Page 74 of The Last One
“Ha. That’s what Olivia said.”
Jadon looks at me with amused eyes. “Maford is in the kingdom of Vinevridth.”
“In the realm of…?”
“Vallendor.”
“And beyond Vallendor?”
“Some call it ‘heaven.’”
“Some? What doyoucall it?”
“I have no opinion.”
Doubt that.
“What are the names of other realms beyond Vallendor?” I ask.
Jadon shakes his head. “According to the emperor and therefore more than half of the provinces, thereareno other realms, Kai. At least none that matter to regular people. Clerics have always told stories about destroyed worlds to keep children from stealing sweets. The realm of Ithlon, for example. The old tales say that Ithlon was destroyed by the gods. But Emperor Wake refutes that and says that there is no proof of such a place and that the people telling those tales are just trying to subvert him. And ‘gods’? Anyone looking to believe or even acknowledge gods is beaten and burned.”
“And what doyoubelieve?”
“That there is one Supreme who couldn’t care less about any of us.”
I watch the sky. “You think Supreme made Vallendor and created beings, then said, ‘You’re on your own, good luck, pray to me’?”
He sucks in his cheeks. “I have no opinion.”
“Do you think Supreme created other beings beyond those living in Vallendor Realm?”
“Why are we discussing this?” he snaps.
“Because something is happening here,” I say. “Something that neither of us understand. I’m just trying to hear other perspectives. Work on myself-growth.”
Because no matter how hard he tries to convince me that I’m a mage from a neighboring town or a pariah kicked out of my community of magic-makers, I know there’s more to me than that. Sybel’s warnings and Elyn’s anger don’t make sense if I was just someone’s lost daughter or a wandering mage. I know my abilities—thought-reading, communing with animals, seeing the glows of death, flicking air with my hand, all of it—are bigger than anything a mage can do.
“What about beings that rank somewhere between the Most High and…you?”I ask.
“Like angels or gods?”
I tug on my amulet. “Not quite immortal but long-living. Not all-powerful but stronger than a regular being.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know if those beings have a name. And if therearebeings like the ones you describe, they’re messy and selfish and, like Supreme, probably care evenlessabout people. Why should they? Humans, especially, can offer nothing to someone who can bend time and manipulate objects or whatever.”
I pick at the bark on the log. “But you believe they exist?”
“I do, but I also believe that everyone does what they want. Including Supreme and these nameless demigods.”
“Do you think these nameless demigods are actually children of the Vile?”
He shakes his head. “But who says that they’re children of Supreme? What if they simply existed? What if they simply enjoyed being powerful and almost immortal? Perfect in every way but delightfully…”
“Delightfully…?”
“Shameless. Pleasantly unrepentant. Deliciously transgressive.”
I lift my eyebrows. “Whew.”
