"She did," Jigano nodded with a wince, reliving that awe-inspiring assault of starfire and stubbornness as the goddess had bored a hole straight down the heart of the obelisk. "The Spire held the Voice for three centuries, a prison and a stronghold. I can only imagine how inimical it is to the Old Gods, steeped in her power as it must be. But..." He looked away, the corners of his eyes tightening in shame and pain, both. "The Tulmhainar was dying. She said that there could only be one of her kind on a world. I don't quite understand why, but since there is one living with the Fae, she did not feel she could leave the Spire. On my world the gods could create small worlds, adjacent to ours but slightly separate, private domains that they could rule without interference from other deities. From what the Tulmhainar said, I think that's what the Spire is... or was. After what Safrin did, I'm uncertain if it remains the case but..."
He trailed off again, head bowed in respect for the fallen. "But in the end, she granted the Tulmhainar a final sight of the starry sky before the great creature passed on. And in so doing she fell from the sky, down to the very depths of the Spire and she... we followed her down, Amalia and I, and watched her fall to stardust, there among the poisonous plants." Finally he looked back at Vai, a weariness rounding his shoulders as he smiled wanly at her. "But more would have died without you, so thank you again for helping us, in spite of the danger to us all from those damn leaves."
He trailed off again, head bowed in respect for the fallen. "But in the end, she granted the Tulmhainar a final sight of the starry sky before the great creature passed on. And in so doing she fell from the sky, down to the very depths of the Spire and she... we followed her down, Amalia and I, and watched her fall to stardust, there among the poisonous plants." Finally he looked back at Vai, a weariness rounding his shoulders as he smiled wanly at her. "But more would have died without you, so thank you again for helping us, in spite of the danger to us all from those damn leaves."
