For a moment, Kira thought she wouldn’t answer.Her expression as impassive as an oshota’s.
Then finally, something shifted.
“Madness has taken root in this place,” the girl informed Kira.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kira saw Quillon and Raider’s arrival.“What does that mean?”
The girl transferred her stare to Raider.“He was in her memories too.”
“Whose memories?”Kira pressed, shaking her head at Raider to tell him to back off.
“Mother’s.”
The girl said it as if the answer was obvious.As if Kira should have known that without her needing to explain.
“Are you telepathic?”Kira asked.
The ability wasn’t unheard of but it wasn’t exactly common either.More to the point, none of the alien races Kira knew of who came with that trait also possessed the physical characteristics of tail, scales and claws.
It was possible the girl was crossed with more than one race, but for some reason that didn’t feel right.
Harlow or Quillon might have a better idea of the girl’s heritage beyond Tuann.Whatever it was, it must be pretty dominant to override the Tuann genes.Not that it mattered.Kira had already accepted her under her protection.Nothing short of betrayal would change that.
Possibly not even then.
It just might be useful to know.In case the race had any special needs—like an insatiable desire for raw red meat—that way they could address them before they became a problem.
When the girl went back to staring, Kira changed tactics.“Madness—can you tell me what that means?”
It was such a specific phrase.
The girl’s eyes fogged over.“After centuries of careful pruning, their tree has finally born fruit.Consume it and you will be enveloped in madness.Chaos takes root in their hearts and they yearn for the death of all that was.”
The hazy look in the girl’s eyes disappeared when she blinked.Apathy returned to her features as her gaze tracked over Kira’s shoulder to lock on the window overlooking the sea.
Realizing she wasn’t going to get anything else out of the girl today, Kira thanked her and rose.
“Mild prophetic abilities.Unusual,” Quillon said as Kira joined him.
Raider sent him a weird look.“What about that sounded like prophecy to you?”
A faint smile touched Quillon’s lips.“All of it.”
“You can’t really believe people can see the future.That’s impossible.”
“Very little in this world is impossible,” Quillon corrected.“Is that not why your kind refers to us as wizards?Because of our seemingly magical abilities.Especially in comparison to a human’s.”
The eyebrow Quillon quirked at Raider made Kira’s friend frown.
“There are races who have demonstrated a certain sensitivity to their surroundings.Enough for it to approach prophecy.Among the Tuann, Lady Amaris is the best example.Although the ability sounds more impressive than it actually is,” Quillon admitted.
“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?”Raider drawled.“Knowing the future sounds pretty damn impressive to me.”
“He means that the very act of glimpsing a possible outcome holds the potential of changing it,” Kira said.
Once known, it could be prevented.Simple as that.
“Very good,” Quillon said with a nod.“The future is impossible to fully predict.It’s more accurate to say they glimpse one single branch of a possible future.Any deviation leads to a different outcome.In the child’s case, I don’t think she’s really using prophecy.From what she said about seeing you in Elise’s memories, I think it would be more accurate to say that she’s picking up on the emotions and thoughts of those around her.Perhaps even the Mea’Ave’s—which has, in rare cases, given Tuann prophecies.”
