To Malvado, she was a lost little girl that he transformed into a goddess. To the priests in the temple, she was their connection to the gods for their offerings of jewels and flowers and blood. To Carlos Felipe Madrigal, she was a love better and deeper and stronger than the gold he lusted for. To the culebras and humans that worshiped at her shrines, she was a sin eater. To the Lords and Councillors who feasted at her table, she was a slave of slaves. To Richard, she was the promise of everything he wanted but never dreamed he could have.  To Seth, she was something nasty and unholy that took his family away from him. To The Regulator, she was a whore he needed to find and return to her rightful owner. To Paloma, she was a false goddess – a victim unworthy of being La Diosa. To the Man from El Rey she was baggage to be left behind when the paying passenger missed his flight.

Paloma and Malvado and the Regulator are dead, the Man from El Rey is gone, Carlos’ bones have been scattered to the four corners of the state, she’s made peace with Seth, she’s deemed the promises she made to Richard fulfilled, and she’s entrusted the leadership of the people who never asked her to set them free to the Geckos.  So if she’s no longer any of those things, to any of those people, who is she? Richard tried to tell her to keep her head straight and let go of the past, but she couldn’t – not even to keep him believing in her promises or to avoid pissing Seth off for the length of a single meal. Carlos asked her to remember the girl she used to be, but she insisted that having lost everything, even herself, made her unbreakable. Malvado claimed her heart’s desire was not to destroy him. And both Greely and Seth warned her that getting payback is never as satisfying as wanting it.