I make a face while rolling my eyes and it causes Lis to nearly fall out of her chair with laughter.
“What can I say, I’m a romantic.” The sarcasm drips off my words and another bout of laughter ensues.
Lis wipes her eyes from the tears that have formed, blotting her wine colored sleeve against them.
While she’s regaining her composure I focus on the prophecy Lis had shared.
“When the two join in solidarity, true power will awaken from slumber to take back what is owed.” I repeat the words Lis had told me, weighing the words until the answer feels too near.
I rub my temples together, trying to focus on the most obvious of answers before it smacks me with realization. Suddenly, I practically beam with the answer, “The eclipse moon?!”
Lis adds, “If it were my guess, I would say so. It would make sense.”
“I’m not sure, that feels too easy.”
“What else do we have to go off of, Alora? I’ve sat here for many moons, more turns than I care to count, trying to figure this out so I may be free one day, and free the man I love.” Her eyes twinkle with determination as she speaks.
I give her the most genuine smile I can muster, not willing to dampen her spirits. “He must be a lucky guy.”
Her pale cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. She looks away from me then before continuing, “He’s forbidden to me.”
The familiarity of that sentiment stings but I do my best to keep that locked away.
“Will you tell me about him, Lis?”
She waits a few moments, reluctantly answering, “He’s bound to King Euron.”
Ice fills my veins and I feel my throat close up, nervous about where this might be going, because gods if it was The Nightmare... or worse…
She must see the panic forming on my face because she quickly adds, “It’s neither of those men, just so you know.”
I narrow my eyes on her, unsure of how she could guess who I was worrying about.
“Do you read thoughts, Lis? Like that of a minder?”
She chuckles before answering, “No, it’s not like that. I just have a general understanding of people’s emotions,” she shrugs, “their intentions and the like.”
Interesting.
I press her to elaborate, “The like?”
Before she can answer, her head snaps towards the door to the left of us, footfalls making their way slowly up the stairs. She quickly looks back at me and whispers, “You must stay here, don’t move.”
A sense of foreboding envelopes me, pebbling my skin once more in the golden glow even though the room is warm.
She pushes her seat back and begins to quietly make her way to the wooden barricade. She lifts to the tip of her toes and peers out the barred slot.
“Damnit.” Her whisper yell causes me to rise to my feet.
“Orlin is coming,” she continues. “He doesn’t like you much from what I gather.”
The understatement is almost ironic, so I reply back to her, “I think I’m rather hated by most of the men in this castle.”
“Tower,” she teases, adding a touch of light humor to the darkening situation.
Heavy boots step onto the landing and with a screech of the doorknob, the door creaks open on its rusty hinges.
The Nightmare steps into view, his face written with annoyance and something more akin to loathing. He looks from Lis to me, and back to Lis.
