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Grayson snatches my arm and pulls me into a hug before I can leave. He holds my head against his, whispering, “You’re so much more than Bastian and Evie make you out to be. Be good while I’m gone.”
I hear the front door open and close before I make it to our bedroom. We’re alone. Levi has his back to me, lying down and facing the wall.
Sitting on his mattress, I rest a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
He turns to me and blinks.
“Are you ok?”
I expect to see tears in his eyes as he cranes his face in my direction, rolling onto his back and staring at me before he signs, “There are times I’m ashamed to call them my family. But he has a bigger heart than he’s willing to show you.”
“I’m sure he does.” Without asking, I kick my feet out onto Levi’s mattress and snuggle beside him. The only sounds in the room are the chatter of birds outside the window and the beating of our hearts. Grayson’s words rattle around in my brain. If I’m so special, why do Bastian and Evie treat me like shit? I tilt my head to face him. “Tell me more about the prophecy, Levi.”.
“I wasn’t completely honest with you. I’m a quarter fae on my mother’s side.” He props himself up on his elbow. “Imagine that. They kicked my parents out of Avren for being deaf, not knowing my mother was half fae. With my ancestry, I enjoy going to Mafekadi. I feel at home there.”
“And what about here with Gray, Bastian, and Evie?” I’m asking him to open himself up to a person he’s known for less than three days.
“They’re kin, Mari. Like you.” He twists a strand of my hair with his fingers, so intimate yet so different from the times Flynn touched me. “We can’t leave each other. There might be someone I’m still related to in Mafekadi, but why would I ever need them when I have the Kindred Few?”
The title still holds little meaning to me. Yes, it feels good to have an adoptive family so soon after losing my mom. But I feel like I’m nothing but an anchor weighing them down.
"And the prophecy of the fae?” I try again now that he is looking at me. His green eyes magnified in his glasses, holding onto me like I’m a priceless treasure.
Does it have any of the ancient fae magic I’ve read about in the Avren library?
He sits up straighter, resting his back against the wall before running his hand through his dark hair and setting it askew. “I don’t have it memorized like I should.” His gaze goes to a faraway place, as if he’s trying to remember something from his childhood. “My mother had me memorize it as a nursery rhyme, but that was a long time ago.”
“Try for me.”
Levi’s words draw me into the mythical nature of a prophecy. He rubs his hands together, getting ready to sign. “I’ll give it a try.” He sucks in a breath and closes his eyes.
“Two cities loom above us all,
one veiled in beauty and the other in darkness.
Both hold death within their walls.
For those saved by Mahogany’s gaze
dance among the fairy rings and a fire’s blaze.
The great wilderness protects the hidden.
Two will rise from the cities’ walls—young and brave and true.
Their sacrifice will save us all
and end the evil reign
of both great cities.”
My mouth hangs open. Avren with its pristine streets, towering spires, and scientific and artistic advances seems indestructible. Does it really need to meet its doom for the rest of us to live in peace?
He weaves his fingers through mine. “It’s you. We all know it.”
My breath hitches as a rush of fear hits me. How do the others think I’m a great savior? It’s insane, really. A girl grown in a test tube and raised by a Council member and a mathematician does not qualify as a mighty warrior destined to bring down two great cities. And even if I am one of them, which is highly unlikely, who is the other one? Grayson? He’s the only other person I’ve met from Avren. But there are a lot of Undesirables. It could be anyone. “Why do you think it’s me?”
“There are further writings on the prophecy in Mafekadi. Fae scholars have studied the scrolls for centuries. The two saviors will be orphans, one from Avren.” He lets go of my hand to hold up a finger. “The other from the First City.” He holds up a second finger.
