The final, and extremely welcomed, guest at my side was the Acorilinian Gracewarden. I spent hours and hours taking advantage of being able to converse with it. Her. Detsepera. It was a surreal experience, to speak with someone whom I knew only from the lifeless portrait in the state tower, and through the uninformed curses directed at her under my breath over the years.
My coven had released her—or, more appropriately, summoned her—to help deal with Leona and Vylas, and only then was she able to assert some autonomy outside Honor’s Crest. She did tell me, though, that at some point she would have to return inside her beautiful tomb for the honored dead, and would be unable to speak or interact with me again. I’m glad I was able to speak with her before she returned.
I discovered a great deal from Detsepera, and was able to confirm some things that I had recently suspected. One particular bit of information I found fascinating was that when Detsepera died, she was approached by an entity not associated with the Gift Gods, and invited to take the place of Acorilan’s Gracewarden at the time—in honor of her great sacrifice in saving Acorilan. To this day, I almost cannot fathom the realization that in killing Detsepera, and binding her to the pact as its first queen, our Voidwarden had ensured its eventual doom from the start.
Acknowledgements
There are very few things I’ve done in the past seven years that haven’t been made possible by my wife Julia, in some way. Her heart, inspiration, encouragement, and patience have been an unending, and rich source of fuel with which I’ve used to write. For anyone who might find any of my words enjoyable, know that she is a huge part of that.
Thank you to my parents for relentlessly believing in me, in my writing endeavors, and everything else. Their love and support go beyond what parents are expected to do by virtue of just being parents.
I owe a great deal of thanks, also, to every book blogger, pod caster, and general speculative fiction enthusiast that has given me or my work even one minute of their time. Time is our most valuable asset, and I can’t say how appreciative I am that you have spent any amount of time with me, or with my writing.
And for all of the inspiration and encouragement that my wife and parents have provided, it would have meant little to anyone if not for the insightful and passionate wisdom of my editor, Laura M. Hughes. Thanks, Laura, for making an omelette out of my scrambled words.
