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I won't say that he knew what was going to happen to him because no one has that kind of foresight, but Zeph was always a planner. No one has pushed me to let them read it, and I'm glad. There are some raw entries in here that I do not believe anyone other than Viola and myself needs to be aware of. There are conflicting feelings about seeing us together and how he wasn't upset by it but felt like he should be after all that happened in Ytopie littered throughout it.
"I just have this feeling," Tulip says, shaking her head. "She's going to wake up. I just know it."
"What kind of feeling?" I ask, turning to face her. She always says that today is the day, but there is something different in her vehemence today.
Morrow enters the house fully and stands next to his pretend wife, who will probably one day be his real wife and looks down at the peaceful figure of the Shadowweaver. "It's hard todescribe," Tulip continues, leaning her head on Morrow's shoulder. "A pulling, a need to be beside her. She's going to wake up and need me here."
Furrowing his brow, Morrow narrows his eyes at Viola. "It'd be very nice if she woke up today. I feel like there isn't much more we can do around here without her input."
The door behind us slams open again, causing the three of us to startle. I turn around and see Cirrha and Taegan in the doorway, both of their faces covered with a sheen of sweat. "Is she awake?" Cirrha asks, crossing the room. I look at my friend in confusion, and she shrugs. A beautiful gray dress floats around her body. "What? I check in on her."
"Not so enthusiastically," I huff. This is a lot of people for the small home Viola and I occupy, and it's starting to feel like a party is happening. Taegan takes a seat at the table and pulls his notebook out, jotting down something. "How is it coming along, Taegan?"
"Good, I think," he answers softly. Taegan has taken it upon himself to write down what happened, to record this moment for history. The truth. None of us feel like we got factual information on what happened leading up to and after the first fall, and we do not want to leave a legacy of confusion the same way. "I could really use Viola's input, though."
"So could we all, I think." I cross the house to close the door, grumbling to myself about how it was left open when I hear a soft cough that has my shoulders freezing. Abandoning the task, I shove past everyone and drop to my knees beside the bed.
Viola's head turns,her eyes hazy as she squints at me. It takes a minute for them to focus, and then her mouth stretches into a wide grin. "So that's what she meant," she says. Her voice is hoarse, and she coughs again to clear it. A glass of water appears over my shoulder, and I take it without looking at who handed it to me. I hold it to Viola's mouth, and she gulps it down. Shadow slides off her chest and wraps around her arm as I help her sit up, propping her up against the wall.
"What who meant?" I ask, sitting next to her.
"The Eternal Equinox." I glance at our friends to see if any recognize that name, but none do. When Viola notices our confusion, she laughs. "I have a lot to tell you. How long was I out?"
"A month, numen."
She stutters, eyes wide. "What? How? It was one conversation. I wasn't even there that long!"
"Even where?" Tulip asks, pushing her way to the bed to sit on Viola's other side.
Viola sighs, rubbing her face. "I tasted Himureal's blood and fell into a shadow vision that was not of my own making." As she tells the story, my jaw slacks at the implication. Viola has taken on the power of the deity that was originally tasked with protecting our entire realm. Even if she can remove that power at some point, that has to be an overwhelming burden.
"And then, as I was leaving, she told me to listen to my high priests," Viola continues.
"Priests? As in plural?" Morrow asks, crossing his arms overhis chest.
"Yep, plural. And she told me I would just know, and turns out I do." She looks at me, placing a hand on my cheek and pulling my face down to hers. "High priest of Autumn," she murmurs against my lips.
I whip my head back, eyes wide. "Me?" My voice comes out as a squeak, but as soon as it does, that pain I've been feeling in my chest calms down, smoothing into a silky shadow that twirls within my soul. "Me," I say again, my voice firmer.
Viola struggles off the bed, Morrow grabbing her arm to steady her when her feet hit the ground. "High priest of Summer," she says, clasping his forearm with her hand. He mimics the gesture, face slack. "Shadowweaver," he says quietly, reverently. "I…" He inhales deeply. "That's that feeling, then? That incomplete feeling I've been having?"
"I would assume so," she says with a smile. As she turns, my eyes find Cirrha, whose expression resembles that of a trapped animal, like she already knows what is coming. "High priest of Spring," the Shadowweaver says kindly, her hand finding Cirrha's shoulder. Taegan looks up from his place at the table swiftly and then back down to his book, where he continues to write furiously.
Yes, this is certainly something for the history books.
Cirrha bows her head and looks up at Viola from her dipped position. "I am honored to serve you."
"Thank you, high priest," Viola responds before heading back to the bed and crawling back between Tulip and me. It has notescaped notice that there is not a high priest of Winter, but the fact that Viola was the only Winter Seaonsale must mean that there isn't one.
But then Viola looks at Tulip, and Tulip gulps, shaking her head. "No way," she says quietly.
A silent conversation of expressions passes between the two of them, and Viola nods. "If you want, I mean. It's what is meant to be."
Tears well in Tulip's eyes, and she grabs Viola's face. "I was always meant to find you," she says quietly. "I don't know what brought me to you in the summit that day, but I am so grateful it did."
Viola mirrors the gesture, and the room grows cold. It's hard to describe the feeling that wells up inside me, but it must be a draw on devotion because Morrow and Cirrha perk up as well, their attention focused solely on Viola. The Shadowweaver reaches into her chest and pulls out a small, shining spot. It looks like the way our magic appears when we cast has been gathered and condensed into a single spot, shining a blue so bright it almost hurts my eyes.
Tulip inhales deeply, and Viola places the shining spot between her eyes. "High priest of Winter," Viola says, and we all watch that light spread through Tulip as she does.
