They all look at me expectantly.
‘In my dreams, he was in a white room dressed in white robes, and I was a child. This time, it began that way, but then it changed. We were in the corridors of the Breach. He was dressed in rags. He was older and thin, as if he’d been in there for a long time. He told me that he’s stuck there now, that he can never leave.'
'And what of the mage who stole you?'
'He is no more. He left me at The Barrack after he took me. Perhaps he intended to come back for me when I was old enough to help him do what he wanted. What my father refused.'
'What was it that this mage wanted?'
'To find a lake. One with black water.'
‘The Black Lake,’ Locke whispers, and he and Jak’s eyes meet for a moment.
‘You know of it?’ I ask.
‘Varrik was a mage…’ Jak says quietly. ‘He was obsessed with finding it. The Black Lake. He looked for many, many years before he found it.’
'You think Varrik may have been the mage my father spoke of?'
‘Perhaps.' Jak shakes his head. ‘Varrik did find the Black Lake eventually, after many years of searching for it. He used it in many ways before he was killed and the knowledge of its location was lost again. It’s said it’s the birthplace of the Harbinger.’
‘What else did he tell you, Bryn?’ Locke urges, leaning closer.
‘He said that I could hear him because I'm strong enough to understand his words now. The life of a slave kept me weak.Food and rest, and,’ my cheeks color, ‘the need I sometimes feel. It makes me more powerful. He also said that I have gifts, that Fate doesn’t just work through me…’ I taper off.
Will they believe me? I scarcely believe it myself and I’ve seen it three times now. I take a breath.
‘Could that be why Fate has never harmed us?’ Jak murmurs, almost to himself, his eyes unfocussed. ‘If you were in control of it, then perhaps you didn’t want it to harm us.’
‘My father seemed to think that Fate would choose those who were worthy.’
They all glance at each other.
‘Anyway, something happened in Merediea,’ I blurt, ‘and I wasn't sure if I was remembering it properly, but there was a goblin?—'
'I remember,' Locke says softly. ‘When I found you wandering.’
I nod. 'Well, I was trying to get away from him. A candle flame suddenly burned high, and it set him alight. And then his hand was trapped hard in a door. He hadn't hurt me. And something similar happened in the alley with that man in Halsford. A piece of the roof broke off almost hit him, and then again with Tavish. An egg fell on his head from the ceiling. He hadn't hurt me either. I've tried to make it happen again, but I haven’t been able to.’
'Have you tried since we came here?’ Locke asks.
I shake my head. 'I suppose I think that if I can't do it, then all of itwasa dream. A waking dream.'
'Perhaps you should try now,' Locke presses, glancing around at all the people in the street who are talking and laughing.
'What should I do?' I ask dubiously.
'Anything.'
I survey the immediate area. I notice some drunken men down by the next corner, drinking over a large, upended barrel.A stray dog slinks by, and one of them kicks it. My eyes narrow. No matter where I am, whether Light Realm or Dark Realms, there are always those who think themselves better, who gain pleasure from being cruel.
It makes me angry and before my very eyes the man slips over in the mud. I hear an audible crack as his leg breaks. He squeals in pain, and my eyes widen. I look away immediately.
The males at the table all look shocked.
'Did you just?—'
I nod jerkily. 'I think so.'
