CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

​ Oblivion wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Jin was vaguely aware of time amidst the darkness and had some sensation of her physical body. She could feel herself being carried away and heard the muffled murmur of voices speaking to her. Grimdar's was the only one she felt she could understand, though most of what he said was telling others to give Jin her space as she rested.

​It wasn't long before Jin decided she would rather be conscious. Unfortunately, if there was a way to will herself awake, she didn't know it. She was left in the darkness, alone with her thoughts. Those thoughts turned quickly to her more recent failures. Her inadequacies. If she truly had become the blessed saint of a god, the spirit must've been kicking itself for making such a poor selection.

​The darkness at least provided one relief. The voices were gone, and Jin told herself they'd only been a hallucination. A knock to the head would explain it. She tried not to dwell on how the voices began some time before that.

​Soon, even the vague sensation of her physical self faded away to nothingness, then the nothingness gave way to a different delusion that she'd become all-too familiar with.

​Jin returned to the dark forest. The misty figures swirled around her once again and moved through the trees towards the distant, watching figure of the Queen Founder. But Jin couldn't meet Gara's intense gaze this time. She was too ashamed. Jin knew herself to be a failure and an unworthy descendent.

​And more, the fiend was behind her.

​Jin clamped her eyes shut as she felt its hot breath on the back of her neck. Felt the rotted teeth drawing closer to her skin.

​"I know what you are now," Jin murmured.

​The voice burned as it spoke to her. "No, Child of Gara. I am not this fiend that haunts you."

​Jin's breath caught as her eyes snapped open. He stood in front of her, her god. She still felt the fiend's menace at her back, but it was overtaken by the god's warmth in front of her as he stood between her and Gara far in the distance.

​"That creature is not I," he said. "Your ancestor is correct that you must fear it. It will destroy you, should you allow it."

​Jin blinked and could not make sense of the figure before her. He was wreathed in flame and ember, more form than substance. Yet still, Jin believed she could see something within his flames. A face— a kind face— one that reminded Jin of her most treasured moments with her father.

​"A proper introduction is due," he said. His voice was not unlike a young man's. It had a quality she associated with Ban Karst, joyfulness and mirth. It was the voice of a new father. "The name given to me is Ranton. I am the Warding Light, spirit of hope and salvation."

​Jin swallowed and felt her spine stiffen. "You are the god of Shan Alee," she stated.

​"As humanity perceives me, so I must be. I was first called to this world by the people who would become Aleesh."

​Jin felt her lip curl. "They called a demon."

​Ranton nodded, if it could be said a flame was able to nod.  "In that act of creation, they bestowed on me a name corrupted by the world's truest foe. Shanothé, they named me, and so my essence was taken by Sol. What you might call my essence was split in two, that which remained purely the spirit and that which was dominated by the demon. What was me could not fight what was him forever." His flames flickered. "Shanothé became the Betrayer, just as Hasanvor has done in this age."

​Jin averted her gaze. "What does it matter? You are an Aleesh god, and the Aleesh have chosen to side against the Five Kingdoms. Your people are on the demons' side now."

​The flames came at her. Jin flinched away, but when they fell upon her cheek, she didn't burn. It felt like the gentle touch of a father's hand on his daughter's face.

​"You are all my people," he whispered.

​Jin looked towards him again.

​"Name one race of humanity that does not yearn for better days ahead. Show me one people who would not see their children free of fear. You, all of you, know hope to be precious, but none of you believe it can be yours. Every last mortal soul believes deep in their core that hope is something meant for someone else." His flaming hand pulled away. "You are all my people, yet none of you are. So it has been since Hope betrayed humanity."

​"A Betrayer, indeed." Gara approached through the dark forest and its misty wraiths. She stood alongside Ranton, but her brown eyes were only for Jin. "I was there, Daughter. I was there when our oppressors lost their sacred hope. I was there to call out the name of Hasanvor when the Lord of Bones blessed me as his saint, and so made Antares a second Betrayer. We spread magic to all races of humanity, as the demons wished, and so forced the Aleesh to forge their darkest of weapons. All those choices led to where we are now. The Diamond, girl. It still exists."

​"They seek it," Ranton agreed. "Your enemy demands the Imperial Diamond's power."

​"To wipe you out, once and for all," Gara said. "I claimed it so that my heirs could keep it safe and protected. Across centuries, they lost sight of its horror and saw only its usefulness. They toyed with it as a vessel for bloodsongs, thinking it a mere tool for the blood runners. Now, you start to understand the folly that has led to. The doppler did not go to the palace just for oren, girl. It was laying the groundwork for its masters to seize the final piece of their puzzle."

