Mythborn by V. Lakshman Page A

a hand and the scene slowed. Tomas had begun his jump, and now hung frozen in the air, pirouetting around imaginary foes as he reversed himself to strike something behind him. The entire world, it seemed, waited on Thoth’s next breath.
    Giridian hung his head and asked, “Why? Answer me plainly or I won’t help. I can’t take more ambiguity.”
    Thoth seemed to consider this for a moment, then said, “I have been excruciatingly honest with you, Lore Father. Why do our ranks grow thin? Because less and less of you prove worthy of Ascension, leaving more unbonded Aeris trapped in Lilyth’s realm. They are of little use there when the fight against Sovereign will be here, on Edyn. Some even lose hope and join the Lady’s ranks.”
    Giridian sighed. This was not the first time he and Thoth had spoken since their first encounter in the Vaults. The Keeper had kept true to his word and whenever new information had been discovered, he had shared it openly, though Giridian questioned the Keeper’s timing when revealing important facts.
    Oh, he’d been correct that Arek needed to die but what had not been clear at that time was that Arek needed to die here , on Edyn. The fact that the boy had escaped to Lilyth’s realm meant dire consequences for everyone involved. If the boy was killed there, it would destroy the Aeris and leave Sovereign unchecked. Frustratingly, his inability to contact Kisan and amend her orders further complicated things.
    Did that make the demon-queen and her armies allies of Edyn? Perhaps for a time, but Lilyth had no intention of rescuing his world. She meant to rule through possession and would see herself placed on the throne of both worlds. So a delicate balance had to be maintained, one where Lilyth could keep Sovereign in check, and Giridian’s Council and Thoth could keep Lilyth in check. Key to this, according to Thoth, were more Adepts able to take the fight to either realm.
    The Lore Father’s head swam whenever he sat back to think about it. His mind was clearly not made for the complicated web being drawn between worlds. He preferred the straight fight, not these behind-the-scenes maneuverings. He had not appreciated Themun’s machinations, and appreciated it even less with Thoth. What he did know was training students, and when he cast a critical eye at Tomas, he could not lie to the Keeper.
    “The boy is not ready. He doubts every step, which comes as no surprise. He saw his friend killed then the Isle attacked and the greatest of us felled by assassins.” He knew Thoth understood he meant Themun, and even now he could not bring himself to fully believe the lore father was gone.
    “He will gain confidence,” said the Keeper. He took a moment to look at the boy before saying, “It will take effort but you are up to the task.”
    “He doubts … do you understand that will kill him?
    “We have no other option.”
    “We can delay—”
    “We have no other option!” shouted the Keeper, turning on Giridian. He caught himself, his chagrined expression mixed with shame and worry. Then his voice dropped to a whisper and he confided, “We have no other option, Lore Father. Only these Adepts, each fully trained and bonded, can stem the tide unleashed in Lilyth’s realm and match Sovereign’s forces here on Edyn.”
    He placed a hand on Giridian’s shoulder and squeezed. “Forgive me, but you cannot allow doubt to cloud your mind either. You must persevere, be the rock upon which these initiates can rest their faith, earn their place amongst the Ascended.”
    Giridian placed a hand upon his brow, rubbing it as he watched dust motes freeze in the air. The boy’s hand was sloppily chambered, his foot wasn’t correctly canted, his knee was locked… three mistakes he could see without even trying. Worse, he knew Tomas could do better, so these simple mistakes spoke to problems rooted deeper in his mind.
    As if he knew what Giridian was thinking and wanted to distract him, Thoth