Unless there was something she wanted me to observe.
We rounded a hedge, and I stilled, frost coating my fists at the male only a few paces from us. “We should leave. Lord Halberg is here.”
He was pacing frantically back and forth, muttering to himself. Behind him were three pale frostwisps, floating in slow, ominous circles like tiny, glowing motes of doom.
“Just wait,” Nevara hissed, her lips tilting into a full smirk.
“…Nevara.”
“Hmm?” She blinked innocently.
“What did you do?”
She shrugged a slim shoulder. “I may have indicated that I saw a few frostwisps in his future, and of course… they only appear to those marked for an unfortunate fate.”
I stared at her. “And which fate would that be?”
Another shrug. “You know… the one where the wisps drain your breath a little more each night unless you cleanse your soul by publicly confessing every lie you've ever told.”
I blinked. “Nevara.”
“What?” she asked innocently. “Don’t tell me he is being followed by frostwisps at this rather auspicious and completely untimed moment…”
She feigned shock when I didn’t answer.
Before I could respond, Lord Halberg clapped both hands over his mouth like he was afraid the wisps might crawl inside. Then he dropped to his knees and raised his face to the sky, loudly uttering prayers to the Shard Mother while courtiers scrambled back to avoid him.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered.
“A future Visionary does not jest,” she said wryly. “But, perhaps this newfound piety will help him remember where he placed that ledger he was so concerned with last week.”
The one he’d openly accused me of stealing…
My father hadn’t bothered to ask questions; he never did. One of the worst-kept secrets within the palace was how quick he was to… discipline his son. Instead, he waited until everyone was dismissed from the Great Hall to teach me a lesson in ‘obedience’.
The memory ghosted across my back, phantom bruises prickling beneath my tunic. Nevara must have felt the shift in my breathing. She squeezed my arm gently.
“As an aside, did you know that frostwisps happen to love juniper honey? As I understand it, they are completelyintoxicated by the smell and will travel for miles just to have a taste.”
“Does Lord Halberg harbor a fondness for juniper honey?” I guessed.
“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” Nevara said in the serene voice she used as the Visionary. “I don’t See everything, you know, and the Shard Mother has been kind enough to shield me from the horrors of Lord Halberg’s bathing habits, though I do recall Mirelda mentioning that she would instruct the maids to… bolster his shampoo with that very thing.”
I choked on a laugh. “Only you could get Mirelda to assist with a practical joke.”
Just then, one of the frostwisps bobbed in front of Halberg’s face, and the lord screamed before flinging handfuls of dirt in its direction.
The glowing blue orb pulsed faintly and drifted backward, completely unbothered. Halberg lurched to his feet just as it descended again.
“Fine!” he cried before stumbling backward. “I claimed the title early. The ceremony wasn’t… finished!”
I stared. “What is he doing?”
“Trying to avoid the curse,” Nevara said, her expression the portrait of sincerity. “Obviously.”
She straightened, forcing us to move forward once again. The lord froze as soon as he saw her, his hands trembling at his sides.
Nevara’s voice was as solemn as a priestess delivering last rites when she spoke. “May your conscience find peace, My Lord.”
