Here's an idea. A worst case scenario occurs, stephanie has to consume aegis and become a fleshweaver to protect a town. She's not taking it well. She needs someone to talk to. Someone who understands what making bad decisions like that is like.
There was no other choice.
The power twisted in her core clawed at her skin wounditself into her, icy stabbing tearing and she’d won, she’d saved them, no oneelse would die today, but the thought was distant behind the shrieking chilland the power that twitched in her hands, the voice that said what have you done and I’m sorry and there was no other choice.
Her tears froze her eyes open so she couldn’t shut out the brokenscene, the destruction she couldn’t avoid, the dawning horror on the people’sfaces as they tried to understand what had happened. She fled. So much fasterthan she was before. Her heart pounded, pushed ice through her veins. By thetime she realized where she was going she was halfway there.
He’d understand. If anyone would, if anyone could. He’d feltthe desperation and weakness, the power and the regret, and he would know, betterthan anyone, what had driven her to it.
She placed a hand on the door. It opened. He stared at her.
“Please,” she said, her voice scraping her throat. “I didn’tknow… who else to come to.”
Silently, he opened the door and allowed her inside. Closingthe door behind her, he turned slowly to face her.
She shook her head. The icy flames in her peripheral visionmade her nauseous. “The whole town was going to be destroyed. I wasn’t—I couldn’tdo anything. I was too weak. I…”
“I’ve failed too many people! I couldn’t let it happenagain! How can I call myself a hero if—if I can’t save anyone? What else could I do?”
“I—Aegis—” She couldn’t find her voice to say it, but thechange in his expression told her he had filled in the rest.
“He let me do it. It… was the last thing he said.” Sheclenched her jaw. “I don’t… I don’t know how I can stand it—”
“I don’t know how you could do it in the first place.”
She stared at him with pleading, frosted eyes. “I didn’t havea choice! Those people were going to die, and who knows how many more afterthem! I needed an advantage! I thought you of all people would understand!”
He looked down and was silent for a moment. Finally, he mether eyes again, his own flashing scarlet. When he spoke, it was through clenchedteeth.
“You thought I would understand?”
Stephanie shrank back from his gaze. “I—you’ve made choices—”
“Even I would never have done what you did.”
She shook her head, lost. “I wanted to save them! I had tobe stronger! You know what that’s like!” Her vision was clouding now, but hereyes still refused to shut. “I can’t forgive myself, I know, I know it waswrong, it was horrible, I don’t know how I can live with it—I—I just need someone to know what I’m feeling!Please!”
“There are sacrifices that shouldn’t be made. Lines that noone should cross. Magic that shouldn’t be dealt with. I would know.” He narrowedhis eyes. Stephanie could barely make out his expression, but his voice was hushedwhen he spoke again. “I thought you were better than this. What are you?”
She stared straight ahead. The silence closed in, brokenonly by the creaking of the ice in her flesh. She couldn’t bear to look atherself.
Sepulchure regarded her with something close to pity. Hereached out, took her chin in his hand, tilted her head up to face him again. Hisvoice was almost gentle.
