Page 37 of The Seeker
“I can see it. There is a tie between you. Is he your mate?” Vasu stretched out a leg and tapped her foot with his own. “You are displeased by the question.”
“I thought he was a scholar, a man in search of knowledge. But he killed that Grigori without hesitation.”
“You judge others too harshly. The Grigori killed another. Would you have a scholar ignore the mandate of the Creator? The Irin were left on this earth so they could protect humanity.”
Meera couldn’t respond to that because Vasu was right. She was just… tired. Tired of violence and war and the schemes of the powerful to obtain more power. She wanted to find another way. She wanted there to be a different solution.
“Wise Vasu,” she started, “seeker of heaven’s vision. May I ask you a question?”
Vasu’s eyes lit up. He loved discussions like this. “Daughter of heaven, I am listening.”
She asked, “Does one person’s gain always mean another’s loss?”
“In what way, Meera Bai?”
“Is power finite?”
“No, power is infinite.”
“Then must there always be war?”
Vasu raised an eyebrow. “You should ask another question. Will there always be humanity?”
“Can humanity only exist with war?”
“War is about power,” Vasu said. “Once there was balance, but humanity was not satisfied with that. Once a scale is tipped, it must always be in motion. To answer your first question, if a scale goes up, it must again go down.”
Meera swung her legs. “So one person’s gain must mean another’s loss?”
“That is the way of power until there is balance again. You can strive for balance, but until both sides want to achieve it, it is only an idea.”
“So if both sides want balance, then neither loses.”
“But neither gains.”
She smiled. “Or they gain together.”
“You seek to remake the world.”
“If both oxen pull together, then the field is plowed straight.”
“But both must have the same goal.” Vasu shook his head. “I thought Anamitra was ambitious, but you will surpass her.”
“The Irin world has been at war since we were born. War with angels. War with Grigori. We will never win until we redefine what victory means.”
“You’re not going to like this,” Vasu said. “But I’m going to tell you the truth and you must listen to me.”
“What?”
“You need that scribe, Meera Bai. If you seek to redefine what power is, if you seek to change the paradigm, then he must be the one to help you.”
“Why?” she asked. “What makes Rhys of Glast special? There are other scribes more powerful than him, I’m certain of it.”
Vasu’s eyes lit up. “Do you seek power? You, who wants to redefine what power means?”
Meera narrowed her eyes. She hated when Vasu made good points. “You’re avoiding the question. Why Rhys?”
“He owns something more important than power. I have seen him with his brothers and working among those far stronger than he is. I have seen him with Fallen children and those weaker than he is. He does not seek the spotlight, nor is he ambitious for anything other than knowledge.”
