“You did,” the Star Dragon said. “You could have disregarded all of this. Ignored your destiny. Ignored your dragons. Allowed Verania to fall into shadow.”
“Which it did.”
“But not because of you,” he said lightly. “Sam, you did what was asked of you. In the end, even after everything you’d been through, after losing people you love, you still accepted your destiny.”
I shook my head furiously. “I was running. Like always. I was angry and scared, and I ran.”
“And you came back. You came back to face those you’d left behind. You became the wizard you were always supposed to be.”
“I don’t understand. That’s not choice. That’s—”
“You were given a choice,” the Star Dragon said. “Unlimited power. You stood at the edge of a cliff. And yet you didn’t jump. I think your cornerstone had a little to do with that.”
I glanced at Ryan, who stood stock-still, eyeing the Star Dragon. “Uh,” he said.
I snorted. “Eloquent as always.”
“It’s a god,” he hissed at me. “What the hell am I supposed to say? You know what? No. I don’t need you to tell me. I got this.” He squared his shoulders as he stared up at the Star Dragon. “Hi. Hello. Uh. God. Sir. Star Dragon. Or whatever you are. My name is Knight Commander Ryan Foxheart. And you are very big. And made of stars.”
The Star Dragon squinted down at him. “Is he always like this?”
“He doesn’t do well with authority figures,” I said, patting Ryan on the arm. “He called Mama the Queen of the Fuck Palace when he met her for the first time.”
Ryan moaned. “Why would you tell a god that? He could smite us where we stand!”
“I could,” he said. “But that sounds like too much work.”
“Eep,” Ryan said.
“Why didn’t you take it?” the Star Dragon asked me. “You could have easily consumed Myrin’s magic and taken it for your own. What stopped you?”
I looked at the lights surrounding us. “I… I heard Ryan’s voice. And the promise he made to me once.”
“About what he wished for.”
“Yes.”
“And that pulled you back. From the Dark.”
“He tends to do that.”
“Even after you killed him. I must admit, even we didn’t see that one coming.”
“What can I say? Had to fulfill the prophecy somehow.”
“It kind of sucked,” Ryan said, before slapping a hand over his mouth.
I rolled my eyes.
The Star Dragon shifted his wings. “The Great White doesn’t believe in cornerstones.”
I felt the white light in my head mutter irritably.
“No,” I said slowly. “He doesn’t.”
“But even under his tutelage, you still had faith in the Knight Commander.”
“Always.”