Yerin pushed against it with her will, but the seal held strong.
“I think I’ll leave that in place for now,” Kiuran said.
Finally, with much more effort than she’d expected, Yerin snapped the seal. “Bleed me, you try that one more time and you’re not going to like what happens.”
Kiuran looked surprised for a moment, but then he sneered. “I am only a one-star Titan. My skill is as a Hound. Do not start a fight with an opponent you don’t understand.”
Mercy pointed to something behind him, but the Abidan gave her no attention.
“That’s some sharp advice,” Yerin said. “You should take it.”
Kiuran snorted and spread one arm. “Very well. It’s not unusual that a Monarch from Cradle needs a lesson in humility.”
Abruptly, the world constricted around Yerin. It felt like an impossibly heavy spiritual pressure, but also like an intense gaze piercing her through. A purple eye formed over Kiuran’s head, and she was sure it knew her past, her present, her future. It broke her down to the smallest piece and weighed her.
Yerin released her Goldsigns and cycled her madra, resisting. It was still heavy, but easier than she’d expected, especially when she felt the Death Icon supporting her.
Kiuran gave her a crooked smile. “You may take the first move. There is nothing about you I do not know.”
“I’d contend you don’t know my friends.”
The Hound gave a skeptical glance to the others at her side, but none of them were likely to move.
Which was fine, because Yerin hadn’t been talking about them.
A man slipped one black-armored hand over Kiuran’s shoulder. His white hair still looked strange to Yerin, but his friendly grin was too familiar.
“Thank you for taking such good care of my adopted daughter,” Ozriel said.
The pressure from the Hound disappeared as he dropped to one knee. “Yes, sir.”
Yerin’s heart lightened as she saw Eithan’s face. It felt ridiculous to admit, even to herself, but she had been worried about him.
Stupid to worry about somebody who could wipe out stars, but the last that she’d seen him, he’d been dragged away by others on his level. It was hard not to worry.
And now that he was here, he would know what to do.
Eithan’s grin was keeping Kiuran nailed to the floor. “I’m flattered by the respect you had for my time. You’ve been so vigilant in making sure I’m not disturbed.”
“I do apologize, Judge. I was afraid to—”
“Wise of you,” Eithan interrupted. “Thank you for your assistance, Kiuran. I’ll take it from here.”
Kiuran didn’t just run away. The rat-faced Abidan dove through a blue slice of space in an instant.
Eithan didn’t spare him another glance, looking over the rest of them fondly. “Well. You’ve worked hard to be here, haven’t you?”
“Are you all right?” Mercy asked him.
Eithan put a hand to his chest. “I have missed you all. Nobody here worries about me.”
Yerin watched him closely. He was acting the same as usual, but something about this felt wrong to her. For one thing, this was a little too usual. The last they’d seen him, he was being carted off like a criminal. And he surely knew what had happened in Cradle. Eithan knew everything. Still, he was behaving like they were picking up after no time apart.
Also, the impression of death around him was strange. Like he’d recently come back from the brink.
“Why are you looking so weak?” Yerin finally asked.
Emriss glanced to the side, giving Yerin an astonished look.
“That is a wonderful Icon you’ve found there, Yerin,” Eithan said fondly. “I have quite the connection to it myself. Yes, I’m afraid I’m not in my peak condition. A recent brush with death. The heavens are not quite…in order, at the moment. I’m somewhat surprised you made it here at all.”
Yerin swallowed hard. As bad as the world around her looked, she had no context for it. Maybe the world called Threshold always seemed like it was on the edge of falling to pieces.
But if Eithan said the situation was bad…
“And you brought friends!” Eithan continued, turning to the other two Monarchs.
Sha Miara had fallen to her knees upon catching sight of Eithan, and now appeared as a lump of rainbow madra trembling in terror. Emriss, meanwhile, merely dipped her head, the leaves in her hair swaying.
“It is an honor to formally meet you, Judge,” she said.
Eithan gave her a softer, more distant, somehow older smile than he had given his students. “The honor is mine, truly. You are one of the few Monarchs in the history of Cradle whom I respect, and you have my support in whatever you choose to do with the rest of your life. Not that my favor is worth what it once was, but I have a few friends left. You would make a fine Phoenix.”
The bark-like patterns on Emriss’ skin wrinkled as she smiled. “For now, I would like a place to settle my family.” She patted a gemstone hanging from her neck, which felt to Yerin like a very deep void key.
Eithan’s smile brightened. “Bringing family along, even on a forced ascension! Your foresight is truly to be admired.”
Hesitantly, Sha Miara lifted her head. “Judge, what abo—”
“No letter of recommendation for you, young lady.” Eithan held out a hand, helping her to her feet. “However, I can arrange to help you adapt to life in Threshold. It’s the least I can do for my old friend from the Uncrowned King tournament!”
Sha Miara’s back stiffened, and Yerin suspected the young Monarch had been hoping Eithan wouldn’t bring that up.
But that was the last thought Yerin could spare for people she didn’t care about. She was about to ask a real question, but Ziel beat her to it.
“Can you help Lindon?” Ziel asked.
Eithan put a finger to the side of his temple. “He had too much of a connection to hunger, so he has to stay behind until he can shake it. I haven’t had the chance to check in on him recently, but that’s the direction he was heading. Am I close?”
“Your friend says Lindon won’t make it out of Cradle,” Yerin said. Eithan didn’t seem concerned, but she still trembled awaiting his answer.
Eithan winked. “Bad news there: Cradle no longer has a stable enough connection that we can pull him out. If he does ascend, he’ll find himself in great danger.”
They all stared at him.
“Why did you wink?” Ziel asked.
Mercy pointed at Eithan. “You winked! Doesn’t that mean you have good news?”
“The good news is that you can help!” Eithan said happily. “If we can recover enough territory and re-establish control over enough of the Way before Lindon ascends, he’ll show up right in our loving arms!”
Yerin felt a sort of fond irritation. “So if we switch up the words and say the same thing, then if we don’t do all this connecting in time, Lindon’s going to toss himself onto a sword. True?”
“Well said!” Eithan said happily. “I have missed our unspoken rapport.”
Ziel gave a heavy sigh.
“What can we do to help?” Mercy asked.
31
Lindon stood on the highest level of Windfall, looking through the huge windows and over Sacred Valley. The rebuilding effort proceeded noticeably by the day, though the region looked very different than he remembered as a child.
For one thing, Samara’s ring was now golden and crackled with blue lightning, powered as it was by the Storm Core deeper in the labyrinth. At night, the light was very different from the smooth white he had once been accustomed to.
The buildings were even more of a difference. Enough people had sheltered in Sacred Valley that the place was now packed from peak to peak, buildings in styles from all over the world sharing space.