“A voice started speaking to me the day I met Aras,” I confessed.
“A voice?” My father's hand fell away. “Son—”
“I warned you that you would think I've gone mad. But please, just hear me out. The voice told me she was the consciousness of a powerful relic. Ensarena's Eye.”
My mother gasped.
My father and I spun to look at her.
“The Eye,” she whispered. “No, that's not possible. That's a legend. A story. It doesn't exist.”
“That's what I thought too,” I said.
“It's speaking to our son,” my father said. “What is it, Jaclene? Why has its existence spooked you?”
“It's . . .” She shook her head. “I don't know a lot about Ensarena's Eye. I just remember a story my grandmother once told me.” Her expression went worried. “A story about a king who nearly burned all of Serai.”
He was not strong enough to wield me,the Eye said.
“The Eye says that the king wasn't strong enough to use her,” I repeated. “She has chosen me for many reasons. ButI only need her for one—to give me the power to quell an uprising.”
“She's speaking to you right now?” my father asked.
“Yes, and I know she's real, not a figment of my mind. Several things have convinced me. First, she started speaking to me the day Aras offered to obtain her for me. Next, she knew when Aras's ship was attacked by pirates and informed me that she'd been stolen before he told me of the theft. She has also foretold events. She warned me last night, but I didn't listen to her because I didn't trust her. I should have. She was right.”
“Is that one of the amulet's powers, Jaclene?” my father asked her.
“I don't know.” My mother stared at me.
“She says that she's a piece of the Goddess,” I said. “A piece of Ensarena's Fire Magic. It's strong enough to incinerate Dragons. But she's also an eye, with the ability to see the past, present, and future.”
“Dear Goddess,” my father whispered.
Yes, precisely,the Eye drawled.
I clenched my jaws and sought patience. “You know me. I did not accept her lightly. I tested the voice. I worried about my sanity. But I believe she is real and speaks the truth. She warned me from the beginning that I would need her to stop a Dragon war. And now, here we are.”
“And this voice has told you to keep your mating a secret from your mate?” my father asked.
“Yes. She says that if I do, I will not attain her.”
“Her,” my mother repeated. “You've given it a gender?”
“It speaks with a woman's voice. I assume it's because she's a part of the Goddess.”
“Oh.” My mother looked at my father.
“I didn't want to tell you,” I muttered. “I knew this would be your reaction.”
“We believe you, Son,” my father said. “We are just unsure about this entity you are conversing with.”
Entity,the Eye huffed.That sounds a little rude.
It's not rude. You are an entity—a being with no physical body.
Oh. All right then. I mean, you could call the Eye a body, but I suppose that's a stretch.
“That's fine, “ I said aloud. “You don't have to trust her, but I do. And she says you need to come back to Renris with me.”
