He glanced up and caught Ezran’s eye, a stricken look on his face, like his eyes were traitors too—like he was seeing Callum where Viren stood, the same way Viren was seeing Harrow where his son was.
“Did you ever even love my father?” Ezran finally asked, eyes wild and teary.
Viren spoke over the lump in his throat. “Very much,” he said. “Just never well.”
Slowly, Ezran nodded and pressed his lips together. He wiped hastily at his eyes and then looked at the box. He slid the lid shut and then sat on the floor in front of the bars, gesturing.
Staring, Viren took a seat across from him, the shaft of the light spilling over both of them.
“Callum tried to explain magical stuff to me a few times,” Ezran muttered. “But I could never get it.” He held the box more plainly in his hands, the puzzle reset. “Show me. How to open it.”
Viren very nearly smiled once he got over his surprise. He pointed to the side. “There.” He watched the young boy press down. “That’s the first step.”
—Ch9: By Some Other Things, Teach Me How to Name the Bigger Light
53 notes
·
View notes
Soren had sworn to protect and tend that light. To nurture it. And in his darkest moments, that oath gave him a reason to feel strong again, a way to keep smiling. How easily it had all fallen apart.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t wait for them. Ezran’s feet carried him back into the darkest part of the Arcus Vault, back to where the assassin’s arrow lay motionless on the ground. It stared up at him. Ezran felt a coldness twist its way around his heart. It took his lungs, too, and for a long moment he could not breathe, could not feel anything but an unfamiliar anger so potent it seized the whole of him, inside and out. Ezran stepped towards the arrow—and stomped down on it as hard as he could. He wished he were bigger, stronger, he wished his boots were made of iron and not something soft. Still, it was enough. When he pulled his foot away, Ezran glared down at the arrow’s hawkish head, flattened and broken. Its ruby eye slipped from its socket, its black metal bent like frayed feathers. He left it there in the dark.
—Strangers / Deep Below
32 notes
·
View notes
I had a speech planned for today. It was about peace and love and hope. But I think I left something out. I ignored something that was true. I denied something that is undeniable. We are angry! I am angry. I have been hurt. My Dad was killed when I was nine years old. My Mom was taken from me before I could even remember her. It hurts! I feel pain about this and I am angry! We all want peace and we all want love. But violence tests us.
39 notes
·
View notes