Tracing the Stars IV: The Finale of Rega and Ager's Story
After retrieving Ager's Scepter, the Guardian returns to Mara Sov.
Mara Sov's Chambers, The Dreaming City
Queen Mara Sov: I still feel Uldren's heartbeat. Somewhere out there. When your Crow first stood in my halls, I saw an ember of my Uldren burning in his breast. Curiosity... and a sibling fondness told me I could stroke that ember. I hope it is not a lie. I hope he is more than the last ebb of hot ash from a long-dead flame. Many of his faults were not of his own making. Uldren's decisions were his, of course, but driven by whips in the hands of others. Myself included. I will have to offer him more than an old story of an empty promise if I wish to see that ember burn again. This is the path I led Uldren down. If certain actors had kept to their roles, I would have wielded Uldren Sov, Lightbearer. But even Mara Sov cannot control everyone. I celebrate his resurrection in the Light. But I detest seeing my brother rewritten — his greater self sloughed away and swept into the cellar. There is still good to draw from who he was. Don't squander it. He needs a star to guide him. Uldren or Crow, they are the same in that regard. Ager's scepter is yours then. Both its burden and the freedom it can provide. Be careful with it, Guardian. He is prone to devotion.