She shook her head, leaning forward and pressing her face into his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Vi inhaled the scent of him. Somehow, he still smelled faintly of the incense that burned in Risen a world away, and sunlight on a warm summer’s day. She missed those scents a painful amount.
“Vi, you need to—”
“Give her a moment, she’s been through enough,” Deneya snapped.
A soft huff of amusement slipped through Vi’s lips and Taavin’s arms closed around her. She let out a sigh.Let this embrace never end, Vi wished.
She did not pray. Because she knew what gods would be out there to hear her prayers. Vi didn’t want to leave her delicate wishes in either of their warring hands.
“Raspian is set free,” she finally whispered.
Taavin released her, almost pushing her back as though her words had burned him. He held her at arm’s length. As though with her, he could hold away her vision and prevent it from coming to pass.
“What?”
“Raspian is set free,” she repeated, louder. “He gains a physical form, I saw it.”
“I don’t understand.” Deneya took a step forward, physically inserting herself into their conversation. “We sealed the Caverns. You have the sword. How do they manipulate the tomb?”
“There are other crystal weapons. The crystals will never be safe,” Taavin muttered. His arms dropped to his sides and he slumped, swayed, righted himself, and then swayed again.
“No, they’ll never be safe on this land,” Vi agreed easily. Perhaps there was some of Yargen’s unnatural calm still in her. Or perhaps feeling Taavin there had given her a peace she’d long since given up on.
No matter what, they were opened. They couldn’t stop the Crystal Caverns from being destroyed, not even after ninety-three times. Not even after what had seemed like their best showing yet, despite all Vi’s shortcomings.
Vi slowly ascended the steps to the crystal-coated doors. She ran her hands along the stone. Feeling the deeply rooted magic within.
Destruction always reaped destruction.
“Maybe that’s it.”
“What is?” Deneya asked. Even Taavin stopped his murmuring.
Vi turned to face Taavin, bracing herself for what she already knew his reaction would be. “Maybe that’s been our error all along.”
“What has?” Taavin lowered his hand to look at her with his piercing green eyes.
“All these times, we’ve been trying to stop the Caverns from being opened, stop Raspian from being set free.”
“That is your job—to change the fate of the world and prevent that.”
“But what if there’s another way?” Vi asked. The words felt like blasphemy ignited by a spark of red lightning in the darkness. “I’m supposed to change fate, but keep enough the same that I’m reborn. I have to alter the outcome of events, but accept that some things will always happen. Don’t you think it sounds rather impossible?”
“If it were easy—”
“—we would’ve already done it, I know,” Vi finished hastily. “Think about it,” she implored him. “What was the problem in our world? What were we trying to stop?”
“The Crystal Caverns were destroyed and Raspian was set free.” Taavin played along.
“Now, think about it in a different way. Why was Raspian being set free a problem?” She’d talk him through it so he’d understand. So she could vet this mad idea that had overtaken her.
“Because he’s evil and darkness incarnate.”
“Because Yargencouldn’t stop him, because her power was fractured by the crystal weapons being destroyed across time,” Vi corrected. “If Raspian was set free, but Yargen had all of her power, she could face him once more. It would be like every other war of light and dark through the ages.”
“Stop.” Taavin held up both his hands. “You’re thinking aboutlettingRaspian be set free?”
“Yes. And I know how it sounds,” Vi added hastily. “But no matter what we’ve done, throughout the history of the Dark Isle, men have sought out the Crystal Caverns. They will continue to. Even if we’re successful, Yargen’s magic and Raspian’s tomb will never be safe as long as they’re within the reach of power-hungry people—here on the Dark Isle or anywhere else.
