“How can I trust you to endure that?”
“Because I think whatever world you have in mind will be better than this one. And I would rather throw my lot in with you,” he says simply. I fold my arms. “Fine. If not that, then I’m dead either way, no? Either you kill me now or I take the gamble and risk dying at the king’s hand. At least this way I’ve a better chance at a world I can be free in—a world all future Majors can be free in.”
Risking everything for freedom is something I am very familiar with.
“It’s worth it to have allies,” Elorin chimes in. “Especially ones in Fate Hearth. You can count on us, Clara. We want the same things as you.Noneof us like being kept here.”
I think of the Worldkeepers, another group of people telling me to trust them when I’ve no reason to. How can I trust people I hardly know when so much is at stake?
But I don’t have time to debate this. Time is running out. I’m shuffling my options like cards.
“All right,” I finally land on. I’ll throw my lot in with them, for better or worse.
Elorin stands. “Good. Let’s get you out of here before the other Majors wake.”
Alphos stands as well, offering me his hand. “I look forward to working with you.”
Forcing myself to take it, I say, “Likewise.” Though I’m not sure if it’s true.
Elorin leads me out, closing the door behind us. I pause for just a second on the other side. Still unsure of the gamble I’ve made.
“It’ll be all right,” she says with a note of gentle encouragement. “Alphos has been almost like a father to me since I came here. He’s a good man; you can trust him.”
Maybe his age means he has nothing to lose. Maybe that’s why he’s not afraid of throwing in his lot with me. Still, he seemed spry enough to have at least one good decade left…Why risk throwing it away?
“We all hate Naethor,” she whispers as we start toward the stairs, as if my thought were so loud she heard it. “Few more than Judgment. I can get him aligned with your cause, too.”
Maybe luck is still on my side, to have this much help. “Judgment is the one reviving the king if there’s a successful attempt on his life, right?”
She nods.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask as Elorin comes to a halt at the top of the stairs that will lead me back down and out. In the distance is the soft chime of a clock. Thirty minutes have passed. I should start my way back.
“I saw inside your mind.”
Five words and my body turns to ice. “You…you said you’d never do that without permission.”
“Only once, and I got only a notion of who you are in your heart. I did not peer into memories or prod deeper than searching for yourguiding truth—to know that, at your core, you truly aspire to win freedom for all Arcanists.” She meets my eyes, unwavering. “I looked inside Naethor’s, too. And you are our best option.”
Something about the way she’s staring at me has my throat going dry. I swallow hard. “Well, I’ll try to live up to that.”
She nods, and I start down the stairs, the sentiment continuing to ring in my ears. I’m their best option? All I can think of is burning the world down for my sister. Of vengeance. Of a home I’m not sure I’ll ever see—or even be able to build.
Damn it,I want to live up to their expectations and be the person they need, that this broken world needs.Don’t waver,I tell myself, part scolding.What you want and what they want are the same.
“One more thing.” Elorin’s soft voice halts my steps. I look back at her. “Be careful with your Major. I’ve learned a lot more about all the Majors since coming here, and the Wheel is…volatile.”
“I know,” I say dryly, thinking of Bristara.
Still, she continues pressing her warning. “The Wheel is halfway to the World, a smaller version in its own right.”
“I assure you it’s not,” I nearly cut her off. “If I had that power, nothing would be as it is.”
“Fate has a will of its own,” she says. “If you spin the Wheel, you can’t always decide where it lands, only suggest. It is your intention against fate’s.”
“Hardly seems like a fair fight.” I try to speak with confidence, but it falls flat.
“If anyone has the force of will, I think it’s you. Just make sure your intent is clear when you use it, but know you ultimately cannot decide the outcome, or how it comes to pass.”
