“Before you go… You said something about a rebellion? What do you know?”
I weighed my options. He already knew about my heka, so I didn’t think telling him about my encounter with Bogus would reveal much he wasn’t already aware of. I could keep the information about my past to a minimum.
“Bogus is someone from my past who reappeared in my life out of nowhere. He and his comrades had been in some sort of fight and needed mending. He is one of the few people who know about my heka and he tried to convince me to join this rebellion. Apparently, they want to reinstate the Gods in this realm?”
Caelan’s face darkened. “Fates damn it, then they already found you…” He quickly packed away his bottle and strode for the door.
“I take it that you are not working with the rebellion?” I asked.
“No. We learned about their plans years ago, but couldn’t put anything in motion before we found you. It seems that their operation is far more advanced than we thought. I need to go and inform Auretheos. Is it all right if I escort you home? It’s dark outside and we don’t want any more run-ins with your friend Bogus.”
I nodded. Caelan seemed genuine enough and all this talk of people following me and trying to get to me had me on edge. We walked home side by side, not speaking another word. He seemed to be lost in thought just as much as I was. Before turning into my street, he stopped.
“I am going to leave you now, but I would like to meet with you again tomorrow. If it is all right with you, I will come toyour house tomorrow morning and we can find a place to talk.” I nodded and said my goodbyes.
Somehow, my life had become a whole lot more complicated.
Chapter 6
As I returned to the house, my mother was sitting on the old wooden bench overlooking the flower beds. The light from the kitchen window was illuminating the front garden, and my mother was snuggled up under a thick wool blanket.
My father had planted the garden many years ago so that my mother was never without fresh flowers. The summer flowers with their bright colors had disappeared and the russet colors of orange and dark red had taken over. My mother was sitting there between the flecks of color and I noticed once again how gray her hair had gotten and how paper thin her skin looked. I silently cursed the Fates for not letting me heal her.
She smiled brightly as she saw me approach, but the happy tilt of her mouth quickly disappeared when she took in my taut shoulders and pale skin.
“Something has happened, Mae, what is it?”
I slumped down next to her.
“Do you believe in destiny, Mother?” I asked and her brows rose up in response.
“Well… That is a difficult question to answer… what has brought this about, my darling?” She stroked her hand over my hair.
I blew out a breath. “I don’t know… I see you sitting out here in the garden and I think you are right where you belong. You are content, despite everything the Fates have taken from you, and I wonder where I fit into all of it. I was given a heka and I heal people, but I can’t heal you.” Her eyes softened and she overlooked the garden.
“I believe the Fates weave our lives. Every thread in its place, every knot purposeful. But I can’t tell you what the Fates have planned for you. That is for you to find out, darling.”
I sniffed. “I used to believe that too. I even used to find comfort in it, the idea that everything was already written, that every choice and mistake had its place in the pattern. When I believed in destiny, I didn’t have to be afraid of the future. I could tell myself that no matter what I did, it would all unfold as it was meant to.” I swallowed hard, my voice faltering. “But after…” My throat tightened. “… after what happened in Tyskir, I stopped believing.”
My mother patiently waited for me to finish my thought.
“Someone approached me today and asked me to make a decision and I don’t know what to do.”
Because now, standing on the edge of this decision, I felt unsteady, as if the threads under my feet were fraying. What if I left, and it was the wrong choice? What if staying was the greater mistake? The Fates didn’t whisper their secrets to mortals like me. How could I know which path was the one I was to take? They say destiny is a guide, not a chain. But what if that wasn’t true? What if the moment I stepped outside the lines, I unraveled everything? And yet… wasn’t there a part of me that wanted to unravel it? To see what lay beyond the edges of this carefully woven life? To stop being the dutiful daughter, the hidden mage, the girl who fitted neatly into everyone else’s expectations?
My mother looked at me intently, silent for a few heartbeats, and then asked gently, “He has called for you, hasn’t he?”
It took me a moment to catch up. My mouth opened, then closed.
“What… what do you mean? How did you know?”
She patted my cheek.
“I guess it’s time to tell you the truth. Let’s go inside and get some tea. Tea makes everything better.”
I followed her, my thoughts spinning—questions tumbling over one another faster than I could form them into words. My mother moved with her usual calm, but I caught a flicker of tension in her shoulders as she carried two mugs over to the sofa.
“The day the doctor told me that I was expecting, a man came to the house. He explained that the pregnancy was a gift by the Fates and that my daughter would bear a special blessing. He said that one day, when the world was in danger, Auretheos would be calling her to aid him defeat the evil. For a long time I was scared of this day, but the years went by and nothing ever happened. And when you turned thirty and there still had been no sign of an old God calling you to his aid, I was sure that the prophecy had been wrong. But now… it must be a dire situation indeed, if Auretheos himself is calling you to his side.”
