Valeria sat with Xorn on the outskirts of the oasis where the Obsidian Sea spurted tiny growths along the otherwise green border. Horses, actual horses, grazed and ripped weeds from the ground. She’d only heard about such beasts in stories.

In spite of the knowledge that Xorn asked something terrible of these people, she couldn’t deny the sense of peace she felt here. Everyone seemed content and scurried around the village with their jobs. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone had a place. Whatever they had to give up for such a life couldn’t be so bad, could it?

Xorn pointed at the misty horizon that tinged with red. “Too many demons are like Nethara. They can’t balance the Light and the Dark. Not everyone can.” He curled his hands over his knees. “That’s why I need your help. For those who can’t find balance, they need to be saved from themselves. They need the Light that is twisted and wrong snuffed out.”

Valeria bit her lip. His words rang familiar to her own heart’s words. She’d met Light itself, and in Tree Mother it had been kind and patient. But in the Creature that lived under Manor Saffron, it was selfish and half-insane. It had been trapped for so long that all it cared about was being free, no matter who it had to manipulate on the way. “She had a golden tattoo,” Valeria remembered. She rubbed a finger over her forehead. “It looked like it didn’t belong.”

Xorn nodded. “Nethara was once a creature of Light, but now she’s one of malice. It was a mistake to try and keep both. She’s lost to me like this.” He placed a hand on hers, his silver eyes deep with a hidden plea. “Can you help me save her?”

Valeria nodded. “If it’ll save lives, then tell me what to do.”

He squeezed and smiled. “A bit of practice, then.” He stood and brought her up with him. He whispered words of power and shadows swirled around them, merging on the ground until it disappeared as fast as it had appeared, leaving behind two small stones. One of golden brilliance, unmistakable Divine Material, and one a glistening orb of shadow. He tugged her to the two treasures. “I want you to absorb the power of the black stone.”

She blinked and twisted free of his grasp. “I don’t know how to do that.”

He knelt and waited until she knelt with him. She didn’t want to get close to these things. They hummed with untapped power as if they had no purpose in this world. “What do you feel when you’re close to them?”

She frowned and spread her fingers across the gritty dirt. Even from this distance she felt the draw these powers had to her. It was as if they knew she could give them purpose. “They want me to use them.”

Xorn nodded. “That’s what the Light and Dark always want. They are powers without meaning unless they find a master. When that master is strong, they are strong.” His smile faded and his gaze went distant. “When that master is conflicted, those powers can overwhelm, consume.” He licked his lips and seemed to shake off unpleasant memories. “You, youngling, are a unique creature. You are knit together by the Light, yet you were born in a land of Dark.” His fingers grazed her shoulder. “You’ve found a way to harness both powers.” His hand fell and Valeria shivered as she steadied her gaze on the orb that glimmered with Dark gifts. “This stone is created from blood. You won’t find many like it. It takes great suffering and pain to harness this kind of magic and create it into something tangible.” His fingers hovered over the rock as if he was compelled to touch it. “This was what I had taken from Nethara when I thought I could help her find a balance. I was wrong. All I did was take power she needed.” He curled his fingers and pulled away. “Take it. Add its strength to your own. Then your real test shall begin.”

Valeria bit her lip and reached out. Every muscle in her body went taut like a rabbit ready to spring. “Will it hurt?” she asked.

Xorn laughed. “I’d expect so, youngling.”

She grimaced. “And what about… me. What about, what’s inside of me?”

He gave her a raised brow. “You mean the child you carry?”

Her cheeks flushed hot. “You knew?”

He grinned. “Of course, youngling.” His gaze fell to her stomach. “Reproduction is a human trait. I’m fascinated that you’re capable of it. It means that you have mastered the Light. You have the power of Creation within you.”

“And the child?” she asked.

He took her trembling fingers and pulled her closer to the stone. “Your child will need all the power you can master.” His silver eyes flashed with shadow. “Your child is born of Light. It needs the Darkness. It needs to be like you.”

