Just pure peace.
I started forward.
“Stop,” a familiar voice resounded through the plane, stilling me.
I swung my head around, but couldn’t see the source.
“Dad?”
“Yes.”
“How are—”
“You can’t remain here, son.”
“I can for a little while.”
“The pull of the Valley shouldn’t be affecting you. You’re pained and weary, you’ve been through a lot. I understand. We’ll see to you, I promise. This pain you feel is just temporary, not your new normal. Trauma twists things. The weight of it isn’t insurmountable like it seems.”
“Dad… I’m tainted now. I wanted to—no, I want to—kill that bastard.”
“That’s a normal reaction to what he’s inflicted upon you. There’s no shame in it.”
“No. He said… he said he’d gotten into me… changed me. Forever changed me, Dad.”
“That’s not the truth, only him warping the narrative like he warps every other fucking thing. He’s reframing your justified rage as proof of corruption.”
“I… don’t know…”
“Listen, Zayn mentioned something about blackcurrant truffles waiting for you when you return to your loves? Is that a new food you’ve come to love?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Hmm. You should also know that Evira is coming into her power from a leadership perspective. Cornelius has spoken to Kai about bringing her into his Inter-Realm Ambassador role. A great honor, especially for one so young. And Vaxan is being pleaded with by his people to become their sovereign. I think he could do with a little reassurance there from a gentle sort like you who could bring a valuable empathetic insight into the people themselves, something Vaxan has been taught and had ingrained in him not to register. He’s risen above that, but more assistance may be needed. Do you think you could do that? Help him? Stand beside Evira? Show Zayn how much you relish those special truffles he’s made for you? He’s expecting you back any moment now. They all are.”
“I… do. I do want to. But I—urgh!” I tugged at my hair and yelled out all around me, “Why are you saying all this? You can just force me out of here, right?”
“You know well that I can. In fact, I’m also being pressured to do that as we speak. But it’s important that you choose to overcome the pull of the Valley.”
“Otherwise I’ll be marked by it? It’ll have a hold on me, always wanting to draw me back?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll keep wanting to… to die?”
“Something like that.”
“Dad…”
“What do you want to do when all of this is over?”
“What? I don’t know… go back to Loxley… work with my new friends.”
“The necromancers who allied with you?”
“Yeah. There’s a kinship there and… never mind, it’s stupid.”
“It’s far from stupid. I love this for you.”
