Chapter 506: Who
Tala knew who she was, and she was finally coming to understand who she was in relation to others and the world around her.
She was a Refined, gated-Mage of humanity. Defender, Protector, and source of power, shelter, and livelihood… a nurturer of magic. She was Eskau of the House of Blood, slayer of their last true inheritor. She was the blood daughter of one who had died to bring her into this world and one who had wronged her in a way that still hurt—even if she felt like it shouldn’t—and the volitional flockmate of a murderous terror bird.
She was iron, and iron was hers. From almost her earliest times as a student she had been fascinated by and used iron. To her, it was inextricably linked to her magic, to her. She was Iron.
But that was focusing only on who she was, not who she was to others and to the world.
Focusing outward once again, one relation stood out in stark relief. She was the wife of Rane.
There was so much joy in that, that she let herself just revel in the portion of her soul most closely tied to the man. It was the part from which the bond to him sprung, just as all soulbonds were anchored to a part of the soul. That stood to reason.
When she had taken the time to enjoy the focus on that bond, she moved on, and was immediately confronted with something else. It was an absence rather than the presence of something.
Mother of none.
Even though it was technically true, everything about that negative assertion hit her wrong.