The Sin War Box Set: Birthright, Scales of the Serpent, and The Veiled Prophet by Richard A. Knaak Page B

know exactly if I believe it all in the first place—”
    Lylia put a finger to his lips. “Then test it again. One last time. Here and now.”
    “Test—”
    “The final proof.” She looked around. “There. Something small but significant. Impossible to deny.”
    The noblewoman led him toward a bush of the type for which they had been searching. However, this one was withered and, in addition to wrinkled leaves, had only a few shriveled berries to offer.
    “What am I supposed to do?” growled Uldyssian anxiously.
    “Touch it. Imagine what you want of it. That is all.”
    He recalled the last time that he had done as she had asked. It was still possible to question what exactly had happened then. Here, though…
    But he could not deny her. Imagine what you want of it, Lylia had said. Uldyssian nervously shrugged. What would he want from the bush other than some fresh berries? But the plant was long past that and, in fact, looked near to dying. If it had been younger, full of life, surely it would have offered a bounty for them.
    He let his fingers graze the dry bush. The leaves and branches were brittle to his touch. The plant was not dying; it was dead .
    There was no point in continuing. “Lylia—”
    She softly placed her hand atop his, keeping it on in contact with the dead bush. “Please…just this once more.”
    Despite his wariness, he wanted nothing more than to please her. With her hand still atop his own, the son of Diomedes thought of the bush and the juicy, ripe crop he would have liked to have found. Enough to feed them all. After the troubles he and the others had suffered in part due to these supposed powers, it was the least he could ask—
    With a gasp, Uldyssian suddenly tore his hand back from the bush.
    Unlike when he had concentrated on the storm over Seram, there was no hesitation between his desire and the fruition of it. Even in the dim moonlight, the transformation he now beheld could not be mistaken for anything short of miraculous.
    The bush stood swollen several times its emaciated size and was now covered in lush leaves. From the few dried berries had burst a cornucopia of fresh, fat ones. They were not restricted to those native to the bush, either, for Uldyssian could easily make out more than half a dozen distinct variations. Blossoms also dotted the rejuvenated plant, filling the vicinity with a sweet scent.
    In comparison to the storm, it was a small thing, this transformation, but it forever put to death for the farmer any doubt that he wielded powers beyond his imagination.
    And that very realization made him tremble as he never had before, not even when facing the guards of the Cathedral.
    “Why do you shake so?” asked Lylia, coming around him. “Look!” The beautiful noblewoman reached out and snatched some of the berries. She thrust them in her mouth, eating with gusto. Her eyes widened in merriment as she ate. “Delicious!” Lylia concluded. “Taste for yourself!”
    Before he could decline, she had torn off another bunch and brought them to his lips. Her face she planted in his chest, eyes ever on his own.
    Uldyssian could do nothing but accept the bounty. Lylia placed the berries into his mouth, her fingers lingering for a moment.
    “Taste them,” she repeated, slowly removing her hand.
    Never in his life had Uldyssian come across such flavor. Each berry was a treasure unto itself, as sweet as the sweetest wine…
    “The power within you should be feared only by those who envy you! When all others see the good it creates, they will understand…and then…then, you can teach them…”
    “T—Teach them?”
    “What I spoke of before! To see the potential within them to be as you! To show them that they need not cow to mage clans, Temples, or Cathedrals, Uldyssian! To know that within each is a glory beyond the conceiving of any would-be prophet or cleric…” She halted. “I speak from knowledge, my love. You can show them the way…I know it!