“What? That’s ridiculous.”
“The Abidan have a system built by those who left their worlds behind. They only care about advancing further and further, conquering more and more. They don’t care about stability, or family. We’re trying to build something that lasts, but they don’t see that.”
Mercy hesitated. That did somewhat remind her of Lindon and Yerin.
Malice saw the realization hit her. “Yes. You see why I never sped your advancement. It’s important, of course. But if you focus on advancing more and more quickly at the cost of all else…well. You end up paying that cost.”
Mercy shuddered. “What’s…what’s going to happen?”
“I’ve warned them to ascend immediately. As bad as the situation is now, they can only make it worse. If they move on now, we can still salvage this. If not…” Malice rubbed her face in one of the most human gestures Mercy had ever seen her make. “…I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Now that Malice had finally trusted Mercy with the truth, Mercy knew what she had to do.
“I can talk to them,” she said. “I’ll get them to ascend.”
That slightly pained her to say, because while she knew Lindon and Yerin planned to ascend one day, she didn’t want to say good-bye any sooner than necessary. But if the alternative was them dying to the combined force of the Dreadgods and the Monarchs?
Malice gave her a sympathetic look and pulled her daughter into an embrace.
“When the sky turned black, I thought I was going to lose you. I realized how much time I’ve missed as a mother, and a grandmother. I’ve spent so much time working for the existence of the family that I’ve forgotten to enjoy the family. For that, I’m so sorry.”
Mercy couldn’t speak through the lump in her throat, but she squeezed her mother tighter.
“I can’t risk you, Mercy,” Malice whispered. “Forgive me, but I can’t.”
Mercy hated to admit it, but she understood that from her mother’s perspective. She couldn’t send a member of her family into a situation where they might be betrayed and killed either.
“Can you send them a message?” Mercy asked.
Malice nodded. “Of course. That I can do.”
The Monarch brought shining dead matter out of the shadows, weaving it deftly around a binding. She had been a Soulsmith for centuries, and was once known as much for her skill as a craftsman as for her archery.
A message construct was ready in half a second, and Mercy looked into it. She smiled awkwardly when she felt the construct activate.
“Lindon. Yerin. I saw what happened today. I don’t know if I’ll be able to see you in person, but I wanted to ask you now to stop. People are getting hurt, Lindon, and I don’t want to see—I mean, I don’t want to see you all get hurt either. If you have to ascend, then ascend.” She forced her smile brighter. “I’ll join you one day. Tell Uncle Fury hello from me, okay?”
The madra in the construct vanished.
“Very good, Mercy,” Malice said. She waved her hand and sent the message off. “I’ve sent it as fast as I can. They’ll get it very soon.”
Mercy nodded, but she felt hollow. She wanted to send a hundred more messages. She had too many things to say, and too many questions to ask.
“As for you…let me see your Book.”
Absently, Mercy manifested her Book of Eternal Night. The violet tome hovered over her head, the scripts on the cover slowly spinning.
Malice stood and tapped the Book with one amethyst nail. Light spread out to fill the space with a web of intricate loops that Mercy couldn’t begin to keep track of. She adjusted one ring of script, pulled another over, and moved one connection between one spot of light and another.
Then Malice waved her hand again and the Book collapsed back into itself.
“I’ve removed the remaining locks in the Book of Eternal Night,” the Monarch said. “Now, you may draw power from it and advance as you see fit. You can even open the seventh page, though I warn you against taking any more than a peek before Archlord. That technique is very potent.”
Mercy stared at her mother, her thoughts blank. “…but I don’t need it now.”
“Now, you have the wisdom to handle it. You’ve seen where reckless advancement gets you, and you can make your own decisions.”
Malice grabbed Mercy gently by the arms and looked into her with deep purple eyes. “I’m proud of you, Mercy. You know that?”