What emerged from her mouth was not a laugh of defiance or dismissal. It was a laugh of pure, unadulterated discovery, of profound and shocking joy. It was the laugh of someone who has found the answer to a riddle that changes everything.
For so long, she had always wondered about the source of Rowan's motivation and strength. Despite all his talents, it was almost impossible for any being to bear the weight he was holding, and yet he did it, almost effortlessly, and now she believed she had just glimpsed the truth.
The Old Light was, for the first time, truly taken aback. This was not the reaction of a defeated being. The Primordial knew that Eva was not bluffing, and the hunger and rage inside his heart nearly spilled out of him.
"Oh, Father," Eva said, her voice brimming with a wonderful, terrible pity. "You truly do not understand. You have just described my victory and called it my defeat."
