Behind me, my men wait.
Ahead of me, Absentia blooms.
And for the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel like maybe —maybe— everything is going to be okay.
Chapter 5
Kaia
The plateau is quiet in a way that makes my ears ring.
No more shuffling. No more Eds. Just wind and snow and the Gate humming behind me like a heartbeat that isn’t mine.
And my shadows.
They’re all standing in a line.
Not scattered around the plateau like usual. Not doing their own thing — Bob organizing, Patricia scribbling, Finnick causing problems, Carl falling out of something.
They’re just… standing there.
Watching me.
Mouse at the front, panther-sized and ancient. Walter hovering beside him, pulsing brighter than I’ve ever seen. Bob at rigid attention, edges sharp enough to cut. Patricia with her notebook closed —closed— pressed against her chest. Finnick actually still for once. Carl managing not to trip over anything. Steve standing straight, Linda beside him with her hand on his shoulder like she’s keeping him steady.
They’re all looking between me and the Gate.
Something cold settles in my stomach.
“Guys?” I take a step toward them. “What’s—”
The bonds flare behind me. All six of them, humming with something I can’t put my finger on.
Finn moves first, slipping his hand into mine. His chaos magic sparks against my skin — still brighter than before, still different — but there’s something heavy in the way he’s holding on.
Malrik appears at my other side. Steady. Silent.
Torric’s heat presses against my back. Aspen’s frost cools the air at my shoulder. Darian’s light flickers soft and uncertain. Kieran’s presence anchors the edges.
They’re surrounding me.
Not protectively. Not like there’s a threat.
Like they’re bracing me for something.
“What’s going on?” My voice comes out sharper than I mean it to. “Why are they just standing there? Why aren’t they—”
“Kaia.” Aspen’s voice is quiet. Gentle in a way that makes my chest tight. “Look at them.”
I am looking at them. That’s the problem.
They’re standing in a line like soldiers waiting for orders. Patricia’s notebook isclosed. Finnick hasn’t moved in thirty seconds. And they keep looking between me and the Gate. Back and forth. Gate. Me. Gate. Me.
My mother’s sisters-in-arms.
The Valkyries who fell that night and bound their souls to me through the Heart of Eternity. Who chose to stay when they could have passed on. Who protected me, guided me, loved me — forcenturies— waiting for this moment.
For me to open the Gate.
