Their ghosts were exhausted.

After the battle to keep their Guardians's minds free from the whispers of Darkness, as well as their near-death experience with the monster, Neko, Phoenix and Hadrian slept in phase whenever they could - the long sparrow ride back to Spider to get the bounty, and the trip back to their ships for the night.

Phoenix awoke to a summons from Jayesh. He obediently phased into being, barely awake.

Jayesh lifted him in his fingertips and studied him. "Are you hurt? You've barely said a word since the tower."

They were in Kari's ship. Jayesh sat in his bunk in an ordinary shirt and pants, freshly showered, his dirty robes stuffed somewhere where nobody had to smell them.

"I was," Phoenix replied sleepily. "Those teeth, Jay. But I'm better now. Just tired." He didn't object when Jayesh cuddled him, closing his eye in bliss.

"Thanks," Jayesh whispered. "For everything you did. Handing me the Light. Keeping back the voices."

"They said such foul things," Phoenix whispered. "You'd have been just as crazed as Madrid if you'd heard them. They really wanted us to fight each other. Nothing kills a Guardian faster than another Guardian."

"I noticed." Jayesh lay back on his bunk, letting Phoenix hover above him.

Phoenix looked around. "Where's Kari and Nell?"

"Nell's in the galley, zoned out with a game on her tablet," Jayesh replied. "Kari's in the shower. I already had one. It's why I don't smell like meatball breath."

"Sometimes I thank the Traveler I don't have that particular sense," Phoenix said.

Jayesh lifted a finger and lightly twirled Phoenix's shell around his core. "How're you holding up, little light?"

"You mean after our trip into the maw of death and disgusting?"

"Yes, that."

Phoenix flew in a slow circle, trying to decide how he felt. "Well, I was pretty scared. But I knew you had Light up your sleeve. So I trusted you. It took every ounce of strength I had to trust you, but I did. And then ... those teeth. They cut me even though I was phased. Started drawing the Light out of me. When you called for your super ... the only Light I could reach was Kari's."

Jayesh gazed up at him, hands behind his head. "That was brilliant of you. I had no idea one Guardian could share a super with another."

"They can't," Phoenix said. He gave Jayesh a sidelong look. "But, uh ... you two have been mingling your Light for months."

"Is that what they're calling it, now?" Jayesh said, grinning.

"Just saying," Phoenix said. "When the Traveler said you and Kari were one, it was speaking literally. That's the only reason we're still alive."

Jayesh was quiet, thinking about this. "Probably another reason Guardians don't marry. Although I'm beginning to think they should." He heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "I'm going to have nightmares for months. If not for Kari, I couldn't have pulled off that rift. And you know, the worst thing."

He stopped and shut his eyes a moment. Phoenix felt his grief and waited.

"I healed Uldren," Jayesh whispered. "When the rift went off like a bomb, it cooked the monster. But Uldren caught the blast, too. It healed him. I think it's why he revived the way he did."

Phoenix recalled those frantic seconds, the way the healing rift felt as Jayesh drove his sword into the lower jaw.

"Yes," he said slowly. "Now that you mention it ... I was aware of mending happening. But I thought it was healing you. The teeth pierced you in seventeen places."

"It did heal that," Jayesh said, his voice a little unsteady. "But I also healed Uldren, Phoenix. And then Madrid killed him in cold blood." He covered his eyes with one hand. "I wish Uldren had already been dead. I wish I hadn't brought him back. I watched him die. He should have stood trial, and we ... we murdered him. Just like the Barons kept saying."

"Hey now," Phoenix said, flying down and bumping Jayesh's hand with his shell. "It wasn't your fault. You tried to show mercy."

Jayesh lowered his hand and gazed at his ghost, his eyes blurred with tears. "I never thought healing someone would make me feel like a killer."

Phoenix felt his Guardian's guilt and grief, and it hurt him, too. Over the private ghost channel, he said, "Neko, tell Kari that Jayesh needs a hug right now. A big one."

A moment later Kari walked in, wearing a fresh jumpsuit, her damp hair wound in a towel. "Phoenix said you need a hug?"

Jayesh sat up, his wife sat down, and she hugged him. He hid his face against her neck and whispered the story of what he had done.

Kari sat very still afterward, rubbing his back. Then she said, "Jay, kindness isn't a crime."

"I enabled his murder," Jayesh said.

