“We must.” Darai said it like a command, his voice hard. Very few times, he’d spoken so openly to her. He saved such moments for when it mattered most. And tonight, as he watched her, holding her hand tight, as if he was begging her to come out of her stupor of grief... Nor realized that maybe she needed her uncle’s harshness. And maybe she wasn’t fully alone in this.

“Tonight, my dear, you need to put your mind on something else,” he told her. “You need a reminder of what’s at stake. Zahn was at your side during that attack, not because he had to be, but because he wanted to be. He believed in you and your mission. He believed in you ruling Mirabel and Exonia, the rightful queen of both. Do not let his death be in vain.”

Nor nodded, holding on to his words.

They pained her, for they revealed the truth.

Zahn was dead.

And he wasn’t ever coming back.

“How?” Nor breathed. “How do I go on?”

“By putting your mission ahead of your heart,” Darai said. “It’s what your mother would have done. It’s exactly what she did, when she left you on Xen Ptera and flew to Arcardius at Cyprian’s side.” He smiled gently at her. “That’s the real reason why I came to speak to you. Because I fear that your heart is going to get in the way of your mission. And if I allow that, Nor, then I will have failed just as your mother failed.”

Those golden eyes shimmered in the firelight. “You’re strong, Nor. You always have been. You’ve ruled over a dying planet, giving hope to your people when they needed it most. And in the face of adversity, you cleverly united with Valen and used his power to rise up. And I know you will not stop, not even after this. You will complete your mission, and I will help you do it. Together, we’ll complete what Klaren started, so that Zahn’s death will be a most worthy sacrifice. And that, I believe, is one of the greatest gifts he could ever have given you.”

Nor’s tears began to slow. She took a deep breath, letting his words fill her with...something. Anything but the grief she felt. And for a moment, she believed she could rise. That she could get off this couch, and make something of herself again.

But then she felt the absence in her mind.

The empty doorway, where Valen’s warm presence normally resided.

“Valen,” Nor said, pulling her gaze from Darai. “What am I supposed to do about him?”

She was desperate for an answer. For Darai to simply decide for her, because the pain she felt, when she thought of his actions...

What little was left of her heart split down the middle.