Page 29 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

I hesitated at hearing Brim’s name. I needed to go check on him and make sure he was doing alright. It had been a little too long since I had seen him.

I nodded as Mikel went out of the room and came back in with her. She was beautiful. Her dark hair fell down over her shoulders; her pale skin was dusted in light freckles. Her pink lips pulled into a genuine smile as her red eyes met mine. Her dark red dress looked like blood, which seemed fitting. We had not met before, but she looked at me as if we were long-lost friends, and I smiled at the thought.

“Ardella and Mikel, thank you for seeing me on such short notice.” Her voice carried a confidence in it that told me she had some serious power. A red stone hung around her neck, and it pulsed with magic.?

“Please, have a seat. Brim said it was urgent.” Mikel gestured for her to sit. Bayla sat down and looked at us nervously. She glanced around the sterile white office that Mikel had not decorated at all. He had said something about it causing distraction during important meetings.?

“I’m not sure how much Brim told you, so I will start from the beginning.” Bayla took a deep breath. “I have been having visions of Elloryon being ripped apart and destroyed by a great war in the future.”?

Mikel and I looked at each other.?

“I do not have the power of seeing the future,” she hesitated. “The visions only started recently after my mate, Killian, was murdered. He had this gift, and he has been visiting me, warning me of what is to come.”?

I stilled.

“If he is dead, then how is he still in contact with you?” I asked.?

“He is waiting for me to move on to the next life.” Bayla’s eyes became wet with tears. “I know that gods’ laws prevent you from meddling in our lives too much, but this war will destroy everything. Something needs to happen.”?

How did she know of the gods’ laws? Something about this made me feel frantic. I could not explain the sudden overwhelming feeling that her visions would impact me in some way. Was it because so many lives would be lost? Even as the thought slammed into my mind, I knew that wasn’t it. I sat up a bit straighter in the chair and watched this woman closely.?

There was something about her, but I could not put my finger on it. My gaze stayed on her, worried I would miss some sort of clue as to why I felt drawn to her.

“Well, when is it supposed to happen?” Mikel asked.?

“I’m not sure. Maybe 300 years from now? It changes timelines in my visions every time I see it. I do not have a definite answer.”?

“Is Admes going to defy what we said?” Mikel looked at me. “We won’t be able to stop it until it is happening, and that might be too late.”?

“The god is not responsible for it,” Bayla said quickly before hesitating. “Did Brim not tell you of the prophecy?” Bayla asked. We both turned to her quickly. Damn it, Brim. Now I definitely needed to go talk with him. “There is an answer to the problem.”?

“Do you want to help?” I guessed.

She shook her head and swallowed hard.?

“I will not survive that long. I have seen my daughter grow up without me in my visions.” She rubbed her belly instinctively. “These visions started when I became pregnant with her. Her name will be Thea, and she will save the realm. I have seen her prophecy, and she is so powerful that no one will compare to her. She is the key to saving the realm.”?

“How can you be so sure?” Mikel asked.?

“Because Brim saw her prophecy as well.” She frowned. “I want to make a bargain with you.”?

I watched the grief on her face. I couldn’t imagine being a mother and grieving the thought that I would die before I saw my daughter grow older.

“You and Thea are going to be great friends.” Bayla stared me straight in the eyes.?

“Me?”?

She nodded, and somehow, I felt the truth of her statement. Was that what was drawing me to her, her daughter’s soul already forming in her stomach??

“You’ll become family,” she smiled.?

I didn’t know how to respond to her words, but Mikel ignored her confession completely.?

“What bargain?” Mikel asked.?

“Thea needs to be star-blessed for the prophecy to happen.”

Mikel looked at me. I was the one who got to decide if her child would be blessed by the stars. It would make Thea a god, but to what extent? Mikel was watching me closely, but I was focused on Bayla. Something about her pulsed with familiarity. I could see the soft glow within her, Thea’s soul forming within her stomach. It glowed a pretty shade of dark green.

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