The soldier whose body Soraya was currently occupying located the goddess’s eyes, and was surprised to find not the determined confidence of a battle-worn general, but something more akin to glee, excitement shining in Her eyes. And then She shrieked, raising Her sword high over Her head as She charged. The rest of the soldiers followed suit, even as the first enemies began to emerge from the bloody waters.

For once, Soraya didn’t need to fight her way out of the vision, gasping as she was expelled from the memory, a memory she knew was given to her by Narcissi Herself, for whatever soldier she’d pretended to be for those few moments had died centuries ago, during the last Blood Tide. She didn’t know how she knew this, only that it was true.

Cintra was looking at her strangely, head cocked to one side, eyes narrowed. “What did you see?”

“Nothing,” Soraya said quickly, “but I heard Narcissi’s voice in my head. She shouted about the coming storm, just like you said.” For some reason, she didn’t reveal the contents of her vision, as it felt oddly personal, as though it had been meant for her eyes and hers alone.

Cintra’s frown wrinkled her barklike skin. “That is…unusual. Why would She speak to a mere Guardian when She has not spoken to Her own Sightless in days?” The last part was more of a mutter than words cast toward Soraya, a revelation that Soraya was certain she wasn’t meant to have heard, but she felt compelled to respond anyway.

“She spoke to me during my mission too.”

Cintra’s eyes snapped back up to meet hers, almost as if she’d forgotten Soraya was there. “Did She? Queer. Now, tell me everything that happened since I gave you your first mission.”

Soraya suddenly felt a lump in her throat, but she managed to force it down, and then began her tale.

She told her everything, just as she’d told Shim, except also including the parts that her partner had been conscious for, starting with the six-legged bear, what had transpired in Seer, Shim being rendered unconscious and then her learning the truth about Seela. She hesitated only briefly when she reached Sinna’s unexpected appearance, the woman’s words repeating themselves through her head, but then she pushed onward, not leaving out a single detail. Through it all, Cintra showed no signs of surprise, though Soraya may have missed it as she largely avoided making eye contact for fear of the disappointment she might find in her leader’s eyes.

When she finished, the silence felt so deep and enduring that it was like she’d fallen into an infinite pit. They sat like that for several minutes, Soraya staring straight ahead, barely able to breathe.