​"Against the Imperial Diamond," Ranton said, "flush with the thousands of bloodsongs taken in this war of sacrifice, not even the veil between our worlds and the Beyond will stand."

​Gara's eyes hardened. "They will rip reality apart to take back the world they lost. The Ethereum and mortal world will merge with what lies past the veil. All boundaries will cease to exist. Life and Death will lose all meaning, all value."

​"It must not be," they said in unison.

​Jin felt the fiend behind her draw closer. Her flesh prickled and shivered at the barest touch of fangs. She could stand it no more and began to turn her head.

​"No," Ranton warned. He took her by the chin to stop her. "You are not ready to look upon it. As you are, knowing its true face will destroy everything you hope to be."

​Gara's eyes flickered to Ranton. Jin couldn't tell if she was pleased by the god agreeing with her or repulsed by the presence of an Aleesh deity. Regardless, she wasn't disagreeing with him. They spoke to her as if of one mind.

​Jin felt she saw a quirk of the mouth in Ranton's flames, as if he'd read her thoughts.

​"Don't be so hasty to make judgements," he said. "There is much I find wanting in this phantom who speaks to you, but then again, she is a source of your hope, is she not? That makes her precious to me as well."

​Gara definitely didn't appear to care for that. "And this spirit is soft," she said. "My heir must be strong."

"The phantom misunderstands the meaning of true strength," Ranton said. "Were it in my power, I would keep her away from you, but that is not my place. The old forms must be heeded."

​Jin's head spun. She wished she could've been born a little smarter so as to make sense of all this. It was unfortunate, but there was a reason Jin had never been much of a fan of academics. She wasn't dull-witted, at least she hoped not, but she was content to leave the books to those better suited to them. Even Maya was better at her studies, just as she was better at everything.

​"You chose the wrong Algara for your saint," Jin whispered. Her eyes rose to Gara. "I'm not able to be your heir. Maya is so much greater than I am. You should be going to her and leave me where I lie."

​"Damned fool," Gara sneered. "Why else you think I keep telling you to rise? Because I think you're not yet good enough? No, idiot girl!"

​"In this," Ranton said, "your phantom is entirely correct."

​"You can always be better!" Gara shouted. "That's what my heir needs to understand more than anything else. Rise, and be better, even if it's impossible. Especially because it's impossible. Everything that can't be done is just something that hasn't been done yet."

​"You place your sister above yourself," Ranton said, "but not as a goal. As a limit."

​Jin shook her head. "She's the Eidolon. Maya has no limit."

​Ranton's flames swelled before going low. It looked decidedly like a sigh. "I did not come looking for an Eidolon as my saint. I seek something more."

​Beset by confusing visions, haunted by an unknowable fiend, Jin had trouble imagining herself as anything more than a subpar arcanist reaching for heights she would never attain. Even with all her training since childhood, and she could never be a match for a monster like Vintus.

​"We could keep you here until the doom has come and gone," Ranton said, "and still you will never listen. Not while what you fear most remains in your shadow. This is not the place for you to learn the truth of your broken heart. I think it past time you go back to where you will find the source of your hope."

​"And how do I find that?" Jin asked. She was mortified to hear a tremor in her voice as she asked it.

​"First, go to where you felt it for the first time. I promise you, Jin Algara, that is the path to finding it again."​

​"You said it yourself," Jin said. She sniffed back a tear. "I'm too broken to be your saint."

​Gara scoffed and turned to walk away. Ranton stayed behind, and he smiled.

​"I didn't come for a saint. I came looking for you, broken or not. But, what happens when living things are broken?"

​Jin blinked. Yes, he definitely reminded her of Ban. There was a little bit of Krayson and of Reyn in him as well— the same ability to cut deep into the heart of what troubled her and force her to face it. Someone else, too. It was in the warmth, the unassailable kindness that thrived despite all the horrors surrounding it. Someone Jin didn't want to think about.

​Ranton spoke the answer to his question at the same time as Jin.

​"They grow back stronger."

oOo

​ Krayson furrowed his brow.

​The words were muddled, and he could only catch maybe a third of what passed through Jin's lips as she slept, but he was more convinced than ever. She was conversing with her god. He'd gone through it often enough himself to recognize it. Still, Ranton didn't seem to be driving Jin up the walls in frustration. Kumo and Nashal could learn a thing or two from their junior.

