. “Her plan for you ends in death. It always does. I’ve tried more times than you or I can fathom to save you. To give your son the mother he deserves.”
“Perhaps there are things my son cannot learn if I am there.” Fiera wriggled her hand free, cupping Vi’s cheek. “I am not afraid of my future.”
Her expression was open and honest. Vi studied those brave eyes, memorizing them, imprinting them on herself. Everyone told her she had Fiera’s face. Perhaps, through all this, she could gain her bravery, too.
“I have to go now. I can’t stay and try to protect you further from the vicious fate that wants you dead,” Vi said, though she didn’t move. Fiera was stable, warm, and confident even in the face of overwhelming odds. Part of Vi was trying to steal it through osmosis.
“Where will you go?”
“I tried to protect the sword. I spoke true when I told you that it was my sole duty to defend it and this world… Because of me, Zira gave her life to that end. But the Knights of Jadar have the sword now. And if they go to the Caverns, they will seek to—”
“Use the sword to unlock the power there,” Fiera finished. Another wince and another massage of her stomach.
“How did you know?”
“The sword was locked away for a long time… But when the war with Solaris began, my father told me where it was hidden. It was my duty to use the sword to keep our people safe. So I read as much as I could on the old records from the Burning Times.” Fiera grimaced at the last two words. It had nothing to do with her body and everything to do with the dark aura cast by mentioning the long-ago period during which the West captured and murdered Windwalkers in the East. “The records held information on the sword—not much, but enough.”
“What kind of information?”
Windwalkers were the one affinity on the Dark Isle that was said to be immune to crystal taint. Knowing what she knew now, Vi would postulate it was because of what aspects of Yargen’s magic they inherited from the scythe. Or perhaps it was because the scythe had long been removed from the continent. Either way, she made a connection that she never had before: The Burning Times were Jadar’s first attempt at unlocking the power of the Crystal Caverns.
“Mostly how the sword could be used to free the deeper power in the Caverns. But the writings had enough on the power within the sword itself that I was able to fortify the barrier that helped protect Norin for so long.”
“You… you formed a barrier,” Vi whispered. That night of the surrender, she had seen Fiera and the sword—how the wall around Norin had held against all odds. It was more than just the magic of Groundbreakers. Fiera had imbued the wall with the power of Yargen. It explained why the sword had felt weaker than the scythe. “I-I should’ve spoken to you much sooner,” Vi blurted. Guilt swelled like summer heat. If she’d only spoken with Fiera rather than keeping everything a secret, she would’ve had an ally in figuring out the power of the crystals rather than struggling on her own. “What can you tell me about this barrier? How do I form it?”
“I don’t think I could teach you—” another hiss of pain and a deep breath “—at this exact moment.”
