The air was still and the light dim on the inside of the tavern. Pouring rain continued outside, and both parties had convened to a warmer setting to continue their discussion. However, since coming inside, getting a couple of tankards to drink, and a few pleasantries to the surrounding people, there remained a tense silence between Gideon and his long lost sister. Sitting at a table across from each other in the corner, they traded glances between their drinks and each other. Just when one of them had the smallest of motion to speak up, it was redirected towards their drink, or glances elsewhere. Gideon looked out the window and watched the same tense division between Taas and the other group as they tied up their mounts and pulled any necessary equipment out of the harsh weather. In particular, he noticed a prolonged stare exchanged between the giant and the woman outside, Rosa, before his companion found himself being watched. Just as Gideon was about to comment on it, Claudia broke the silence first.

“I feel like it’s been a lifetime since I’ve seen you. But you’re here.”

Gideon thought about the sentiment for a moment as he turned back to her. “It has been a lifetime. A lot has changed, A lot can change in twenty years.”

Claudia broke her gaze, her face dropping slightly. “Twenty-three years, seven months, two weeks, and four days.” She straightened up and offered a mild scowl. “What happened that night isn’t something you easily forget.”

He watched her more with curiosity than concern. “And is that why you’re here, why you went looking for me?”

She considered the question in silence, debating truth and falsehood, and settled on the space between. “Not at first.”

Gideon regarded her answer in silence, giving her ample time to explain, but when it never came, he spoke up. “So, you went looking for a champion. A hero. Someone to fight your battles and win your wars. Am I close?”

“Who knew you would have an ego,” she bit back. “I’ve spent my whole life in the struggle. Fighting, warring, surviving, and I’m still here. Since that night that our home burned down, I swore I would avenge my family. Our parents. You.” She clutched the tankard hard and let it go, her hands closing into fists in an effort to restrain herself. “But I’d come to realize it wasn’t just about me. We weren’t the only ones orphaned. We weren’t the only ones who’d lost something they’d never get back.” Claudia rubbed her face with one hand as she closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them once more, she took a breath and set her hands back onto the table, open, calm. “I went looking for heroes because I realized I couldn’t do this on my own. I’ve met many, and some of them have died for what we’ve done. But the war goes on, and I still need people willing to fight alongside me.”

Gideon didn’t want to make her frustration any worse, but asked, “And when you found out the hero you were looking for was me?”

She gave the quickest of cynical smirks. “Well, a lot change change in a moment.”

The words echoed in his head: A blood cost must be paid. Gideon didn’t like this at all. A lifetime spent under the guidance of omens and portents, his sister’s arrival could only mean tragedy. He had to be smart about this. Winning a game against Fate itself was not done easily, and here, so close to the end of his journey, suddenly he had something to lose.

“And you?” she asked, breaking his thought. “Are all the stories true about you? The miracle worker and champion of gods?”

The Many whispered accusations in the periphery, unheard by anyone else:

Murderer.

Destroyer.

Coward.

Powerless.

Unfavored.

“Not all of them, no,” he said with a heavy exhale. “It is true that I have been gifted, but it’s far more a burden than a blessing.” Gideon straightened himself a little more and swallowed hard. “I need you to know. I–” He didn’t quite know how to say it. “I… I can’t go with you.” The shock on her face was immediate. “I can’t be what you want me to be, I can’t do what you ask of me, not without consequence.”

“All I want is for you to come home,” she pleaded. “You’re not the only one with–“

“I can’t!” he growled. Gideon took a deep breath and continued. “There’s so much more at play here than you think, than you could ever know.”

“I know more than you give me credit for,” she offered. “Please, just think about it. It’s a long way back as it is, and I–” She stopped, took a deep breath and said, “I’m not leaving without you.” Claudia stood up from the table. “Do you want another?”

“No,” he answered. “Go speak with your allies for a bit. I need to talk to someone in town.” He paused. “Again.”

She eyed him with suspicion.

He stood and met her gaze straight on. “If I’m going home with you, I need to do this. Please.”

Claudia took another deep breath and accepted. “Okay, we’ll be here. Come find me when you get back.”

“I will,” he said, and as she passed him to go back to the barkeep, he stopped her. “While I’m gone, just so you know, Taas is good. Yeah, he’s a giant, but he’s good. But also, maybe, keep him away from your fellow woman.”

Claudia raised an eyebrow and looked a question at him.

Gideon gave a knowing and suggestive pop of his own eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. “Gods, not every woman is helpless you know. She can take care of herself.”

He face dropped a little and he pursed his lips. “Okay, fine. I’ll be back later.”

Claudia stopped, set down the tankards and came in for a hug. He was a little surprised at the deed, but ultimately embraced her in return. Separating, she picked up the empty drinks wordlessly and returned to the barkeep.

He check his bindings and took a breath before he finally stepped towards the door. Seemingly out of nowhere, Taas stopped him, his enormous hand on Gideon’s shoulder. “All is good, yes?”

“All is good, yes,” he said, deliberately not making eye contact. “I need to go speak with Vala again, but I’ll be back. Do mind yourself while I’m gone.” Gideon padded the giant’s bulging arm and brushed him aside. Pulling the hood up onto his head, he ventured back out into the rain.

The Smith was only a couple buildings away, but Gideon made haste through the wet, cold, and dark. Returning to the forge and its adjacent house, Gideon knocked twice and entered without hesitation. Vala was at the cutting board once again, chopping more vegetable while the pot boiled over the fire. Despite the intrusion, she paid no mind to his presence, and continued working on preparing another meal.

He stood there silently, watching her, waiting for any indication of her attention to him. When she continued to ignore him, he asked, “What is the blood cost?”

Vala’s eyes looked up at him ponderously. “You know what it is.” She set down the knife and planted her hands on the board. “And it seems the time has come for it.”

“Not her. I won’t let it be her.”

She cocked her head curiously, but dismissed it. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, inspecting him. Finally, she came around from the board and stood before him. “If not her, then you know what it will be. We are at this moment. Now, a choice must be made. Are you ready?”

Gideon took a deep breath and closed his eyes to think about how he had gotten to this place, and the burning home that set him upon the path. The face of his sister, returned after over twenty years of separation. There was no debate in his head or his heart. He blinked his eyes open and looked down to meet her eyes.

“Yes.”

And the world went black.