​The Warding Light is new to this, Kumo muttered in an oddly sullen tone. There is something vital he neglects to tell the Fifth. He could stand to be a touch more informative.

​Krayson's eyes widened, incensed. "Thundering bug," he muttered under his breath. "I'm not going to listen to that from you, of all people."

​I am not a person, Kumo reminded him, I am a concept given will and form. Do not dare hold gods to the same standards.

​"I'll lower my expectations, then," Krayson growled.

​Kumo seemed insulted, and Krayson felt he could chalk that up to a win.

​None of the other gods get agnostics for saints. Fate is unkind even to me.

​"Consider it payback for pulling me into all this."

​You still don't understand? I chose you because you would be pulled into this nonsense, with or without me. The Five, the saints, they are all chosen in the same manner. It is less a decision on our part and more of an acknowledgement of what you inherently are.

​Kumo seemed to have had enough and withdrew from Krayson's thoughts. Dratted spider could've at least stuck around to say a bit more about the newest saint, but Krayson despaired of ever getting anything helpful out of gods.

​Krayson was just relieved that the swelling all over Jin's face was finally going down. When he first came upon her held in the Gladiator's arms, Krayson thought she was already a corpse.

​Krayson looked up from where they'd stashed Jin for the moment. It was a flower shop, and the scent of roses, orchids, and a dozen other variety of flower filled the room. A few pots of soil had spilled over the ground when Grimdar burst into the shop to kill a couple of fiends inside. The flower girl minding the store had fled for the apartments above as soon as she was rescued from the monsters invading her workspace.

​The Gladiator kept a watchful eye on the streets outside the shop. Pacifica and Adar flew a patrol around the area, exterminating whatever fiends they flushed out into the open. Meanwhile, Devara and Gillwyn rushed into every shop, tavern, and residence on the spire to make sure people were barring their doors. Things were bad on Arcrest Tower, but they would've been much worse had no one been nearby to fight the fiends and usher the goodfolk to safety.

​"I'm not hearing them anymore," Grimdar said softly. His deep baritone filled the silent flower shop.

​"There were maybe two hundred fiends in that warehouse," Krayson said. "Feels like we've killed three times that. Her Highness was right. There must've been other locations scattered around the spire."

​The dragon grunted and rubbed a palm over his bald head. "Aye, but I think it's worse than even that. The alarm bells."

​Krayson felt his stomach churn. "They're coming from other spires, aren't they?"

​Grimdar nodded. "All over Eastrun. The entire borough is infested."

​"Thunders...," Krayson muttered. "That's why the Home Legion hasn't responded yet. Their hands are full."

​"Seems to be the case," Grimdar agreed. He glanced over his shoulder. "Any word from the crown princess?"

​Krayson shook his head. "Not since all this began. I gave a sending after the demon vanished with Vintus, but she didn't respond. Maya must have her hands full, too."

​"You're not worried she's been slain?"

​Krayson barked a mirthless laugh. "You clearly don't know Her Highness."

​"By reputation only."

​"Unless that reputation includes the time I witnessed a god run from her in fear, it doesn't live up to the truth of her."

​Grimdar shot a dubious look Krayson's way.

​"Cross my heart, it happened. True, we were in the Ethereum, where an Eidolon's power could be measured as greater than a god's, but still."

​"Greater than a god's?" Grimdar asked.

​"Limitless potential for stored ether combined with an endless supply of it... yes, I would definitely think hard on it before I placed bets on Princess Maya fighting the Lord of Bones in the Ethereum."

​"In the Ethereum," Grimdar said. "What if the demon god crosses over? Gods are known to do so now and then."

​"Nature gods," Krayson said. "River spirits and such. Regional deities, particularly those who embody the land. The more powerful gods hardly ever come to the physical plane, if ever."

​"Nashal has," Grimdar pointed out. "As has Ranton. Death has come to the forefront of everyone's mind. If Hasanvor means to cross physically into this world, he will find little barrier to him."

​"He did send his voice to New Sandharbor." Krayson bit his lip. "Everyone already believes Death walks among us. The demons picked the right god to subvert when Antares took over as the Lord of Bones." He didn't have to think on it long before finding an answer. "No. Without the Ethereum fueling her, not even an Eidolon would stand a chance against Antares. Before, it was a very specific circumstance we can't replicate here."