"You gave him a second chance," Kari said. "It's not your fault it went the way it did. Stop blaming yourself. We've all been played, Jayesh. The monster manipulated Uldren, it manipulated us, and it intended all along for him to die at our hands. It intended us to die at each other's hands. We're lucky we got out with our lives."

Her words sank in, harsh and comforting at the same time. Jayesh let them ease some of his guilt. But he needed more than Kari's forgiveness. He needed to lay things out before the Traveler.

"I want to go home," he whispered. "I want to see the Traveler again and ... and not be so blasted cold all the time."

Kari pulled his blanket around them both. "There. Any better?"

"A little." He held her close and tried to forgive himself for the events of that awful day. "I hope Madrid finds closure. I hate to say it, but I don't care if I ever see him again. Not after he fed me to the monster."

Kari gave a long sigh. "It was the voices, Jay. Blame those. Remember when we found him with his neck broken? He's been fighting the voices a long time."

"What were they?" Jayesh asked. "Was there a worm involved? I've heard worms speak before. I can't ... really remember what they said, but it wasn't whispers. Or people I knew."

"I don't know," Kari said, yawning. "Let me dry my hair, then we can go to bed. I'm ready for this day to be over."

"Me too," Jayesh agreed fervently.

As Kari departed, Phoenix reappeared, blinking sleepily. "Jay, just had a message from Rose. Madrid wants to speak to the team tomorrow before we leave. Sounds like he's making a formal apology."

Jayesh groaned. "Tell him we agree." He flopped on his bunk and pulled the pillow over his head. "Why is it so hard to be kind to Madrid, Phoenix?" came his muffled voice.

"Let's see, because he tried to murder you?" Phoenix said. "And he did murder Uldren?"

Jayesh lifted the pillow an inch. "I guess I do have an excuse."

"A small one." Phoenix burrowed under the pillow and snuggled under Jayesh's chin. "Now stop being so mournful and get some rest. It's over with. We did what we set out to do."

Jayesh tossed the pillow aside and curled up, holding his ghost the way he did when in dire need of comfort. When Kari returned and saw this, she instantly knew his state of mind. She crept under the blanket beside him. Jayesh moved to give her room in the narrow bunk, and fell asleep with his wife on one side and his ghost on the other.

Madrid met them at his ship. With him was another Awoken Guardian, a grim-looking Titan who kept his rifle ready.

"This is my guard, Telith," Madrid said as his team climbed off their sparrows. "He's here to make sure I don't try to escape."

"Escape from what?" Kari asked.

"The queen's service," Madrid said with a strained smile. "Let's go inside, out of the wind."

He led the way into the ship, and again they all sat in the galley, this time without the table. Telith stood at the door, watchful.

Madrid stood and faced them, shoulders slumped, head low. His blue skin was more of a grayish color, and his indigo hair was flattened from his helmet.

"Things aren't what we've been told," he said in a low voice. "We've been had, team."

Kari gestured for him to go on.

"Well." Madrid licked his dry lips. "Mara Sov is alive. But she wasn't speaking to Uldren. She's off in the Ascendant Realm somewhere. Got her a throne world. We spoke to her through a machine called an Oracle. She was ... displeased ... with me." He stood there a moment, gazing at the floor, as if reliving a rebuke that had left him hollow.

"But she also explained," he said, facing his team again. "The voices we kept hearing. The monster we fought was called the Voice of Riven. Riven, herself, was Mara Sov's pet Ahamkara. She's now Taken."

"Hold on a minute," Jayesh exclaimed. "The Ahamkara are extinct."

Madrid shook his head. "Mara saved one for herself. Who wouldn't want a dragon that grants wishes?"

Kari said, "So, we were hearing from a Taken dragon that kept messing with our heads. Why would it do that?"

"Riven is Taken," Madrid repeated. "But she retains her free will. Mara believes that Riven is bent on Taking the entire Awoken race. Riven may also have ties to Savathun, one of the surviving Hive goddesses." He smiled lamely. "The queen has tasked me with leading a team into the center of the Dreaming City, where Riven is manifesting. I get to kill the beast and take its heart to Mara Sov. Only then will she clear me of killing the prince." He gestured to the silent, watchful Titan. "Meet one of my teammates."

Nell leaped to her feet. "Can I come? I'll fight a dragon with you! I didn't know we even had dragons!"

Madrid nodded. Then he looked at Kari and Jayesh. "I'm not asking you to help me. Not after how I treated you."

