“What were you doing?”
Cara swallowed. Letting go of his groin, Morgan inhaled sharply before facing the wizard.
“What does it look like?”
Caius slammed the front door. His usual kind expression turning to stone, he stepped forward to defy the warrior.
“I forbid you to touch Cara. You can have all the women you want, Morgan, but you shall not lay a finger on her.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I won’t be ordered around. You of all people should know that, wizard.”
His tone rang heavy with arrogance and contempt, and the disdainful emphasis on the word ‘wizard’ didn’t escape anyone’s notice. As quick as that, the haughty stranger Cara had met in the meadow resurfaced. At the same time, she noted Caius had called him by his real name.
They must’ve known each other better than she had suspected, but there was no need for squabbling. Because in her book, being the leader of the resistance didn’t mean he had the right to treat his mentor and ally with disrespect. But far from looking compliant or threatened, Caius glared at him.
“Yet you shall heed my warning.”
“Why should I?”
Morgan’s decidedly rude tone surprised her. What had got into him? After all, the matter was nothing but trivial. She didn’t see what could have prompted the magician to forbid them to make love, but they could at least listen to what he had to say. No harm in that, and their friendship would be soon restored. Sliding down from the edge of the table, Cara caught Morgan’s attention when she gestured towards Caius.
“I want to hear him out.”
The wizard grumped. “Thank you, Cara. I’m glad to see someone still has sense in this room. Let’s have some tea.”
As if no friction had ever occurred, he sauntered to the stove. While he put some water to boil, she took Morgan’s hand and smiled at him.
“Come on, he must have a reason.”
Only when she squeezed his fingers did he begin to relax. The anger in his eyes dwindled, the strain on his face diminished. God, but he was so touchy when it came to things he could or could not do. Sometimes his dominant behaviour reminded her of a lion, master of his tribe.
Who had taught him to be so arrogant and uncompromising? Heather? His parents? Maybe they’d wanted to give him the means to survive in a hostile environment. Except that when he was a boy, this war hadn’t yet begun.
As tea brewed, he gathered their few belongings in a bundle with Cara’s help before stepping out for a little while. When he came back, Caius had filled three mugs with minty tea and they all sat around the table. Once more, Morgan’s impatience got the better of him. His butt barely on the bench, he attacked.
“I’m all ears.”
Nonplussed, Caius took a long sip. “I’ll give you my reasons, but first you need to understand something crucial related to the prophecy.”
His voice conveyed resolution and convincing assurance—the wizard’s meaning was crystal clear. Important matters overruled personal grudges. Across from him, Morgan sighed but nodded.
“Go on.”
“A hundred and fifty years ago, the newborn daughter heir to the throne of Palance was abducted and cursed at birth.”
Morgan rapped his knuckles on the table. “I’m familiar with this tale. Everybody in the Four Kingdoms is.”
“And everybody has heard the same version, but nobody knows the true story in its entirety. Besides, maybe Cara would like to hear it.”
Oh, yes, Cara really wanted to hear the tale. At the mention of royalty and magic, Caius already had her under an enchanting story-telling spell. Nudging Morgan’s ribs to shut him up, she seized her mug.
“What kind of curse?”
“She was blind to men.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her name was Anya. The witch Melisande cast a spell on her so that she wouldn’t be able to see or hear men until her eighteenth birthday on summer solstice. Likewise, men couldn’t see or hear her either. From her point of view, Anya lived in a world of women only.”
Mouth popping open, Cara stared at Caius. Next to her, Morgan uttered a sound resembling a giggle. Even if the story was no news to him, she had managed to brighten him up. But questions burned her lips.
“Was she a bad witch?”
“I like to think she was deceived. My best guess is that she put faith in an inaccurate foretelling and acted according to her judgement. It simply turned out to be a bad assessment of the situation.”
“Even so, why did she curse Anya?”
“To prevent a natural catastrophe. Misled by a false prophecy, Melisande believed our world to be on the brink of destruction. Something to do with rocks falling from the skies. Eventually her mistake led to her downfall and she died while attempting to have Anya’s betrothed killed.”
“Her betrothed? How could she have been engaged to a man without being able to see him?”
“Because he broke the curse.”
“Wow!”
Cara wiggled on the hard bench. Shoulders hunched, she lapped up every word the wizard pronounced. Glancing at Morgan, she caught him looking at her as he tried to suppress a genuine grin. She poked her tongue at him before turning to Caius.
“Were they in love?”
“I believe so, but that’s not the point here.”
“What was his name?”
“Kylor. He was the son of a wizard and a fierce warrior.”
“Did he and Anya get married?”
“They did, and they had children. In fact, King Droman of Palance is a direct descendant of Kylor and Anya. The bloodline has been preserved.”
Lacing his hands around the mug, Caius brought it to his lips. Tea still untouched, Morgan pushed his back.
“As interesting as this story must be to Cara, why don’t you tell us about the connection to the prophecy?”
“I was getting there, if you’d let me catch my breath.”
Brow creased and with an edgy twinkle in his eyes, Caius blew on the steaming liquid before continuing.