​Grimdar watched him for a moment longer before returning to his vigil. He didn't offer further comment, and Krayson was happy to set that subject aside.

​"You left Shan Alee to follow Jin," Krayson said instead.​

​Grimdar grunted. "I wasn't pleased by all that's changed in New Sandharbor while I was away. I fear the Storyteller may have erred in her choice of beloved."

​"Maybe," Krayson allowed quietly. "Some hold out hope Enfri's conning them."

​"If that's so, she's tearing down too much of what we've built to do it. Regardless, I do not believe that. I will always respect Her Majesty, but she is no deceiver. This is real. The mighty see a lot from up in the sky. We see further than most mortals. The empress will allow this era to burn so that she can save Shan Alee. It's the same bargain Prince Vintus seems to have made, and the mighty are going along with it." Grimdar's lip twisted into a grimace. "Most of us. Some yet refuse to let wrong be done for our benefit."​

​"The Executioner, the Ascendent, and yourself," Krayson said.

​"And others. Her Majesty has not seen the last treason among her dragons. She can only ask so much of the mighty before we reach the edge of our complacency. This path she's chosen, it will inevitably lead to a place where the mighty must do evil in her name. More dragons than us three in Althandor will stand up and say 'no more'."

​As he spoke, Grimdar stepped aside from the shop's doorway to allow someone new to walk in. Zanda was in her human form as she offered the Gladiator a nod.

​"Well said," Zanda agreed. "Though, it helped to have a knight there to force the choice on me sooner. Otherwise, I might still be in Shan Alee." She glanced over her shoulder. "The Eldest, however, has his own opinions."

​"Adar?" Grimdar asked. "How so?"

​Zanda nodded curtly. "He maintains faith in the Dragon Empress' better motives. I've not made my own views known as it seemed rude to refute my elder so soon after his arrival. In any case, the truth will reveal itself sooner rather than later."

​"I fear you're right," Grimdar said. "Still, would be nice to be proven wrong."

​Zanda raised an eyebrow at him.

​Grimdar shrugged. "Just because I don't agree with Her Majesty doesn't mean I can't still like her. She was always good to me."

​"And me," Zanda said with a touch of reluctance. "As you say, it would be nice. I won't hold my breath, however."

​"Nor I. Seen too much of mortals in general to have faith like that in any of them. Even her."

​Both dragons looked over to where Krayson knelt over Jin. "No offense," they said.

​Krayson raised a palm. "None taken. Most accurate thing I've ever heard. Mortals are terrible." He got to his feet and put his robe into order. "If you're here, Lady Executioner, is Her Highness also nearby?"

​Zanda gave a nod. "On her way. She wants to get to her sister's side, but she knows there are more critical things for the future queen to see to right now."

​Jin stirred. "Duty above all," she murmured.

​Krayson looked down to see Jin pushing herself up onto an elbow. He knelt again to urge her back down. Jin held up a hand to forestall his fretting.

​"If she can't come to me," Jin said, "I have to go to her."

​"Not a good idea, Highness," Grimdar cautioned. He left his post at the door to come further into the flower shop. "Adar could only do so much. You're no longer concussed, but you took extensive injuries."

​"If I can move, I can act."

​Jin struggled to right herself, and Krayson thought that a wise man would force the stubborn princess back onto the floor. It seemed Krayson wasn't all that wise and instead offered his hand to assist her. Jin accepted, and with his aid, she got up to her feet.

​"There," she panted. "I can move."

​She didn't seem able to stand straight. Jin kept an arm wrapped around her abdomen. Osteomancy wasn't gentle on the surrounding tissue, so Jin must've been experiencing acute pain where she forced that many repairs in so short a time.

​Krayson kept a steadying hand on her arm. He tried not to be bothered by how much more thick and strong hers were than his, or by the difference in their height. The Horde would call it unnatural for a woman to be that much more muscular than a man, and even people in the Five Kingdoms considered a body like Jin's to be far outside the norm. Few men anywhere could achieve definition like that.​

​Staring in such a way would give everyone the wrong idea. Krayson didn't need to be thought of as another of Her Highness' admirers on top of every other incorrect assessment. He allowed Jin to lean on him as he guided her towards the front of the shop. "You can rest after you return to the palace," he said. "You will rest."

​Jin nodded and didn't offer argument. "As you say." She looked to Zanda. "Where is my sister?"

​The Executioner nodded towards the north. "She flew off to the next spire after asking me to check in on you. Several fiends made it across the skybridge."

