Page 165 of Keldori By Daybreak

“With the marsh’s Skal, Quill figured he could build something that would keep him alive indefinitely,” Gams continued. “It worked, but at the cost of his own experiment cannibalizing him.”

I shook my head, remembering the massive statue that stood over the entrance to the Second Sentinel’s city.

“He was Orla’s ancestor,” I said.

“And he was my friend. After Ergoth strung him up, I would check in on him from time to time. There’s not much else to do when you’re frozen in a glacier and everyone else is dead. It was never pleasant though. Ergoth took over his mind a long time ago. But if you killed Ergoth—” Her eyes glazed over for a moment, and her frown tightened. “I don’t feel him anymore. So he’s gone then. After so long.”

“He said your name before he died.” I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t have to look at her stricken face. “I didn’t mean to kill him. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

A dark realization crept in my stomach, and I opened my eyes again to look at the glowing tunnel behind Gams.

“But then Ferrin would never have made it through to Keldori, even if he killed Fana and Orla,” I said. “Because Quill was still alive. I opened the Rift for nothing.”

“You opened the Rift to save your friends,” Gams reminded me.

“Except you could’ve told him about Quill in the strath and let him run to Ergoth and get eaten himself!”

“He would’ve killed you first, my dear. He was not planning on letting you leave that cavern, whether he got what he wanted or not.”

“You should have warned someone about Ergoth.” I whirled on her as my anger spiked again. “You didn’t think to at least tell Sorcha?”

“Oh, yes, Wren! Absolutely, let’s tell all the Magicians about the fungal colony hiding the secret to an unnaturally long lifespan in its strath! Surely no one would be dumb enough to march in there to try to take it and end up spending the next century as fertilizer!”

“That is the stupidest excuse I’ve ever heard!” My voice rose in pitch as it did volume. “Keeping secrets doesn’t protect anyone! Sort of like not telling your own granddaughter about the secret fantasy world you’re a god of because you didn’t want to burden her with the details!”

“I’m not a god, and none of this is your burden, Wren!” Gams exclaimed. “I wanted you to have a normal life! Your mother agreed—”

“It’s all my burden!” I clutched at my chest. “All of it! Because of you! Because you have to be the Frozen God, and because you’ll die if I don’t do something!”

“I have not been sustaining a storm for the last three weeks, without rest mind you, for my own granddaughter to tell me she holds all the burden!”

“Then stop the storm! Leave the Rift! Why are you choosing this when you could have run away with me?”

I braced for the lecture. We had a duty to protect the Rift. It was her role as the Saergrim. To suggest she abandon it was failure in and of itself.

It was shortsighted. Selfish. Cruel.

“I love you, Wren. More than anything,” Gams finally said. “And I will leave both the worlds to Ferrin’s mercy if that is what you ask of me.”

The storm howled in my ears, echoing the one that raged in my head.

Gams would leave.

This could all be over.

“You say the word,” she continued, “and I’ll leave the Rift. We will find somewhere safe from Ferrin. You, me, and your mother. I’ll go get her from Keldori right now if that’s what you want. I’ll meet you where your real body is resting in the strath. We can run away together.”

“And Ciarán?” I asked. “And my friends?”

“If that is what they wish.”

“But Ferrin might ruin the world.”

“You are my world,” she insisted. “You are my everything, and Ferrin Quillguard’s cruelty is not my fault nor my responsibility. Why should I be the one to risk everything to stop him when my granddaughter needs me?”

“Be-because you’re the Saergrim?” I stammered.