Empress of Forever

by Max Gladstone

Stars drifted like wind through the wires of her hair.

She knew her name. (Didn’t she?) She could remember it, give it away, and lose even this shred of self that bound her sensations together and ordered them to a single story.

The sky went on forever, but if you had no context save the height of the nearest trees, you could fool yourself into thinking the blue hung just beyond your reach, when in fact it was never there at all, and what was, was deeper than you could dream.

Learn so you can work. Practice so you can play. Follow so you can lead. No one stays who she is forever.

I never dreamed, people said when they received some enormous fortune or power or honor. I never dreamed it would be like this. But Viv dreamed. That was why she won.

But the fight for a world where all of us can enjoy lives of freedom, exploration, hospitality, and encounter is not new, and none of us are alone in it. I hope this book has given you some strength. Find allies. Take care of yourselves. Work for the liberation of all sentient beings.