“Just Lexa, please.”
I felt her nod more than saw it. “I am Niamh.” She turned to Finn. “Go, young man. She does not need your guidance now.”
He glanced at me, and I shrugged. Bowing his head respectfully to the priestess, he wandered off to sit on the newly repaired purple bench, picking one where he could keep me in eyesight. I mentally rolled my eyes; Griff had him on protection duty too.
“I’m sorry,” I started as soon as we were alone.
Her sharp eyes fastened on me. “For what?”
I waved a hand around me. “The last time I was here. The damage I wrought.”
She fixed me with a piercing look that reminded me of Nana. “Had you not been here, an entire generation of acolytes and students would have been corrupted. Through your actions, we had infected stone and wood, not people.” She tilted her head, considering. “After the battle, did you feel like you won?”
“Yes, but?—”
“Then do not allow yourself to be burdened by these thoughts.All actions have consequences. Accept them and move on. You have too much in your future to dwell on meaningless things.”
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders at her words. She made it sound so easy.
“I knew it would happen,” she continued. “With the soul channel comes the gift, and burden, of foresight. I had dreamed of it happening thousands of times. And with each dream, a different outcome. Never one where we survived.” She whipped a hand out of her robes and gripped my wrist tightly. “Only through you, and the power you channel, was it possible. I thanked Mother Solais and all the gods that you were with us that day.”
She released my wrist and gestured for me to walk with her. We left the temple through the door tucked into the side, and entered a covered stone passageway, two of the guards following at a distance behind us.
I exhaled heavily through my nose. This was going to get old.
The passage ended in a rectangular courtyard garden, bursting with springtime blooms. A flowering tree grew in the middle, its branches dripping with clusters of pink blossoms. We walked along the carefully manicured paths of white pebbles, pausing at one of the benches placed around the garden. She sat and motioned for me to do the same. I took in the view, the smell of the fresh flowers intoxicating. Beyond the covered passageway, several stories of gray stone rose around us.
“Now, to the business at hand. Lord Narvene has asked me to train you in your soul channel. I think you know that there is no training it. There is only learning to live with it.” She paused, thinking. “There is much the soul channel can do for you. Foresight is only one of the possibilities. Insight is another. But there is so much more. I cannot tell you what form yours will take or how it will manifest.” Her eyes unfocused. For a moment, her head tilted to the left. When she straightened, she fixed me with that piercing stare again. “Have the dreams started?”
I tensed.
“I see. Be sure you don’t lose yourself in them. Prophetic dreams have a way of seeming real, drawing you in.”
Prophetic dreams?
“Dreams of what could be, should you continue on the path in front of you. Warnings. Temptations. And choices you make in the dreams could affect your future.”
Was this what Griff was concerned about? Was that why he had given me such a strange look that first night and insisted on staying by my side every night since?
She reached for my hand and closed her eyes. “You have so many paths that could be taken. And they are not set. The kingdom hangs in the balance. The dreams are potential outcomes of potential paths. Do not put too much stock in them, but also take their warnings.”
If that wasn’t contradictory advice, I didn’t know what was.
I wasquiet on the walk back with Finn. He realized the priestess had given me much to think about and was content to walk in silence as well. Once we reached the castle walls, the guards peeled off. Apparently, they were only required to keep an eye on me when I left the castle grounds. Finn gave me a quick hug when we parted and opened his mouth, before thinking better of it and giving me a quick smile before walking off without saying a word.
I made my way back to my rooms to find Griff sitting on my couch, bare feet propped up on the coffee table. Good. I wouldn’t have to track him down. He looked up from his book and gave me a smile. Clearly, he had no idea of the reckoning that was coming.
“Hey, Princess.”
“Hey, Champion.” I flung my coat down on the back of the couch, perhaps harder than necessary, before fixing him with a glare, crossing my arms over my body. That smile faded as he saw my position. “Let’s talk about how you set four guards on me.”
He stared back at me, unmoving. “I couldn’t accompany you. I told you I’d do what I had to, to keep you safe.”
“So it takesfourguards to replace you?”
“Five. Finn was there.” He looked back down at his book, turning the page.
“And this is what I can expect? Every time I leave the castle?” I asked sharply.
