The moment my feet touched down on the stone hall leading to Theridialis's tower, I breathed a sigh of relief, welcoming the smile and warm feeling spreading through me, growing more powerful and cathartic with every step. Sequoia, normally one step behind me, kept pace at my side, her answering grin a mirror image to mine.

Her father didn't await us at the platform where I left the guards. Nor did he come for us at all. Instead, Sequoia and I traversed the length of the hall, ...