Page 39 of The Truth-Teller's Bargain
“I don’t understand,” she confessed.
“I don’t either,” he admitted. “All I know is that I can’t watch you burn yourself out for me. I think... I think I was supposed to meet you. To remind myself how Zenobia wields power—how easily she abuses it. And she will doanythingto hold onto her precious throne.” He let out a bitter laugh. “Things weren’t so bad when your father was king. He honored his agreements and mostly kept his word. Lenorea was prospering. They wouldn’t admit it, but even my parents approved of many of his choices. But when he died... When she tried to slaughter us... Well, everything changed. None of us could stand idly by anymore.” Nakir’s brow furrowed as he noticed her eyes welling with tears. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bring up his passing so thoughtlessly?—”
“No,” she told him, despite her own shaking voice. “It’s okay. It’s been a long time. But if I could have one thing in the world, it would be that he would still be alive. Maybe then...” She bit the inside of her lip. “Maybe your parents would still be here. Everything changed for me that day too.” She closed her eyes for a moment, evening her breath. “That was the first time my mother asked me to force a prophecy. She wanted me to tell her he was going to get better. I couldn’t say the words... and when she made me speak, it wasn’t good news. She... broke.” A tear fell down the swell of her cheek, and Nakir brushed it away. The motion was so intimate that Alethea’s breath caught in her throat as his touch lingered.
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen.” The memory was seared into her very core. “I thinkshe blamed me for his death. She told me I’d sentenced him to die. Sometimes... I wonder if she was right. Maybe if I hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have died.”
“Is that how your prophecies work? Can you speak truth into existence?”
Alethea only swallowed as she attempted to push away the painful memories living under lock and key in her heart. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Sometimes, they’re just words that come out of me, but lately, I’ve been seeing things in my head, having nightmares... Sometimes, it feels like my mind is not my own.”
“If you’d had any formal training, perhaps you might have a better handle on your magic, but even so, Oracles are not well understood. I’m not surprised to see you burn so easily considering you’ve been managing this all on your own.” Nakir gave her a gentle squeeze, understanding in his tone. “You have many gifts aside from your power of prophecy. Find a way to use them. I’m not an expert on Oracles, but I do know that when a vision is important enough, it’ll come to you. Conserve your powers for when it’s important.”
She could hardly handle the switch from her mother’s demands to Nakir’s gentle discouragement. It had her chest tightening with a fear she couldn’t place. Her eyes filled with tears again. “I don’t know how to be useful without them,” she confessed, vulnerability spilling from her.
His warm expression softened. “I know. But you’re worth figuring that out.”
“Your mentor,” Alethea asked. “Where is he now?”
“He has much more important things to do than help with our cause,” Nakir explained with a far-off look. “I already owe him my life, and now I don’t have magic... let’s just say, he’s not exactly the sentimental type. I haven’t heard from him since that day.” There was a small pause before he added, “You should have had a mentor to look out for you and teach you about your magic.”
A small smile crossed her lips as she searched for the smallest glimmer of hope for her future. “Maybe I’ll get one when this is all over.”
Nakir returned her smile, and it warmed her to see him relax. “What will you do with your new freedom?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to travel,” she told him dreamily. “I’ve only ever been to Azmarin City, but there’s a whole other world out there. I want to see the sands of Rai’Sharr, or maybe visit one of the great libraries. And I hear Wolfecrest is beautiful in the summer.”
“I could give you a list of my favorite places, if you’d like,” he told her. “I can only imagine the people you’ll meet.”
“Maybe I’ll find another Oracle.” There had to be someone out there who understood her.
“Maybe. They’re incredibly rare.” Nakir’s smile faltered. “I’ve only ever met one before.”
Curiosity had her sitting up, adjusting under the covers. “What were they like?”
“Terrifying,” Nakir admitted. “I’d never seen power like that before.”
Alethea knit her brows.
“So, not like me?” she asked, filling the quiet.
Nakir met her gaze, and she was arrested by it.
“No,” he told her. “No one is like you.”
Her breath caught at his statement, spoken so reverently. He brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, and her stomach exploded into butterflies.
“You’re terrifying for an entirely different reason.”
“Wha—” she began, but a voice drew them out of their conversation.
“Nakir!” It was Ker, her voice carrying from just outside the tent, reminding Alethea how little privacy they really had here. “You’re going to want to hear this.”
“Come,” Nakir bade her, offering to help her rise out of the bedroll. “Let’s see what has Kerrigan fired up this time.”
A sinking feeling had Alethea resisting. There was something foreboding in the air, warning of danger. The voices in her head were silent, but her gut made it clear something was wrong. Nevertheless, she let him lead her out of the tent.
