“Do you see?” Wyllin said. “These humans are devoted to Sera. There is hope after all. Not every planet is Orial. Mistakes can be made and atoned for, but not like this. Not this way. We have lived for so long, you and I. Too long. It is time now. You have carried this burden for years more than you expected. You cling to life the way you cling to power. Aren’t you tired, Elysse? All the fears you had no longer exist. Not all planets are safe, but they are not all as dangerous as you think. And we are killing this one. By staying here, we are draining it dry. It is time to let go.”

“I don’t know how,” the High Priestess said, and she sounded small and pitiful.

“Together,” Wyllin said. “We will let go together.”

Tears filled the High Priestess’s eyes. “I’m frightened.”

Sera did not think she would ever be able to feel sympathy for the High Priestess, but as she looked at her now, she could not help thinking what a sad creature she was, and how lonely she must have been all those centuries. It did not excuse her actions, but it helped to smooth the rough edges of Sera’s grief for her City.

“I know,” Wyllin said, walking forward to clasp her hands. “But balance must be returned. By keeping the secret of the Great Sadness, you deprived the City of its very right to choose its fate for itself. How many travelers and tether-tenders and planet-keepers have been denied their true purpose because they did not know it was an option at all? How many different types of love have you prevented? I know you were only trying to keep them safe. But they are safe. And they deserve to be themselves, whatever that may mean. It is time for the City to move on. It is time for you and me to join Mother Sun in her endless embrace. It is time, Elysse. Can’t you feel it?”

The High Priestess swallowed. “I don’t know how,” she said again. “I don’t know how to let go.”

Wyllin smiled at her. “I do.” She bent and kissed their hands where they joined. “I forgive you,” she said. At that, the High Priestess seemed to shatter, hunching over as tears fell, leaving tiny imprints on the floor of the courtyard. Wyllin rubbed her back and murmured soothing words.

“So will she be the sacrifice to break the tether?” Leela asked.

Wyllin turned and Sera felt a thrill run from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair. Then, to her surprise, the High Priestess straightened and spoke.