Valeria couldn’t believe herself that she actually did trust this demon. But there was something in his eyes that betrayed a deep caring in his soul. He wanted a world that had a future, and a child that could master the powers that knit the world together could be the hope that she so desperately wanted to believe in. It was what Nile dreamed of, and if just for her sake, she had to believe.

And so she let Xorn take her hand and place it on the cool, smooth surface of the stone.

At first, nothing happened, but then shadows uncurled and wrapped around her wrist, delving into her veins and making her gasp as ice wound around her heart.

It hurt, just as Xorn has said it would. But it wasn’t just the cold, it was the innate pain that had born such Darkness. It was Nethara’s suffering and heartbreak. She’d gladly given it up when it threatened to break her in two. Xorn had found the orb when she’d sliced her skin until she bled. The liquid had pooled through the grooves of their ancient home until it had gathered in the deepest crevice and hardened.

For the first time in centuries the pain was unfurled, but the Dark needed a purpose.

“Use it to snuff out the Light,” Xorn commanded. “Hurry!”

She grit her teeth and focused, giving the Dark a single word.

Soothe.

“Yes,” Xorn said, his whisper an excited tone of encouragement as she wove new magic. She’d never tried to use the Dark before. She’d only tried to cover it up and pretend it didn’t exist. But now she knew that wasn’t how she should use the Dark. Her body hummed with new power, the child in her womb rolling as a soft melody wound through the air.

She could have told the Dark to destroy, to consume, to cover, but she’d told it to soothe. So it wrapped around the ore of Divine Material that glowed like a fragment of the sun and swirled its shadows. Working until not even a glimmer remained. When it retreated, only a simple rock remained.

Xorn grinned and picked up the stone. He twisted it an examined it from all sides. “Well done, youngling. Well done.”

* * *

Valeria should have felt fatigued after the lesson of Dark magic, but she felt revitalized. She paced inside her little hut and wanted to get out and try something new. What else could she do with it? What else could she heal?

Shienne appeared through the doorway with a tray of drool-worthy treats. In spite of the offering, Valeria bristled. “Could you yell out before you come barging in? What if I was naked or something.”

The girl blinked at her with surprise. “I’m sorry. Xorn said you might be hungry so—”

Valeria cut her off with an upraised hand. “It’s all right. It’s not a big deal.” She slumped on the bed and gave the girl a lopsided smile when she offered the tray. “Not sure what got into me. What I meant to say was thank you.” She took a piece of meat wrapped with a stringy, roasted vegetable and popped it into her mouth. “Delicious,” she said around the morsel.

Shienne beamed. “Glad you like it.” She set down the tray and lowered her voice. “It’s probably just the blood getting to you. It does that.”

Valeria stopped chewing. “What?”

Shienne’s eyes went wide. “Nothing, I mean—”

Valeria spat out the meat and tossed it across the room. Suddenly she knew what Xorn had asked in exchange for protection from these people.

Darkness comes from blood.

“What does he get out of this?” she snapped, pointing at the tray. “Tell me or I swear I’ll go to Xorn right now and—”

Shienne waved her hands. “Okay, okay. It’s not as bad as you think.” She eased onto the bed beside Valeria and chewed her lip. “Xorn’s trying to make a human that can use Darkness. He thinks that there is this perfect race that exists, if only he can find a balance. So he feeds us his blood.” She writhed her hands together. “There are… side effects.”

Valeria narrowed her eyes. “What kind of side effects.”

Shienne offered her a shy smile. “How old do you think I am?”

It seemed an odd question, but Valeria played along. “I don’t know, sixteen seasonal cycles?”

The girl laughed. “I’m eighty-two.”

Valeria’s eyes bulged. “Eighty-two…”

She nodded. “When I was a child, the blood accelerated my growth into adolescence, then I kind of just…” she flayed out her palms, “became stuck.”

“And the others? Are they also as old as you?”

She shook her head. “Some have accelerated aging and never stop. That’s the more common side effect. Then there are those like me that reach adolescence and never age a day after that.” Her gaze fell to her stomach. “Oh.”

Valeria looked down. Black spot sprinkled her vision when she realized there was an unmistakable bulge.

“Shienne?” Valeria asked, her voice on the edge of hysteria. “How much blood have I had?”