​"Then that is where I must go."

​Grimdar stepped forward. "If you mean to rush off into danger again, at least allow me to carry you. You're in no shape to walk."

​Jin started to nod but stopped herself. She looked sidelong to Krayson. "Actually, I would like Brother Joshuan to conduct me there."

​Krayson blinked. "Me? How?"

​"Gravity flight. You know the incantation."

​"Yes, but I haven't refined it to Maya's level."​

​"I must start somewhere," Jin murmured. She closed her eyes again, past the point of exhaustion.

​Krayson understood. She wished to observe the spell with her ethersight and begin the process of learning it herself. Still, she must've seen Maya use her flight by now, but perhaps that spellcraft was beyond her at the moment.

​The fact that Krayson felt Kumo's eyes on him as soon as Jin asked it was beyond irritating.

​It was strange, though. He knew Jin was a remarkable arcanist. She was one of the few in the world capable of teleportation, and that was by no means a simple spell to cast. It required incredible precision and a significant amount of ether. Teleporting was leagues outside the ability of the average arcanist. Krayson decided it must've been because of the unique way sorcerers learned their spells; Jin needed to take her time to drill in the proper way to manifest the essences before diving into the advanced applications.

​"If that's what you want," Krayson said, and the answer looked as if it came as a relief to her. "I'd rather not keep your sister waiting. It always feels like she's just waiting for an excuse to take my head off, so let's not give her one by being late."

​Jin managed a slight smile. "As you say."

​Once outside, Krayson took his time with the gravity incantation so to give Jin ample opportunity to study its effect on the Weave. Doubtless, she realized his intent with crafting the spell slowly, and just as doubtless, she appreciated it.

​Krayson mumbled a request for forbearance before putting an arm around her waist. He assumed a woman of Princess Jin's courting preference would be hesitant to allow a man to hold her in such a way, but she appeared to have no problems with it. She even put both arms around his neck and hung on tightly. It wasn't strictly necessary, as Krayson was able to extend his spell around both of them without issue. Perhaps she simply felt more secure with a firm grip on something.

​It wasn't until after landing on the walkways of the next spire and Krayson got a good look at Jin's face that he amended his thinking. She was plainly nauseated by the experience.

​"My... err... my apologies, Highness. If my hands went anywhere inappropriate, I..."

​She held up a palm. "Don't finish that sentence."

​Krayson wisely clamped his mouth shut.

​"It's not that. It's just I'm..." Spots of color appeared on her cheeks.

​Krayson was unsure of what unsettled him more, Jin flustered or Jin speaking informally.

​"Motion sickness," she said and avoided eye contact.

​"Motion sickness?"

​Jin nodded curtly.

​"Oh." Krayson brushed his hands down his robe. "Well, no shame in that."

​She eyed him sidelong. "Tell no one."

​"Tell no one what?"

​"Good man."

​They set down on a wide overhang where a crowd of people pushed and shoved against each other to enter into a promenade in the spire's interior. The archway leading inside was cramped to a dangerous level, to the point Krayson believe there must've been people already under threat of being trampled to death.

​Fear and panic were palpable amongst the throngs, even though there didn't seem to be a living fiend in sight. The corpses of a number of twisted monsters littered the walkway, burned beyond recognition more often than not. There were also the bodies of their victims. All were given a wide berth by the frantic masses, which only exacerbated the dangerous situation.

​So great was the sense of panic that no one even seemed to notice when Zanda and Grimdar flew towards the walkway. Both dragons latched onto the ledge, their massive heads peering over the top at the massed goodfolk, before assuming human forms to approach Krayson and Jin. The only one who seemed to take note of the dragons at all was a six-year-old toddler who just pointed and was unable to get her mother to look at what just showed up.

​"Panicked beyond reason," Krayson muttered. His eyes went towards the archway into the spire before he found Princess Maya.

​Her Highness had climbed up to stand on the lip of a fountain just inside the promenade and was shouting at the top of her lungs. It didn't look like anyone listened to her. In their desperation to escape perceived danger, the people ignored their crown princess entirely. Maya seemed to be trying to calm everyone down and direct them to safety in an orderly manner.

​Jin limped towards the press of people.

​"Highness?" Krayson called. He caught up to her before she could start pushing her way through. "You're going to get crushed if you try going in there."

​Jin looked over her shoulder and gave him a nod. "I would ask you to trust me, Krayson. I know what they are looking for."

