I AM THE ONLY PERSON THE VILLAIN CANNOT KILL
"Then you understand what's happening to me."
"I understand pieces," Maren said, settling into the chair across from them. "Enough to be dangerous, and not enough to be truly helpful, though I've made my peace with that particular frustration a long time ago." She turned her attention to Kael, her expression growing more serious. "The pendant. She has it again?"
Kael's jaw tightened. "How did you know?"
"Because you have that same look you always have when it returns," Maren said simply. "Half terror, half hope, like a man who's forgotten how to trust either feeling." She turned back to Elara. "May I see it?"