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“The oracle has spoken, Cassia. What will you do about her prophecy?”
“How can anyone ask this of me?” Cassia pleaded with the only one who was asking—her. “How can I do this?”
“Do not be afraid. You have everything you need for your future within you. Otherwise your future would be different.”
“Tell me it is not set in stone. Tell me there is another way.”
“You made it, Cassia. It is your work of art. There is nothing to fear in anything of your own making.”
“I am afraid. I don’t want to live like that, dreading what each new day will bring, with no hope in sight. That is all I have done since I can remember. Such a future looks just like my past.”
Kassandra smiled.
“Can I put it in my past?” Cassia asked. “Can I leave it all behind?”
“Are you asking if you can, or if you will?”
“If I should. I have saved many lives. But I could save so many more. How many lives are enough before I’m done?”
“That is a question of conscience, not prophecy. But you have the answer to this as well. Are Argyros and Lyta, Javed and Kadi, Basir and Kumeta enough? Are Bosko and Thenie and Zoe and all the Eriphite children enough?”
“They are more than enough for me.”
“Is Lio enough?”
“Lio…he is abundance.”
The bells of veil hours sounded, powerful and beautiful and clear with no stone walls to muffle them.
“It’s time for you to go,” Kassandra told her. “This is the night when you will tell Lio you saved his life. But you already know that.”
“Where is he now?”
“Open the bag again. There is one more robe, and it is the one you’ll need tonight.”
FIRSTGRACE KOMNENA’S PROPOSAL
Lio listened to thebells toll, but they did not herald deliverance. It was only second veil. The night still stretched on ahead of him.
He cleared his parched throat, but that only made it worse. The Akron’s Torch pulsed in time to the glaring pain in Lio’s head. But somehow, he drew strength from that light before him.
The bloodborn went down fighting.
Lio pushed the hoarse words out of his mouth. “You have now heard the undeniable evidence that the Departure would have a lasting, grievous impact on Tenebra and Orthros. Sophia Eudokia’s research, which I have cited, quantifies what Tenebra will face in the most horrifying clarity. You now know exactly how many exposed children will die each year without Hesperines to Solace them. Will we let our fear sentence children to death? How can we live in a future in which Orthros is safe at the cost of those innocent lives?
“Perhaps it is here I ought to rest my case. But I ask you, is it enough to merely survive, without thriving? As we consider the death toll, is it not worth contemplating the toll upon life? Are we to sacrifice creativity in the name of caution? The opinions of Muse Menodora that I have quoted to you reveal how important the contributions of Sanctuary seekers are to Orthros’s music and arts. Like newcomers from the Empire, Tenebrans also bring rich traditions and fresh ideas with them. For every new thought we reject, the beauty of our Sanctuary molders around us a bit more.
“The speires before me on this podium are testament to the Stand’s continued willingness to shoulder the burden of violence on behalf of our people and face whatever threats accompany an open border. Are we such cowards that we will not take a stand beside our defenders and shoulder the burdens of what the Goddess calls us to do in this world?
“At its heart, this is not a question of evidence at all. This is a matter of conscience. We face a choice between two paths.
“The Departure is a certain path. It would, without doubt, bring an end to conflict. But at what cost? Are we to sacrifice the very best within us in exchange for certainty? Are you, my fellow Hesperines, really willing to pay this price? The price is nothing short of our consciences. Our hopes. Our love and compassion for others and ourselves.
“An open border is an uncertain path. It brings all manner of risks—but is it not the only way to the greatest rewards? That uncertain path is the one that brought each and every one of us here tonight. Do you regret any of it? Would you not suffer all the consequences again? Are you not willing now, tonight, to find the courage to stay on the Hesperine path, come what may, and face it with both courage and joy?”
“We are.”
At the sound of Cassia’s voice, Lio spun to face her. His sluggish heart beat with new energy, and he found his breath for the first time in hours.
