“You may be a Guardian, but you’re still my daughter.” One of his hands rose to vanquish her tears, lingering on her two newest gold leaf markings, a small smile playing across his lips. “I always knew you would surpass me in every aspect. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”

“I wish you could come with me,” she said, unable to hold back the truth. As much as she wanted to pave her own future, this was the man who’d been with her from the beginning. Her best friend. Her mentor. Her disciplinarian too, but even that had always been done with a loving, gentle hand.

“Me, a lowly Protector with a mere sixteen Leaves of the Goddess to my name?” he said. “I wouldn’t want to hold you back, Soraya. Narcissi will be with you every step of the way. The goddess will protect you as She always has.”

“Why me?” she asked. The unspoken question was there too: Why not you?

He released her and shrugged. “No one knows why the goddess’s blood fills some faster than others. But I’m not surprised how quickly it has filled you. You were always meant to be special. Roach knew that long before I did. It’s why he saved your life. Why he asked me to protect you. He gave me many gifts, but you were the greatest of them all.”

“Oh, Father, what will I do without you?”

“What you always do: succeed.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then Shim is responsible.”

“Father.”

“Fine. You’ll get back up, dust yourself Not even a little off, and try again.”

“You’re not worried about me??”

“Of course I am. What kind of father would I be if I wasn’t? But there comes a time in every father’s life where he must stand aside and have trust that he’s raised his child to be strong and self-sufficient. If the goddess’s blessing isn’t enough to tell me this is that time, then I’m undeserving to be called Forsworn. And above all else, follow your instincts. Yours are better than most.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank Narcissi. She is rather joyous today, don’t you think?” He waved his hands at the branches sweeping overhead, filled to capacity with striking yellow leaves spotted with the occasional turquoise flower. They seemed to be watching her with the gaze of a thousand eyes. Soraya had to admit: the goddess did seem, as her father had said, ‘rather joyous today.’

“She has always been so beautiful,” Soraya murmured. Even as they watched, the leaves changed hue, the yellow giving way to a soft pink, the flowers darkening to blood-red. “Is She…blushing?”

Before her father could respond, a chittering arose from her satchel, which began to twitch and shake. “Well, I should really get going. Farewell, Father!” she said brightly.

“Soraya.”