Page 168 of The Cruel Dawn
For every girl and every boy.
Find me safe in Celestial’s arms.
Safe from harm, safe from harm…
I clap—they are the cutest—and my eyes fill with tears.
I accept the platter of stuffed figs offered to me by two girls with tufted ponytails that remind me of my own hair. They curtsy and giggle and call me, “Miss Celestial.” Their smiles are brightened by their missing front teeth.
A short column of soldiers marches toward us, and even though not one man smiles, their eyes sparkle with pride in their service of this city again.
The city dwellers fall silent as Intendant Wosre, healed from his injuries, stands before us again and says, “With healing hands, she gently weaves our song of life. With cosmic sword, she fights the shadows that stain our night. She will return triumphant for battles seen and those not yet won.”
Hopefully, Gasho—and Vallendor—won’t see any battles in the coming age. That is my own prayer.
I scan the faces of the crowds and—There!
I spot Iretah, the woman I met on my first day back in Gasho. Nenefer is beside her, and she’s holding her orphaned niece, Tymy, in her arms. I rush over to the small family. Iretah offers me Tymy. I hug the baby and take in her vanilla-and-soap scent.
“You kept your promise,” the young mother whispers, her eyes bright with tears.
I kiss the top of her head and return Tymy to her arms. “Be well.”
Elyn looks around one last time—to the gushing water fountains, the repaved mosaic tiles, the alabaster temple and belltower, and most importantly, the old and young faces of Gashoans, their bodies brimming with the blue of health…and hope.
Shari romps playfully with the Gashoan children in the long grass. Her energy in no way reflects the remaining work we must do in the seasons ahead. But these folks will do more than just survive in Vallendor—they willthrive, too. The youngsters laugh, their innocent faces bright as they reach out to the wolf. Shari nuzzles and yips and loves.
Around the city, the work already takes shape, like the spoiled dirt surrounding the town, now slowly being nurtured back to health, softening as tiny shoots of green push through the cracks. We’ve begun building dams and bulwarks to contain the growing lake—and the lake, once a trickle, now swells with life and spreads across the land, bringing with it the power to nourish the crops, sustain the people, and restore balance to the ravaged environment.
“We’re not done,” I tell Elyn with a small shrug.
“I’m not worried.” Satisfied, Elyn turns on her heel. “Walk with me.”
We head toward the grove of date palms, sweet-smelling from the plump fruit hanging now from their bunches.
“There’s one last task I’m required to complete,” she says, accepting a date from me.
I bite into my own fruit. Chewy, nutty, sweet. My eyes close with bliss.
“Kai,” Elyn says.
I smile at her and then school my expression into something more solemn. “Sorry.”
“Take a knee, please,” she says, seriously.
Ah. My heart pounds as I kneel before her.
“You have reclaimed your position as Grand Defender of Vallendor Realm,” she says, “the ten-thousandth of the seventy thousand realms. You are to heal this land and all that is in it. You are to observe the stewards here, guide them as they guide all mortal life. Share counsel with the Renrians in their wealth of knowledge and wisdom. You are to direct the Mera who have been charged as protectors of this realm, who are responsible for safeguarding this place from any threats, both mortal and immortal. You are to do all of this in accordance with our ways, as mandated by the Council of High Orders. Do you accept this charge?”
Tears of joy burn in my eyes. “I accept this charge.”
“Then I bind you to this promise,” she says.
Supreme placed gods in realms across the Aetherium to heal and protect the beings of our realms. To guide and teach—from treating each other with love and respect to protecting homelands from enemies. We are to bless the mortals with abundant harvests, offer warnings, and nurture visions. We provide protective barriers and intervene when needed—and deserved. If mortals didn’t need us, then Supreme’s decision to designate us as representatives would be pointless.
I take Elyn’s offered hand, and she helps me to stand. We share a long, firm hug.
“Sister,” Elyn whispers.