“The curse Melisande cast on Anya involved powerful magic. To render all men invisible to someone’s eyes is a mighty spell and one not to be undertaken lightly. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t dabble with these sorts of forces myself. But the sorceress did and, if I’m not mistaken, the curse had disastrous repercussions nobody might have predicted.”
“Such as?”
“Without being aware of it, Kylor unleashed a ripple effect when he broke the curse on Anya. Not even his father the wizard or Melisande could have foreseen it.”
“What kind of ripple effect?”
“The prophecy.”
Cara rubbed her hands together to loosen her arm muscles. She glanced at Morgan to discover he was frowning. This must be the part of the story he hadn’t known about and the wizard now had his full attention.
“What do you mean?”
“Because the witch dealt with occult powers far greater than her own magic, she created a weakness in the fabric of time and existence. If you will, imagine it like a cloth with an unstitched thread in its centre. When Kylor broke the curse he severed that weak thread and thus enabled the conception of a new prophecy.”
Morgan tilted his head. “Are you saying that’s the way prophecies are created? Because sorceresses and wizards use their magic like children play with toys, but have actually no idea what they’re doing?”
Caius flinched at his reproving tone yet didn’t deny the accusation. With a sorry expression painted on his features, he shook his head. “I’m afraid so.”
Fingers flat on the table, Morgan took a long inhalation while glaring at the wizard. “You people are mad.”
Mad, or just gifted with powers they didn’t really control. Although unfamiliar with magic, Cara related it to a weapon capable of protecting as well as destroying. An idea brewing in her mind, she leant forward.
“This unstitched thread, can it be sewn? Or repaired?”
&nbs
p; “You need to understand that curses and spells can be cast or broken with magic, but a prophecy is altogether different. Whatever measures are taken to prevent or thwart it, in the end a prophecy will always be fulfilled. When that happens, the fabric of time and existence is restored to its original shape.”
“Is it good news?”
“In the large scheme of things, yes. But in regard to our human lives, I’m not sure yet, for this foretelling can be interpreted in two opposite ways. Although I’ve studied the prophecy for years, I can’t figure out which reading will come to pass. All I can say is that a recent change leads me to believe our world’s salvation is on a knife’s edge.”
“Which change?”
All trace of contrition vanished from his face. The wizard’s kindness shone anew as he reached out to place his hand on her fingers.
“You, Cara.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Her? The girl who had babbled away secrets of state to Devlyn because of a tiny needle? The woman who couldn’t tell a cabbage from a cauliflower? Please, would someone pull the magician out of his fantasies? A heavy, ominous sensation rattled her bones. In need of a drink, she took long sips of the cooling tea to dispel the tight lump in her throat. “I don’t understand.”
Beside her, Morgan frowned before observing her like some kind of stranger.
“Caius, you told me yourself to find her. I didn’t ask for your reasons, but I assumed she was a positive element of the prophecy.”
“So did I, until you two arrived here.”
If they both insisted in her playing a part in their grand universal scheme, she wanted to know exactly what the wizard had in mind. Had he been seeking her because she belonged to another world? Had mere hours in this place suddenly transformed her into an evil spawn? What was different about her now that hadn’t been there this morning?
“You need to explain yourself, Caius. You have me on edge and although I don’t believe in your legend, the feeling is testing.”
Apparently the suspense was also having an effect on Morgan because he added, “Not to mention irritating.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound alarming. My extensive research on the matter allowed me to apprehend the true nature of the magic at work. To put it simply, I knew someone was destined to sew the unstitched thread in the fabric. Without the shadow of a doubt, I guarantee that someone is you, Cara.”
Okay. So she had jumped from waitressing in New York to being a seamstress in an enchanted world. What were the odds?
“Why?”
“Because you’re here.”
In a bizarre, twisted and illogical way, he had a point. But even if her presence in the Four Kingdoms confirmed his theory, Cara sensed the wizard wasn’t telling the entire truth. Were magicians supposed to lie? Somehow she perceived a missing link in his explanation, but for the life of her she had no idea what the mysterious connection might be.
“I don’t want to be the party pooper, Caius, but I’m positive you don’t have the right person. I have no magic, no powers and no clue as to how I ended up here. There’s no way I can do what you’re expecting of me.”
“You already have.”
Okay. No sweat and everybody boards the express shuttle to the big white institution with bars on the windows. God, but the man must be a little deranged and Morgan might have been right in opposing him. As if following her train of thought, Morgan regarded Caius.
“I’ve been with her since I found her. If she had interacted with anything resembling magic, I’d know.”
“No, because the deed was already done.”
Breath caught in her lungs. Cara’s nerve endings twitched at the finality of his tone. Palms open, the wizard lowered his face into them to rub his cheeks and forehead. Then he inhaled loudly.
“Pardon me for using the dressmaking metaphor again, but things will be clearer this way. Kylor severed the thread of fabric linking our world to Cara’s. In doing so, he endangered both universes. He created two separate ends where there used to be a cosmic unity.”
As if to check he wasn’t sitting beside two complete dumbasses, the wizard paused for a second before resuming.
