Master Cassius smiled apologetically. "Mostly Idylstone these days, but there are many secrets deep in the earth—of worlds long-since buried. Things that would positively flabbergast your senses!" The man was so excited I couldn't help but smile.
"So, what do you know about the prophecy?" I asked when it was clear he would not say more about the tunnels.Secrets, I thought with a flash of annoyance. "And did Amon's note give you the new words—the ones given to me by the angels?" I added.
Cassius' expression proved Io's note had done no such thing.
When I finished telling the old master the story of how the angels had appeared to me outside of Cold Garden, Io reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment I had written the words on.
Master Cassius took the page and read in silence for several minutes. When he had finished, he picked up his pen and began scribbling notes onto the papers before him. He kept looking between the paper and his own notes, taking turns reading and scratching his pen across the page.
Once, he shot up from the desk and grabbed a book propped against the wall. He opened it and began furiously thumbing through the pages.
When he found what he was looking for, he took the book back to the desk and began writing some more.
When Io started to speak, the master scholar put a hand up to silence him.
After several more minutes, he finally looked up excitedly. "There is still much I do not understand. But there are things here that my brothers and sisters all agree upon. First of which is that the prophecy does indeed speak of you, Aelia of Windemere."
I wanted to get up and leave, so great was the feeling of foreboding his words elicited. Even if I had all but resigned myself to the fact already, the confirmation from the top scholar in Darkwatch terrified me.
But I did not go. I stayed—more out of curiosity than anything else.
As we listened raptly, Cassius went through the parts of the prophecy that he was certain the scholars had come to understand. "The mother's veil is ashes," he said. "We believe that refers to your mother's death. Just asthe father's grief is poisonrefers to your father's suicide. Obviously,the angel opens her eyes—that would be your birth, though none of us can agree on the timeline. It seems the prophecy implies your mother died before your birth, but it is well known that it was after."
"The next part,her shadow falls across the stars. Her tears fall upon the little blind rat. She remembers malice, but the child knows only the light—we have no idea what this refers to."
Io cut in. "I've given that part a bit of thought myself."
Cassius and I both looked at him in question.
"In Orin, there is a mosaic of Danu, standing against a field of stars. In the tiles, there are smaller, hidden pictures; a frog, Danu's dragon, and other odd little symbols that may have no meaning except to the artist who made them. But I used to play there as a very small child. There is a little white rat in the corner of that mosaic with big, milky blue eyes."
Cassius looked interested. He hopped up from his chair, grabbing another book and thumbing through the pages. He was mumbling to himself so low I couldn't make out the words. "Ah yes!" he said, sliding his finger along the words on the page. "It was widely known that Danu had an affinity for creatures of all kinds. She had a veritable menagerie, they say. Frogs, birds..."
"There was a very colorful bird on that mosaic as well," Io added.
Cassius nodded, "Yes, yes, well she also had pet rats—or perhaps it means to say she befriended rats, but there is no mention of them being blind."
Cassius looked absolutely ecstatic as he replaced the book and went back to his desk.
"I must go to Orin immediately—to see this mosaic. I will bring a chronicler to paint it so that we can study it in depth..." He was rambling, excitedly making plans.
Io cleared his throat meaningfully.
The master looked up. "Oh, yes, yes. Back to the point." He pointed his finger to the ceiling, and then looked back to his notes. "Just so. Yes...now, the next part is obvious.The sleeping angel bleeds red gold. That would be the coronation miracle."
My heart thudded in my chest at the significance of all he was saying. I could not understand how he could be so excited to seemingly find confirmation of prophecy playing out in real time. Not when I knew how that prophecy ended.
"We believe the next is simply indicating a journey of sorts—of her path to worthiness as queen.Angels weep. Angels die. Angels rise. Aelia! Aelia! Redemption!"
Cassius' face finally fell a little as the finger he had tracking down his page of notes reached the next part. He read in a less enthusiastic voice. "Death stalks across the plains as godslion's teeth rend flesh of the twice born king. Wings and drums beat. Aelia! Aelia! Savior!"
My breath caught in my throat as I heard it. "Fuck me," I breathed without realizing what I’d said.
"What?" Io said, his brows drawing down over wary eyes.
"The horse lords," I said, swallowing a knot of anxiety in my throat. "As they rode away, after giving me the elderwood seed." I pulled the chain from where it lay under my shirt. "They drummed their armor and chanted,Aelia, Aelia, savior."
Neither Io nor Cassius spoke as my thoughts raced. "I...I somehow don't think they ever made it back to Artax. Or at least...not without some trouble."
