Page 184 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Saldr flickered the same way he had when the Cerls had attacked Myrrai last winter.
“Tell me, Saldr,” Hallie said firmly.
He flickered again. “It is complicated, Miss Walker.”
It was bad, then. Sinister, even. Something she wouldn’t agree to if she knew the truth. According to Saldr, the only way to stop Jagamot and the inky black darkness that oozed out the holes in the ground at a growing pace was to do one thing—use her power to reset the Gate. Hallie had to assume that meant rewinding time to some point before, a point in the past where they could better prepare for Jagamot. It was meant to help them all.
But if all it took to defeat them was to combine the Essence powers into the swords, why didn’t they just do that now? It was a surefire victory, and it didn’t run the risk of failing in multiple ways.
“Saldr…”
He sighed and sat heavily on one of the stones, his knees bent to his chest, his head in his hands. “It is complicated, MissWalker, because even I know not what will happen. Playing with time is dangerous, and without the Lord Elder’s guidance, we are wandering through the dark. I only know what the goal was, not how it was to be accomplished.”
“But if I reset time, does that mean we’ll go back to the beginning of Yalvara? That the other peoples here might cease to exist? Time resetting would mean our ancestors have the opportunity to make different choices.”
“Which is why it is complicated.”
“But why go back to the beginning of the planet? Couldn’t I choose a more recent point?”
As soon as she thought it, the plan seemed too good to be true. If she could reset time only about four years, she could save her brother. She could say no to theEudoramission.
Her heart raced, thinking of the possibilities. She could save the Lord Elder and never have to take on this power at all.
Her fingertips tingled with heat.
But would that mean she’d never find Kase? Would that leave her stranded in Stoneset? She wouldn’t know any differently, would she? Would she remember anything about the life she’d lived before?
Kase.
Saldr pressed his fingers together and tapped his chin. “Possible, yes, but still just as complicated.” He met her eyes at last. “Truly, neither way of defeating Jagamot is easy.”
“And combining the Essence powers?”
Saldr was silent.
Why had the Lord Elder been bent on resetting the Gate when the answer was right before them?
Hallie would gladly give up her power. She didn’t even need the encouragement to save the world. She’d do it for free.
Then it hit her. It hit her so hard, she lost her breath. Her chest squeezed. Her heart drummed in her ears. Her eyesight narrowed to a single point, a red clover just beneath her boots.
No. How had she missed that part? How had she not put it together sooner?
“I’d die,” she said slowly. “Filip didn’t die from the fall or the sword wound. He…” Hallie’s voice grew small as she’d finally realized what it all meant. “He died because ripping away the Essence power leads to the loss of your soul.”
Anderson still hadn’t awoken, despite Fely giving him fire soul and Kase’s blanket. He’d had only a sliver of the Essence power. Hallie had the full power, as had King Filip. Fely was merely the vessel. She didn’t actually hold the Essence power.
Hallie’s stomach swirled sickeningly as she pieced together the rest. “And if I reset the Gate, we know how this would all end. We could combine all the first Essences, or even stop the Shattering of Toro in the Dawn…”
Saldr breathed deeply in and out. He no longer flickered. “And it means you and the others have the chance at life.”
“Except that’s not a guarantee.”
Saldr nodded. “Correct, but it allows us to find the best way to save the most people. Combining the Essences into the swords will end Jagamot, but it could also destroy all Yalvara. The prophecies are inconclusive.”
“So it’s an impossible choice.”
“Yes.”