“This invariably leads to dissensions, wars, plagues and great disasters that may appear natural but are in fact a consequence of misused magic. If you consider these two extremities as representations of both worlds, Cara’s presence here signifies she has initiated the mending sequence in her universe. So as I said, the deed is already done.”
Morgan quoted with four fingers. “So she now only needs to ‘reconnect’ this sequence from our end?”
“Exactly.”
They were both nuts. Yet as Cara observed their grave expressions, she realised they truly expected her to achieve this unimaginable prowess and counted on her to save their world. So unfair! A flash of irritation heating her blood, she rested her elbows on the table and shaped an angle with her hands in a ‘this-has-got-to-stop’ gesture.
“Okay, guys, time out. Quit this nonsense for a minute, will you, and listen to me. I’m not this prophetic saviour of yours and I never will be. Even if I wanted to, even if I had done what Caius says, I wouldn’t be able to do it again because I don’t remember anything, least of all initiating a magical sequence.”
A little out of breath, she switched her gaze from one man to the other. Across from her, the wizard nodded.
“Which is why I got concerned when you arrived here and informed me your memories had vanished. It’s obvious you can’t repair the severed thread in the fabric if you’ve forgotten how.”
Thank God she wasn’t an evil spawn after all. Although very much doubting their theory, the idea of being a bad guy had churned in her mind since the beginning of their conversation. Morgan must have been reflecting along the same lines because he grumbled next to her.
“Thank the Mighty Gods.”
Caius got up to walk to one of his long workbenches. Disregarding dusty stacks of papers, he retrieved a single sheet concealed between pages of an ancient-looking book and brought it back to the table. Sitting down again, he turned the paper towards them as they leaned closer.
“This is a copy I made the last time I went to see Heather. I have other copies hidden in Palance and Moonstill so I can study the prophecy everywhere I go. I’m sure you’ve read these words before, but you know more now and your perception might be different. There, have a look at it.”
He appeared intent on convincing her. In an attempt to open her mind to new possibilities, Cara read the foretelling aloud.
“In which Shade squanders Light
By his Hollow Sealed Fortunes
The Fateful Sentience shall awaken
In which Light squanders Shade
By his Blood Unbounded Portents
The Seventh Son of the House shall arise.”
In spite of her new so-called knowledge, the whole thing still sounded like gibberish. Shrugging, she expelled a fed-up breath.
“I’m sorry, Caius. It’s just mumbo-jumbo to me.”
“Don’t let it concern you, here’s what I think. The first half is about you, Cara. ‘Fortunes’ is another term for fate and you are the hollow whose fate is sealed. It means you and no other have been chosen to restore the fabric. By whatever forgotten action you did in the past, you’ve awakened the fateful sentience. That’s a metaphor symbolising the magic that lay dormant until the time to fulfil the prophecy came upon us.”
“Why am I a hollow? I don’t want to be a hollow.”
The wizard’s knitted brow told her this might not be a good moment to make fun of worshipped scriptures. She waved her hand.
“Please, continue.”
“The house mentioned in the second half isn’t a construction but a dynasty. For instance, the kingdom of Palance may be called the House of Palance. In the past hundred and fifty years, no royal family ever begot seven children. So I believe the seventh son is actually the firstborn child of the seventh generation since the time
of Kylor and Anya.”
“Why the firstborn?”
“Because the words ‘blood’ and ‘portents’ are mentioned. They indicate the heir to the throne of a royal bloodline.”
Quiet until then, Morgan straightened up to look at the wizard. “Who is it? Who’s the firstborn of the seventh generation?”
“That hasn’t been difficult to find out given that reigning monarchies in the Four Kingdoms belong to the fifth and sixth generations. Only one child corresponds to the description.” As he spoke, Caius’ gaze was riveted to Morgan’s. “It’s Devlyn’s son.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“What! That jerk has a son?”
Although Cara hadn’t meant to raise her voice, she blurted out high-pitched notes. She stared at Caius while he resumed.
“The child was born from the loins of the king of Agravar, so as the prophecy says, he has risen. All signs indicate he is to play the major role in the future of the Four Kingdoms.”
Morgan tapped his fingertips on the table. “But he’ll be brought up and taught by Devlyn in the House of Agravar. Do you honestly think he’ll turn out to be the saviour of our lands? No, Caius, that’s a chance we can’t take.”
“I admit the odds are against us and, providing we aren’t already, we might be on the eve of complete tyranny. However, as I said earlier, a true prophecy will always be fulfilled.”
Interrupting their gloomy reflections, Cara held her hand up. “Let me get this straight. For good or bad, this child is heir to the throne of Agravar and, no matter what, he’s meant to rule your world. Right?”
“Right.”
“Then what does it matter if the fabric of time and existence is repaired or not? One way or the other, you’re screwed.”
The wizard rubbed one of his hands across his mouth. Then he drank a long gulp of tea before his gaze encompassed the both of them.
“Unless we put our faith in the implicit meaning of the prophecy. The part that isn’t written with words but nonetheless implied.”