that you’re not alone. You’ll never be alone again, as long as you’ve got us.”
Thayen gave her a shy smile. “At least I’m not the only one feeling like this. Ansel, Tudyk, and Moore are pretty much in the same boat.”
“Have you seen them today?” Lumi asked.
“Yes. I took Thayen to see them,” Sofia replied. “They’re better now. I think Ansel is playing a huge part in their recovery from an ideological point of view. They’re no longer emotionally bound to the Darklings, and they understand why all this is so wrong. We’ll have to keep working with the boys going forward, however. Petra will use them against us without hesitation if she gets even half a chance. This is where Thayen comes in.”
“If anyone can teach them how to break away from their own mother, it’s me,” Thayen said, bitter sadness dripping from his soft voice. It broke me to see the kid feeling this way, but I agreed with Rose. None of us would dare leave the boy on his own, no matter what the future had in store for us.
Esme and Kalon came through, joined by a little over two hundred Seniors—I counted, noting three key figures who walked close to my sister. My first instinct was to run ahead and hug her, but I had a feeling she wasn’t ready for an emotional reunion. She’d brought ancient Aeternae to Orvis, and there was a certain dignity that came with such a feat. I was so proud of her, I could literally burst.
“Sorry it took us so long,” Esme said. “But it wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped.”
“Welcome,” Kalla replied, tapping the ground three times with the end of her staff. “Welcome to Orvis, oh ancient ones.”
“I temporarily disabled the cloaking shield to let you guys in,” Lumi added, bringing her hands together and whispering the closing spell. Light shimmered from her fingers and spread through the invisible dome-shaped structure she’d placed over and around Orvis. The Seniors were now part of the protection magic, and I had a hard time looking away from them.
They were all beautiful creatures, tall and graceful and covered in flowing white silk. Their skin was luscious and slightly tanned. Their eyes glinted with a mixture of curiosity and determination. And their faint smiles gave me hope for the days ahead. Everything about the Seniors gathered around us told me the tide might eventually turn in our favor, even after the loss we’d suffered in Dieffen.
“Thank you for having us,” a tall Aeternae woman said, bowing politely before Kalla. “I’ve heard good things about this place. It’s a model for the rest of Visio, and I must congratulate you and all your forefathers for what was accomplished here.”
Kalla smiled. “You’re most kind, milady.”
Esme went ahead with the introductions. That alone took a little while, as our crew had suddenly gained two hundred new fighters, led by Mira Nasani, Kemi, and Arya. Thayen gasped at the sound of Mira’s last name. He couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Holy crap,” he muttered, as Mira looked his way.
“You’re one of mine,” she said, her lips twisting into a timid smile. “You’re a Nasani. I can see it in your eyes, your cheekbones. You’re Acheron’s boy, right?”
Thayen nodded. “Yes, milady.”
“Call me Mira, please.”
We spent the better part of an hour discussing the island situation with Mira and Kemi. Arya stayed quiet for most of the conversation, listening and analyzing each of us in turn. I could see her eyes lighting up whenever they settled on one of the Reapers. She was fascinated by their presence, as were the other Seniors. The only other Reaper most of them had met had been the Unending, prior to her entrapment.
As I got a better picture of their captivity at the hands of the Darklings, I could certainly see why they’d chosen to work with us. I also understood why the others had stayed behind. With my comparatively few years of life, I could only imagine the Seniors’ physical and mental exhaustion after all this time.
“I’m sorry you were made to suffer like this,” Mira said, walking toward Valaine. Upon reaching us, she dropped to one knee, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m truly sorry.”
Valaine was speechless. “I… thank you, I guess.”
“You don’t remember me.” Mira looked up with a strained smile. “Or Kemi or Arya or any of us, for that matter. The last time we met was a very long time ago.”
“You know me,” Valaine murmured, her hand tightly