Tristan:

“She warned me.” I tossed back the last swig of clavo and wiped out the mug before tucking it away on a recessed shelf. Not that there was any real need to clean up. The place probably wouldn’t see another person for seasons to come. I was stalling, and I knew it.

Kieran leaned against the open doorway, squinting into the distance. “Who warned you of what?”

“My mother. She tried to stop me.”

“We all tried to stop you. You did what you had to.”

I slung my pack over one shoulder and met Kieran at the door. “She warned me that revenge wouldn’t change anything. She begged me to stay in Braide Wood.”

Kieran shook his head. “You’ve got new things to worry about. By the way, she headed toward the center of town.”

I sighed. Not the direction I needed to go. “Of course she did.” I followed Kieran outside and pulled the door closed.

“I still say you should leave her here and get back to Lyric for some damage control. The Council has probably figured out by now that you aren’t where you’re supposed to be.”

More regret slammed into me. I hadn’t cared about what my mother needed. I hadn’t cared about the guardians in my command. I hadn’t cared about anything but tracking the Rhusican. Every day I’d woken with desperate hope that tore my insides like a rizzid’s claws. Hope that confronting the Rhusican would bring me answers. Hope that justice would ease my pain. Hope that I’d be able to talk to the One again without shaking with rage. And now…now I just felt empty.

“Hey.” Kieran shoved me, a little too hard to be playful. “Stop it. Second guessing makes you weak.”

I swatted him aside and tightened my sword belt. “It’s not weakness to analyze my choices.”

“Choices? You didn’t have choices. You told me he attacked you.”

“He did. But it was still my sword that took his life. I could have—”

“Let him kill you?” Kieran spit the words out through a clenched jaw.

I took a step back. “What are you so mad at me for?”

“Because you’re an idiot. He did more than enough damage, but you insist on making it worse by torturing yourself.” Kieran raked a hand through his dark hair, haggard lines deepening on his face.

Another person I hadn’t considered. He’d been devastated too. My shoulders slumped. “I wish I could bring her back.”

Pain flashed in Kieran’s eyes. He turned away and cleared his throat. “Go track down your protégé before she wanders into a clay pit. Although, come to think of it, that would solve a few problems.” With a dry chuckle, he strode down the street, heading toward Hazor.

I shook my head, picked up the extra pack I’d assembled, and walked toward the center of town to find Susan. Unlike Kieran, I could dare to hope for a Restorer. After all, what else could explain what we’d both seen? Her crumpled, lifeless body had healed. Still, she seemed awfully small and confused to be of much help. If I were still on speaking terms with the One, I’d ask Him what her appearance meant. But for now I’d hope someone in Braide Wood could figure out what to do with her.