Justina visits an old lover

      A bit of explanation: In this excerpt, Justina has gone to her old lover, another one of the Silver Folk, to ask for help against the Aspect Renarr. The Silver Folk have a treaty -- the Line Compact -- with the Void. The Compact states that the Folk will not take sides with either Substance or Void. There is no Compact with Substance, but Substance never attempts to compel the Folk.

Grave Tidings, excerpt 4

      "Will you help me?" Justina whispered. "Please."
      Marcus looked at the floor. "We were finished a long time ago."
      Justina closed her eyes and couldn't trust her voice to reply. Blindly she turned and took a step away.
      "Justina, you have to understand," Marcus said quietly. "I have a family now. I have a wife who loves me. While I may not love her the way you and I loved each other, I do love her. And I love my children more than life itself. They all depend on me. To provide for them. To protect them."
      Justina swallowed, took a breath, and said in a steady voice. "Then you have a lot to lose if Renarr succeeds."
      "He won't. Not if you return to Bane and take sanctuary," Marcus said.
      Justina turned angrily. "And do you know what will happen if I do? War! Humans will die by the thousands. The millions."
      "That's not our concern," Marcus said. "Humans have a choice. They don't have to follow him."
      "They don't stand a chance," Justina said. "And you know it. He's an Older god. They can serve him or die. That's their only choice."
      Marcus shrugged. "It's still their choice."
      "Have you changed this much?" Justina asked. "Or were you always like this and I was too blind to see?"
      "I grew up," Marcus said. "You should try it."
      "Bastard."
      "No, that would be you," Marcus said. "Your mother saw to that."
      Justina took a quick steps and slapped him.
      He took the blow impassively. "Is that your answer to everything now, Justina? Violence? I'm not one of those Lessers that you hunt every night. What do you think you're doing out there? Making the world safer for humans? Humans who spend their lives thinking up more inventive ways to kill each other? You kill a handful of vampires, werewolves, whatever, and congratulate yourself. How many people would they kill compared to nerve gas, germ warfare, nuclear weapons, guns, tanks, all those weapons of mass destruction thought up by your precious humans? Humans are the real monsters."
      "They're not all like that," Justina said.
      "Then save the ones that aren't," Marcus said. "Take your pets to some island or Otherworld. Let the others get the deaths they deserve."
      "Marcus ... if you don't help ... I don't know what I'll do," Justina said.
      "Go back to Bane or give yourself to Renarr," Marcus said. "Those are your only options."
      There's a third choice, Justina thought, but didn't voice it. She had been afraid to acknowledge it, but now she could clearly see it.
      Marcus sighed. "You can't kill him, Justina. He's beyond you." His voice softened. "Stop making this so hard. Give it up. Go back to Bane." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Joicia and the chidren are going Otherworld in a week to visit her parents. I'll come and see you." He paused. "We can still be ... more than friends. If you want. We were always good together." She could feel the warmth of his body as he drew nearer.
      She reached up and took his wrist. She met his gaze. "You're right, Marcus." She twisted her body and threw him across the room. "We were finished a long time ago." She walked out, and she didn't look back.

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