His back straightened. Taavin was taut and stiff as he slowly turned to face her. Hurt shone in his eyes.
Had she said something wrong?
He’d already known this truth.
“I know,” Taavin said softly. “But Victor has a trace of Raspian’s power… would it not be better to see him ended? In case Raspian’s essence was inadvertently split, as Yargen’s was?”
Vi thought about this a moment and then shook her head. “No, if he had the actual essence of Raspian, he’d be dead. His body is not made for such things. He has a fracture of the dark god’s magic… much like a crystal shaving. It’s a bit of magic, but not the essence itself.”
“Better to be safe?”
“I’m confident.” Vi swung her feet over the side of the bed.
“I know,” Taavin said hastily, crossing over to her. “I know we’ve already given up on ensuring the birth of a new Champion. But lingering here for a few more weeks—that’s all—and giving the watch to Vhalla couldn’t hurt, could it?”
“Why do you seek to delay the inevitable?” Vi was reminded that even though she’d blessed him with an immortal body, he still very much had a mortal mind.
“A little bit of assurance that somehow, maybe, if this doesn’t work… there’s hope.”
“I am the hope of this world.”
Taavin knelt before her. “Then, if not for the world, what about to ensure there is a new Vi born? Not for the world but for… somehow, for us. A new Taavin will be born, and then—”
“I don’t care about the birth of a new Vi.” He recoiled as though she’d slapped him. But Vi had spoken plainly, calmly, and without emotion.
“Vi, stop this,” he whispered. Taavin shook his head and brought his shining green eyes back to hers. “If not for you, or me, or us, then for Vhalla. She lost her magic in the Caverns. If you don’t return the watch to her, she’ll have no chance of getting it back once more. Victor will surely kill her.”
“Vhalla’s death matters not to me.”
“How can you say that?” He blinked up at her. “A day ago you were seeking to save herandthe world.”
“Those were sentimentalities of a narrow mind.”
“What are you saying?” Taavin stood and, instead of pulling away, leaned forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Vi stiffened under his touch. Something in her was fighting to escape. A war for her heart and mind threatened to tear her apart. “This isn’t you,” he whispered in her ear. “Sentimentality, love—these aren’t narrow-minded. These are the greatest gifts we have in this world. The only things that make this world worth saving.”
Vi felt a snap inside her, and she could move again. Her hands were her own. Warmth flooded her and Vi reached for the man it poured from. She wanted to drown in it, in him.
Tightening her arms around him, pulling him onto the bed with her, Vi whispered, “All right.”
“Yes?”
“We’ll give the watch to Vhalla. But not for anyone to be born and not even for her magic.” She managed to say the words before that cool and detached feeling overtook her once more.
“For what, then?” he whispered.
Vi pulled away, just enough to look him in the eye. “For you, Taavin. For a few more stolen moments with you.”
* * *
Victor’s influence spread. With even a sliver of Raspian’s power at his disposal, the man wrought turmoil across the continent. It seemed to follow behind them as Vi and Taavin made their way to the Crossroads one final time.
But they made it without issue, and Vi had never been more relieved to see their quiet shop and second-floor abode still standing, waiting for them.
“I was half worried it wouldn’t be here,” she said as she dismounted in the back alley and tied their horse to a post.
“The West always holds out against Victor. At least for a while.”
“Just like they held out against the Empire. It’s a stubborn land.”
