Lord d’Refan hummed and was silent for a moment, his gaze raking over my face as he chose his next words.
“Do you believe in Fate, Ellowyn?”
My brow furrowed at the unexpected question. He seemed to have a way of continually surprising me with his curiosity.
Did he mean the god or the idea?I pondered for a moment, but realized my answer was the same either way.
“Yes?” I’m not sure why my answer came as a question and Lord d’Refan laughed at my response.
“I mean, yes. I do. I work in the temple so . . .” I trailed off, not sure where my thought was taking me.
“And what of free will?”
“Are we getting philosophical tonight, Alois?” I teased lightly.
“Can I tell you a story, Ellowyn?”
It was weird that he never answered a question of mine directly, and yet expected me to respond with truth. I bobbed hesitantly, not sure what story he was possibly going to tell me.
“Once upon a time, not long before you were born, there was a place where everyone was given the same opportunity. Children from all walks of life were allowed to learn and choose if they wanted to be Awakened early or wait. There was poverty, sure, but there were ways around that. Everyone was guided by the Keepers and their Matriarch, the Keeper of Memories, and no one thought to question why only the agents of Solace were guiding. Soon, though, cracks started to show. Their guidance turned ill-fated for a family or three because, while they can see glimpses of the future, they cannot discern truth from it. That, Ellowyn, is the job for the agents of Kaos—the Truthsayers. Coincidentally, years previous, the Keepers and their extremist followers sought to eliminate Truthsayers, thinking that no one person should be able to know both the possibility of their futures and have the ability to act upon it to make it reality.”
I blanched at his words.
“Yes, according to the Keepers and their Matriarch, only Fate should be able to influence a person’s decisions. Free will and choice have no place in society. So, with the Truthsayers all but eliminated, the Keepers were left to guide society. It degraded quickly. Because, Ellowyn, there needs to be balance in life. The Truthsayers were the balance to the Keepers but eliminating them threw even the gods out of balance. Eventually, the people rebelled against the Keepers, causing them to flee and hide.”
“I thought some Keepers worked in various courts?”
“Yes, this is true. Some courts requested the use of a Keeper so they could see various futures. But without a Truthsayer to interpret those futures, the information was futile, unusable. This happened for many years until Fate demanded balance once again. Agents of Kaos found the Keepers and once again, attempted to create balance. Now, there is only one Truthsayer left”—he gestured to himself— “but the Keepers still operate from theshadows, influencing, or trying to influence, the lives of people. I’m sure you saw the Keeper strung up in the village?”
I nodded mutely and didn’t tell him that I saw him dragged from his home.
“That is not uncommon and must happen. Fate is continually demanding balance; we just happen to live in a time where the pendulum is swinging back to center.” He let go of my waist momentarily to explain, and I realized that we stopped dancing, the other couples swirling around us. “Sometimes, society lives in a swing toward Solace where everything seems ‘peaceful’ and people are ‘equal.’” He air quoted both words. “Other times, we live in a society where Kaos reigns”—he swung his hand to the opposite end— “and violence and mayhem rule life. Wars start, riots occur, people die. We live in a time where the pendulum is in constant flux.” He moved his hand to pulsate on a shorter leash, back and forth. “Eventually, it will come to rest in the center before some outside force knocks it one way or another again. However, until then, we will experience points of happiness and points of grief in direct contrast and succession.” He dropped his hand before using it to brush a curl from my face. “It’s the way of the gods and what Fate demands.”
Silence hung between us as I digested everything he told me. None of that was information that I had learned before, and my head was spinning. I didn’t know what to think. Lord d’Refan reached out again to rest his hand on my waist, drawing me closer.
“That is why it’s imperative that both the agents of Solace and the agents of Kaos be eliminated,” he whispered quietly, and my eyes went wide, “yes, Ellowyn, even me. Because if we still exist, then the pendulum can never completely rest.”
He would die to see balance in the world?
He smiled at me, and I realized I asked my question out loud. “Yes, Ellowyn. I will die to see balance in the world, but not before the Keepers are reduced as well. Mutually assured destruction, if you will.”
I nodded my head dumbly.
“Ellowyn,” his voice was a seductive whisper and I found myself drowning in his deep black eyes. “Do you know of any Keepers?”
I found myself nodding my head. And a gleam ignited in his eyes.
“Where?”
I opened my mouth to speak when I was jolted from Lord d’Refan’s hypnotic gaze by a strong hand on my shoulder. The zing at the connection told me that it was Torin, and I was never more grateful for another person’s presence. I was appalled with myself that I had nearly spilled a secret that my mother specifically told me to guard against.
I swallowed audibly before frantically looking to Torin, only to see that he was locked in a furious battle of stares with Lord d’Refan.
“Excuse me, Lord d’Refan, but I was promised a moment alone with Ellowyn before her Awakening and, seeing as it is almost time for her ceremony, I’ve come to collect on that promise.” His voice was hard and unyielding, and it sent shivers down my spine.
“We were in the middle of a conversation,” Lord d’Refan practically snarled at Torin, and I caught a glimpse of the Warlord the rebels so often talk about.
Torin didn’t flinch and just squeezed my shoulder in reassurance.
