The aspect regarded her silently, dark flames rippling to a dull roar around them. Abaddon probably did not need the visual alert to the change in Valdis, but he didn't miss it in any case.

Your being here at all is as relevant as your reasons for seeking me out, he remarked. Then, in what might have been a warning tone: You came by choice; you must accept the consequences. In that vein, you may wish to return to your body.