last meal, then finished cleaning up our campsite.
My mind wandered back to our earlier conversation when I had brought up turning myself over. “So, I guess you know about the prophecy?” I said glancing over at him as he took out a small, black flask.
He squatted by the fire and opened the flask and the fire, as if obeying a silent command, slithered into the mouth of the glass bottle. Nikolas corked and pocketed it and I stood staring in awe, momentarily forgetting my question.
“I do.” He said a little warily and I blinked myself back to the conversation, remembering I had started it. My eyes found his and I could almost actually see it when the light bulb flicked on above his head. “Wh— how do you know of the prophecy?”
I would’ve thought this question would’ve come up earlier, but I guess it took a back seat to my suicide mission. “Liam. Well, and some ladies I overheard in a village, but they didn’t know that.” I said matter-of-factly.
He stared at me, but by the unfocused look in his eyes, he wasn’t seeing me. After a moment, they focused back in and he turned to secure some straps on his saddle. “Oh.” He said.
I felt uneasy because he did. It rolled off him in waves. I’d always been strangely in tune to other’s emotions. At times, I felt them so strongly, it was like they were my own.
I continued. “Yeah, he said he knew it was me because of my birthmark.”
This stopped him in his tracks. “How—how did he—what did he say, exactly?” His unease had grown with this revelation and anger sparked in his eyes.
“He said, ‘you will know her by the sun upon her skin.’ Yeah, I think that’s how he put it.” I told him, my fingers finding the mark to draw circles around it.
Nikolas’ eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
I was effectively confused. I knew this specific portion of the prophecy was not known to everyone, but by the look on Nikolas’ face, it was a state secret. “What?” I asked, shrugging.
His body unlocked and he walked quickly to where I stood. “Only a handful of people know that part of the prophecy. Your mother and father, Soleil, myself, my parents, and…the other no longer lives.”
“Okay…um…but, how did you think he identified me?” I didn’t understand why this hadn’t come up before either, why it hadn’t dawned on him or anyone else for that matter.
“He did not mention your mark in the letter. For all we knew, it was a false report.” he looked at me for a moment. “When we saw you, there was no denying who you were…you really do favor your mother.” He stopped to take a slow breath. “And it was almost as if we could feel it in the air, that this time it was different. And of course, your father knew what you looked like.”
Oh, of course he did…w hat?
“How?” I asked.
“He has seen you.” He said, evidently forgetting I was unaware of so much.
What?
“How?” I asked again.
He looked at me and nodded. “Right, you would not know that.” He ran both hands through his tangled waves. “I’m sorry, I do not know the specifics. Your father, he told me on our way to you yesterday that Soleil was able to watch over you somehow, where ever you were. She could show your parents visions of you, but I do not know how.”
Oh, this Soleil character again.
I was beginning to wonder what was not possible here. “Okay…so, what does it mean that Liam knows who I am, that he knows about my mark and why are you freaking out over it?”
Brow furrowed, he stared into the dirt for a moment before responding. “I do not know and I am sure I am not freaking out, though I do not know what that is.” He had suspicions, I was positive about that. But he wouldn’t share them with me when that was all they were. “We should go. It would not have been safe to travel the road to the castle, so our journey will be
My mind wandered back to our earlier conversation when I had brought up turning myself over. “So, I guess you know about the prophecy?” I said glancing over at him as he took out a small, black flask.
He squatted by the fire and opened the flask and the fire, as if obeying a silent command, slithered into the mouth of the glass bottle. Nikolas corked and pocketed it and I stood staring in awe, momentarily forgetting my question.
“I do.” He said a little warily and I blinked myself back to the conversation, remembering I had started it. My eyes found his and I could almost actually see it when the light bulb flicked on above his head. “Wh— how do you know of the prophecy?”
I would’ve thought this question would’ve come up earlier, but I guess it took a back seat to my suicide mission. “Liam. Well, and some ladies I overheard in a village, but they didn’t know that.” I said matter-of-factly.
He stared at me, but by the unfocused look in his eyes, he wasn’t seeing me. After a moment, they focused back in and he turned to secure some straps on his saddle. “Oh.” He said.
I felt uneasy because he did. It rolled off him in waves. I’d always been strangely in tune to other’s emotions. At times, I felt them so strongly, it was like they were my own.
I continued. “Yeah, he said he knew it was me because of my birthmark.”
This stopped him in his tracks. “How—how did he—what did he say, exactly?” His unease had grown with this revelation and anger sparked in his eyes.
“He said, ‘you will know her by the sun upon her skin.’ Yeah, I think that’s how he put it.” I told him, my fingers finding the mark to draw circles around it.
Nikolas’ eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
I was effectively confused. I knew this specific portion of the prophecy was not known to everyone, but by the look on Nikolas’ face, it was a state secret. “What?” I asked, shrugging.
His body unlocked and he walked quickly to where I stood. “Only a handful of people know that part of the prophecy. Your mother and father, Soleil, myself, my parents, and…the other no longer lives.”
“Okay…um…but, how did you think he identified me?” I didn’t understand why this hadn’t come up before either, why it hadn’t dawned on him or anyone else for that matter.
“He did not mention your mark in the letter. For all we knew, it was a false report.” he looked at me for a moment. “When we saw you, there was no denying who you were…you really do favor your mother.” He stopped to take a slow breath. “And it was almost as if we could feel it in the air, that this time it was different. And of course, your father knew what you looked like.”
Oh, of course he did…w hat?
“How?” I asked.
“He has seen you.” He said, evidently forgetting I was unaware of so much.
What?
“How?” I asked again.
He looked at me and nodded. “Right, you would not know that.” He ran both hands through his tangled waves. “I’m sorry, I do not know the specifics. Your father, he told me on our way to you yesterday that Soleil was able to watch over you somehow, where ever you were. She could show your parents visions of you, but I do not know how.”
Oh, this Soleil character again.
I was beginning to wonder what was not possible here. “Okay…so, what does it mean that Liam knows who I am, that he knows about my mark and why are you freaking out over it?”
Brow furrowed, he stared into the dirt for a moment before responding. “I do not know and I am sure I am not freaking out, though I do not know what that is.” He had suspicions, I was positive about that. But he wouldn’t share them with me when that was all they were. “We should go. It would not have been safe to travel the road to the castle, so our journey will be
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