Darin put her dishes in a neat pile as she answered Ajoran’s question about seeing the sea, “The first time I had seen it I was in the Eluri lands. I didn’t even realize I was so close to it where I lived, but I would have had to cross a mountain to get there. I gave very little thought to leaving my home before The Gardener gave me my tasks, so I never did plan to see it. I’m glad that I did though. Though I have seen the sea daily for quite some time it, it is still one of the most beautiful things I have every seen.” She laughed, “I do miss my forest though. It’s not like the forests of Lihaelen, where the trees are so tightly grown together that not even sunlight reaches the forest floor. Instead that light that comes down is tinted green because of the leaves. Occasionally ta breath of wind causes a rustle and the leaves part to let down a golden beam that lights up the world.” She sighed happily as she shook her head, “But enough about home. I am here, in Tasen, and I want to learn everything that that anyone will teach me.”

Still that wasn’t going to happen until Ridahne laid the rest of her demons to rest. Darin was more than willing to let that happen first. She followed Ridahne following Ajoran to the nameless grave. When Ridahne took her hand and held it in a grip tight enough to almost break bone Darin gave it willingly. When her sister pulled away the human stood back to let the warrior swear and rant and exclaim. Darin had seen Ridahne before. She had seen the Azurei depressed. Darin couldn’t remember ever seeing her painted in rage and despair and eventually ruin as she collapsed to cry in her lover’s arms. That didn’t mean Darin was surprised. It was still Ridahne and everyone was entitled to their emotions.

While Ridahne was crying in Ajoran’s arm Darin took a single step forward. She had been planning to swear, but after Ridahne’s actions it seemed rather pointless. She took another step. The human didn’t even have a personal grudge against the woman. Her grudge was on behalf of Ridahne and The Tree, both her family even if it was in two different ways. Darin wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. She just knew that she wanted to say something. With one more step Darin was close enough to place a single stone on the cool white stone. She let out a shaky breath. Then she let out a surer breath. The wind began spin around the little group with the stone at the center. Lightning streaked across the sky. The waves in the port started to grow bigger and bigger. The Stone began to vibrate.

The Seed-Bearer spoke in clear crisp Azurei, “Your name will be forgotten, not even to be remembered among the Azurei people. Yet, because of you Astra, and all of Its Children will remember that a thirst for power unearned corrupts, hate ruins, and selfishness consumes. Let your unjust actions, and your merciless punishment, serve as a reminder that power is worthless if you do not use that power to help others. “

The rock shattered. Darin didn’t react as the pebbles hovered in the air for a moment before the wind condensed to spiral the stones into a pillar as the wind died and the stones were about to fall a bolt of lightning stuck the rocks and the ground underneath them, fusing them into a spiraling pillar that was taller than Darin. Eatched into the stone were the words that Darin had just spoken. The words were the same white as the stone but the words “help others” had burned black. The message was clear. The Seed-Bearer wanted the false Sol to be forgotten without forgetting why she had been forgotten. The wind died. The waves settled, Darin turned to look at Ridahne with a strange smile on her face.

Her voice was surprisingly cheerful considering where they were and what just happened, “Let’s go! We have a lot to do in a week if I am going to learn about Tasen and you are going to plan a wedding.”