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A shudder runs down my spine as I remember my brother, somewhere out there in this city of darkness. I peel my eyes away and glance back at the door. But my feet stay planted.
He holds me in his sights for a few breaths longer, then releases me and paces around the room. I feel my insides uncoil.
“This fear you hold is a good thing, although I think, like the rest of the Vale, you don’t fully understand what you are missing. When your only goal is to satiate the kaligorven, you completely lose sight of the power they offer.”
He steps toward the statue and raises his hands, muttering under his breath. As if at his call, the shadows skirting the room rush to circle around him. I stare, awestruck at how vividly the pillars that guard the shrine are painted, at how much the darkness concealed.
The man turns around, still holding his arms aloft. “Think of how prosperous this city could be if it simply tapped into this might.”
You need to be strong, Wehna.Isn’t that what my mother always wanted of me? Well, here is proof of strength. My eyes eat in the spectacle, my mind filling with images of banishing the ténesomni so I can find my brother, so I never have to be afraid again.
But this is not the strength she had in mind.
With an enormous effort, I tear my eyes away.
Highest, give me courage.
At the same moment, something springs to life inside of me—something new and bold.
“What true strength can there be in a power that blinds, that demands death?” I whisper.
The irises of Myrzeth’s eyes swarm with wisps of shadow, making me shiver. “Spoken like someone who has yet to give herself to the night.”
A phrase of my mother’s rises to the surface of my mind, finds its way onto my tongue. “The darkness may assail the light, but it will never overcome it.”
The stranger’s expression goes from open to forbidding. He throws his arms down, and with a flick of his hands, the shadows return to fill the room, thicker than before.
“If you choose to remain in that attitude, I promise you will soon find yourself paying the price.”
The spike of his words startles me, but I’m thankful for it. It has woken me up.
“I’m sorry I bothered you,” I say, backing toward the doorway. “But that’s a risk I’m willing to take.” I am surprised to hear that my voice is confident.
Strong.
I turn my back on him and leave the fanum, chills running down my arms.
Elyon, forgive me for ever setting foot in there.
The sheets of rain weave into a blurry tapestry. I pick up the search again, plunging into the water with a calm I can’t account for, even though I am shivering with cold. My lips move in inaudible prayer as I go, ignoring the darkness, resolved to take Utsanek one block at a time.
Highest, keep him safe. I know you will keep him safe. I trust you to take care of him, wherever he is. You know where he is. Lead me in the right direction. Keep him safe. Make him brave. Keep him safe ...
Slowly, the shower relents. The warmth of Tiosh resumes in its absence, but the chill in my heart remains. There is no sign of Arvo on any of our familiar routes, and dread threatens to extinguish the unfamiliar daring. Still, I press on.
Until my lantern goes out.
It’s as if all my fears converge on me at once, making up for the reprieve I didn’t know I was experiencing.
My chest pumps rapidly, and my limbs shake. A shrill whistling cuts out all other noise, but I know no one else can hear it but me. The shadows move in. Can they sense my weakness? Have they been waiting for me to drop my guard?
Elyon, help!
My lips form the words, but no sound emerges. I struggle to keep upright, scream at myself to keep moving, to keep searching for Arvo. But the curtain of defeat descends.
Then, a still, small voice.
You are not alone.
