Page 113 of A Dance of Water

She wanted Az, even Bastian—she wanted safety and kind words, not judgment.

The steady fall of rain was the only noise for a time, those within the room growing quiet and contemplative.

"What if this works?" Graves said lowly.

Tharen started to laugh, but Vale cut him off with a sharp, "Quiet."

Graves continued… "The prophecy written by the Fates says,She will be one over all elements, the sun, and the stars, to defeat the malevolence.She cannot be over all if she does not train. She cannot defeat the Tenebrae if she does nottry."

"She’s not ready," Az hissed, and she whipped her head, searching for him in the darkness.

"She will never be ready if you do not give her a chance," Graves voiced. "And the time should be now before it’s too late, and we don’t have the fucking choice."

Luella never would have expected the raven shifter to stick up for her; it warmed her to him, her blue-eyed watcher.

"There’s so much I don’t know," she whispered. "Graves is right. I have to try to understand this power. If I am to be one over all elements, to defeat the dark, and save the stolen, as the prophecy states, how am I to do so if I have to mind every emotion and not let it get out of hand?" The truth, deep in her bones, urged her to continue; she found herself speaking with ease now that she couldn’t see, as if a barrier kept her safe. "I don’t know who the Tenebrae is, but I do know this is my destiny, and I cannot run from it."

The prophecy.

All the blood pooled to her feet. Nestled within this library of secrets, she had a startling realization: when had she seen theCompendium of Fateslast?

Her mind raced. She had it in the Silva Noctis, had shown it to Az in the blue caves. But somewhere in battle, it had been lost.

She tried to recall if she had felt it when she had been in the smithy, when Graves had come to her rescue after?—

She didn’t want to think about what had happened after that.

"It comes down to the simple fact that she cannot be naive any longer," Tharen said. "If this is the way, then so be it. But I don’t have any godsdamned hope, and neither should you."

The words stung, but she knew them to hold truth. This was a fool’s endeavor. But where would one be without hopes and dreams?

Movement and a presence before her. Warm hands tugged her into a warmer chest. She melted against Az, still feeling Vale’s fingertips brushing over her spine.

"Angel," the demon grumbled. "There could have been a better way, another way."

"I know," she said into his chest, feeling the fabric against her cheek. "We cannot wait, not after what happened at the Solstice. The innocents who perished…" Her throat closed up. Serpentis was not her kingdom, but her heart was big enough to hold care for all the kingdoms, for all those who died and didn’t deserve it.

Az ran a finger over the edge of her blindfold. "Let’s take this off."

She was shaking her head before he even finished. "It won’t come off," she said.

Az stilled, the air in the room crackled, and she felt the threads around her soul swell with curious anger.

"What do you mean, it won’t come off?" Az gritted.

Her lips parted, poised to answer his question, but Tharen beat her to it. "Exactly what she said. It’s part of our deal."

Az trembled against her with held-back violence.

"What were the words of your deal, exactly?" Vale’s voice held calm, but she heard strain on the edges—the dragon shifter was barely holding on.

"I am to train her like mages train their young by temporarily taking her sight."

"What do you get out of the deal?" Graves’s tone was deadly.

Tharen paused. "When I deem training her as not worth my time, she can have her sight back."

"That doesn’t answer the question." Az’s voice was filled with rage, and she heard a thudding noise again.

---