[ Dorian frowns, but it’s hard for him to argue much about that. He hasn’t been there when Orym received the blessing on his sword, had missed so much of their adventures until just a few months ago. This is so much out of his depth.

But the way Fearne had described it…it hadn’t sounded like that. It just sounded like the Wildmother had given him a gift. And Fy’ra Rai and Dariax’s connections to the Wildmother and the Observer didn’t seem to have had anything to do with Da’leth, or any of this.

And Dorian can’t be entirely sure, since he doesn’t have much stake in the gods himself. But if the gods had decided to actually do something against Ludinus to prevent all this…wouldn’t that just have given his influence more credence? Wouldn’t it have just made a martyr out of him, and people even more likely to try and enact his plans?

But he holds his tongue, not feeling confident enough to voice these thoughts. Instead he reaches up his other hand to cradle Orym’s face, his thumbs brushing the tears from his eyes before they can fall. ]

He died because this is what Thull and Da’leth were trying to do, trying to free Predathos. It all led to this.

[ He hates this, hates having to remind Orym of that day when he lost so much. But he has to try to make him see what he’s doing. ]

And you’re not actively trying to hurt or kill anyone…but people are getting hurt. People are dying, suffering. Even as careful as you are, that can’t be helped with something like this.

But families are still being torn apart, Orym. And it’s not fair to them, any more than it was fair to you.