The pages of the book were carved into thin sheets of pure white wood. They were warm to the touch and felt alive as she ran her hand over them.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

Sarah looked up to see Stanley giving her a worried look from the window that offered a breath-taking view of the city. They had climbed up into one of the city’s many spires, mostly to experience the views they offered, but also for the privacy and so that they would have plenty of warning if anyone approached.

“Do you know what it’s like, living with something that can take control of my body at any moment?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

Stanley’s expression softened. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” he began, “But this whole thing seems a little too… convenient, don’t you think?”

Sarah turned her gaze down at the book in her hands. “I do not sense any malice in this book,” she began.

“It’s a book,” Stanley stated flatly.

“An elvish book,” Sarah pointed out, “They say the author imparts a portion of their immortal soul into it to make it indestructible.”

She paused and caressed the book. “Can you imagine that? An elf sacrificing immortality to impart knowledge that will live on forever in their stead.”

Stanley frowned. “That doesn’t mean the knowledge can be trusted.” He then looked pointedly at the sheath of papers on her lap, “Or its translation.”

“I understand that,” Sarah sighed, placing a hand on the papers. She had skimmed through them and had a basic understanding of what the spell would do; sever her connection to magic of any type. However, Stanley was right, it would be foolish to trust the translation given to her by Gareth. She closed her eyes and place her hands on the elvish book. The cover was made from the bark of a white tree and was smooth to the touch.

“Well?” she asked in her mind, directing the question at the other presence, “What do you make of all this?”

The other presence was silent, and Sarah did not know if that was an indication of anything. At length, she opened her eyes and walked over to one of the windows to look out at the lake. Its surface was calm and like a mirror, reflecting the clear blue sky.

“If he meant us harm, he could have had the elves turn on us,” Sarah mused.

“Perhaps they feared your power,” Stanley pointed out, “You could have caused them a great deal of harm if they tried to attack you head on.”

“They had plenty of opportunities to ambush us,” Sarah replied.

“Perhaps they can get at Agni through you with this spell,” Stanley remarked.

“What happens to Him is of no concern to me, as long as I walk away unharmed,” Sarah said tersely.

That provoked a reaction from the other presence. She could feel a surge of rage from the other presence and a tug on her consciousness as it tried to wrest control. She tightened her grip on the windowsill and gritted her teeth as she struggled to assert her control.

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“Is everything ok?” Stanley asked, noticing her distress.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Sarah’s face as she felt the presence ebb. The strength left her legs and she stumbled into a nearby chair.

“Did something happen?” Stanley asked as he rushed to her side.

“I’ll sleep on the decision,” Sarah decided, thinking it best to have a chat with Agni. “And I think it’s best if I find somewhere to sleep on my own tonight, far away from anyone else.”

Stanley arched an eyebrow. “If that’s what you want…”

“It is,” Sarah replied.

“Thank you for all your help, Stanley,” Sarah said as the lanky man stretched and made his way towards the stairs.

Stanley looked at her and looked as if he was struggling to find the words to say. “See you around,” he said at length.

Sarah watched as his head disappeared down the stairs and then directed her gaze out the window at the setting sun. “Well then,” she muttered to herself as she sank deeper into the chair, “Let’s you and I have a chat.”

That night, sleep did not come easily for her. The sun had long since set by the time she finally drifted off and found herself on the familiar stone floor. She looked up at the statue in silence.

“You wished to speak?” the voice boomed in her head.

“This spell…” she began.

“You cannot trust Varuna’s Chosen,” the voice cut her off.

“Is there no way for you to select another Chosen?” Sarah asked.

“Only with your death,” the voice replied.

“Why did you choose me?” Sarah had asked the question many times, but the voice had only ever answered, “Because I willed it.”

The voice was silent, but Sarah was determined to have her answer. “Tell me,” she ordered.

“Know your place!” the voice roared.

“I do know it!” Sarah cried back, “All too well! I have put my life on hold because of it and now have been offered the chance to control my own destiny!”

The voice fell silent once more as Sarah glared up at the statue, breathing heavily. At length, it spoke again, “I wished to make a human my avatar. You were one of the few offered that I sensed possessed the will and the destiny to become a suitable avatar.”

“Why a human?”

The voice hesitated again before replying, “So that I could sway more of your kind to my side.”

“That was your reason?” Sarah gasped.

“Sera Thun was experiencing a time of unprecedented peace, so my position in the Pantheon was already in decline, even before losing the worship of the orcs,” the voice said in a rush, as though a long held, shameful secret was suddenly bursting out, “I needed a way to win away more humans from Treto’s grasp. His Church has been brutally efficient at excluding the worship of the others.”

Sarah felt a surge of anger at her life being altered over something so petty. She managed to choke it back. He was finally opening up to her and she wanted to learn as much as she could while it lasted. “And what do you mean when you said I possessed the destiny?”

“Vayu has prophesized that you are destined for great things,” the voice replied. “A desirable trait in an Avatar who is to be used to gather more faithful to my banner.”

“I was born in a sleepy farming town,” Sarah protested.

“Where you were born does not determine your destiny,” came the vague reply.

“And what did you mean by when you said I was offered to you?” Sarah asked.

“Your parents offered you to me as my Avatar,” the voice replied, “Only those who are offered to the gods can become Chosen.”

Sarah’s eyebrows shot up. “They what?”

She then took a deep breath to calm herself down. Ascertaining her parents’ motives would have to wait. She had more pressing matters to attend to. “I’ve made my decision.”

“I sense that, and you will regret it,” the voice warned.

“What happens to you if I go through with it?”

“I will have to wait until your death before selecting my next Chosen, and then will be forced to wait for years for it to mature,” the voice replied candidly. “Ordinarily waiting a few decades before being able to influence events in your world would be nothing to me, but Ratri’s minions are on the move and they must be stopped.”

“That is no concern of mine,” Sarah said sharply.

“It will be,” the voice warned.

Sarah was about to reply but woke up with a start. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was now high in the sky.

“No use in pouting, I’ll go through with it, you know,” she said out loud, but the other presence did not so much as stir.