​There wasn't a chance for Krayson to offer another word of protest before Jin disappeared into the crowd. Krayson balked from going after her, because at his height, he'd get stepped on as soon as make it a pace through that mess. Grimdar came up after him and looked ready to start tossing goodfolk in every direction to get to Jin. He might have had Krayson not put a hand to his shoulder to hold him back.

​"Blood Runner, she's going to get herself killed!"

​Thinking on it rationally, Krayson was unsure of why he stopped Grimdar. However, he'd been feeling less and less rational as of late. Maybe it had something with learning of two other saints like him on the same day, or maybe it was more to do with Jin's request.

​"She asked me to have faith in her," Krayson said. "I aim to."

oOo

​Maya shouted to be heard over the goodfolk. "Step back! There's too many of you, and I haven't cleared this area! Blustering dolts, you're just going to get yourselves killed!"

​Atop the fountain, Maya could only rail ineffectually. No one was listening, and even if they were, the press of the crowd behind them made it so that they couldn't obey. Her one consolation was that she was almost certain the fiends in the immediate area were either dead or moved on. However, until Maya confirmed it, she couldn't let people just pour inside.

​Maya put a hand to her forehead and grit her teeth in frustration. She was supposed to be their queen one day. How could she rule them if she couldn't even get them to heed her in an emergency? Maya considered forcing the issue and turn her spellcraft towards pushing everyone back out onto the walkways, but she'd only get even more people hurt.

​A few startled yelps sounded from within the crowd just ahead of the fountain. If someone was pushing through that determinedly, Maya might have to just make an example of them. She was getting miffed enough by the situation that she was ready to cut loose and damn the consequences. Then, she identified the source of the disturbance.

​"Jin!"

​The twerp looked like she'd just walked all the way from Shoto and smacked her face against a rock every step she took. Furthermore, Maya saw something even worse about the state Jin was in. She stared in mortification as Jin climbed up onto the fountain beside her.

​"What in Father's name happened to your hair?"

​To her credit, Jin looked embarrassed to be out in public like that. "It was not by choice."

​"I should blustering hope not. You look like a blind man tried giving you a Nadian undercut. It's hideous."

​Jin gave her a look. It was the sort of look that promised future reprisal, but only because she lacked a comeback of sufficient magnitude at the moment. Only a sister was capable of giving such a look. "You're going about this the wrong way. You can't stop a panic once it's begun."

​Maya threw her hands in the air. "What am I supposed to do then?"

​"Remove obstructions rather than make yourself one."

​Maya looked further into the spire's interior. She saw plenty of obstacles where the crowd was going to held up, but if there was one person in the Spired City who could remove those quickly, it was the Eidolon.  And, it was a relief to have Jin's clear head nearby. Maya relied on it in times like these. "So be it. As you say, but we can't let them surge forward suddenly once the way's clear. Can you stay here and see about making it at least resemble orderly?"

​Jin gave a single nod. "Though I am capable of little else right now."

​"Just stand there and look scary. Won't be hard with your face like that. Might make them step a little slower to go by you, if nothing else."

​Jin glowered while Maya took flight and shot deeper into the promenade.

​Using pulses of force, Maya cleared the interior walkways of obstacles. She caused a significant amount of damage to a great number of local businesses in the process, but shop fronts and vendor stalls could be rebuilt. People were irreplaceable. As she went about de-obstructing the promenade, Jin remained up front on the fountain.

​By slow degrees, the crowd locked into place became free to move. It started as a trickle, then a pour, and finally a flood. Where before there were clusters of bodies near to getting crushed or trampled, it was now a steady flow towards their perceived safety.

​And as each man, woman, and child made it inside to where the fiends couldn't reach them, the first thing they saw was the princess ushering them on. She was battered and beaten, bloodied and disheveled. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she'd fought through the worst this day had to offer. She had looked Hell in the face and come back. Standing in place on the lip of a high fountain as she used her sword to point the way, Jin Algara must have appeared like a beacon to them, one that lit the path to safety.

​"It's going to be alright," Maya heard a goodwife tell the small boy in her arms. "That was Princess Jin, the next queen's sister. Her Highness is going to save us."

​Upon reflection, some time later, Maya would wonder at how that comment and hundreds of others like it hadn't bothered her. It came as no surprise to her that Jin, not the future queen, was the one the people remembered. Jin was believed to be the one who brought them hope in the most hopeless of hours, and Maya couldn't bring herself to resent it.

​After all, Maya felt exactly the same way.