Chapter 39 #3
The Tapestry reached for the Soulcleaver, but Aloisa clutched it to her chest. It nicked her hand as she did, and blood welled up in the wound. I stared at it for a long moment. The Tapestry did, too.
It did not heal.
“This weapon can kill immortal beings. Regardless of what you have done to my soul, this will send me back into the fabric of you.” She gazed down at the weapon with a desperation, a hunger.
I spoke up, interrupting the scene. “So Aloisa chose to give up? Chose to allow us to deal with Callum and Arraya, rather than dealing with it herself?”
The Tapestry hummed. “Would you kill your sister? Your Bloodsinger Queen knows the mark killing a sibling leaves on one’s soul. And regardless of what Aloisa chose, she is no longer living. We are not a judge, merely a culmination of humanity.”
I threw my hands up, impatience winning over rationality.
I needed to get out of here, needed to get back to Revna.
But I was also still reeling. Revna and I had unknowingly been thrust into a divine responsibility for the souls of all humanity.
A responsibility neither of us had asked for.
“You’re the cause of this problem. Fix it yourself.
Kill Callum. Do what must be done. Why does it have to be me? Why does it have to be Revna?”
“We see all outcomes,” the Tapestry said.
Its words were slow, calculated. “Some endings are more likely than others. Each is determined by a specific order of events that can change at any time. We do not meddle unless absolutely necessary—unless the very fate of magic, and therefore our existence, is at stake.”
I swallowed, thinking of just how deep the Tapestry’s hands were in my life right now. In Revna’s.
“And now Revna and I are…the Weavers.” I tested the words, and while I hated the idea of some great obligation, they felt right. True. “Why us?”
“We studied the threads of the future carefully, made note of all possible paths ahead. And when you and Revna were chosen as the Weavers, the threads held the highest likelihood of you falling in love. It’s why Revna’s Lurae had to be held back until the right moment—if she had manifested her magic at the usual age, then she would have become a far different person.
One you may have loved, or might not have. ”
The scene vanished, and we faced each other in the white nothingness once more. I ran a hand through my hair. The thought of not loving Revna wasn’t one I wanted to consider.
The Tapestry stepped closer to me. “The time has come. You must return. We will reconvene with you and the Bloodsinger Queen at a later time, when the battle with Callum and Arraya has reached its end. Then, we can focus on rebuilding the archway.
“When you wake, you will be different,” the Tapestry finished. “Remember what you have seen here.”
Then it reached out and pressed a single finger to my forehead.
The world went dark again.
My head throbbed. Ringing sounded everywhere, a noise so sharp it made me wince. And to top it all off, my fingers and toes were completely numb.
I remained still, eyes shut tight, as the ringing slowly subsided. Soon enough, sound began to trickle back in. Through the pain in my head, I heard an unintelligible voice. It said something I couldn’t hear. Repeated it.
The third time, it broke through the haze. “Open your eyes, asshole!”
Memory came flooding back to me. My death, my struggle to return, and my subsequent interaction with the Tapestry.
I gasped and opened my eyes.
Frode’s face stared down at me, suspicious. “I suppose I’m glad you aren’t dead.”
“Frode?” Confusion made my thoughts muddy. I sat up slowly and looked around: snow stretched for miles in every direction. “How…why…what am I doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” he said, crossing his arms. “You literally appeared out of thin air. Fell from about six feet up and landed flat on your back. I’ve been trying to get you to wake up for several minutes now.”
“I can see you.” The realization slammed into me, and I sat up. “I can see you. My Lurae, it’s back.”
And the moment I acknowledged it, the presence of magic in my blood made itself known with a contented thrum. Some part of me relaxed. I hadn’t realized just how lost I felt without my abilities, despite wishing I could rid myself of them for so long.
When I reached deep within and summoned the threads of my Lurae into my field of view, I sighed with relief. Frode’s soul glowed a gentle gold. The sight was so familiar my throat tightened, and I wished I could sit and watch the shimmering fabric of the world around me pass by for hours.
The steady thrum of my magic heightened, and I blinked against the onslaught of more threads.
The pulse of my Lurae was suddenly too much, and I pushed it down so I could focus.
Mentally, I made a note to explore the magic later.
It felt different now, coursing through me in a way that raised the hairs on my arms. My visit with the Tapestry had been eye-opening in more ways than one, apparently.
But there wasn’t time to relish the feeling of my awakened magic.
“I need to get back.” I scrambled to my feet, brushing snow off my clothing. The dark pants and shirt were covered in my usual Hellbringer armor. The same thing I’d been wearing when I…
Don’t think about dying right now.
“Where is my sister?” Each of Frode’s words was taut. “What is happening?”
I began to march through the snow, headed for the tree line I knew was to the south. “There’s no time. I have to go.”
“Hey, wait!”
I didn’t turn around, too busy mentally calculating where I might be able to find a horse. Had any been left behind when Bhorglid disbanded their army? It would take a day and a half to get back to the capital on foot. I swore under my breath.
Frode appeared in front of me, and I jumped. “Are you really going to leave me here with everyone? Because the place is getting kind of crowded, and they said they’re all waiting for you.” He pointed behind me.
“What are you—”
The stretch of open snow behind me was flooded with the dead.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of spirits stood, drifting among themselves. Soldiers in Kryllian and Bhorglid uniforms, regular people, and even a handful of priests wandered around. The low murmur of the occasional voice floated over to me.
“I don’t know where they came from,” Frode said while I gaped.
My Lurae forced itself back to the surface, and when the world turned to gold again I sighed. Every single soul was tethered to me.
“Of course,” I muttered. I ran a hand through my hair.
There wasn’t time to send their essences back to the Tapestry now.
I wasn’t even sure it was possible without Revna here to do part of the work.
I needed her if we were going to reconstruct Aloisa’s archway. “Looks like you’re all coming with me.”
But when I looked back at Frode, his own golden thread stretched in the opposite direction. Back to the snowbank where I’d found his body.
I wasn’t sure what crossed my face, but it was enough for him to scowl. “No way are you leaving me behind. If the rest of these idiots get to go with you, then I’m coming, too.”
“I’m not even sure if that’s—” An idea flashed in my mind’s eye, and I hesitated. The deeper, newer thrum of my Lurae sounded once more. Beckoning. Inviting.
Frode lifted his hands. “Well?”
“I have an idea,” I said with grim determination. “You better hope we manage this without Revna here.”