Kaelin remained in the Skyhold for two more days, long enough to ensure the flames didn’t reignite under another speaker’s voice. The people were still reeling—half of them shaken, the other half uncertain whether to believe she had saved them or robbed them of something divine.
She didn’t blame them. Belief was a fragile thing, easily swayed by hunger, hope, or fear. And the One in Embers offered all three.
The morning they departed, a storm rolled over the peaks. Not thunder. Not rain. Just wind. Sharp, cold wind that tore the banners from their poles and sent the ashes of broken rods spiraling into the sky.
Myrra walked beside Kaelin as they crossed the bridge out of the Skyhold.
"We slowed him. But didn’t stop him."
Kaelin nodded. "He never needed the Skyhold. He just needed us to
