She started off and he fell in beside her. She could feel her father and Cintra join them, but they weren’t close at hand. Other of the Forsworn began to appear, forming a line on either side they were forced to pass through. Familiar faces who’d known Shim far longer than she had. Those who cared for him. Who loved him. They said nothing, bowing their heads in respect.

Soraya waited until they were well behind them to speak, rapidly telling him all that had transpired after he’d been rendered unconsciousness, not leaving out a single detail. She owed him that much. Several times he glanced in her direction, briefly meeting her eyes before looking away again. When she mentioned Sinna Marin’s appearance, his eyes narrowed slightly. She finished her tale just as they reached the edge of the Rocklands, the very place where all of this had started.

“You did well,” Shim said.

“Well? I failed. I let my heart dictate my decisions, resulting in carnage and mayhem.”

“You saved someone’s life. That is never a failure.”

“At what cost?”

“There is a cost to every decision. It might not feel like it now, but you showed great courage. I am proud of you. And thank you for not giving up on me. If not for you…”

Soraya’s vision blurred at his words, but she blinked furiously to clear her eyes. This wasn’t about her feelings. It was about his. “I would never give up on you. Never. Thank you for everything. I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”

“It was my true pleasure being your partner for this short time. I only wish…”

“I know,” Soraya said, still fighting back tears.

“I would regret it if I didn’t try at least once.”

“Try what?”

He shrugged and walked over to where a stone big enough to be called a boulder was planted in the ground where it must’ve fallen from the cliffs a long time ago. Soraya was surprised she’d never noticed it before now. Facing away from her, Shim took a deep breath, bending his knees and sliding his fingers beneath the stone. For several heart-wrenching moments he strained against the boulder’s formidable weight, trying to call upon his Narcissi-given strength.

The stone never so much as wobbled.

Still he denied himself a retreat from the task, a groan scraping from his lips, a cry of pain and effort and a refusal to be defeated by that single moment in time that had changed his life forever. Soraya went to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, said, “Come. I will stay with you to the very end.”

Finally, he released his grip on the base of the stone and staggered back, over-worked bones creaking. Alongside her, he hobbled toward the hidden tunnel. Soraya held back the vines, allowing him to enter first. She flicked a glance toward where her father and Cintra stood side by side, silently observing without interference.