Page 127 of The Last One
Sybel waits for me to say that, but I don’t, because that isn’t the answer she wants. So I stay silent and let my heart burn—that fire will fuel my search for the dead man who killed my mother. But my anger, and even my sorrow, feel unmoored. How do I begin to mourn a woman I can’t remember, gone from a realm I’ll never know?
At least I have her in me—her Eserime spirit.
I think about Veril’s comment while he prepared my bath.It benefits me to have a goddess using my soap. Frankly, I thought he was simply flattering me. I didn’t believe a word he—Wait.
Does Veril know that I’m a goddess? He must. No, he would’ve told me, and he didn’t tell me because, yes, flattery. Do goddesses have headaches or creaking arms or scabs on their legs? Do their toes feel like they’ve been caught in a vise, and do the smalls of their backs feel like termites have chewed through the band of muscle there? Do goddesses feel like they’re infested with termites? Because I feel infested with termites. Phenomenally.
My mood has shifted from jubilant to heavyhearted.
“What are you thinking, Kai?” Sybel whispers.
I swipe a tear slipping down my cheek. “That nothing has changed for me. That I’m lost.” I slowly drop to the ground and rub my face with tired hands.
“You are not lost. You simply need to be true to your purpose.”
“What is my purpose?”
“You must discover that yourself.” Sybel takes a breath and slowly exhales. “Have you heard of the One? The Destroyer?”
I shake my head. “Did the Destroyer kill my mother?”
“That is no simple question,” she says. “The Destroyerbecamethe destruction of Ithlon.”
I furrow my brows. “Became. What does that even mean? Are you talking about fate?”
“Purpose,” she corrects. “The One would havealwaysbeen, but their purpose changed. Understand?” When I shake my head, she says, “An ax in the hand of a builder cuts down trees. An ax in the hand of a murderer cuts down people. In both instances, the ax remains an ax. Only its purpose has changed. Understand?”
This time, I nod and say, “Yes.”
“And because their purpose changed, the One is now a threat to the entire realm. Their power is growing—which would’ve been a blessing had their purpose remained true. But now, this power has become a danger, and soon, Vallendor Realm will be no more. That is, if the One is not stopped. If that power goes unchecked, the One will move on to the next realm, growing more powerful still, and on to the next realm, and on and on until…”
“Until?”
Sybel lifts her hands and shrugs. “It won’t matter to me, after this world is destroyed—I will be gone, since I am its Grand Steward. And so will the other Eserime of Vallendor—”
“Including myself?” I ask. “A daughter of the Eserime?”
Sybel pauses before she shakes her head. “Your task is different. Yes, part of your heritage as Eserime is helping and healing. Listening to the thoughts of others, helping people achieve those things that improve their world, that keep them whole and healthy.”
“I haven’t helped anyone so far,” I say, feeling defeated. “I haven’t known enough about myself to bring anyone any good.”
“But you have,” Sybel assures. “Jamart and his daughter. And then you helped Tazara even after enduring an attack by creatures who were just trying to exist in a place they weren’t meant to be. Sometimes, it’s as simple as listening and holding your tongue. Other times, it’s more complicated. Healing. Righting wrongs. Protecting those you don’t even know. Eserime don’t help only those who love us. We help all who need us, and that’s the entire realm, Kai.”
“What about my other skills?” I ask. “The wind from my hands—”
“That is not a power gifted to the Eserime,” Sybel interrupts, her voice colder.
My breath catches. “Then who is it from?” The answer forms in my mind. “My father? He wasn’t Eserime, was he?”
Sybel hesitates; her entire demeanor has shifted.
“What is it?” I demand.
“Your father is of the Mera.”
My eyes widen. Mera—the warriors and protectors.Thatmakes sense.
But Sybel’s obvious anger toward my father? That doesn’t make sense.