Jayesh stared at the floor, avoiding eye contact, and said nothing.

Kari stood up, fists clenched. "I should say not. I wish you the best of luck, Madrid. But we're not accompanying you anywhere."

Madrid drew a deep breath. "Fair enough." He looked at Jayesh. "Do you have anything to add?"

Jayesh finally met his eyes. "Listen to the Traveler. Don't face the monster without a seed of light."

Whatever Madrid had been expecting, it wasn't that. He blinked several times. "Uh, all right, then. I guess ... I guess we're done here."

He reached down, unclipped one of the ammo pouches from his belt, and handed it to Jayesh. "Here's the remains of Cayde's ghost. See to it she's buried with him."

Jayesh held the pouch in both hands, touched that Madrid had remembered. Maybe there was hope for him, after all. "I will."

Telith escorted them out of the ship, and Madrid locked the door behind them. He, Nell, and Telith summoned their sparrows and shot away toward the Watchtower.

Kari and Jayesh walked back to their ships, the cold wind buffeting them, letting the exercise clear their heads.

They climbed into Kari's ship, went to the cockpit, and sat in the seats.

"I wish Nell hadn't gone," Jayesh said in a low voice. "That's a suicide mission, and Madrid knows it."

"He's leading a team," Kari pointed out. "He's not going alone. And you saw that Titan. With three others, they'll have enough firepower to take down a Dreadnaught."

"Nell is untrained," Jayesh said, digging his fingers into his hair. "Not that it matters, now. They're gone."

Kari laid a hand on his arm. "Did you want to go?"

"No," Jayesh replied. "I can't face a Taken Ahamkara. I just want to go home."

"Me too," Kari replied. "But ... I'm torn up about this whole thing." She sat back in her chair and rubbed her forehead. "Madrid was my friend."

Jayesh laid a hand on her shoulder. "Mine, too. That's why this stings. The Darkness turned friends against friends."

"How do we fight that?" Kari said, looking at him imploringly.

Jayesh shook his head. "That's one thing I mean to ask the Traveler."

Upon arriving home at the Tower, Kari and Jayesh gave their reports about what they had seen and done at the Reef, and why they had returned without Nell. This was followed by a long, private debriefing by Zavala and Ikora.

After the warlocks were officially reprimanded for sneaking to the Reef without leave, their commanders were extremely interested in the intelligence they had gathered. The Scorn, the Barons, Uldren and the thing he had summoned, Madrid's madness and quest to kill an Ahamkara - every point was thoroughly discussed and analyzed. Other Guardians had returned from the Reef with sketchy reports, but Kari and Jayesh had gone the deepest into the conspiracy.

They were dismissed hours later, exhausted and hungry. The warm afternoon sunlight slanting into the Tower felt hugely, generously warm. Jayesh found himself loosening his shoulder straps to let his robe hang open.

"Let's grab food and eat outside," Kari suggested.

This they did, securing a table at a cafe that overlooked the Last City and the Traveler's cracked, white globe. The late sun tinted it a soft gold, the shadow side a cool blue.

Their ghosts emerged from phase, opening their shells like cats stretching after a long nap. "It feels so good to be home," Phoenix said. Jayesh caught him and tossed him into the air. Phoenix floated down like a balloon, chuckling, letting Jayesh toss him again.

Neko flew in spirals around Kari's head, landing on her hair, then dodging when she tried to shoo him away.

When these high spirits had died down, Kari unwrapped her sandwich. "Have you talked to it yet?" she asked, nodding at the Traveler.

"No time," Jayesh said. "It takes a little meditation to get to where I'm ready to listen. Zavala? Not so great for meditating." He unwrapped his own sandwich, took a huge bite, and groaned in bliss. "So much better than ration packs!"

"If I had to eat one more cracker with that bean goop on top, I was going to take a vow of starvation," Kari said.

They devoured their dinner, relishing the fresh bread, fresh meat, and fresh vegetables. A warm breeze fanned their faces, and their ghosts chased each other and other ghosts in and out among the cafe's tables and patrons.

Jayesh had finished, and was simply gazing into the distance, when he suddenly sat up straight, eyes widening. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kari started to say. Then she stopped as a musical tone reached her ears. It instantly made her think of glowing white trees and and red flowers.

Then she and Jayesh stepped into a vision. They knew that they both still sat at the table in the busy Tower cafe. But they also walked with the Traveler through a grove of the white trees, the silver leaves whispering above them.

