Quinn said. “I enslaved the minds of the Trienian soldiers and had them raze Liph to the ground. I gave them orders to pillage and burn, and when it was done, to walk into the bay and not walk out. Those kids would have died in a month, maybe two for the stronger ones. I felt it unfair to leave them, knowing what I was leaving them to.”
Thorne nodded, seeming to consider what she said. “What are they?”
“One of the girls is a null,” she said slowly.
Thorne tilted his head. “And the other?”
“The youngest boy . . . he’s a soul eater.”
His bushy red eyebrows rose. “A soul eater,” he repeated. “And you think it better to leave him here? Lazarus—”
“Will ruin him,” Quinn said. That shocked Thorne into silence. “I serve him, and I stand by him even in death because like calls to like. We are not good people. If anything, we’re both far from it. Lazarus found me when I was ready to be found, but that boy . . . he might be strong, but he won’t be strong enough to endure my king. Your people have always been kind, and they’re more open-minded than most. You don’t look down on the darker magics. He would do well here.”
Seconds passed, turning to minutes. Leviathan’s eye rose higher with every creeping moment. Eventually Thorne said, “Very well. I’ll take them. Pair them with couples who have struggled to have children of their own. They’ll be cared for and raised in our ways, and should they choose to leave when they are old enough—we won’t stop them.”
“Thank you,” Quinn said, and she meant it. “That’s all I can ask.”
“As for your questioning regarding Vaughn,” Thorne said, “my old friend has seen dark times, but I fear none like this. Lady Lorraine of your house sent both Vaughn and the emissary from Ilvas back to give their house time to grieve and prepare. I intend to take him with me tomorrow. With the grieving period passed and you returned . . .”
“You think Lazarus will go back to normal and welcome them back?”
Thorne shrugged. “If I had to guess, he never knew they left. Either way, I cannot remain outside Cisea forever. I still need an emissary to handle things for when I must return. Vaughn will be that, and you will make sure of it.”
Quinn narrowed her eyes. A touch of bitter cold leaked into the air and Thorne shivered. “That’s your price?” she asked.
Thorne nodded, his throat bobbing in response to the magic she used without trying.
“Very well.” Quinn shrugged again. She didn’t disagree, and of all the people to send, she rather liked Vaughn. He was her friend. She just didn’t like being ordered. Then again, she did show up with half a dozen starved and dying N’skari children. Relatively speaking, they were on equal footing right now. “Is that all?” Quinn was tired after her journey, but more than anything she just wanted to be alone. Perhaps with a hot bath. She might see if she could reach Draeven once more.
“Actually,” Thorne said. She paused, mid-turn.
“Yes?”
“I’ve lived a good life. Longer than some. I hope to live longer still. In the end, though, most of us that exist in the gray don’t know where we’ll truly end up . . .”
His red eyes gleamed, and she knew what he wanted. What he was asking.
“You want to know what it’s like in the dark realm.” It wasn’t a question, but still he motioned with his hand for her to continue. “I wish that I had a good answer for you, but I’m afraid that it’s different for everyone. I never had any doubts about where I was going when I died. I always knew that it was darkness that awaited me. I didn’t fear it . . . but I also didn’t expect what I found. I died being crushed to death, and I opened my eyes to find myself on my knees before the dark god.” Quinn recalled her awakening into the realm and smiled faintly. It felt like an old memory from years gone by.
“You saw Mazzulah?” he asked, and while there was a slight tinge of anxiousness in the air, it was mostly fascination.
Quinn chuckled darkly. “You could say that.”
“What did you do? When you found yourself kneeling before them?”
“I stood up,” Quinn said simply. “Apparently that’s not a thing that happens often. The god took a liking to me. Even more so