her strength as the tears continued to fall. Let him be the hero he’d always been for her, even when she hadn’t thought she’d needed him.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed, but when the tears finally waned, she opened her eyes and realized darkness had settled over the valley and stars twinkled above.
He didn’t speak right away. Just ran his hands up and down her back as he had when she’d been a child and let her pull herself together. When she finally eased back and looked up at him in the soft moonlight, he smiled sadly and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“A long time ago,” he said softly, “I was right where you are now. Wondering how I fit into a world that no longer made sense. Our situations are very different, but hauntingly the same. I guess that makes sense, though, seeing how your mother was right and you are more like me than either of us wants to admit.”
She swallowed hard, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood, unable to find anything light in the world anymore.
“I tried to keep you here,” he went on. “I told myself it was the only way to protect you. But you don’t need me for that anymore.” His mouth tipped up on one side, and he skimmed his thumb over her cheek. “You probably never did.”
She swiped at the tears on her jaw and stared at him, confused by what he’d just said. “I-I don’t understand.”
“I don’t think I truly did, either. But I do now.” His eyes softened. “Home is not a place, Talisa. It’s a feeling. It’s where you’re needed. It’s where you belong. I love this land, but it’s not my home unless your mother is here. My home is wherever my soul mate is.”
Grief sliced through her all over again, and she blinked quickly, trying not to let him see. She hadn’t told anyone Zagreus was her soul mate. She couldn’t even think the words now without feeling that bone-deep agony. “W-what are you saying?”
“I’m saying.” He drew a deep breath that seemed to pain him. “This is not where you belong. It’s not your home. It never really was. Your mother and I knew that from the start. We were just…” His voice wavered. “We are just so very thankful for the few precious years we had you with us.”
Her heart picked up speed, beating hard and fast. He was talking about her marking. The one on her hip that she’d been born with. The one that meant she already belonged to someone.
Tears filled her eyes once more. Hot, blinding tears. “My home is gone.”
He stared at her with such stark focus and unwavering intensity for so long, she didn’t know what he was thinking. Then, finally, he said, “His people aren’t.”
Ehrendia. He was talking about Ehrendia.
Her pulse turned to a whir in her ears. “B-but you said it wasn’t safe. That I need to be here to destroy the Orb.”
“Well…” A wry smile curled one side of his mouth. “We don’t actually need you for the Orb until we find the last element. As for you being safe in Ehrendia… Nick and I came up with a solution for that.”
“Nick?”
He smirked. “Don’t look so surprised. We do get along now and then.”
The humor fled his features as he took her hands in his. “I know the kinds of terrible things that happen to change people. I also know that everyone deserves a second chance. I’m proof of that. So is Nick. And together, well, Nick and I are also proof that people who were once enemies can be friends. And if not friends, then at least allies.”
Her heart felt as if it might burst in her chest. He was talking about Zagreus. Not just about the fact Zagreus deserved a chance at redemption, but that in his eyes, Zagreus had already achieved it.
Those fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Tears she didn’t even try to hold back anymore.
He reached up to swipe them away again and very softly said, “They need a leader, thisavrós. Someone they trust. A warrior who can train and protect them, the way he did.” He pulled something from his pocket and held it out to her. “Someone who’s smart enough to know when she needs help. And I know you’ll be smart and call for help when you need it. I’ll be expecting you to.”
Her gaze dropped to the Argos medallion in his palm. The