"Welcome back, my Guardians," the avatar said. He looked the same as Jayesh remembered, swathed in a white and gold robe with a hood that concealed his eyes. Kari had never seen him before, and studied him closely.

"Traveler," Jayesh said, "we've walked in such darkness since we last spoke. Do you know about the Voice of Riven?"

"I was with you when you drew on my Light," the Traveler replied. "I know your bravery." He turned to Kari. "In the same way, Guardian Kari, I know your loyalty and courage. You gave up a friend in exchange for your husband, though it tore your heart to do so."

She nodded, a lump forming in her throat.

Jayesh stopped and faced the Traveler earnestly. "Traveler ... did we do the right thing? Uldren died because of us. I tried to spare him."

"You did," the Traveler said. "And you did what you could to help Guardian Madrid, though his wounds run far too deep for you to touch. Both of you performed to the best of your abilities. Both of you did what you knew was right, as far as you understood."

"I killed Kaniks, though," Kari said softly. "And the Darkness liked it."

The avatar faced her soberly. "You speak truth. You endangered not only yourself and your team, but your own heart, Kari. Such things are not easily undone. Guard yourself, lest it happen again, and the Darkness gain an ever-expanding foothold in your life."

Kari nodded with a touch of icy fear.

"Traveler," Jayesh said, "the Darkness claimed that Cayde-6 had been Taken."

"The Darkness lies," the Traveler replied. "I received his spark, myself. Look." He turned, pointing through the trees.

In the distance strolled a man, a woman, and a child. They held hands and laughed as they walked. For a second the man glanced at the Guardians. Something about the shape of his face reminded them of the Exo he had once been. Then he grinned and returned his attention to his family.

"Was that him?" Kari exclaimed. "He looked so ... happy."

"He is at peace," the Traveler said. "No longer shall Darkness sully him. And now."

The Traveler surveyed both of them. "Both of you are covered by my own Light. Have no fear, my Guardians." He extended a hand to each of them and rested it on their heads. "Receive my blessing. May your portion of Light continue to grow. Strength for the battle, courage of the heart, righteousness before all."

The warmth of Light flooded through them both, gracious, healing, powerful.

Then, somehow, Kari and Jayesh were back in the cafe, the part of them that had been with the Traveler solidly grounded in their own reality.

Kari touched her head where the Traveler's hand had been. It was warmer than the rest of her hair. "What was that?" she breathed.

Jayesh half-rose from his chair, looking around, as if expecting to see the Traveler in the cafe. Then he sat down again, his eyes shining. "You were there. You saw it, too."

"I did." Kari laughed. "Your eyes are glowing."

"So are yours." Jayesh clasped her hands and studied her face. "The Traveler spoke to both of us. And ... and showed us Cayde." His voice dropped to a murmur, as if he didn't want anyone else overhearing.

Kari nodded. "And he's at peace. Light, I'm so glad he's not Taken." She held out a hand and called Neko, who appeared in a sparkle of light. "Did you know we just had a vision?"

"I knew something was going on," Neko said, tilting to one side like a curious puppy's head. "Your Light is brighter."

Phoenix appeared beside Jayesh. "A vision, and I didn't get to see it, too? What happened?"

Jayesh stood up again, beckoning to Kari. "Let's go home and we'll tell you everything." He drew Kari to him and kissed her lightly. "I'm glad we're home."

"Me too," she said, walking with him, hand in hand. The Darkness of the past few days seemed only like a bad dream, a lingering shadow on the edge of memory. The Traveler and the peaceful trees seemed much more real than the Watchtower.

In a few weeks, they received word that Madrid's team had slain the Ahamkara. Madrid stayed in the Reef to fight for his people, but Nell returned to the Tower, saying she'd seen enough monsters to last a lifetime.

Rose contacted her brother ghosts to let them know that Madrid had sought the Traveler's Light and visited Io. He hadn't heard the voices since, and was finally beginning to heal.

Mara Sov sent word to the Vanguard that she needed the Guardians. This led to a lot of delicate political posturing between the Vanguard and the Reef. But eventually, Zavala grudgingly gave permission for the Guardians to rotate through the Reef as they did the other planets. Since many Guardians had already been doing this on the sly, there was a collective sigh of relief.

Jayesh and Kari stayed close to Earth. They worked in the City and ran patrols in the various dead zones. Perhaps one day they would venture back to the Reef, but for now, home was where they wanted to be.

The end