But part of me was relieved, too. Because as long as my sight was gone, as long as my visions were denied me, I didn’t have to know whether the girl—woman—I’d seen in my mind over a decade ago was Marigold. As long as I was blind, that woman was still just a symbol, a distant thing, open to the interpretation of time.
Because if itwasher…Gods, if it was her…
“You have to admit, though, some would call us foolish for refusing that offer.” Rad began spinning his blade again, looking off into the middle distance. “Assuming we could verify that Mordren was telling the truth about his ability to return our power. Even if just one of us could be made whole again… Think of how much we could do. She’s just one person. One girl, sacrificed against all the lives we could save, all the good we could do for Therador.”
He glanced to me again with that final word, as if he knew what pain the very name of Therador stirred within me. I’d declared, only days ago, that I would do anything for Therador. And Iwould, only…
“We all thought it,” Radven said. “We’d have been fools if wehadn’tconsidered it. But I would never betray the two of you. Or an innocent like Marigold.” I knew, without him even saying so, exactly where he stood on that matter. “I guarantee Oak thought about it, too. And he lashed out at us rather than face that truth within himself.”
That made sense, of course. More sense than believing our brother truly believed Radven and myself capable of giving Marigold over to Mordren.
But Oak’s momentary, violent distrust in us, no matter his reasons, had opened a fissure. One that had never existed between us before.
And if he ever learned what I’d seen about Marigold in that vision so many years ago…
If it evenwasMarigold, and not simply some specter sent by Vela to haunt me…
Rad had stopped playing with his dagger again, and he was now looking toward the door, which had been left slightly ajar by Oak and Talon when they left.
“You can stop hovering,” he said. “If you want to eavesdrop, I’m going to have to teach you how to be subtle about it.”
A few seconds later, the door pulled open, and a fidgeting, pink-cheeked Marigold stood in the doorway.
Something tightened inside me at the sight of her. She was all wrong—too girlish, too helpless, too damned silly and cheerful.
And yet…
She’d brought us here. Found the strength to open the bridge to Therador, even at great risk and pain to herself. Kept her calm during Mordren’s attack, even though one wrong step would have meant her death.
There was strength in her, and great power, and that meant it was possible she contained all of the other things I’d seen, too.
And she’d crowned me, just as the woman in my visions had crowned me. Marigold had used a crown of flowers, and we’d been in the middle of a dirty, crowded street, but every word she’d said to me had been exactly the same as what I’d foreseen. And ifthathad been true, then the rest of it…
“Trade me,” she said.
I stiffened. “What?”
She looked from me to Rad and back again. “Give me to this Mordren guy.”
Radven jumped in while I was still recovering from the sheer absurdity of the idea.
“You don’t know what you’re asking, butterfly,” he told her.
“It would get you your powers back.”
“Oneof us,” Rad stressed. “And it would cause far more problems than it solved.” He shook his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to be anywhere near that bastard.”
“Well, then just make the trade, get your power returned, and then steal me back from him.” Her chin rose stubbornly. “You said it yourself—think of all the good you could do.” She continued to fidget, lacing her fingers together and then pulling them apart again, shaking out her shoulders and shifting her weight from one foot to the other. I couldn’t feel the essence that had built up within her, but I could see how it distressed her, how it refused to give her a moment’s rest.
“It’s not worth the risk,” I said.
Her eyes snapped to me. “Not even for Therador?”
Blessed Vela, I missed the way she’d looked at me the first night we’d met. She’d been just as naïvely obstinate then, but now, there was aknowingin her eyes when she glanced my way, like she’d figured out some piece of me.
I didn’t like it.
When I didn’t answer her, she said, very quietly, “He did this to get to me. He killed all those people…” The flush had drained from her face completely. “I can’t… Iwon’tlet that happen again.”
