Page 93 of Ecliptic

“I believe you were,” Takoda said, stopping his strides to face me. “If you had only hit The False Queen, who knows how the outcome would have differed. There might have been no weakening the wall for Nepta to blast through, or there would have been no rumblings to show her your exact location. Or herfollowers might have turned on you. You didn’t miss, Keira. You hit exactly what you were meant to.”

The heavy burden I’d been carrying lifted off me like a weighted cloak, and I took in a breath of guilt-free air. I should have known talking with Takoda would be nothing like talking with my mother.

After one session I wasn’t fully healed, but at least I had taken the first step. “Sometimes, I wonder if I’m enough for all this.”

“I’ve seen your abilities with the noxlilies—you revived an extinct plant by bathing it in a celestial light. You infused seeds of light into barren lands, causing rapid growth and acceleration. Not to mention the vegetation that sprang from the blood-soaked soles of your footprints. I suspected your abilities were limited to light and creation. But the night of the fire, I saw you summon a rainstorm. You called upon lightning and rain. And you ended a drought. You are a force to be reckoned with. Never forget that.”

“Thank you, Takoda, for everything. For not pressuring me when maybe you should have.” I half-laughed and half-cried.

“You cannot force balance. It must be found on its own. I trusted you to know your mind, and you did. You listened to yourself; that is what matters.” His long, silver hair blew across his youthful face, making him appear ageless.

“I need to go to the Hymma now.”

Takoda nodded, his eyes shimmering as if he felt the shift in my demeanor. “Get your soul flame, and it will be ready for you.”

33

I made my way to the Hymma, feeling stronger and more present than ever. My head was clear in what felt like the first time in forever.

Rowen followed beside me, taking my clothes as I undressed. I removed everything. Even my favorite part—the starlit weapon sheathed at my thigh.

After speaking with Takoda, I felt like I could face anything. Go through any door.

I know the healer said one could lose their mind in the introspective ceremony, and I could see why; you could easily find a doorway to yourself that once you walked through it would be hard to turn back.

I entered the Hymma and sat cross-legged on the ground. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Suddenly, a tunnel of indigo light appeared before me, whispering for me to enter. It was as if it had always been there, just waiting for me to see it. How had I ever missed it?

Fear cemented down my spine, bonding me in place. What if I went through and couldn’t find my way back?

Realization hit me like an avalanche. I had already experiencedmy greatest fears. Yet I hadn’t crumbled under the weight of that fear but used it as stepping stones and grip hooks to climb above it—over it—then down the other side, able to look back upon what seemed an insurmountable feat.

I’d walk through any door and ask any question if it meant saving this world. My home.

My golden tether to Rowen would hold strong. No matter how deep I went, there would always be a trail back to his arms.

Steeling my spine and setting my jaw, I walked through the tunnel of my inner eye.

I thought the information I sought would involve winding through corridors after corridor like a labyrinth. But it wasn’t a maze at all; it was a core with rows of concentric rings.

I studied the dark and light patterns swirling all around me.

Was I inside a tree?

My fingers traced over the thick years of heavy rainfall and slim seasons of drought. My touch hitched at the scars from millennia-old fires.

This tree was old. Very,veryold.

The distinct and ancient circles of wood spiraled around me, the imprints similar to the whorls of a thumbprint.

As I expanded my awareness, I recoiled as I was met with branch death and decay. The parts of the tree that were still healthy curled in on themselves, furling deeper into its first ring for protection. I tried another direction, and another, flinching at all the dead edges around me. The only way was down, deep into the roots.

The roots extended into smaller threads stretching farther than I could fathom. Interwoven white fibers that extended into a vast underground network. Who knew such a universe existed within the ground, connecting the world just under our feet?

But the unseen world was weak and dimming, already with roots curling up into themselves like wounded tentacles. It was atravesty, witnessing the death of what kept the forest alive and healthy.

Suddenly, a hum vibrated through my fingertips, through me, and I shivered as strange yet extraordinary images flashed before my eyes.

---