The restored circle releases its last blue glow as Dere turns from the stair. The Oath-Eater remains below, bound to the gate and silent beneath the stones.
Lord Vaelen follows Dere beyond the threshold, his cleared oath mark shining faintly. The wounded guards gather around him, leaving the charlatan priest under their watch.
Lord Vaelen
The valley is free of my ancestor’s debt, yet its sacred power has no rightful steward. I will accompany you until that question is answered.
Behind them, the priest stays beside the broken altar, guarded and pale. The circle accepts no master, while the hidden seal pulses once beneath Dere’s palm.
the charlatan priest
You leave with the gate’s authority, child, but authority is not the same as command. The old powers may yet judge you.
Wind returns to the forest, stirring leaves and carrying the scent of rain. Vaelen gestures toward a narrow path descending through the trees, away from the stones.
Lord Vaelen
My household waits beyond the valley. There are records there, and perhaps the first truth about what this stewardship demands.